The Youth Element

This is it – the series finale of The Youth Element. In this episode, join co-hosts Justin and Linda as they break down, one last time, what their peers abroad think of when it comes to “adulting.” More specifically, tune in to hear about millennial concerns over growing into adulthood in Taipei, Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul – from incredibly intensive job application systems, to long-term, but just-as-real, worries over pensions!

Millennials are getting a lot of flack for their #sorrynotsorry lifestyles, attitudes, and spending patterns – as evidenced by the now-infamous #avocadotoast debate. But in a (post)neoliberal world, where economies, housing markets, and job markets worldwide are still reeling in the aftershocks of the 2008 financial crisis, millennials find themselves living in economic uncertainty and precarity.

On March 10, 2017, South Korea’s constitutional court announced in a unanimous 8–0 decision the impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye – marking the season finale of a high-stakes political drama that captured global attention beginning at the end of 2016. But as the world tuned in week after week for the outrageous rumours and stranger-than-fiction revelations that surrounded the President Park, it was South Korea’s youth that truly took centre stage as they stepped out into the social and political limelight of their divided nation.

In 2014, two large social movements emerged in East Asia – the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan and the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. Both movements were sparked and sustained by youth and their frustration with the social, economic and political status quo in each society. In this second part of our three-part series on political engagement, we continue our investigation into recent events in the region and explore how East Asia’s youth have overcome their ‘allergy’ to political participation.

East Asia’s political scene has become increasingly vibrant in recent years. As youth continue to face various social and economic growing pains in their respective societies, an unprecedented uptick in active political engagement has occurred across the region. In this first part of our three-part series on political engagement, we examine some of the recent happenings in the region by looking at how and why there tends to be negative connotations attached to the idea of student activism.

When we consider the concept of “youth culture,” the military isn’t something that necessarily pops to mind. And it's definitely not the first topic we associate with millennials, or what it means to be living as a youth in East Asia. But if you stop to think about it, the military is definitely something that plays a large role in the lives of many Asia Pacific millennials, and especially so in South Korea and in Taiwan, where military service is mandatory.

The first episode of The Youth Element is all about new beginnings: the beginning of this podcast series, the beginning of our personal journeys in creating this project, as well as the beginning of a brand new school year. So, in the first half of this episode, join us, Justin and Linda, as we break down what The Youth Element is all about, and as we offer our listeners a sneak preview of what’s to come throughout the series. Then, stay tuned as we dive straight into our first topic of the series: school.