What Happens When Young Voices Are Given a Chance to Speak?
International Youth Day Celebration | 12 August 2026
Dinjoye TE, Maud TE, Chabua TE and Bogapani TE, Assam
Breaking the Cycle of Silence
Tucked away in India’s remote tea estates, young people often find themselves cut off from the opportunities and platforms they need to grow, think freely, and express their ideas. Struggling to envision a prosperous future, many grow up in a society where rigid gender roles remain deeply entrenched. In families where gender-based violence, child marriage, early pregnancy, and substance abuse are common, these very patterns often repeat in the next generation.
The biggest problem, however, is the communication gap between parents and children. With women working all day in the tea gardens and men employed either in the factory or elsewhere outside, parents often fail to create a safe space for their children to talk or have meaningful conversations — a gap that frequently manifests as behavioural problems among children and youth. The Women Safety Accelerator Fund 2.0 program addressed this directly, creating a dedicated space during Youth Day that opened up communication between parents and children for the first time.
A Game That Uncovered Aspirations, Challenges and Needs
What if a simple question could reveal a young person’s biggest dream? What if a rapid-fire game could open conversations about education, equality, safety and the future? And what happens when young people are given a space where their voices truly matter?
On 12 August 2026, these questions found their answers across Dinjoye, Maud, Chabua and Bogapani Tea Estates in Assam as International Youth Day was celebrated with the message, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.”
The day began with excitement as youth, parents and tea estate workers came together for an energetic rapid-fire activity. One question followed another, encouraging dialogue between the generations — as both youth and parents opened up, the conversation grew richer and more collective. But behind every quick answer was an opportunity to learn, think and speak.
Soon, the game became a conversation. What do young people dream of becoming? Many confidently spoke about various career options they aim for.
The youth leader Umesh also expressed, “শিক্ষা গ্ৰহণ কৰি কম বয়সতে নিজৰ কেৰিয়াৰ গঢ়ি তোলাটো বাগিচাত কাম কৰি ভৱিষ্যতে অনুশোচনা কৰাতকৈ অধিক গুৰুত্বপূৰ্ণ”॥ (Receiving education and building a career at a young age is more important than working in the garden and regretting in the future).
His words captured the powerful motive of education and career building to open up doors to choices and opportunities.
But what challenges stand between these dreams and reality? The participants spoke about the need for scholarships, better educational facilities, financial assistance, skill development and career guidance. Parents raised concerns about the rising consumption of alcohol and drugs among youth and the need for counselling and positive engagement, while young people strongly opposed child marriage.
Most importantly, the discussions showed growing confidence among young people to express their opinions and choices.
Perhaps the biggest lesson of the day was simple: different backgrounds may shape our stories, but our hopes for a better future can bring us together.
What I Walked Away With
So the real question isn’t what young people dream of, but what happens when we finally listen to those dreams. Can a single conversation today plant the confidence, opportunity, and change that shapes someone’s tomorrow?
But this was never just about dreams. It was about what happens when a platform dares to reshape the space between a parent and a child. When silence turns into conversation. When a child finally feels safe enough to speak, and a parent finally understands what it means to listen. That single shift — small as it seems — is how futures are rewritten, and how communities begin to imagine a different tomorrow.If these voices have made even one of us think differently about youth, education, and equality, then this celebration has already achieved something far greater than a single day’s event.
What stayed with me most was watching the youth speak, not hesitantly, but with genuine confidence, as they shared their dreams, opinions, and aspirations openly. In that space, something quietly powerful happened: parents listened, young people were heard, and together they began to understand why education, career development, and informed choices matter — not as abstract ideas, but as real paths forward for their children.
Because change begins when a voice is heard, but grows when that voice is given the power to create change.
—By Ankita Dowerah