There is no doubt that some youth nowadays are very inspirational and proactive.

Nevertheless, it is believed that to empower youth as a whole is a very vital to build a

nations future. Empowerment can be defined as the means of helping or motivating
others to be in better condition. In a nutshell, youth empowerment is the approaches
and the effort to help youth in various areas. It is very shameful that when youth
empowerment is mentioned, people think that it is the role of the government to
assist and provide support in order to make youth empowerment a success. This is
not the real case because even as an individual, we can empower the people around
us.

Youth empowerment is very beneficial to both nations and the empowered.

With youth empowerment, the future success and prosperity of nations is secured
because these are the people that are the ones that and will take care of many
functions and fields in the country. As we can see, now there are many youths who
are CEOs of their own companies and corporate sector. There are also those who
are going into politics and are climbing their way to reach the top seats in the
administration. There are also young people who are very talented and gifted in
producing new technology and scientific discoveries to assist human kind. In a
clearer picture, youth empowerment should be implemented in a nation in pursuit to
build the nations foundation.

Youth empowerment covers a wide spectrum of areas. In this essay, three

areas will be discussed regarding the youth empowerment implementation in a
nation building process. Firstly, leadership. "The young", according to Pearl S. Buck
(a Nobel Laureate in literature) "do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore
they attempt the impossible, and achieve it, generation after generation". Youth is
that clay which can be melded in either shape one wants. In our belief, this is the
sole reason for both exploitation and utilization of youth in the destruction and
construction of any nation respectively. It is a fact that, the nation's building is highly
dependent on youth. "Youth is that spark which needs no ignition". Youth is that
powerful resource, which can either construct or destruct the whole nation. No
doubts youth should step forward to take up on the responsibility in developing the
nation. The country's leadership should also embrace youths, as well as youth
organisations, as they are the leaders of the future and would contribute to the
nation-building efforts.

The central purpose of advocating youth leadership is to support youth in

taking the initiative to engage in civic and community activities in order to build on
their strengths and self-esteem and to work together as a team in building leadership
skills. Youth leadership groups are similar to other youth development groups in that
they are structured to offer youth educational, interesting material and resources that
address current youth issues. Youth leadership groups are run by the youth
themselves, but facilitated by a staff person in your program. Because the groups
are self-directed by youth, the facilitator should serve as a support and guide for
youth development.

The key for the 1Malaysia concept is to practise mutual respect and trust among the
different races in Malaysia. However, mutual respect is not just tolerance. That is just
the bare minimum. Mutual respect means we have embraced unity in diversity. And
secondly, we must trust one another. But trust is not something gained overnight. But
if done consciously over time, it will eventually happen. Once trust is developed,
Malaysia will be a unit of all races. We will not be moving as separate communities
but as one Malaysia and we will be stronger. It will be a new Malaysia because we'll
change our mindset because we trust and respect each other. We hope all will join
us to bring Malaysia to greater heights. That is why youth leadership programs come
in handy whereby they enable the youths to learn from the best, and really develop
themselves personally and professionally.

The next area that should be kept close to our attention is skills development.
Youth develop a true sense of self-worth from the things they give rather than from
the things they get. Helping them develop their gifts and providing them with
opportunities to contribute to the good of others through using those gifts builds self-
worth. It also lays the foundation for being a lifelong contributing member of society.
Personal talent, defined as an exceptional ability to select and attain difficult goals
that fit ones interests, abilities, values, and contexts, may help explain these
puzzling phenomena. Individuals with personal talents know themselves well, make
good decisions, and have the skills needed to accomplish their goals. They are
resilient and self-disciplined individuals who have developed high levels of context-
specific personal talent, which allows them to balance multiple, competing, and
challenging goals. It is the best to let the youth pursue what they are good at.

So, how can we help youth develop personal talent? As early as middle school,
gifted adolescents begin making choices that affect their futures. Hence, the earlier
they develop personal talent, the greater the possibility that their choices will lead to
satisfying and fulfilling lives. At that age, crucial steps should already be taken to
develop their skills. Self-knowledge is having an awareness of ones interests,
abilities, and values. Government can provide and organise programmes that cover
vocational. Soft skills and leadership skills to enhance the quality of youth. Parents
can help children develop self-knowledge by encouraging them to try many different
activities to discover where their interests, abilities, and values lie.

Sometimes you may see some gifted youths and some things just come natural to
them. Youth should be given the skills they need to negotiate perceived or real
conflicts that may exist between their subculture and the culture of the larger society.
Young people need a strong inner core of positive values beliefs and convictions
that guide their decisions and behaviours. These values include a sense of personal
responsibility for the welfare of others and a commitment to honouring themselves.
Parents can help by pointing out stereotyping in the media, modelling unconditioned
choices in their own lives, valuing education as a way to move beyond norms of a
local community, and encouraging autonomy and self-direction.