UNAIR NEWS As 2023 will be an eventful year in politics, the young generations, especially students, are expected to engage more in political activities. They play a significant role as the nation檚 next generation.
Addressing the issue, 51动漫 Student Executive Board (BEM) and Airlangga Talks held the Democracy and Contentment: The Role of Youth in Maintaining the Nation檚 Political Integrity symposium at the Shared Lecture Building (GKB) UNAIR MERR (C) Campus, on Tuesday, December 27, 2022.
The event featured Dr. H Emil Elestianto Dardak, Indah Kurniawati SE MM, Prof H Kacung, and Kusnadi SH MHum as the symposium speakers.
Emil Dardak stated that Indonesia will reach the age of a century in 2045. Mostly, it was linked to the demographic dividend, a condition in which the productive age population is higher than the non-productive population.
The demographic dividend was expected to improve welfare. Besides, it was a future challenge.
淚f our young generations are unproductive, it will lead to a demographic disaster. We hoped the youngsters would contribute to the nation檚 economy, he said.
The biggest challenge in demographic dividend lies in two options, to be a productive community or an increasing rate of unemployment, poverty, and inequality. Emil believed that Indonesia could learn from Japan and South Korea, who have undergone demographic dividends earlier.
Developing young generations skills is one of the anticipative actions, which includes five important keys: education, health, working opportunity, leadership, gender, and discrimination.
Years ago, school certificates could earn someone a job. Nowadays, one has to be competitive by honing their soft skills, because technical skills are not enough.
Joining organizations, for instance, could give someone leadership, negotiation, and communication skills, which are needed in the field of democracy and politics.
Building soft skills may improve someone檚 ability to assess the nation檚 leader. Leadership is not just about giving orders, it must drive.
淭herefore, hopefully, the young generations can be the agent of change, novelty, and nation檚 development, who are sharp in responding to the problems, especially in politics, Emil said.
Author: Satrio Dwi Naryo
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
