#YouthMonth: Yoshin Leonard – The voice of young people is a right

Yoshin Leonard is a copywriter at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg. Source: provided.

He says freedom of expression is the most important right for young people. “Due to the fast pace of our environment through social media, we have become familiar with a wide range of topics and have gained the confidence to share our opinions through different forms of expression.”

Leonard adds that when you take away young people’s voices, you are essentially robbing them of their development. “When you rob them of their development, you rob them of their rights.”

What significance does Youth Day have for you?

Youth Day has a lot of meaning for me. It reminds me that as a young person in South Africa I “have a voice”, a voice that has been fought for and I must use it. It reminds me of the power that young people have as a collective. A power that can create change and that will be visible for generations to come.

What freedoms are you grateful for today that were not available to previous generations or that they had to fight hard for?

There are so many things that the generations before us did not have access to because of their repressed past.

But what is most striking is access to technology. Even though it is not yet where it should be, I am convinced that young people will always find a way to connect.

Technology has given me a lot of freedom and helped me understand the world around me more clearly. It has helped me not only personally but also professionally. Technology is an important pillar that opens up many opportunities for young people.

Name one thing you would change for the youth of today.

Equality beyond the expected. What I mean by that is simply that there are basic needs to which we should all have equal access. However, I believe
These should expand as the world around us is growing rapidly.

Access to basic toilet facilities and desks at school should not be a problem we are trying to solve in 2024.

We should be at the point where our conversations with youth are addressing the question: How do we integrate stronger internet and robotics programs into all of our schools?

How do we prioritise mental health and the issues affecting young people today? How do we ensure a stronger world for the generation of tomorrow?

And so much more …

We should meet basic needs immediately and we should
Focused on equality beyond the expected.

Older generations often say that today’s youth “have it easy,” but that’s not necessarily true. What challenges do young people currently have to overcome that other generations may not understand?

South Africa’s youth face a number of major challenges, including high unemployment rates, disparities in the quality and accessibility of education, high crime and violence rates, increasing mental health problems, persistent economic inequality and poverty, limited access to healthcare, political disillusionment and distrust of state institutions, inadequate housing and living conditions, high rates of substance abuse, the impacts of climate change, and persistent social inequality and discrimination based on race, gender and sexual orientation.

Even though it feels like the youth “have it easier,” I don’t think the generational translation was a clear conversation. Our problems flow directly from
The disturbing history of South Africa.

When we have an honest conversation, we quickly realize that our problems and the problems of the older generation, regardless of time and age, are most likely identical.