Introduction

Malala Yousafzai. Joan of Arc. Louis Braille. James Watson. They’ve all achieved remarkable things, each defining success in their own way. But there are similarities, too. They were all youths, of course, when they achieved such things. Today, 1.8 billion people are prepared to inherit the future. That’s 1.8 billion people with innovative ideas, unique perspectives, and voices with the potential to shape the world. 1.8 billion people that are described as ‘youths’. However, youth voices currently do not hold as much weight as those of adults, and that needs to change.

Why do youth voices matter?

Many people would argue that the youth are inexperienced, which is why their ideas get easily dismissed. If an adult and youth offered suggestions for the same prompt, whose idea would more likely be validated? In most situations, the adults’ opinions are more likely to be valued.

The reason why youth voices are being silenced is not that they do not possess worthy ideas- it’s that they aren’t being taken seriously. In the future, it is the youths of today that will be the leaders. They are the ones that will inherit the future as the current generation ages. They all share a goal: making the world a better and more sustainable place. It's one more reason why listening to them matters so much: they’ll either be living in a world that adults create for them or a world where they are empowered to facilitate themselves, and they’d likely prefer the latter.

It’s natural for humans to be afraid of new concepts; to be afraid of change. However, the world doesn’t evolve by itself. There must be force pushing it. Fresh ideas must be presented, and those fresh ideas often emerge from unexpected sources, like the youth. The youth may have existed on this planet for a shorter time and have gained less experience, but that might actually be an advantage. A fresh perspective is often a view that possesses the ability to think outside the box, which often leads to new innovations. As James Hillman once said: “we can’t change anything until we get some fresh ideas, until we begin to see things differently,” and today, the youth are the ones seeing things differently.

How are youth voices equivalent to adult voices?

According to BBC News, youths today are maturing faster than they did in the past because of their increased exposure to adult life such as social media at younger ages. We can therefore conclude that young people are also capable of forming thoughtful opinions and contributing to meaningful perspectives, so listening to their voices is equally important as listening to adults’. They have many wonderful ideas to offer, which could potentially lead to major inventions. For example, the development of Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg when he was only 19. Or Herman Oberth, a 14-year-old who came up with the concept of a multi-stage rocket.

Examples of youth voices

Youths are already speaking up and trying to make their voices heard; for instance, Malala. At just 11 years old, she passionately advocated for her beliefs: equal rights to education. Her courage inspired other young people to speak up and advocate for issues that they cared about, ultimately leading to a change in the educational system. Youths today fight for the chance to speak up and have their voices heard; we shouldn’t stop that. The Source of Success (SOS) Club is one example of youths encouraging other youths to speak up, and their goal is to empower young people.

What is SOS?

The SOS club is completely led by youths, founded by Hilight Silprachawong and currently led by co-presidents Nishka Gurung and Garch Sukcharoensin. It was initiated for the purpose of transforming interviews with leaders into videos on accessible platforms like YouTube, so that those who wanted meaningful insights and ideas from these notable figures but could not obtain it, would get a chance to learn from them.

This initiative allows for an abundance of learning opportunities: to be enlightened on topics not covered in school, to see how successful people have gotten to where they are today, and more. So far, the SOS club organized interviews with many people who are of various professions including celebrities, entrepreneurs, politicians, athletes, and many more.

SOS and its impacts

Impacts of SOS: The Source of Success club has gained over 40,000+ views across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. They’ve also been sponsored by many well-known brands such as Porsche Thailand, Hino, Pecan, Kipling, and the Diana Awards. These organizations have helped them in spreading their works on an international scale to empower other youths.

Impacts of youths in general: It is no secret that youths like James Watson, who discovered the double helix structure of DNA along with Francis Crick at the age of 25, can make a large impact. Joan of Arc led a whole army against the English at the age of 16. Louis Braille developed the language of blind people at the age of 15. Today, these achievements still stand strong, proving that youths are able to actually make a difference. There are still so many voices out there waiting for someone to listen; all we’ve got to do is give them an opportunity to be heard.

Sources

  • “Youth and Their Future: Building a Better Tomorrow.” Educate To Grow, https://educatetogrow.com/youth-and-their-future/.
  • “Youth Voices: Engaging the Generation Shaping Tomorrow.” Verian, https://www.veriangroup.com/en-au/news-and-insights/youth-voices-engaging-the-generation-shaping-tomorrow.
  • Blumberg, Naomi. “6 Teenagers Who Made History.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 12 Nov. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/story/6-teenagers-who-made-history.
  • Bishop, Katie. “Kids Getting Older Younger: Are Children Growing Up Too Fast?” BBC News, 24 Mar. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220324-kgoy-kids-getting-older-younger.
  • “Malala’s Voice Grows Stronger.” World’s Children’s Prize, https://worldschildrensprize.org/malalasstory.