Empowering Youth to Shape the Future

Mohammed Ali said “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” For the most part, I believe humankind shares an intrinsic motivation to make the world a better place. For me, supporting young people is a great way to do just that. They are more than half of the world population and they are our most vulnerable. They possibly face the most difficult of challenges in our history.

So International Youth Day is important to me. I am excited by this year’s theme of ‘Intergenerational Solidarity’ because I think partnerships between my generation and those who follow are the key to success. When we provide active support, both financially and in terms of our time, we can lift young people up and prepare them to create their future.

More than one in six young people are out of work because of the pandemic, and many more have seen their working hours cut. In low- and middle-income countries, up to three quarters of the youth population work in the informal economy. They have no job security and little or no social protection. The assumptions we grew up with — buying a home, having a family, retirement — are not the reality they face. That cannot be allowed to continue.

The solution is to prepare the youth, and to give them a helping hand to enter and develop in the labour market. This is the most concrete and the most direct way for them to become integrated into the community, economically and socially.

We know that the private sector is a key actor of measurable change in the youth employment space. And we know that education systems are not preparing young people for work or life. We require a radical rethink.

We must create a powerful link between the private sector and the education system. The answer is to implement the dual-education model quickly and around the world. It works! Dual education systems combine the practical experience provided by companies, and the theory provided by the education system so that young people are skilled and prepared to find jobs that suit both their capabilities and knowledge and private sector expectations. They have worked exceptionally well in Switzerland, Germany, more broadly Europe, in South Korea, now Mexico and many other countries across the world.

Nestlé needs YOUth is a perfect avenue for this type of endeavour. We equip the next generation for employment, to become creative innovators in our company, and successful agripreneurs, entrepreneurs and game changers, regardless of their field or level of expertise. It’s an initiative that exemplifies intergenerational solidarity. Through the upcoming launch of the new Nestlé Youth Entrepreneurship Platform, young innovators will be able to access the world of entrepreneurship and innovation with anew entrepreneurship academy, ideation programs, mentoring, funding and much more.?

It is a difficult time to be young and yet I am constantly impressed by the resilience and optimism I see amongst the youth I interact with. They have a lot to be proud of. My best advice to them is to find their purpose and follow their dreams.

They should not give up, be open, be daring, dream high and build a better, more inclusive and more sustainable future!