Youths constitute a major chunk of the total population in Saudi Arabia; to some extent it is the world’s highest. This calls for an approach that caters to the needs of this segment of society whenever planning social, political and educational reforms.
Taking care of the young is not an easy job and especially when the youth come from different socioeconomic backgrounds within the Kingdom. Last week, the Ministry of Interior made two announcements.
One was that the Saudi drug enforcement agency intercepted large amount of drugs worth more than SR1.5 billion. And there is no need for anyone to think as to what was the targeted segment. The drug traffickers are targeting the youth. And the other was that the Ministry of Interior issued stiff warning to the Saudi youths regarding any contact with any terrorist organizations. Just like the drug dealers, it is the youth who are targeted by terrorist organizations across our borders.
The general perception is that our youths are well-behaved and law-abiding men and women. And it is true that most of them are well-behaved and well-mannered and well-raised but there is a very high number of young Saudis who are not and they are not only hurting themselves by their behavior but they are also harming the society. There is very big need to change our methods to raise our children. A good vocabulary in a speech or giving an advice during a Friday sermon is not enough if we are dealing with young men and women. Parents must monitor raising young children first and our youth should be taught many things, which would help them get mature and subsequently they would know right from wrong. Not just about drugs but just about everything under the sun.
In the past, it was easy to monitor our youths. Now life has changed. In the past, if your child was sitting next to you, then you would keep an eye on him. But, nowadays, your child can be sitting next to you, but, he could be talking to a drug dealer hundreds of miles away or he could be a terrorist recruiter across the border. Our youth has to know the danger surrounding them. These days, many conflicts are going on in some neighboring countries and many unscrupulous elements are targeting our youths by exploiting sectarian differences. At the same time, the drug traffickers are taking advantage of the spare time and the ready cash that many of our youths have plenty of both, the tile and the cash. This is why our youth must be taught at an early age about the world surrounding them. But, it must be taught in a very realistic manner. They must be taught they are responsible for their behavior and must learn how to work and earn money at an early age. If they work hard for their money the more likely they will try to save it. If they make money the easy way, which is the regular hand out from the parents, then they will not appreciate its value.
As for the government and the society, they both have to understand the youth demands and listen to them. Our youths need to make good use of the spare time they have. There are many forms of entertainments that our youths should have. In the Kingdom, the few sources of entertainment our youths have are shopping malls, eateries and driving and roaming the streets aimlessly till the early hours of the day. We must encourage part time jobs and volunteer work for our youth. We have millions of young men and women in the Kingdom; we should utilize their talents effectively. Too much free time is not a good indication in any society. Many thoughts go through the head of a young man or women, and no one knows about these thoughts till it is too late.
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