Forget the stereotypes about negative, moaning millennials: a World Economic Forum survey found that 70% of young people are optimistic about the future, and more than half think they can influence decision-making in their country.
But we are meeting at a time when there is tumultuous change in the world, how can young people continue to find a positive narrative to follow?
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the multi-award winning documentary film-maker, says that in her line of work, she finds that people want to take ownership of their own stories, especially the young.
Ahmad Sarmast is Founder of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) and is at the forefront of efforts in Afghanistan to use culture to unify and help create a positive narrative for the country.
He says that, while there are still a lot of challenges that the young are facing, there are also a lot of wonderful projects going on and wonderful policies in government and in the international community.
“I strongly believe we can change the current narrative in Afghanistan through arts and culture,” he says. He cites the example of his young orchestra, where boys and girls belonging to different ethnic groups "listen to each other’s melodic lines, play different musical instruments and in the end are creating a piece of beauty as well as learning that they can respect each other’s differences.”
The importance of a story
Narratives are a core part of what creates community, argues Sheryl Sandberg COO and Member of the Board, Facebook Inc. “Why do stories matter? In order to have a shared identity you have to have some common understanding of your past and common belief in your future. That doesn’t mean that you have to agree on everything.”
Zeinab Badawi, the moderator of the session, asks Obaid-Chinoy whether her work actually reinforces the negative stereotypes about women in the community, specifically that they are the victims of much violence:
“But if you keep quiet you are doing an even greater injustice,” answers the film-maker
“I look at my work as a vehicle to start difficult conversations,” she adds. “To lobby government, to change laws, I’ve had two films that have impacted laws in Pakistan.” She adds that her films also portray those people that support women: “My films are not only about the issues but the people working on those issues, the doctors, the lawyers, the police officers, the ones you don’t hear about.”
Sheryl Sandberg says that millions of children continue to die in the world due to unclean water, because we don’t have their stories. “When you hear the words “millions of people die” you feel like you can’t fix it,” she says. “When we think about what gives us energy to act, knowing there is a face and a name and an actual person behind it is so important.”
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the IMF, warns that, while it’s nice to talk of a global community with a shared vision, you can’t lose sight of the fact that communities are very different. “The combination of religious, cultural and economic backgrounds that people carry with them mean that those common goals will be drilled down in different shapes and forms, depending on who we are.
“I would caution about being so holistic that we deny those differences,” she says, adding that the IMF tailors every programme of assistance and uses different tools and methodologies.
What technology has brought us
On the subject of technology, and the impending explosion of it in every sphere of our lives, Meg Whitman, President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise says that we have to remember what technology has done for the world. “It has pulled hundreds of millions out of poverty, it has connected lots of people, it has modernised agriculture and medicine.” She goes on to caution, however, that technology is also creating economic dislocation and that it’s up to leaders, particularly those in the field of technology, to help manage the transition of those dislocated by robotics and automation.
She goes onto dispel the myth that jobs in tech require higher education: “Many people working in tech do not have a college education but have been trained on the job to do meaningful work that is essential to companies,” she states.
Be the change you want to see
Meg Whitman also says that young people have to be the change they want to see. But one member of the audience who is a WEF Global Shaper, says that many young people are hampered by structural challenges. She explains that where she comes from, many don’t have access to water or electricity, so how can they possibly compete until those challenges are solved?
Ahmad Sarmast agrees, saying that it’s not just the young people's responsibility to stand on their own two feet, it is our responsibility to teach them the next step.
Christine Lagarde says that it requires the courage of policy makers, the fiscal resources that have to be made available by appropriate public finance management, the determination to collect taxes and to spend money properly in order to provide better opportunities and reduce inequalities. “Those are big words,” she says, “but they have to be distilled into actual programmes.”
Fake News
It was put to Sheryl Sandberg that it is Facebook’s responsibility to tackle fake news, and she agreed, adding that “We know that people don’t want to see hoaxes on Facebook and we don’t want to either. We’re taking a lot of steps: helping people report more, working with third party fact-checkers and taking away the financial incentive for spammers.”
Closing remarks
Ahmad Sarmast concludes the session saying that his music school is an example of how a positive narrative can be created and put into action.
Sharmeen adds that sharing stories of local heroes is one way of encouraging hope amongst people and ensuring that some of those people lwalk in those footsteps.
Meg Whitman reminds us that, while we live in challenging times, we have to keep things in perspective.