Saudi Gazette “Today's youth comprise half of the present and the entire future of a nation.” So goes an Arabic saying. But to see many of our youths aimlessly walking around in the malls, spending hours and even days playing computer games is a cause for concern. Shoura Council member Suleiman Bin Awwad Al-Zaidi urges the community to listen to young people and actively involve them in building the community and creating a better future. “The youth are the fuel and driving force in any society. They make up 61 percent of the Kingdom's population. Therefore, it is imperative to establish strategies that will take advantage of this energy which when used correctly, can be a great power. We need to involve the youth more in the social, political, economic, and developmental segments of society,” he said. Al-Zaidi even went on to suggest founding a government body solely dedicated to the nation's youth and their needs, rights, and responsibilities. “The messages that the media send out at night totally contradict what students learned at school during the day. Some form of control needs to be exercised to reduce the confusion and corruption of the media on young minds,” said Al-Zaidi. The faculty of young peoople to distinguish between right and wrong is not yet fully developed. Parents preach moderation in spending and that greed is a vice while the media motivates people to buy more and want more. Teachers encourage students to read while modern TV shows encourage students to party. A collective effort on the part of young people, society, and government is needed to successfully invest in the time and energy of the nation's youth. Dr. Adel Banema, a professor at Umm Al-Qura University, said that young men and women will be highly productive if they acquire these three traits: 1. A sense of responsibility 2. A strong and confident sense of identity 3. A proactive outlook which encourages them to always strive to positively change and improve themselves and their community As for the elders in the community, Banema advises them to have trust in the capabilities of the younger generation and to avoid negative stereotypes of young people. Last year's flash floods in Jeddah brought to the fore the volunteerism of the city's youth. Countless young women volunteered to pack food boxes and blankets to be distributed to families in need. Young men drove their jeeps and four-wheelers to the flood-affected areas to rescue children, men, and women stranded in the water. An excellent solution for the nation's youth was proposed by Dr. Saker M. Al-Mokayyad, Director of the Department of International Cooperation at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences. Al-Mokayyad said: “The Kingdom needs to establish community, educational, and sports centers for young people. These centers will provide a useful and beneficial alternative for the nation's youth, instead of the cafes where they waste their time, money, and health. Promoting physical exercise and educational activities will channel their energy in a way that will bring tremendous benefits for them, their community, and the nation. Such initiatives will sharply reduce the rates of violence, crimes, and drug abuse in the country.” Another way that society can tap into the seemingly endless energy reserves of the nation's youth is by encouraging volunteer work. With adult supervision and guidance, students can help in maintaining the cleanliness of public parks and the Corniche, distributing aid to poor families and visiting hospitals and orphanages. The Saudi Gazette found several shining examples of youth serving their community when they were properly directed and guided by adults. A group called Medical Students in Saudi Arabia communicates with one another via the Internet and organizes a number of humanitarian campaigns. Some members visit children in hospitals and distribute toys and sweets to cheer them up. Other members of this group organize parties and dinners for orphans. Under the supervision of a Holy Qur'an teacher, a group of teenage boys headed out to Al-Shuaibi Mosque in Jeddah, armed with cleaning liquid, dust rags, mops, and brooms. They cleaned the interior carpets of the mosque, neatly arranged the copies of the Holy Qur'an on the designated shelves, dusted the shelves, and washed the outside area of the mosque. The club is called Athar Al-Shabab and the boys routinely participate in volunteer work and community service. Al-Baik has sponsored and organized a number of anti-littering campaigns and enlisted the help of young volunteers to clean up Jeddah's seaside. Last summer in one month, volunteers picked up a total of one ton of garbage from the seashore. __
