What Do Today’s Youth See Happening Over the Coming Decades?

What do today’s Youth expect to see happen over the coming decades? What do they want to see happen? This blog is based on a review of numerous articles and studies published over the past two years and presents the following major findings about the youth of today.

Youth: Defined as the time of life when one is young, and often means the time between childhood and adulthood. It generally refers to individuals from the ages of 14 to 20.

I grew up in the 1960’s, a contentious time when the youth took to the streets for what appeared to be years on end to protest the Vietnam War, the military draft, civil rights, voting rights, government leaders, music, and so many other issues. It was an exciting time of challenges and change. Remembering those times, I wondered what the youth of today were doing and saying about the future. It wasn’t obvious to me.

While the youth of today are not noticeably protesting that often in the streets, that doesn’t mean they aren’t actively out there protesting about the many major issues and challenges facing them, e.g. overpopulation, climate change, endless wars, terrorism, inequality, affordable housing, and so much more. In the ‘Information Age’ of the 21^st Century, they are out there protesting and marching forward on the Internet, their ‘smartphones’, and social media sites.

So let’s take a look at what concerns them and what they want to see happen over the coming decades. A good starting point was to search and review observations and findings posted in a series of recent articles, blogs, and studies readily available on the Internet.

Selected Articles & Reports

According to the United Nations (UN) Department of Economic & Social Affairs, in a world where climate change wreaks havoc on our economies, societies and environment, where unemployment and inequalities are rampant, and where trust in international cooperation is falling, what do today’s youth believe the future holds for them? Read The Generation that can Change the World – If we let them and the World Youth Report

In a recent IPSOS poll conducted in 15 countries, they found that young people around the world are generally more optimistic about the future than older generations. Despite facing much higher unemployment rates, more instability and lower wages than their predecessors, today’s youth are entering adulthood confident that they can build a better future for themselves and for those that follow. That’s good news.

According to the 2018 IPSOS global poll -

• When it comes to policy priorities - ending poverty (33%), improving education (31%), and access to jobs (27%) are the top Sustainable Development Goals for leaders to focus on worldwide according to today’s youth.
• In higher income countries, climate change, gender equality, and ending conflicts are also major priorities.
• Youth in low and middle-income countries also choose promoting health, economic fairness, and ending hunger as major priorities.
• Around half of females around the world think life is better for men and boys than for women and girls.

In the United States (US), the 2018 poll found that -

• US youth are more optimistic than adults about the future of their country (Adults 56%, youth 64%) and the future of the world (Adults 51%, youth 63%).
• US youth are 14% more likely than their adult peers to say that their future living conditions will be better.
• US youth are the happiest higher income country when asked about the impact that their government has on their lives.
• 45% of US youth say that they are knowledgeable about politics and government.
• In the US, youth are more likely than adults to say that they can make a difference in how their country is governed, by a margin of 14 percentage points (adults 35%, youth 49%).
• 78% of youth in the US say that all people in their country have basic human rights (78%).
• Only 7% of US youth say that religion has the most positive impact on their lives.
• 59% of youth in the US agree that climate change poses a significant threat to their community.

From a Youth Activism movement driving climate action, to an organization expanding digital literacy among young people, to a global youth network for gender equality and reproductive rights. Young people everywhere appear to be stepping in where they believe previous generations have failed.

A group of teenagers in the US has filed a lawsuit claiming that the planet and its natural resources may have been “so profoundly damaged” that the “plaintiffs’ fundamental constitutional rights to life and liberty” are threatened. The science is clear: at its current pace, climate change may irreversibly break the sustainable limits of our planet, leaving generations that are yet to be born to deal with the disastrous consequences. The issue with future generations is that they have no seat at the table to claim and defend their rights. Read The Future is Becoming a Burden on the Young

This is no 'Me Me Me' Generation

It turns out that today’s youth are not a cohort of ‘screenagers’, ‘enfeebled youngsters’ and ‘couch potatoes’, as some older adults believe. As the first generation to grow up alongside always-on social media and smartphones, today’s young people are actually busy bringing about significant changes in social, cultural, business practices, and political behavior across the world. Read about Gen Z - Out to Change the World

Young people are not marching in the streets as much as they are communicating, raising and discussing the major issues of the day in massive online communities that the older generations are not necessarily plugged into. They are discussing and coming up with creative new ideas and innovative solutions for the 21^st century with regards to such areas as:

Voting Rights Citizenship & Government Population Control Literacy & Education Universal Healthcare Online Retail Industry Transportation Systems Nationalism vs. Globalism International Relations Space Exploration & Settlements

Climate Change Clean Alternative Energy Civility & Ethical Behavior Social & Financial Equality Augmented & Virtual Reality Technology Robotics & Artificial Intelligence 4th Generation Manufacturing 21st Century Jobs & Knowledge Workers Agriculture & World Hunger Warfare, Terrorism & Trade Wars

* You might want to also check out the following resources for yourself - IPSOS 2018 Report, EYE2020 Reports, UN World Youth Report, and the Summerton Blog.

Lake Marion Artisans Visit Van Gogh Exhibit at SC Museum of Art

The Lake Marion Artisans just visited the South Carolina Museum of Art in downtown Columbia, S.C.  It was a great field trip, the latest in  a series of ongoing visits to major art galleries and museums across the state. The focus of this particular field trip was to see the Van Gogh Exhibition.

Van Gogh and His Inspirations is an original exhibition organized by the Columbia Museum of Art (CMA) that brought 12 paintings and drawings by Van Gogh, including an outstanding painting of flower fields from the National Gallery of Art. These were displayed alongside a variety of handpicked paintings and drawings by other artists who influenced Van Gogh’s aesthetic and creative thinking.

As interesting as the Van Gogh exhibit was, it was also exciting and educational to see the many other galleries and exhibits in the museum on impressionism, modern art, SC scenes En Plein Air, visions from India, and much more. The SC Museum of Art is definitely an institution the state can be immensely proud of supporting.

If you'd like to join us on our next field trip, consider visiting or supporting the only art gallery in Clarendon County - the Lake Marion Artisans in Summerton, S.C.

Flowers, Gardening, and the Art of Living

Think of your favorite flower – a rose, an orchid, a daisy. Looking into a flower, we can see that it is full of life. It contains soil, minerals, rain, and sunshine. It is also full of space and time. In fact, if you look very closely, you might also be able to see that the whole cosmos is present and reflected in your one little flower. Without soil, minerals, rain, sunshine, time, and space – the flower could not grow and would not exist.

Like the flower, we each contain earth, water, air, sunlight, warmth… life! We also contain elements of the whole cosmos in our being. We too are composed and created in space, over time, and contain traces of our parents, grandparents, ancestors, education, culture, and environment. It’s an amazing reality to contemplate. What type of flower or garden we grow depends on a number of many major factors. Think about this.

Our mind and body is like a garden and the flowers it contains. Think of the seeds that are planted in a garden. There are seeds of joy, peace, mindfulness, understanding, and love. Unfortunately, there are also seeds of cravings, lust, anger, fear, and hate. What you become depends on what seeds you plant and water in your garden. If you water a seed of peace in your mind, peace will grow. If you water the seed of happiness in your mind, happiness will bloom. When the seed of anger is watered, you will become angry.

The seeds that are planted and watered tend to grow and become strong in you – so you need to be a mindful gardener. You need to selectively water the seeds of the flowers you want to grow in the garden you will become. You don’t need to plant and water those seeds that you don’t want to see grow in the garden that is you. It turns out that gardening is key to the Art of Living. Again, think carefully about this as you tend your garden.

This article basically paraphrases a few excerpts that appealed to me from an excellent book I recently read called The Art of Living, by Thich Nhat Hanh.  

BTW - If you are interested in gardening, join the Pink Dogwood Garden Club in Summerton, SC, and start living more fully.

South Carolina in 2019 By The Numbers

Here are just a few selected facts related to the state of South Carolina in 2019 -

• Estimated population of South Carolina in 2019 was 5,147,111 making it the 24th most populous state in the US.
• The three metropolitan areas in SC with the largest population are Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville-Spartanburg.
• The median age of the population in SC is approximately 38.8 years.
• The racial composition of the population of SC in 2019 is White (67.3%), Black or African American (27.1%), and All Other (5.6%).
• The median household income for families in SC last year exceeded $62,432; the median individual income was approximately $27,909.
• The SC unemployment rate dropped to 2.5% in 2019.
• The median home value in SC was $185,749 in 2019.
• Women currently make up 51.5 percent of South Carolina’s population.
• Women hold just 16.5 percent of the 170 seats in the SC legislature.
• Approximately 42.4% of the SC population have attended High School (HS) and/or have a HS Degree; 30.2% have some attended college and/or achieved an Associate Degree; 27.4% have a Bachelors or Graduate School Degree.
• The Major Industries in SC are: Trade, Transportation & Utilities (18.1%); Government & Military (16.2%); Manufacturing, Autos & Aerospace (16.2%); Professional & Business Services (13.3%); Tourism, Leisure & Hospitality (11.4%), Education & Health (11.4%). For more detail see SC Commerce Data.
• Solar energy data for SC in 2019: 1,049.64 MW Installed, 108 Solar Energy Companies, over 2,983 Solar Energy Jobs and more. See SEIA Data

You may have to search for the latest statistics in whatever other categories you are interested in, but they are out there. You might want to start with a quick Google search on South Carolina 2019 State Statistics.

Selected Links U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: South Carolina Stats of the State of South Carolina - CDC S.C. Vital Records Data and Statistics | SCDHEC South Carolina Population 2019 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs) South Carolina Economy at a Glance - Bureau of Labor Statistics

What Do Women See Happening Over The Coming Decades?

What do women expect to see happen over the coming decades? What do they want to see happen? This blog is based on a review of numerous articles and studies published over the past two years and presents the following major findings. This important subject is something we should all take the time to examine a bit more closely. Lets start with some high level US and Global demographics.
 
Global Demographics

• According to a UN press release, the world’s population is set to grow by 2.2 billion between now and 2050, and more than half of that growth - 1.3 billion - is likely to be in sub-Saharan Africa, where women’s rights are hampered by limited access to education, healthcare and contraception.
• The UN has noted that women represent 60% of the poorest in the world, less than 16% of parliament members, two-thirds of the illiterate and are subject to systematic violence, both in armed conflicts and in the privacy of their own homes.

• Anti-Slavery International reports that 71% of overall victims of modern slavery – nearly 30 million – are estimated to be women and girls. Forced sexual exploitation or forced marriages account for as many as 99% of victims, some as young as five years old.

• The World Economic Forum notes that a UN study says countries need about $264 billion - the equivalent cost of 110 military aircraft - to end maternal deaths, gender based violence, child marriage, and provide family planning to all women by 2030.
• According to the World Economic Forum, global gender equality will not be achieved until the year 2221. That timeline needs to change dramatically.

* Read Equality 2050 | The Remarkable Woman and the UN Report on “The Future Women Want”

US Demographics

• By 2050, the population of the US will climb to approximately 400 million people.
• According to the Census Bureau, Blacks, Asians, Hispanics and other racial minorities will make up a majority of the US population by the year 2050.
• By 2050, the female population will climb to over 200 million people.
• In 2050, there will be 7.5 million more women than men in the US.
• Women’s inflation-adjusted earnings have increased nearly 14 percent since 1979, whereas men’s have declined by about 7 percent.
• By 2050, fewer than 2 out of 5 people will be likely to get married in the US.
• Women in the US continue to report they intend to have more than two children on average, but data indicates that women are delaying having children until later in life.

* Read Views of America's future in 2050 | Pew Research Center

Definition of Women's Rights: The rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide, and which formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movement during the 20th century. Issues commonly associated with notions of women's rights include the right to bodily integrity and autonomy; to be free from sexual violence; to vote; to hold public office; to enter into legal contracts; to have equal rights in family law; to work; to fair wages or equal pay; to have reproductive rights; to own property; to education.

Global Expectations

The following are selected excerpts from the UN Statement on Women and Gender Equality in the World and Women Leading the World to 2030 – UN Foundation Report on Business & Sustainable Development

• The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is a comprehensive global blueprint for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Unequal representation in politics, economy and other areas is one of the leading problems of gender inequality identified by all countries. No country has yet fully achieved gender equality.
• Power relations between men and women must change profoundly for progress to be made this century. Heads of State, CEOs, religious and cultural leaders, and parents must all be partners in the pursuit of gender equality across the globe.
• Women must participate equally in all areas including conflict prevention and resolution, climate change negotiations, in community planning, in family decisions, in collective action.
• By 2050, it is expected that all men and women have equal rights and access to economic resources and financial services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, new technology and more.

• By 2050, we need to ensure equal access for all women and men across the globe to affordable and quality technical, vocational. college and tertiary education. We need to ensure that all youth and adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
• By 2050, we need to ensure that all women across the globe have access to health services and contraception. Lack of access to contraception in developing nations is a key issue that ought to be resolved as soon as possible.
• The world must eliminate the “global epidemic” of violence against women and girls, forced marriage, and other ongoing dehumanizing violations of human rights for women.
• The world must understand and confront the growing conservative and extremist resistance to gender equality. We see this in ongoing attacks on girls’ education, women’s public participation and women’s control over their bodies.

* Read the UN reports on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality Index: Not one single country set to achieve gender equality by 2030

US Expectations

The following are selected excerpts from multiple articles and reports on women’s future expectations through 2050.

• Nearly nine-in-ten (87%) predict that a woman will be elected US President by 2050.
• By 2050, the number of women in Congress and state legislatures should equal the number of elected male officials. See Center for American Women & Politics
• By 2050, women will be much better represented in both the public and private sector. They will be paid the same as men, will be better supported in their home and work life, and the glass ceiling will be a steadily fading memory.
• By 2050, women will continue to dominate in higher education and outnumber men on college campuses over the coming decades.

• Additional legislation will be passed and enforced to ensure equal pay and guarantees of gender equality across the US related to terms and conditions of employment, sexual harassment, parental leave, childcare, representation in corporate boardrooms and more.
• By 2050, women should no longer be penalized for choosing between a career or focusing on family as they move through life.
• By 2050, we will have done away with the outdated concept that someone needs to be in their office from 9 to 5 to work effectively and productively. When that happens, prejudice against working mothers will disappear and it will be accepted that both men and women want and need more flexibility in their work life.

* Read excerpts from What the Workplace for Women will look like in 2030

Additional Perspectives on the Future of Women in the Workforce by 2050

• Many of the needs and practical tools for the future of women in business are outlined in The Women’s Manifesto.
• A study from the Family Wealth Advisors Council estimates that more women are coming into inheritances because of longevity and demographic patterns. An estimated two-thirds of all US. wealth will be in the hands of women by 2030.
• More married women are joining single-parent women in becoming the financial heads of their households in the US.
• The number of women-owned businesses will continue to more than double over the next 20 years. The percentage of female senior executives, business owners, and entrepreneurs who are accumulating substantial wealth is rising steadily. There are also more women in the global workforce than ever before, at all ages and income levels
• Research from the Boston Consulting Group estimates that as women continue to become more educated, they’ll earn higher incomes. By 2050, it’s expected that in the US the average woman will earn more than the average man.

• Women stand to gain in job quantity from future growth in female-dominated occupations in care. However, concerns remain about job quality and poor wages.
• As the US population ages, labor economists predict a sharp rise in the number of care-based jobs in the years ahead. Roles like home health aid, medical assistants, and child care workers are projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to grow substantially by 2030.

• Employers will need to provide family-friendly solutions for working people who need flexibility for child care and elder care. These solutions may include part-time employment, telecommuting, flexible business hours and more.

* Read the 2019 Report on Equal Measures 2030 and The Future of Women at Work: Transitions in the Age of Automation

Selected Links List of Women's Organizations - Wikipedia Association for Women's Rights in Development Center for American Women & Politics International Center for Research on Women LeanIn.Org National Organization for Women (NOW) National Women’s Law Center UN Women.Org WomanKind.Org