Youth Leadership is the burning topic which is given high priority in Indian these days. The major reason for paying such huge importance is lack of proper leaders with high courage and ethics to lead the nation. Another reason is to bring a revolution in different sectors like Politics, Management, Industries, Research, etc. Once Youth start to establish them self as leaders in various fields, the dreams and aspirations of many erstwhile visionaries of our nation can be achieved at rapid pace. Youth have the capability to lead our nation with a condition that they have to be guided properly in the right direction. Youth are not use-less but they are used less. Everyone in the present generation has capability to achieve and prove themselves, but what is lacking is guidance to put efforts in the right direction and opportunity to prove oneself. The development of leadership contributes greatly to the positive development of young people and their communities. Leadership skills are not just necessary for leaders-these skills are needed for success in today’s world
The main hindrance behind youth becoming leaders is Parents. If this is a false opinion, why there is only one Chatrapati Shivaji? Because there are no Jijabais to encourage their sons to be leaders. Why there is no Vivekananda after him? How many parents today will feel happy if their son becomes a Leader and Lead our Nation? How many Gurus are encouraging youth towards Leadership and helping a student to imbibe leadership qualities in them? How many schools and colleges are providing education on Leadership? What percentage of the society is supporting a person to become a Leader? Everything counts if a person has to become the leader. Parents, Gurus, Society, Friends everybody play their own role for a person to evolve as a leader. The Seeds of leadership has to be sown in the mind of a child right from the childhood. If you say this is impossible how Shivaji and Vivekananda evolved? For a person to become a leader he has to lead himself. A person who can lead himself towards the right path can certainly lead others towards right direction.
Most Leadership theorists like Fertman & Van Linden strongly believe that leaders are not born- they are made and young people can learn and develop leadership skills and attitudes. Becoming a leader is a developmental process which will never be the same for two different people. Particularly it is different from adults and young people. Young people have to develop their skills in real time situations where they find an opportunity to engage in decision making process which may affect their lives. Youth have to be given some opportunities to learn, practice and develop the Leader ship qualities in a proper way.
Youth Professionals or adults who want to help youth to become have to:
-
Recognize and respect the skills, knowledge and experience that young people have and challenge them to enhance the skills.
-
Give them the chance to make decisions about their life and allow them to face the consequences by taking responsibility for their actions.
-
Ensuring that youth are provided with proper training and support to take new responsibilities and decision making.
-
Provide them with the opportunities to learn and develop the leadership qualities in them.
-
Share your duties and responsibilities make them learn from their mistakes.
-
Allow them to determine what happens next instead of allowing them tasks to accomplish.
-
Believe in them and make them believe in themselves.
Constant interaction with leaders by removing the barriers between young and adults will help the present day youth to observe and develop the skills that various leaders possess. With the help of proper training and support by helping them to create opportunities to learn and practice leadership in ways that make a real difference to them, their organizations, and their communities.
Last but not least it also the responsibility of Parents at home, Gurus at schools and colleges to imbibe the necessity and advantages of possessing the qualities of a leader and how it helps the development of our Nation. If this happens at the early stages of their life as they grow in a disciplined manner it will be easy for the professionals to train and support them and make them leaders in the field they wish.
