The uprising that began with students also contains its solution: youth energy, solidarity networks, and organized volunteerism are central to rehabilitation efforts. Where systems are slow, young people have mobilized peer-led psychosocial support, skills-training cohorts, and employer awareness campaigns — and those efforts do more than fill gaps; they rebuild civic trust.
Peers as first responders:
In the immediate aftermath of the uprising, many of the earliest responders were youth volunteers: classmates, neighbours, student unions who coordinated hospital transport, blood drives, and initial counselling. That peer network is now pivoting toward longer-term work: survivor-led support groups, mobile counselling hubs, and online recruitment drives for internships that accommodate flexible hours. Peer support has become a force multiplier in vocational recovery.
Youth-run skilling hubs and employer campaigns:
Young social entrepreneurs are running low-cost training hubs that teach digital skills, bookkeeping, and remote customer support — all suitable for those with limited mobility or schedules. Simultaneously, youth coalitions have been lobbying local businesses to trial supported internships; these campaigns pair employer incentives with student volunteers who act as workplace buddies and mentors. Early pilot evidence suggests youth-brokered placements have higher retention rates because employers meet peer reinforcement, not abstract charity.
Solidarity that changes policy:
Youth movements have influence beyond immediate programs. Student networks and advocacy groups helped keep survivor entitlements in public view, pressed for ID issuance, and pushed for vocational elements in government packages. Civil society and international human rights and advocacy actors recommend survivor participation in oversight — something youth groups can accelerate by providing organized, representative voices for affected cohorts.
How to deepen impact:
Create formal volunteer-to-work pipelines where youth volunteers can convert experience into accredited vocational credentials. Fund youth micro-grants to pilot scalable rehabilitation models (co-ops, digital hubs). Institutionalize survivor representation in policy forums with student/youth seats on oversight boards. These actions make solidarity sustainable and bridge the gap between protest and durable national healing.
A closing thought:
Healing a nation is not only the work of hospitals and ministries; it is the daily labour of neighbours, classmates, and young people who refuse to let survivors fade into silence. Youth solidarity is both balm and blueprint: it treats immediate needs while sketching a future in which civic courage turns into civic care.
