The Saeima supported amendments to the law, under which youth will be considered Latvians aged up to 30 years. This will allow for adjustments to the state's youth policy.
It turns out that youth is defined by a separate law in our country. Until now, it was interpreted as "individuals aged 13 to 25 years." But within the depths of power, it was decided that this was too little, and amendments to the Youth Law were drafted, extending this happy age to 30 years, writes Grani.lv.
Currently, the amendments have passed through the Saeima's Education, Culture and Science Committee, which fully supported them. If this brisk pace continues, we will soon be able to say - "look, here comes a 29-year-old boy."
Why is all this necessary? What is the point?
"These amendments strengthen the youth policy system, not only defining the responsibilities and functions of the institutions involved in working with youth but also the mechanisms for the participation of young people themselves, contributing to the development of their competencies, initiative, and civic activity. This is an important step in the development of a democratic society, as it encourages the active involvement of youth in public processes and ensures that their opinions and needs are taken into account in decision-making," explains the chair of the Saeima's Education, Culture and Science Committee, Agita Zarinja-Stjure.
A lot of words, but no meaning. Why is stretching the concept of "youth" to 30 years an "important step in the development of a democratic society"? What does democracy have to do with it?
It is claimed that raising the age threshold will allow a broader range of young people to receive support from the state and local governments, participate in youth programs and participation processes, and better adapt youth policy to the modern social and economic reality, where obtaining education, entering the labor market, and starting an independent life often occur later than before.
It seems that the last words are key - "entering the labor market and starting an independent life" indeed happen much later today. But is this something that should be indulged?
The fact is that the last few decades have shown that society is rapidly infantilizing. Not only in Latvia - across Europe. Young people jump from one endless training and retraining course to another, trying to delay the moment of entering their first job for as long as possible, and they are in no hurry to start families and have children. They fear responsibility, and all modern attitudes endorse this. "Oh dear, you’re still so little...".
It is unclear why to legalize such a vicious life approach by stretching the concept of "youth" to absurd proportions. "Yes, I’m already starting to go bald, but still — I’m young, don’t hold me to strict standards." The task of the state, it seems, is to encourage young Latvians to grow up as quickly as possible. We are approaching two disasters — in the labor market and in demographics, and to solve them, adult consciousness is required. But if thirty-year-old babies are wandering around, who are still "finding themselves," both disasters are unavoidable.
