The Needs and Wants of the Youth of Rural India

As the fastest growing economy today, India is home to a fifth of the world's youth. With a population of 1.3 billion, half of them are below the age of 25, and a quarter is below the age of 14.

The country's young population is its most valuable asset and most pressing challenges. It provides India with a unique demographic advantage. But this opportunity will be lost without proportionate investment in human capital development.

At the same time, the world today is more dynamic and uncertain than ever before. As India undergoes rapid and concurrent economic, demographic, social and technological shifts, it must ensure that its growth is inclusive and is shared by all sections of the society. The country will have to consider the aspirations and ambitions of this generation from an economic, social, technological, and ecological point of view to aid the young generation.

India will not be able to realize its true growth potential if its youth is not able to participate adequately and productively in its economy. To achieve this growth, it is crucial to explore and understand what the youth, especially the rural youth, want and need.

Independence and dignity

The influence of family and peers on the career and educational choices a youth makes is on a decline. Young people are increasingly seeking productive employment opportunities and career paths that reflect their aspirations.

For young people today, the most significant aspect in life is having a steady income, and enjoying the economic independence it brings. This gives them the freedom to make life choices without the influence of others.

This freedom is particularly crucial for women. Earning an income allows them to negotiate with their families when it comes to life choices such as marriage and childbearing. It allows them to exercise a degree of power and make decisions based on their well being.

A regular income is also considered a source of dignity and mobility.

When youngsters are seen as productive earning members of the family, it automatically earns them the respect and trust of older family members. However, incomes are just a starting point. Several other factors influence the employment opportunities they seek, the work they prefer, and the career choices they make.

Guidance and counseling

Many youth reports facing multiple barriers to finding desirable and suitable job opportunities. Factors like information asymmetries on jobs and skills, and lack of guidance for setting realistic career goals and making professional choices, are holding back young Indians.

Greater access to career counseling and mentoring services can help to address these misalignments between skills and aspirations and improve young Indians' career choices.

Students from rural India who come to college are first-generation learners with a poor economic background. Completing school education in itself is a big feat for these children. As parents see their education as something that will help alleviate the family's financial struggles, they often take loans to send their children to bigger cities for higher education.

For many young boys, getting a well-paying job upon graduation is a necessity. Because in most cases the family cannot afford to continue to invest in further education or pay debts. For girls, the social pressure to drop out of school or college is higher due to early marriage and other patriarchal factors.

These issues need to be addressed by creating ample academic-employment-driven opportunities and creating awareness through counseling at the school and village level.

Explaining how investing time in the right courses can bring value in their lives must be done through talks, counseling and community radio to reach the right audience.

Mental health awareness

A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that 7.5% of the Indian population suffers from some form of mental concern or illness. But unfortunately, a large percentage of that population is not even aware that they are suffering from one.

Educating people about mental well-being is a battle in itself. In our country, the discovery of a mental illness is often followed by denial and hesitation to seek help. Most people tend to sweep their mental issues under the carpet and suffer in silence due to the stigma and discrimination attached to them. They're afraid that if word about their illness gets out, it may affect their work and social lives adversely.

Mental health continues to be a taboo and shunned subject in rural India.

It is important to spread the word about mental well-being to accelerate awareness in the remote corners of the country. The best way to promote mental health awareness is by training and educating children at the grassroots to eradicate the myths and challenges surrounding mental health.

Misinformation of mental disorders is rampant in the remote corners of the country which perpetuates a vicious cycle of stigmatized behavior towards mental health.

A mixed-method approach of education, engagement and activities can nip the malicious self-perpetuation of stigma around mental health at the bud. Teachers must also be trained to ensure the delivery of long-term interventions as they are considered to be primary caretakers.