Motivational speaker and former Indian Coast Guard officer Kulpreet Yadav explains why India’s youngsters don’t have it easy.

Office professional 2013 product key generator. May 22, 2009 Although these challenges along with many others are serious issues that need to be addressed by the leaders of our generation, one of the challenges that I believe is greatest amongst our generation is an “instant gratification mentality,” which is believing success is an overnight thing rather than a process that can take quite a bit of years.

Key Challenges Facing This Generation 2017

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

Jul 24, 2007 What Are the Biggest Challenges Young Adults Face Today?: Students Speak Up. The results of the study paint an interesting picture of the upcoming generation. Twenty-four percent of the respondents consider the breakdown of the family to be the most pressing issue facing their generation today, followed by violence in neighborhoods.
Dec 18, 2018 Facing 200 students every week really keeps you on your toes, so I like to challenge them in return. Their first assignment was to write, in groups of five, an essay answering the question “What is the biggest challenge facing your generation?”.
Mar 15, 2012 The challenges of emigration: new information pack for Irish emigrants. The Irish Episcopal Council for Emigrants launches a new information pack for Irish emigrants, with advice on accommodation.
Jan 20, 2016 Whether it’s turning promises on climate change into action, rebuilding trust in the financial system, or connecting the world to the internet, the World Economic Forum has singled out 10 key global challenges that, if they are to be addressed.
Feb 26, 2018 15 Biggest Challenges Women Leaders Face And How To Overcome Them. A range of challenges that many of their male CEO counterparts don’t have an understanding of. Challenges their female.
May 22, 2009 Although most of these conversations and articles about Generation Y increased my knowledge and understanding of Generation Y immensely, the one question that has been hardest for me to answer is, “What is the greatest challenge facing Generation Y?”.

India’s youth is full of energy and talent. Sadly, though, many of them don’t have the right motivation or direction.

Today's youth want freedom and independence.

They need guidance to reach their unrealised goals. At the same time, they want to learn from their own experiments.

Their path is not easy. Here are the top five challenges faced by the Indian youth today.

1. The independence to date

Why can't the older generation understand that dating is a part of the growing up process today?

Dating promotes gender sensitivity, allowing young men and women to understand the uniqueness, strengths and vulnerabilities of the opposite gender.

The emotional balance thus found lays the foundation for stronger relationships, not just with their future life partner but also at the work place.

2. Employment guarantee

An entrepreneur friend once told me, 'Kulpreet, I can pay any amount of salary to the right candidate. But where are the right candidates?”

I understood his dilemma.

Schools and colleges in India are simply not able to educate and train our youth to take on modern professional challenges.

Experiments, out-of-the-box thinking and non-conformity with established norms are looked down upon.

This attitude has to change.

The standards of our teachers and professors also need to change. They should not just teach students but also inspire them to become achievers.

3. FOMO (or the Fear Of Missing Out)

The young are plagued with insecurities. And it’s not just about their jobs.

Their way of life is challenged at every level.

Thanks to easily accessible social media, they feel others are having more fun or are getting opportunities that they are unlucky to miss out on.

This is increasing the cases of depression among the youth.

4. Obesity

A sedentary life due to restriction on outdoor activities by parents on the one hand, and too much pressure on academics by teachers on the other, are making the youth binge eat.

Obesity as a challenge is no longer restricted to the Western world. It has arrived with a vengeance on Indian shores.

There is a flip side to it too.

In some cases, the pressure to become size-zero is so strong that some people stop eating altogether.

Why can’t we just allow the youth more outdoor freedom and love them for what they are and not how they look?

5. Materialism

Equating everything with money and material goods tends to play havoc with the psychology of the youth.

Stories of young entrepreneurs who made it rich just because of the right idea makes for good reading but can be hard to implement in real life.

Nine out of 10 people just want to be happy. They want the right partner, they want to have fun, travel and become good citizens.

We, as adults, should not burden them with the unfinished agendas of our lives.

Kulpreet Yadav, a commandant with the Indian Coast Guard, retired three years ago after two decades of service. He now spends his time writing books and as a motivational speaker in schools and colleges. His latest book is the spy novel, Murder In Paharganj.

Biggest Problems Facing This Generation

The Irish Episcopal Council for Emigrants launches a new information pack for Irish emigrants, with advice on accommodation, visa requirements and employment issues as well as stories from emigrants, those who work abroad to support them, and those who are left behind.

The Irish Episcopal Council for Emigrants launches a new information pack for Irish emigrants today, with advice on accommodation, visa requirements and employment issues as well as stories from emigrants, those who work abroad to support them, and those who are left behind.

Joanna Joyce of the Irish Episcopal Council for Emigrants launching the new emigrant information pack

Today’s Irish emigrants, we are constantly told, are in a much better position than those who have gone before them. And indeed they are in many practical respects – they are well educated, have access to a myriad of simple communications systems, and cheaper flights. But some things don’t necessarily change: emigration can still be a wrenching experience as we found talking to some young people who’ve gone abroad in recent years. And not just for them but for their families at home as well.

The fact that emigration has long been a part of our history does not make it any easier. But today’s emigrants can still learn from the experiences of the past.

The plight of Irish emigrants in Britain in the 1950s prompted the Irish Bishops to set up the Irish Bishops’ Council for Emigrants in 1957 and to establish the Irish Chaplaincy Scheme there. This was replicated in the United States in the mid 1980s and again in Australia more recently.

As with the emigrants of the past, today’s emigrants face many of the same practical challenges, including finding affordable accommodation, satisfying stringent visa requirements and obtaining suitable employment. Emigrants also face social and emotional challenges, such as trying to integrate into a new culture and dealing with feelings of loneliness and isolation.

While emigration will be a positive experience for many it may not be so enjoyable for everyone. Some people may find it difficult to get work abroad and may be forced eventually to return home. Others may not be well prepared for the experience and may find themselves in difficulty in a country where they are not familiar with local practices and customs.

From the experience of the Council for Emigrants the importance of remaining within the legal system of the host country cannot be emphasised enough: it is crucial that emigrants travel on a valid visa at all times. The Council for Emigrants encourages Catholic emigrants, where possible, to make themselves known to and participate in parish communities in their host country. We encourage this on pastoral, social and networking grounds, regardless of whether an emigrant is planning to remain abroad for the short or long term.

Although the experience of emigration has in some ways improved the Council for Emigrants continues to support and remember those Irish emigrants who for a variety of reasons find themselves isolated and alone. In particular it is mindful of the elderly Irish community abroad – the emigrants of the 1950s and 1980s, the Irish Traveller community in the UK, our undocumented Irish in the United States and Irish prisoners overseas. The Irish Chaplaincy in Britain, the Irish Apostolate USA and the Irish Chaplaincy in Sydney are there to support and care for all Irish emigrants, including these particularly vulnerable groups.

It is likely that emigration will continue to rise in the next few years. It is clear from the number of people who attended the recent Working Abroad Expo events in Dublin and Cork that many more are contemplating going abroad in search of new opportunities. We have sadly once again returned to a situation where many Irish people are emigrating because they have no other option.

With the focus on those leaving it can be easy to forget that emigration also has a profound effect on those who are left behind. The emigration of a loved one can be a devastating experience for parents and other relations. Many will find it very hard to cope with the loneliness.

In response to the current wave of emigration the Council for Emigrants has produced an Emigrant Information Pack to provide information for people who are planning to emigrate and to examine the experience of those who have already emigrated. It contains practical information about accommodation, visa requirements and employment issues as well as stories from emigrants, those who work abroad to support them, and those who are left behind. The pack also contains prayers for emigrants. A copy of the Emigrant Information Pack can be downloaded here.

Joanna Joyce

Emigrant Officer

Irish Episcopal Council for Emigrants