From Hashtags to Real Action: It’s Time for Youth to Lead Change

Baca Juga: Perempuan Tangguh Aisyiyah Jepara Warnai World Clean Up Day di Pantai Bandengan

Youth as Leaders, Not Just Participants

One key lesson is clear: youth are not just participants—they are leaders of change. From mobilizing online donations for solar panels to initiating “energy fasting” that saved billions of rupiah, young people have already proven their capacity.

They do not wait for instructions, let alone elite approval. They work, network, collaborate, and create inclusive spaces. Excluding them from decision-making is not only a loss of creative energy but also a risk to the future of peace and climate resilience.

Civil society has shown that change can begin from the ground up. But the state must not stop at ceremonial praise. Structural support is essential: regulations that favor sustainability, genuine spaces for youth participation in policymaking, and integration of grassroots initiatives into national development strategies.

The climate and social crises we face are not peripheral issues; they strike at the very core of our nation’s survival. Listening to youth is not just about democracy—it is about survival itself.

We can learn from today’s generation: they do not stop at hashtags, they demand real action. They are not merely speaking of the future—they are already building it. Our task is to ensure their path is not blocked, but accelerated.

If this nation wishes to remain standing amid global storms, the answer is simple: give youth the space, and let them lead. For in their hands, hashtags can turn into history.***