The Youth Voice is Stronger than Ever

As the current generation of students approaching adulthood, we have been given many issues to face as new voters and active community participants.

If you voted in the past election, you, like myself, should have recognized the power of your vote and voice in the world. Our generation brought a huge change to America and ultimately changed the face of American politics. Across the globe, other young adults are trying to do the same thing.

In the picture above, an Iranian college student was brutally beaten by Iran's police force for protesting the re-election of President Ahmadinejad, yesterday. The election, which is now being reviewed because of alleged irregularities and accusations of a rigged vote, is being protested mainly by college-aged students who are aiming for a change and a move toward democracy and a better relationship with the West. These protesters support the opposition leader, Mir Hussein Moussavi, a candidate that represents this progressive change.

Our generation, worldwide, is proving to be up to facing the challenges that have been presented to us. Many of us have recognized the power and volume of our voice as we grow older and this has sparked worldwide changes due to democracy. Many students in Iran have been using Twitter and other social networking sites to mobilize support and take action against the election results. They have been campaigning not only to citizens in Iran, but to a global audience of supporters. Though Iranian authorities have tried to suppress the coverage of the protests on television and other news media, the use of these social networking sites is notifying the world of what is going on.

Many of the protests are taking place near Tehran University, where students and other Moussavi supporters are holding a rally despite the brute force of police. According to the New York Times, protests are also being staged in London, Toronto and New York, as well.

Personally, I am extremely proud of our generation for spearheading the move for change and I am extremely optimistic because we all seem to be moving toward a common goal. With the election of an American-backed coalition in Lebanon last week and the current fight for change in Iran, I think that today's youth are more on the same page than ever before. If the youth in Iran succeed in recalling the election of Ahmadinejad, they, too, will be encouraged by the strength of their voice.

Check out how the youth protesters in Iran are using the social networking sites to fight: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/06/15/world/1194840918597/new-media-and-iran-s-election.html?hp