By: Mandy Ashley Satya Utama, JC1 Teamwork

We are on the rise! The youth of today, young and energised, are ready to take on the world, ready to face the many odds along the way. We are capable of doing and achieving great things. 

The word 'power' is oftentimes overwhelming. When we imagine the word, we may think of superheroes on cinema screens or some with influence touching the hearts of many. You might think, just like me, what kind of power do we possess? Some of us may feel demotivated or uninspired at times. We feel small and hopeless but these should never stop us from trying to make the school, our community, or the world  a better place to live in.

Now that physical doors are open again, after the dreaded pandemic, it is OUR time to shine even brighter.

Abhijit Naskar, a neuroscientist and a bestselling author emphasised: "There is no greater power than the power of youth." 

If you think about it, a positive change in the community can manifest in many forms: from a little smile to raising awareness on various issues. Anyone can be inspiring, anyone can make a change. The influence we have on others around us is not one to be underestimated. 

In school for example, while watching your housemates shoot a goal or eliminate an opposition, don't you cheer and jump for joy? The BBS Sports Olympics, as well as the Business Expo, events that happened in the past month, had taught us teamwork, passion, and dedication, values we learnt from one another and from the experience itself, rather than through a lecture. 

On the 28th of October 2022, we celebrated the National Youth Day, a monumental and historical day commemorated annually since 1928 to remind the youth of the unlimited 'power' in our hands. It was established to inspire us to raise our nation higher and higher and light the spirit of patriotism in our country and to act by helping those in need.

Recently, many of us had volunteered in the Student Teaching Programme (STP), in coordination with Compassion Indonesia, where we devoted time to teaching these out of school youth under the care of the said organisation. Youth helping other youth, isn't it amazing? It is indeed a noble act!

We hope that opportunities like these will give us hope and the chance to  know more about our nation; its history and culture; and its past, present, and future. We hope that everyday, we, the youth of today, will all look up and raise our hands, committing to dedicating our lives for the betterment of our nation and of the world.

The power is in our hands! Let us not waste the chance! The right time to begin is NOW!