Youthful Waves of Change: Leading the Way to a Sustainable Nation Through Marine Conservation
“What I really want to extend is "collaboration" that emphasizes a bottom-up level in order to leverage good ocean governance in the 21st century. So, young people have a pivotal role in leading it and to advocate their communities to be heard”
- Anisa Noor, Delegates of Indonesia in AIS Youth Conference 2023
The role of youth is often associated with the progress of a nation, a connection that has been evident since the historic struggle for Indonesia's independence. The declaration of the Youth Pledge is one of the proofs that Indonesian youth play a crucial role in the nation's fight. The Youth Pledge on October 28, 1928, marked a significant milestone in the history of the youth movement across Indonesia in the spirit of Indonesian independence. As reflected in the theme of the 2023 Youth Pledge commemoration, "Together Advancing Indonesia", it signifies the building of a collaborative spirit among all elements of the nation to advance Indonesia. According to Law No. 40 of 2009 about Youth, one of the active roles of the youth as change agents is realized by developing an awareness of environmental issues. This emphasizes that the youth, as agents of change, play a strategic role in determining the direction toward a sustainable world, including addressing social issues like the environment. Green skills comprise the knowledge, values, and attitudes needed for living, growing, and supporting a sustainable and resource-efficient community.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the green transition will result in the creation of 8.4 million jobs for young people by 2030. These jobs are referred to as green jobs, which contribute to preserving or restoring the environment, either by supporting eco-friendly processes or by producing environmentally friendly products and services. Young people need to be equipped with environmental-friendly skills so that they can effectively navigate the ever-changing environment and seize the opportunities available.
As one of the world's largest archipelagic countries, Indonesia has the potential to become a Global Maritime Axis. This aims to establish Indonesia as a great, strong, and prosperous maritime nation by reclaiming Indonesia's identity as a maritime nation, ensuring maritime interests and security, and harnessing maritime potential to achieve economic equality in Indonesia. In pursuit of these goals, President Joko Widodo has outlined five main pillars, one of which is "maritime diplomacy that invites all of Indonesia's partners to collaborate in the field of maritime affairs." This pillar aligns with the outcomes of the youth declaration during the AIS Youth Conference 2023. We had the opportunity to facilitate discussions by young people from various archipelagic nations, to, advocate for their needs, and take action to address the challenges facing our oceans, all for a better future.
One of the key points included in their declaration document which then presented in front of the Indonesia president and ministriesis to encourage AIS Youth to advance the blue economy by promoting multistakeholder, bottom-up, and concrete youth-led projects by working with local/ central government, corporations, and civil society networks to empower youth-led organizations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), particularly SMEs operating in marine industry and coastal communities to promote sustainable entrepreneurship that drive accelerated ocean-based climate action. Through this conference, we also provided an overview and designed a discussion space with various speakers working on this issue, including Nadea Nabilla from Azura Indonesia, Made Emma Batty Sukerta, Eko Octavianus from Sahabat Laut Lestari (SLL), with the hope of creating collaboration to find solutions to various challenges.
Witnessing the dedication of these young leaders in shaping a brighter future for archipelagic and island states was truly empowering. The experience from designing the program to implementing it will certainly have a lasting significance for us as the youth enabler.
As the next generation of the nation, there are several roles that young people can play in building a sustainable nation, including:
Change Agents: This role can be realized through the involvement of youth in supporting changes in the environment and society, from the local to the national level, towards a better future. The progress of a nation can be seen through the success of its younger generation in making positive changes and finding solutions to the challenges they face.
Development Agents: Secondly, the role of young people as development agents means that Indonesian youth have a role and responsibility in efforts to carry out and implement various types of development in various fields, both at the national and regional levels. Development in the future is expected to encompass not only physical and non-physical development but also the ability to develop the potential of other young generations. The potential and productivity within the younger generation need to be nurtured to achieve the goals of Indonesia's national development. This effort can begin with the development of various green skills, Inner Development Goals as the assets of young people in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, and, of course, the expectations arising from the results of the AIS Youth Conference 2023 some time ago.
Agents of Renewal: The next role is to become agents of renewal for Indonesia. This means that Indonesian youth must have the ability to analyze changes in the times so they can choose what needs to be changed and what should be preserved. In this regard, what is crucial is how young people can preserve the value of local wisdom by revitalizing innovation through local knowledge relevant to and supportive of sustainability in various regions.
Through the Youth Sustainability Entrepreneurship program we initiated, we design future strategies to expand the opportunity for young people to preserve the values of local wisdom and indigenous technology that sustain the environment through innovations and green entrepreneurship. The hope is that the momentum of the Youth Pledge (Sumpah Pemuda) takes on a different meaning from the perspective of today's young generation. It emphasizes that the sustainability of the nation is not solely dependent on economic growth through demographic bonuses but also on downstream and green economy, which play a crucial role as opportunities for the nation's progress. However, it's not enough to rely solely on the natural wealth that the country possesses. There needs human resources pool who can sustainably manage and utilize the natural resources through an economic transformation, including in the maritime sector.
Written by:
Ni Kadek Putri Adnyaningsih
Campaign & Engagement Officer