Today the world celebrates Youth Day and Yash Tiwari is a perfect person to represent the topic. In this article, he will talk on how the age is never an obstruction to having a social impact on this world, leading by his own example. Yash Tiwari, 18 years old, has delivered 4 TED Talks and A Josh Talk, is an international youth mentor, an award winning author of two books, a public speaker, with his critically acclaimed debut novel "A Celebration In Tribulation" written at the age of 16. He recently has also authored PANDEMIC 2020 - Rife Of The Virus World's First Novel On The Ongoing Corona Virus Outbreak. Read along!
Drivers of Change and Betterment
The vision of our global future lies in the hands of our Youth. As an 18 year old myself, I completely understand the responsibility that we have towards this world that we are growing up in right now. I always say that young adults are the “Drivers of Change and Betterment” for tomorrow.
It is nothing but obvious that with the world evolving and growing at such an unprecedented rate, the mindset, moral values and ideologies of the individuals in the current generation are also evolving and growing. I was reading this article the other day stating that today we have nearly 1.8 Billion youngsters living in this world. Just think about it for a second. 1.8 billion pro-actively ambitious, morally and socially evolved minds belonging to creative individuals who are going to be the shapers and leaders of this world’s global future.
And then, it hits us hard.
What is it, you ask? The outdated societal ideologies driven by redundant Youth-ism or, as we generally know it, Reverse-Ageism.
“But how can you establish this start-up? You’re too Young for it!”
“Writing a book on such a heated topic at this age? No way, you’re too young for it. Focus on your studies!”
“So you’re saying that you’re willing to start a global campaign to deal with climate change? Come on, aren’t you like just 16 or something right now?”
As a youngster, even in the world of today that takes pride in being modernised and socially advanced, you may or may not have been told the exact same words by someone, but you definitely must have felt the essence of these remarks at some point in your life, for sure. These remarks, I should mention, are driven by prejudice based on a person’s age. Time and again the world reminds us about how the young adults of today are Too Young to take global action, or Too Naive to make global decisions. Yes, we’re talking about the very same generation that, in less than a decade, is going to be leading our world; the torch-bearers of our future.
But guess what?
#TimesUp for not just the other social prejudices, but also the specific one that lives and nests within a stereotypical mentality raised on the foundation stones of reverse-ageism.íéé
You’re Not Too Young to Achieve What You Aspire to Achieve
The Youth of Today and the leaders of tomorrow are tackling the worldly concerns that have been lingering on and on from the far past in their unique ways; how they’re evolving along with the growing world, understanding its conditions, working accordingly, and shaping our global future to be much better and much more sustainably developed than it is today!
Right now, I’m just 18 years old. And I remember that my journey as an International Youth Mentor and, as I’ve been called by many, a social change maker started when I really was just 16 years old, two years back. I authored my now globally acclaimed and award-winning debut novel, “A Celebration in Tribulation”, which was based on the generally unheard of and unknown Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease, which caught the attention of people from all around the world. That’s when I was invited to deliver my first TED Talk at TEDxHBTU. Since then, I have worked constantly in the field of Youth Mentorship, impacting thousands upon thousands of individuals and contributing my level best to the field of literature as well, and delivering global talks, sessions, and workshops almost regularly. I have so far delivered Four TED Talks, an acclaimed Josh Talk which has been viewed more than 300,000 times in a very short span of time, and have very recently authored PANDEMIC 2020 – Rife of the Virus, the world’s first fiction novel based on the Corona Virus outbreak and my second novel at the young age of 18 years. How, exactly, was I able to achieve all this in a world that still raises questions like, “Aren’t You Too Young to Do Something Like This?”
By responding back in my mind by saying, “No, I am not.”
Young people today are growing up and living through the present-day world with the modern cultures that are in place, so they practically get a better sense of understanding about the situation. Because of that, their ways of tackling the concerns that I’ve talked about is much more in sync with how modernised or advanced the world has become. So “Young Age”, as we see from this point of view, only makes you more capable of creating a social impact, rather than simply making you artless or callow. Whether it is about something as basic yet beneficial as making YouTube tutorials about sustainable living, or about creating thought-provoking blogs on Tumblr or Instagram about the breaching of civil rights – the young have unique yet effective ways making an impact on the world.
I always cite this wonderful statement made by the former Secretary General of United Nations, Ban Ki-moon – “Youth movements and student groups are challenging traditional power structures and advocating a new social contract between States and societies. Young leaders have contributed fresh ideas, taken proactive measures, and mobilised through social media as never before”.
The Global Future Is in Safe Hands
Even when we talk about civil rights and freedoms, the young, with the help of their young and societally modernised perspectives on the world, are taking pains to tackle the issues pertaining to them from the past and the present, and also making and shaping the conditions so that they will be better for our global future! And they’re doing that with the modern tools of today like never before. The individuals of today understand and also show a sense of acceptance towards the social aspects that were once identified with the title of “Taboo”, or were affecting the rights and freedoms of people in general; the freedom to live a life worth living and without any fear of oppression or suppression. I don’t think that we even have a count of how many amazing initiatives have been taken through modern social media platforms to raise voices against the age-old socio-cultural concerns of society. Being “too young” doesn’t exactly seem to be a concern in these matters, no?
From what I feel, the global future truly is in safe hands. We need to support and encourage the youth of today more often. We need to remind them every day about the abilities they have, the power they hold, and the responsibilities they are to look after from a social standpoint, irrespective of how young they are. The last few years have seen the rise of young individuals as crucial and articulate narrative shapers.
Keeping that positive note in mind, I’d like to conclude by quoting what Robert Kennedy once rightly said – “This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.”
About Yash Tiwari:
As a Young Public Speaker and Youth Mentor, Yash Tiwari is frequently invited to deliver talks and sessions in various schools, colleges, Literature Festivals, events and seminars. He has delivered thought provoking sessions all around the world, some of which were in regions like Nigeria, Cameron, Canada, Ghana, New York City (webinars), etc. He has delivered talks in various states all around the nation like Maharashtra, Jammu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Odisha, etc. Yash has delivered multiple TED Talks at the world-renowned platform of TEDx, all by the age of 18. He delivered a Josh Talk, which has amassed more than 300,000 Views in a brief period of time. He is working at MyCaptain as a Mentor, a TheClimbers and IIM Bangalore incubated and United Nations recognized company, where he teaches youngsters (even civil engineers, medical students, academicians, professionals, etc) from all walks of life.
He has been awarded among the “Top 100 Inspiring Authors of India by The Indian Awaz”, awarded with “Author Of The Year” award by NE8x, nominee for “Best Debut Author” award by ICMDR, and also awarded with Global Young Leader Fellowship and TCC REX Karmaveer Chakra Award by iCOGNO in association with United Nations.
You can contact Yash directly through his Facebook.
Here is one of his talks:
Photos: From the personal archive of Yash Tiwari
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