Common complaints against children: Give up too easily; get bored quickly; are adamant and stubborn; lack of inner discipline; live in their imaginary world; throw temper tantrum to get what they want; have more power than they deserve; always stay online and play games.

Children deal with their daily challenges in the only way they know best. Emotional maturity develops gradually and, in the interim, depending on the context and situation children display varying emotional reactions. This unpredictability can feel exhausting and challenging to manage. Often it also makes parents feel that their role is being challenged. They expect children to behave in a way that gives them the freedom to parent effectively. Inability to do that is frustrating and leads to questioning the sense of entitlement they display. But it’s just the child’s way to say pay attention to me and what I’m asking for. They aren’t capable of self-reflection so lack the understanding of why their behaviour is being termed wrong.

Several psychological needs must be met for them to grow and develop well. When unmet, children learn to satisfy those by distracting themselves.

Autonomy is the freedom or control over their choices. Age-appropriate freedom to set goals and create boundaries to make choices that aren’t disruptive help them to develop a sense of identity. They feel like the decision-making process rests with them. Open conversation allows their point of view to be valued, provides the space to understand why goals need to be set and what their parents are asking from them. It encourages them to be responsible for their decisions.

Parents believing, they know best often take over and set goals without consultation. They might also feel threatened and use enticement, rewards and punishment to get the desired behaviour. This makes children fight for what they want, and that’s often viewed as rebellion. They don’t know what is okay for them to ask because parents have withheld their capability to make decisions for themselves. This can potentially make them pliant and unable to make decisions or extremely rebellious and reject everything.

Feel competent at something they enjoy. This feeling is transferable to other areas of their life reinforcing the sense of feeling good about themselves. If they experience things differently and for whatever reason feel they’re not doing well, they begin to question themselves, feel they can’t achieve and don’t belong. They stop trying when they strongly believe they’re not going to be able to do it.

A compulsion to choose and do well in sports, physical or extracurricular activity can feel challenging. They might feel unsure and unable to understand if they enjoy it. Simultaneously they can’t say no because parents seem invested in providing them with the opportunity to learn and participate in these structured activities. Structure means there must be an outcome and therefore comes with its pressure and expectation. Children feel bound by them and use distractions to find a way out. Yet fun and enjoyment can pique interest. Acknowledging and promoting it then can gradually develop a sense of commitment towards it.

Relatedness and connection emphasize the basic need to want to be important to others (especially significant caregivers) and vice versa. Free play provides children with the ability to relate to objects and people and feel connected. Through this process, they develop social skills. Isolation, declining interaction with extended family, grandparents and increasing involvement in the online world tends to interfere with learning this skill. When going through difficulty they might be unable to appreciate the parental effort, but they do understand genuine concern and build stronger connections with those who don’t give up on them.

Empathy helps to understand how a person is experiencing their world from their point of view. It allows children to value people, develop trust and patience and make secure connections. Children learn empathy by watching parents’ behaviour and by experiencing empathy for them. When children aren’t able to articulate their feelings, they often resort to attention-seeking behaviour like screaming, being adamant and generally difficult. At this juncture it’s important not to ask, ‘what is wrong with you,’ but rather ‘what is happening’ as these are indirect cues to parents to acknowledge something is not okay with them. Labelling the child because of their behaviour is detrimental. It makes them feel judged, shuts off access to their inner turmoil and feel parents aren’t available to them. Children must be taught to access their feelings. They must know how it feels when they’re hurting. They might hurt when angry, sad or worried and it’s okay to cry.

These are just some of the psychological skills children need to help negotiate their world and parents/caregivers are their biggest supporters in the journey to build these necessary skills.

NewsX was recently joined by 5 young leaders from the Global Youth organization to share their vision of the country, they talked of their expectations, hope and idea for the country. The youth of the country is the future of the country and hence, their opinions and ideas must be paid heed to. Therefore, NewsX invited these young leaders to put their ideas in front of the viewers.

The first panellist for the session was Prathit Singh, a first-year student of Political Science from Ramjas College, University of Delhi. An aspiring researcher,  child right activist and a published poet, Prathit has been strongly advocating for young people to step up their efforts in voicing for social causes. Hailing from Calcutta India, he has represented India at global summits such as SAARC and ASEAN and is currently working for the office of the UN Secretary General’s representative on violence against children on the Covid-under 19 project as an advocate and data analyst. Talking about his journey and the advocacy work that he has been doing, he said “I identify myself as a Youth advocate in the field of children’s right. I have been drawn towards this field since my high-school years. I really believe in advocating for the cause of children who are being exploited and whose rights are being infringed around the globe. I realized that I want to do something and need to step beyond my classroom walls to pursue the same. That’s when I got to work with an organization called ‘International Justice Mission’ which was working in this field’’.

Speaking about the role of Global Youth in bolstering such advocacy endeavours, Prathit stated ‘’My journey with Global Youth began in college when I joined the chapter and I was particularly attracted to join this when I found about the kind of work Global Youth has been advocating for especially in my field of work.  I think that the unawareness remained because young people were not being able to step for the cause, Global Youth provides a platform for young people to connect over issues of international concerns and to have a discourse around the same’’ When asked about his future goals, Prathit said that he would like to pursue diplomacy and wants to be changemaker who is able to influence the society and to bring out the potential of young people. ‘’I want to show what an ideal world it would be,  where young people are included, and every child has a future’’  Prathit added.

Next was Uttara Jantwal, a 2nd-year undergraduate student in history from Lady Shriram College for women. She is a feminist at heart, an avid debater with a profound interest in diplomacy, public policy, geopolitical development, and human rights. She is passionate about environmental activism and hopes to contribute to the causes that need people to preach their narrative. She is from Nanital.

Speaking about the idea and joining of Global Youth, Uttara Jantwal said, “I joined Global Youth in the hope that I could engage in something meaningful, apart from academics. Global youth for me has been basically embarking on a journey of self-growth and also an opportunity to explore the vast sea of international relations with a better understanding. It provided me and continues to provide students with a platform where we engage in social, political, economic dialogue and it is the place where I realized that your opinions matter. It is a shared space where you learn while also finding comfort in the company of others that are your age. It also gave me the ability to both learn and develop at the same time and I am really grateful for it.”

When asked about her personal growth from the time she joined Global Youth, she said, “My very first event with global youth was quite encouraging and that pushed me to join more session, go for more forums and despite the fact that all the activities this time have been done online due to the pandemic, the events have been fantastic and enjoyable and I think all of us learning a lot.”

“Climate change and environmental degradation are the most pressing issue confronting us today and I think there is no exaggeration to suggest that the ugly jaws of climate change and environmental degradation are already upon us. They are ready to reward us. These global threats cannot be avoided by anyone but here`s the thing it is no longer acceptable for us young people to be passive victims and the world`s youth must take action,” She shared her opinion on a particular problem she wishes to resolve.

Later she also added, “We need to think in terms of generations rather than weeks years, or decades and our current action or inaction would have a huge effect on our lives in the future. What I see is youth is willing to take the lead to meaningfully engage in platforms related to the protection of the environment be it at the local, national, or global level. However, to harness our talents and innovations youth must be treated as equal partners and torchbearers, as a matter of fact, there should be no discussion of the future of the generation without us all sitting at the same table”.

When asked about where she sees herself in the next 5 years, she commented, “I am not one to say where I would be in the coming years. I am just hoping it is a place where I can make difference. I continue to keep my best foot forward and grab opportunities that come my way so you never know where it might lead me but probably working in the field of history would be a great place for me”.

Iqra Khan is a 2nd-year student pursuing Political Science Major from Lady Shri Ram College for Women. She is the Content Head of the India Germany Youth Forum and has always been interested in this discipline when her research thesis has been published in ISBF, an Australian Journal. She had represented her city which made her realize the love for social work. She believes that change can be brought by little steps. “I joined Global Youth because it gives one the platform to deliberate on the pressing issues of today. It has been two years and I have been serving as the content head for a while now and have represented various student panels. I believe it as an organization has offered me exposure in shaping my views. It has played a huge role in contributing towards the future goals that I hold by instilling the belief in me that no voice is small and no views are very tangent. Perhaps demanding change is an essential right”.  

When asked about the issues that concern her, she added that youth only comprise one-fifth of the country’s total population. She adds, “ The political scenario of the country is facing an acute shortage of enthusiasm, vigour and energy. The youth of our country is achieving milestones in every sphere of life and emerging as leaders. Then why is the percentage so low in political leadership and mobilization? The younger politicians understand what the youth of India need and what their aspirations are. Political parties should provide space for such leaders to grow. Today’s youth need opportunities to participate in politics”.  She also shared her idea of how this problem of youth participation can be solved. She stated, “We need contributions from the elected and the electoral. Until the communication would not bridge together, differences would arise. There is a practical solution for the reservation of quota seats for young people. Only when accountability comes in, then change will be fueled. I have been interning with various policies and think tanks and I have written various research thesis. I have written from India-China cooperation to recent issues such as women vote in India” She emphasizes how Global Youth as a platform has made her confident and “ we as a youth, when we take responsibility, start taking action, we are involving ourselves in the larger process”. 

Lavanya B is a 3rd-year student pursuing History Honors. When asked about the journey with Global Youth, she said, “ I joined Global Youth a year ago which has helped me develop my personal skills and my knowledge about International Relations has put me in touch with a lot of dignitaries” She also highlighted that the pressing issue today is that of identities and highlights the paradigm of identity politics. “It started with the Civil Rights in America and identity politics has undergone cancerous mutations, where we have adopted one common enemy. Lot of people believe that feminists believe that they are anti-men movements which is not the case. Feminists are advocating for equal footing with men across gender lines but many are misinterpreting it as the cornering of men. We have to work towards cooperation”. The practical solution lies in addressing the issue of misinformation and educating people,  she believes. She espouses, “Women in India are not a homogeneous group. Global Youth brings people from diverse backgrounds and puts them on an equal footing, giving them a platform to pitch in their ideas and to come to a sustainable and workable solution”. 

Anupam Miheer, a 2nd-year student pursuing BBA from Bhubaneswar. “I joined the Indian Sri Lanka Forum and saw how diverse the whole group is. For Women’s Day, we had planned collaboration with the New Zealand forum. My leadership skills grew and I learned how to manage events”. Anupam believes that economic instability is the biggest challenge that has been experienced by India. He adds, “ Youth can revitalize the whole economy. When the pandemic hit India, its youth spent 90% of the internet on entertainment whereas youth of other countries spent it on the development of soft skills and vocational training. The earning youth who are earning and paying taxes to fall under the age group of 25 to 35 are upskilled and have the required vocational training. Since we are a country that is majorly dependent on agriculture, produce and export, we need to have innovation in that field and utilize it to maximize use.”  The solution to this problem lies in the paradigm shift of the Indian education system as well as that of job patterns, pointed out by Anupam. “The rural education centre lacks quality Online grocery has been significant and has increased during the lockdown. Covid 19 has created a shift in youth employability which is, in turn, going to help in revamping the economy”. He even shared the business idea that he had. “We are working on combining the medical world with the hospital industry. An app will tell you which hospital is best for treating the problem and whether there are beds available and if there are no beds available, an alternate hospital will be suggested”. 

One Shared World, on the occasion of World Water Day on March 22, presented a captivating session titled WASHPAP on ”Water and sanitation for all: The fight against pandemics.” The session witnessed lawmakers, activists, and leaders from different countries and backgrounds come together at a single platform to address several issues that are prevalent in the world today and pledged towards working on a solution.

Jamie Metzl, founder and Chair  of ‘One Shared World’, Suresh Prabhu, Member of Parliament, Shah Chaudhary, President of Footsteps, Bangladesh and Jack Sim, founder of World Toilet Organisation joined the panel. In his opening statement, Jamie Metzl shared the vision of One Shared World and said, ”This is a part of our ‘rise and fall together’ speaker series, where we are exploring not just the great challenges of this moment but also how we can come together as a world to solve these issues”.

He further talked about how the organisation as a whole currently stands at a civilisational-turning point somewhat equivalent to 1918, ”One path forward is the path of exclusion, i.e wall building while the other is of inclusion i.e building bridges, only that second path can allow your species and all of us to thrive. that’s what we at One Shared World and the communities within it is all about,’ he added.

Formed in the earlier days of the pandemic, One Shared World initially aimed at solving issues of the pandemic but later realised that there are these the broader issues, which might have led to a pandemic situation like this. The organisation now aims at building a new framework for global collaboration and problem-solving. It also focuses on the importance of inter-dependence and how this approach can bring the communities together to tackle a global problem that affects people of each and every country in the world.

Talking about the need to have a global approach to solve these pressing issues, Jamie asserted, ‘Addressing the urgent needs of the world’s most vulnerable populations is not and can not be seen as just charity. It can not be seen as wealthier people helping the poor people. That’s not the right framework. Rather, it must be seen as it is and the best we can do is come together for building a safer world for everyone”.

Explaining the term WASHPAP, Jamie said that the word is a compound acronym connecting – Wash, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, where PAP stands for Essential protection, and WASHPAP as a whole is described as an initiative that can be a smart investment to protect our planet from the pandemic and eliminate the possibilities of any future pandemics which may occur. WASHPAP campaign is focused on addressing the issue at every level. An outline plan has been developed by One Shared World where the target is to provide access to sanitation and pure drinking water to as many communities and countries as possible by the year 2030. The campaign #ShareTheWater has been actively running on social media platforms to educate, empower and encourage people to play their part.

Suresh Prabhu, Member of Parliament, former minister for Commerce and the current leader, sherpa of the G20 Summit  joined in the conversation as a guest speaker and spoke about the contributions made by his government and the current initiatives that are being undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He talked about several policies that have been brought under Mr. Modi’s leadership in the past several years which focus on sanitation, drinking water as well as different policies that have been implemented in India which are directed towards educating people and providing them with the necessary resources. When asked about the G20 summit, Mr. Suresh stated, ”We are at the final stage of ensuring the agenda that will be discussed at the G20 summit this year, We the G20 constitutes of 86% of the population, it doesn’t give us power rather it puts us at a position of responsibility and accountability. being a strong nation means, it has to take care of those who are vulnerable.”

Mr. Shah Chaudhary, President of Footsteps, an organisation based out of Bangladesh, further pressed on the need to address the sanitisation issue in Bangladesh. He said, ”Access to Sanitation is a very big issue in Bangladesh, especially in the coastal region. With more refugees coming in from Myanmar, the problem has increased further and this is what the latrine project is trying to address. Our goal is to build various sanitation facilities along the entire coastal belt of Bangladesh so that everyone can be benefitted from this project”.

Mr. Shah has been administering sanitation facilities in certain areas of Bangladesh, especially at the refugee camps to ensure that water, sanitation, and healthcare facilities could be provided to those people residing alongside border areas. His initiative called ‘The Latrine Project’ aims to build over 500 sanitation systems along the coastal belt. currently, around 200 families are benefitting from the project.

Mr. Jack Sim, founder of  World Toilet Organisation, further shared his experience of how he left his business twenty years ago to work as a volunteer in several organisations. With his venture, he is only not solve the issues at an individual level but has also created a platform for different cultures to come forward and be a part of the solution. ”I was troubled when the organisation that I was working in used to call sanitation problem a water agenda. I said we have to decouple it and give sanitation its own centre stage for it to be addressed as a separate issue. The media publishes our work and through its viewership, we are now connected to 2-3 billion people across the world,” Mr. Zack stated.

Abhishek Singh, an IAS officer-turned-actor, recently joined NewsX for a conversation as part of its NewsX India A-List. He spoke about the talent show he is planning for policemen and explained how he became an actor being an IAS.

All set to make his acting debut in Delhi Crime Season 2, Abhishek also shared about how he got the part. He said, “Mukesh Chhabra introduced me to a few people who were making this web series on Netflix called Delhi Crime Season 2. He said, ‘why don’t you brief them regarding the police administration, they would like to hear your views.’ I was briefing them and somebody from the team asked me, ‘what experience do you have in acting?’ I replied, I’m not an actor, I’m Deputy Commissioner. They were surprised. They said, ‘we did not think that we will be getting to meet a Deputy Commissioner in Mukesh Chhabra’s office.’ Nevertheless, then they said that they have a role in their mind of an IAS officer and my body language suits the role. They asked, ‘Would you like to get into acting?’”

Talking about revamping of Bandra police station, Abhishek said, “It so happened that I met Suzanne in one of the events and mentioned that I’m planning a talent show. She said that why don’t I do something else also in the same name. When I asked her, Suzanne said that she had gone to Bandra police station for some work and found a building to be not in very good condition. Suzanne said that she would like to do something for the police station and since I’m an interior designer so if I could help her, then together we’ll be able to do something. That’s how it all started. We picked Bandra police station and thought of revamping it. She is doing it free of cost.”

When asked about one of his initiatives, the talent show ‘World of Wardi’, he shared, “All these policemen, who will be of the rank of constables and head constables, will be given a chance to showcase their talent and it will be a kind of reality show. They will showcase their talent, few judges from the music industry will be there and the audience will also be judging them. They will be selecting the top 10 best talents of the country and then we will be providing them with a platform where they can get to sing in the movies or get their albums released. The idea is that the talent which is there in our country should not be wasted. Even if someone is in the police force, it doesn’t mean he can’t have a hobby or not pursue it.”

In the concluding remarks, Abhishek said, “You should follow their heart. If you are determined to do something, you will be able to do it no matter what, nobody is going to stop you. The only limits that you have are in your mind. Think free, be free, hardworking, and focused.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has admitted failures in the country’s vaccination campaign against Covid-19 and vowed to accelerate the rollout, days after the government was forced to impose new coronavirus restrictions to contain a surge of cases across the country.

“We weren’t fast enough, strong enough on it,” Macron told Greek television channel ERT Wednesday as quoted by CNN. “We didn’t shoot for the stars as much as others. I think that should be a lesson for all of us. We were wrong to lack ambition, to lack the madness, to say, ‘It’s possible, let’s do it’,” Macron said.

“You can give that to the Americans, as early as the summer of 2020 they said: let’s pull out all the stops and do it. They had more ambition than us… We didn’t think [the production of a vaccine] would happen that quickly. He added, “Everybody, all the experts said: Never in the history of mankind was a vaccine developed in less than a year.”

CNN further reported that on Tuesday, the French President declared the vaccination campaign a “national priority,” promising to put the rollout at the heart of the country’s Covid-19 battle.

As of Monday, 9.3 per cent of the total French population had been partially vaccinated, according to Our World in Data.

Last week, French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced new coronavirus restrictions in 16 regions, including the greater Paris and Nice areas, as the country attempts to contain the third wave of infections.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf on Thursday refuted media reports that he was being considered to be deputed as the new High Commissioner to India.

Yusuf took to Twitter to post a link to a media report to say that it was “totally made up and baseless,” Dawn reported. “I know it’s too much to ask for a news story to be fact-checked before publication these days. But at least the story shouldn’t defy all logic. It is totally made up and baseless,” he tweeted.

This comes after a local media report had suggested that there were chances of Yusuf’s appointment as High Commissioner to India as both countries have shown positive signs of reconciliation during the past few days, Geo News reported.

Yusuf was appointed the PM’s aide on national security in December 2019. He was formerly the Associate Vice President of the Asia centre at the US Institute of Peace in Washington DC.

He has also worked at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, Dawn reported. He holds a Master’s degree in international relations and a Ph.D. in political science from Boston University.

In 2007, Yusuf co-founded Strategic and Economic Policy Research, a private sector consultancy firm in Pakistan. He has also consulted for the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and the Stockholm Policy Research Institute, among others.

With ANI inputs