Episode 40 Youth It Up
This episode of Level Up - Youth It Up (Episode 40) focuses on Youth Day and the broader concept of youth across generations.
Hosted by Zad, Nabia, and Issa, the discussion explores historical context, intergenerational relationships, and societal definitions of youth.
Key Highlights:
- Commemorating Youth Day: The hosts discuss the significance of June 16, 1976 (the Soweto Uprising), honoring the bravery of students who protested oppressive education policies 50 years ago (3:42 - 10:35).
- Defining "Youth": The hosts investigate the age range for being considered a "youth." While they share personal guesses (18, 25, and 40), they reveal that in South Africa, the official definition spans from 15 to 35 years old (13:17 - 15:58, 42:46 - 44:11).
- Generational Perspectives: The team breaks down the characteristics and distinctions between different generations, from the Silent Generation to Gen Alpha and even Gen Beta, emphasizing the importance of adapting communication and parenting methods while keeping fundamental values constant (28:44 - 39:55).
- World Cup Update: The hosts touch upon the ongoing soccer World Cup, noting the performance of Bafana Bafana and the scheduling challenges due to the tournament taking place across three countries (19:01 - 24:30).
Islamic Perspective: Throughout the episode, the hosts relate these topics to Islamic teachings, highlighting the value of youth as mentioned in the Sunnah and the importance of connecting across generations with empathy and wisdom (24:42 - 26:10, 38:05 - 40:40).
Listen to Level Up with Ziyaad, Nabihah, and Isa Plaatjes on Radio Islam International MW 1548
Episode 40: Youth It Up
Sunday 14 June 2026 / 27th Thul Hijjah 1447AH 14h00 - 15h00 (CAT)
Watch Level Up with Ziyaad, Nabihah, and Isa Plaatjes on Radio Islam International MW 1548
Episode 40: Youth It Up
Sunday 14 June 2026 / 27th Thul Hijjah 1447AH 14h00 - 15h00 (CAT)
Read the Transcript for Level Up with Ziyaad, Nabihah, and Isa Plaatjes on Radio Islam International MW 1548
Episode 40: Youth It Up
Sunday 14 June 2026 / 27th Thul Hijjah 1447AH 14h00 - 15h00 (CAT)
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To dear listeners, it's just past 200 p.m. right here in South Africa and it's our favorite day of the week. Yul Aad.
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It's the 27th day of Dul Hijah 1447 ah. Alhamdulillah. and it corresponds to Sunday the 14th of June 2026.
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So just a few more days and we are going to be in the new Islamic year inshallah.
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I'm Zad Plachies and with me are my co-hosts Nabia and Issa Plachis. Welcome to Level Up where we listen, learn and
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grow inshallah with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's guidance and we break down the week's news and talk about what really matters to young Muslims today. Our
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WhatsApp line is open. The number is 0727861548.
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You can call in on 0185472 or DM us on iil.com.
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That's I L O V E Z A M. We on Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tik Tok threads as well ascrolled.
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So today is the 27th like I said of in 2 days time that will be Tuesday inshallah
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we will be looking for the moon for muharam in the new year for the new year 48 48
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inshallah I actually kept wanting to say um you know to remind everyone that thulhijah doesn't end after you know
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hajj ends or after the 10th of yet the time went by so quickly Because um you know I always tell you
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guys there's three um I learned that there's three um holy months of the year that's all together and then one on its
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own. So the one on its own is Rajab and then um Allah's month you know they and then they always say you know that sews
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the seeds for Ramadan. Anyway, then the three that are all together is
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and so now we already finished with we're almost finished with and I
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actually wanted to say you know sometimes um uh people put so much of emphasis on fasting you know the first
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nine days if you have a chance but you should try throughout the the month but anyway the month is almost over and now
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it's going to be a new month which is also going to be a new year which is also part of alhamdulillah one of the holy months.
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Alhamdulillah.
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Yes. And then obviously the 10th of Maharam which we will speak about uh inshallah next week inshallah. Already so quickly you and
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then you also mentioned that on the 16th of June on Tuesday is going to be the 29th. So that's when we must go look for
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the moon. But what else is on Tuesday the 16th of June?
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It is youth day.
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So did you know that every year on the 16th of June right here in South Africa we observe youth day.
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I I I did know that. Yes.
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Okay. Alhamdulillah. It's good that you knew that.
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which is a deeply significant day where we honor the bravery of the students of 1976 exactly 50 years ago.
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Yes.
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And we recognize the incredible power of young people who have been shaping our future.
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Alhamdulillah.
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So to understand why this day matters so much, we have to look back at the Suetto
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uprising on June the 16th in 1976, which was exactly 50 years ago, which you just said.
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Oh, okay.
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So on that morning, thousands of black students staged a peaceful march
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and they were protesting a deeply oppressive apartate policy that made
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Africans the mandatory language of in instruction in their schools.
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Would you go to a school that's Africans only that you have to only speak Africans? So if you do like science or
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maths or everything, it's only going to be in Africans.
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If I knew how to speak in Africans, but um
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it's so bad that both of us know how to speak Africans, but we haven't really taught him properly. Hey.
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Yeah. I think um Africans is is a language that people are somehow scared of or scared to learn. And I've noticed
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it a lot um with kids that they somehow um have this phobia against Africans.
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And it's so strange because I always say to them and you can see it. It's actually the most it's very simple
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because um even when you say like certain things um let me just think now on the top of my head okay say plural
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plural right plural you know is it means many you know one and many singular and many so plural in Africans is mere f me
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means more literally so you know one and more you more than one do you understand so it's actually
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It's very simple to learn and I think once you understand it you will but I suppose I mean Issa you wouldn't really
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want to go to a school where you don't speak the language now you have to still as it is you need to learn English how
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to speak English properly you know what I mean so you know to so they were
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obviously um uh against not against it what's the word I'm looking for well you see it wasn't their home lane
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language. I mean, if you think their home language, a lot a lot of um people that are native
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to to South Africa, English wasn't even their first language. Now, you're trying to teach them something or trying to teach them in a language that is totally foreign.
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Um, and also not recognized globally. English is what English is still recognized globally or then you
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know what I mean? Obviously, Africans is recognized globally, but what but I mean it's it's not spoken in many other countries.
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So, and I mean in 1970 50 years ago it it was it was something that you know
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was unheard of. M so that's why they held a march to you know to to make sure
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that that the people who were in power listened to them and took them seriously and realized that you know they are the
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children who are getting this education they can't get it in a language that's not their home language.
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Yeah. Um, one thing I want to say is that um, like sometimes I can actually recognize a word. For example, Vald Becker, which is World Cup.
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I think it's beer though, not Becker. Okay. Bar as in world. Okay. Well done. That's good. That's good that you know.
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And it's good to always know other languages as well. But this was a major thing. and and and and like we just spoke about it was 50 years ago and
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there was all of these elements but you can continue.
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Okay. Tragically, that peaceful rally was met with extreme police brutality.
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Armed forces opened fire on the children, killing hundreds of young people.
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Among them was 12-year-old Hector Zolle Peterson whose f photograph became
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a heartbreaking international symbol of the anti-apartate struggle.
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It is definitely heartbreaking. I mean to think that is you're almost 12 years old.
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You also, you know, you're you're that age, you're almost that age that he was and he was, you know,
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killed to for his contribution to society, his his um initiative to to
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help other kids like you not have to go through um you know, the same medium that the government was demanding upon them.
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So why do we still observe youth day today? You might be wondering.
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I'm not, but you can carry on. So first to honor sacrifice.
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It is a national day of remembrance for the young lives lost in the fight for freedom.
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Then second, it was a catalyst for change.
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The bravery of those students put a global spotlight on the cruel realities
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of aparate accelerating both internal resistance and international sanctions.
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And finally to empower the present which is today. The entire month of June is youth month in South Africa.
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Alhamdulillah. That's good.
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It serves as a powerful call to action to focus on youth empowerment,
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education, and economic opportunities, ensuring that we continue to address the challenges modern young people face.
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Absolutely. Yes. It's a deep it's a day of deep reflection for all of us in South Africa and um we look back to 50
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years ago 1976 and remember the incredible bravery of the students in Sutoetto who stood up against the
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injustice of apartate bound to education. This is actually just a reminder of just how much power,
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resilience, and agency young people possess when they stand up for truth and justice.
11:05
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Yes. Alhamdulillah. And I think we see the same happening in Kaza at the moment. You know, um the occupation
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forces always say uh they've been used as human shields and whatever. But we can see that right here in South Africa
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similar events took place where the youth had an uprising. So how is it that
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people cannot see you know that the same thing is happening in Gaza and it happens all over the world. These are
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the people that are trying to make a difference for their future.
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And um you know we we think of in 1976 the the youth of of that era obviously
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is totally different to the youth of this era. They've grown up in a different um circumstances, different environment.
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uh yet there's still that struggle that they're trying to overcome in whatever I
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mean even when when when we were in our youth u which we'll get to in a little bit a little bit later about about youth
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but you know each generation has their own struggles that they have to deal with. That's definitely true. And uh
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yeah, I like that you mentioned that because we will be bringing up um the you know the the different the talk about different generations and you know
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bringing up your children in a different time to you. But um while we're on the subject, uh we put
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out a question on social media. Issa, what was that question? And um we're going to go through the results a little
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bit later. So if you want to, it is still on social media. I think it's stopped on Instagram stories at the moment, but on the other social medias
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you can comment or you can even DM us on on Instagram. But we put out a question and we want to know what Issa.
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Okay. So the question that we put out was help us settle a dispute. Who is
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right? So at what age are you considered a youth until?
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Okay. Okay. So, what did you say, Isa?
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So, I said 18 years old.
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Okay. So, we actually asked this question amongst ourselves a long time ago and these were the answers that we came up with and then we thought now um
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let's put it out there. You know, which one of us is right or if we all not right and what is the correct answer?
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And I'll tell you a little bit of a background why um we chose the different um age groups that we did. Now for Issa
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he said up until 18 because he you know for him a youth is a child isn't it? Is that what you your thought? Yes.
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Okay. So then he's obviously thinking now a child is a child up until the age of 18. So that's why he um said you are
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youth up until 18. I will tell you why I chose 25. Right. I know I did feel like
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a child after 25, but uh I read not I read somewhere I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere a long time ago and then I you
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constantly hear these things you know on social media that your um what is it called the preffrontal cortex which is
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your your brain's frontal lobe is only fully developed and when you are 25
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right so that's the reason why I thought that you my youth up until you're age 25. But can I um tell you or must I tell
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you later um when we do the generation thing why uh what my findings were before we get into the answers.
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Okay. I think let's let's put it um after the the half hour we can discuss it more in detail. Let's just uh tell everyone what our predictions were.
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Okay. what and then they can decide who was right or if they have an idea of the exact
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um cut of age a youth is um considered a youth until so Issa said 18 I said 25 and you said
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I said 40 years old and and you laugh now but
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I could be right. I say it because I still feel like I'm I'm a youth but I'm pretty sure you still feel your youth.
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That doesn't even make sense. But okay, carry on. I'm I'm still in my youth years. Okay.
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Um No, but I'm pretty sure that I've read somewhere that it's up until the age of 40 because um
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Are you thinking of the NC youth league and they were actually all so old? Like I remember learning about them when I was young and I was like but they're so old.
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I'm pretty sure in the NC youth league their cutoff was 40 years old. But anyway, we're going to find out after the break who is definitely correct.
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Okay.
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Um, so we'll go for a break now. Okay. But before you go for a break, I actually wanted to tell you both of you, I wanted
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to ask you guys and I wanted to ask you around the globe who's listening to us.
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Did you know that there's actually an international youth day observed? So we have our South African one observed um
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on the 16th of June June which is coming up um on Tuesday inshallah I mean but did you know that there's an international youth day?
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I didn't know the exact date but I would assume there is because there is a woman's international women's day. Okay. Yes. So
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international youth day is observed globally on the 12th of August. So, so not only in South Africa do we honor our youth and are we in South Africa honor
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our youth on that specific day because of you know what happened to Hector Peterson but uh globally the youth have been honored. So, alhamdulillah.
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Alhamdulillah. Yeah. So, we'll continue our discussion about youth month, youth day, everything about generations and age and age after the break.
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17:19
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17:28
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17:35
17 minutes, 35 seconds
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17:40
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17:50
17 minutes, 50 seconds
and welcome back to level up. If you've just tuned in we've been talking about youth youth day all about youth.
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So, if you missed it, be sure to check out the Radio Islam International SoundCloud during the week for the
18:08
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podcast as well as I love.com website for the video podcast.
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But right now, we'll be continuing our discussion about the youth and generations.
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If you would like to join the conversation, our sublime is open. The number is 072-7861548
18:33
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or you can call in on 01854702 or you can even DM us on iOS.com that's
18:42
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iOS so I like how he said youth and youth and it just sounds like you're talking
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about you doesn't it sound like we're talking all about you yes so uh before we get into back into
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youth today. Um, I just wanted to mention that I don't know if you saw, but it's the World Cup at the moment.
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You don't know if we saw. Yes. Yes, we saw. It's everywhere. Okay.
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It started on the 11th of June that we know.
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Yes. So, well, late in the night actually. Yeah. Well, for us here in South Africa. Okay.
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Um, and yes, um, we on the 11th of June, which was Thursday.
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Yes. And it was at 900 p.m. here in South Africa. But that's when the match started. Yes.
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Here in South Africa. But it was 1:00 p.m. in Mexico. Mexico.
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Yes. And um it looked a bit when I looked at the time schedules for the
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matches, it looked about it looked a bit odd hours.
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Yes. There was one at um 4:00 a.m. One at midnight. Was it midnight or 2:00 a.m.?
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There's midnight, 2:00, 3:00. So, they they having it over three countries this year. So, Mexico, uh, Canada, and the
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United States of America, and that's why there's odd hours. Um, it's normal hours for them, but very odd for us.
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Very odd for us. But we hope that you uh manage to catch um at least the South African match
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which uh I'm sure many of you would be disappointed.
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I I think it was not expected but um I don't I think we we were rooting for
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for Bafana Bafana but at the same time we were also being realistic.
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It would be really nice if they could win though. Well, they still have two group stage matches with Chetchia and um
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South Korea. So, the Chetchia vers South Africa is at 6:00 p.m. here in South
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Africa at on the 18th of June, which is a Thursday. And then South Africa vers
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South Korea at 3:00 a.m. here in South Africa on the 25th of June, which is a
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Thursday. Oh, so all matches, all South African matches were on Thursdays. Were and are on Thursdays.
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Okay. And then and then the final matches for I can't remember who it is who the they're
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playing for the final match is on the 19th of July, which is Sunday. They still have to to go through the group
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stages and the semifinals and quarterfinals, semi-finals, and then get to the finals to know who's going to play Issa in the final.
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And we have to get through June 1st to get to July.
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Okay. But we we'll we'll talk about it closer to the time, but um so the hosts uh Mexico won their first match. I think
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Canada drew their first match 1-1 and um America won their match. So the hosts
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off to a reasonably good start. Uh but South Africa obviously not. But we'll
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keep you updated as the month goes along inshallah. I mean it's very interesting
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to know that um South Africa our culture is actually it's actually more soccer than it is rugby
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and um a lot of people love playing soccer more so it's very
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interesting to know that I mean it's disheartening that's I want to find the word the the thing is um I always I I said this before and I'll say it again.
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Bafana Bafana there's a lot of players that play um outside of South Africa,
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right? they play international or this was you know in previous years we had Lucas Radbe who played overseas, Benny
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McCarthy who played overseas you know there there was there were a lot of players that were not based in South Africa and I'm not sure if it's with
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this current Bafana Bafana team but I know before where they would just come just in time to play a international
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friendly or international match and not train together and I think That's where the um problem arises is that they're
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all playing for different clubs. Most of them are not playing in the same club or they're playing o overseas and they
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come just in time just to make a special appearance. So I'm what I'm getting from that is that they don't train together and play together and that actually is
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the most important thing in everything you know to so so that actually makes a lot of sense because they're not they're not connected with one another.
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Yeah. I don't I don't think that um they play badly. I mean if you saw um our goalkeeper Ronwin Williams he saved
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quite a lot of goals uh you know that that could have gone through the defenders I'm not going to speak much
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about them because obviously they weren't of much help but there were players like Ibukazi as well he played
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very well you know you can see the strength in in the players individually but as a team I think maybe they weren't
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coming together as strong as obviously the Mexican team.
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That's so true. And then speaking of coming together, I mean, we should all come together and connect with one
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another and and and by doing so, we need to actually understand one another. And now I'm going to go into that um age and
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generation um gap that we always talk about because you know we spoke about the youth earlier and youth month and you know
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from an Islamic point of view um uh there's actually a lot of potential for our youth. It's it's in you know all of
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our um Islamic history books and if you read any stories then you know that a lot of it was initiated by the youth and
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then there's even um the saying that uh prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam said to value five things and
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one of them was your youth before your old age. Have you heard of that? Yes.
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Okay. So in this way you know that the energy of our youth is not just you know for the um present it's for the future
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of our community as well which I mean it it shows with um 1976 50 years ago those
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youth stood up and now they they're actually not 50 now cuz if they were youth then they were like say 10 um
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they're now 60 they're now in their 60s 60s7s. Yeah.
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Yeah. And then um you also mentioned something about you know bringing up your your children as they're growing up
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in a different time to you know you you actually didn't mention that but you mentioned that what they went through
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back then um we are also going through but you know with a lot of different um
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different circumstances circumstances different environment.
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Yes. So we should definitely, you know, speak about the different age groups and we should definitely talk about the
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different generations because I mean it's clear it's it's evident. It's in everything. It's in social media, you know. I I open up
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social media and okay, not now, but like the past few weeks or months, I kept seeing Gen Z uh marketing team,
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millennial marketing team, and what each one says.
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Yes. And then um and half those words I don't know what it is.
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You didn't you need a um a new age um dictionary to understand what they're saying because millennial I'm sure you understand. They'll say millennial
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marketing team will say um let me take your your scarf. Um we are busy. If if you're on the if you're listening to us on the radio at the moment you won't
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know that we're actually wearing um South African flag colors um scarf a
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woolen scarf right. So, um, we're gonna I'm gonna I'm holding up this this South
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African flag scarf, right? And as, um, Millennium Marketing,
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I'm going to say that it's got rich, um, colorful textured. It's a rich textured,
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colorful um, woolen embroidery something. Okay, I'm not going to get into that. Right. And um as and then on
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the other side it says something about Gen Z Malay marketing team and their thing is usually what what do they usually say?
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Outfitter slaying or something. I don't know if even the quite right context.
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That sounds very bad. I don't think we should even try it. I'm so sorry Jenzie if you are listening to us. It's lit. I don't think they say lit anymore.
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Oh okay.
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It's giving right. I saw somewhere that it said they had on the other side the jenzi part it said it's giving and I
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thought to myself what what is it giving they didn't finish their sentence this
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so funny it sounds like a like a comedy like a comic strip where they like they they forget to
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finish they sent this they forget it's so funny that you're saying that you're Issa is that Jen Alpha yeah Jen Alpha And don't you speak that way as well?
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Uh, not really.
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Not really because he has millennial parents, elder millennial. I I was actually recently told recently as um a
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Friday actually someone wanted to get into a discussion, a little Gen Z wanted to get into a discussion with me about
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millennial and Gen Z. And I was like, but aren't you Gen Alpha? And then I realized that um Gen Z can be as young
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as 14. Did you know that? Okay, let's go through the different. This was something very new to me a long time ago.
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14. So that would be 200 12 12 I was going to say 2002.
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You see? Okay. No, I must I must admit that this generation thing used to give me a lot of confusion before, but I
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think I have it um figured out. I'm going to let you guys know. I have it down. Yes. So, I'm going to let you guys know just in case, you know, you are
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unsure about what on earth is this, you know, which generation is which. Okay.
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So, this is the global international recognized um different generation age ranges, right? So, firstly, we start off
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with the silent generations. There's not many left, but that would be the 1924 to 1945.
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30 minutes
So, these are the people that don't talk.
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No, they silent.
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No, no, this is dad jokes. This is not even millennial. This is dad jokes. Um,
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they call the silent generation. I'm not sure why. Maybe that I should have checked. Maybe you can check why they call the silent generation, but I don't think that there's many.
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I know. I know why. Because they never shouted at us or well obviously like they would have been our grandparents.
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They did they they just looked at you you know like if you did something wrong they look at you. So they were the silent generation.
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Okay. So and stuff got done.
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Okay. So that's till 1945. So um someone who was born in 1945 today they would be how old? 81. So that's 81 and above.
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Okay. And then then there's the baby boomers. Now this is our parents' age, right? That's that's showing how old we are.
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Okay. But this is 1946 to 1964.
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Are they still babies though or just boomers?
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So yes, now uh people have taken off that baby pot and it's called they called the boomers and then they always make fun. I'm sure you've heard you
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know, oh boomers um what's a boomer thing that you do? And um uh the boomers
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who are still trying to be at work um then you know they make these funny um videos to to show how a boomer will be
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at work and they'll like use one finger to type on a which is actually quite funny because the thing is uh boomers were the ones
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that obviously built the infrastructure like phones you know like cell phones and computers and
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all that infrastructure they would have been a part of you know the the um
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innovation the research and development um you know all that's actually very so so why why would it be funny that
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they wouldn't know how to use maybe obviously modern technology yes uh you know smartphones without keypads and
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those type of things but uh yeah I think I'm going to stand up for for our parents for their generation.
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Yes. So, no, they they they actually the the elders, you know, the the architects of resilience.
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They they the ones who value hard work, face to face conversations, you know, how they they they would prefer talking
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to you face to face. Actually, I also prefer that to be honest. I I'm maybe got a boomer mentality. They they But
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there's one thing that they do that I really don't like. They phone. Okay. No one phones me.
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I'm just saying but you know like say you're working with someone and um they instead of messaging like texting or
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WhatsAppapping they would I'm I'm talking about like you know other people's um experience because I have no one calling me but
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no I have experienced it I know what you're talking about they are the ones who like to use the phone rather than type
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uh maybe like say for example you type a message and then like to say I'm going
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for lunch or something and then they phone or they just like just come to
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like they phone you and ask where you are to come and like see where you're going for lunch or like something like that.
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33 minutes, 33 seconds
Okay. Ethan would have some um um experience because his grandfather would be a boomer. Your father would have been a would be a boomer, isn't it?
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Yes. So, uh, yes, your your father's probably listening to this at the moment. Um, would calls Issa all the time. So,
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but also I noticed that boomers like uh video calling as opposed to um you know like voice calling. So,
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given that I think the they want to see they want to see you. Yes. Because like you said it's the the feeling of that face to face
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conversation. So they grew up talking to somebody face to face. So when they're talking to you, they want to see even
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though they know that, you know, they um landlines, they used to phone on on a landline, but that was for a very short
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time, but now they're almost visiting a person when because we we live in different provinces or different countries or whatever and you can still be connected.
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And so I think that's where the um the need for wanting to have this video call
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as opposed to a voice call comes in especially with like grandkids or even the kids I think.
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Yeah. No, it's true. So they want to see which is very it's reasonable. Okay, let me get back to it. So then that's the
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baby the boomers and then the Gen X is 1965 to 1980. Okay.
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Okay.
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And then millennial is 1981 to 1996.
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Now I can remember when I was working um I just uh I just finished university.
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So uh and then I went straight into work. So that's you know when we were in our early 20ies a lot of people were
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talking about you know like millennials as if they were children.
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So I never realized that we were also millennials and which now like I said Gen Z like to call us elder millennials
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back then I heard about a term called zenial as in x e n i a. So I thought
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that's what we actually were so 1980 to like a certain what maybe 1990 1980 to 1989.
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Yeah, I think so. is, you know, like like a el basically what people call now elder millennial. We knew as zenial because we actually, you know, heard the
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term millennial and were like, "Oh, these these millennials, these kids, you know, so they were like these annoying people you didn't want to be associated
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with." But now, yeah, I suppose that's what we call. So that's why I'm saying that a lot there's a lot that has changed and a lot that you have to quite understand.
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Okay. and and actually even grouping people in these certain um age ranges and you know generation types uh and and
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titles also helps people to understand because um okay wait let me continue so then Gen Alpha came oh sorry Gen X I
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forgot them no Gen Z I forgot them sorry I forgot them um that's 1997 to 2012
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okay okay and And then Gen Alpha, it's quite a a big gap though. 1997 to 2012.
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Yes, it actually is. That's why I'm saying I didn't even realize cuz I they're talking about Gen Z marketing team and then they're talking about
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people. So, you know, they the Gen Z's are now coming into the working um atmosphere basically and that's why
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there's this marketing team. So, in my mind, okay, that's Gen Z. But then when this child who was in school who was
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like a grade 10 or grade 11 said that they are gen Z then I had to go and do a
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dive right so apparently it's till 2012 it is a wide range and then Gen alpha actually only starts from 2013 to 2024
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and then of course let's not forget our gen beta who are born last year 2025. So we've we already in the next gen.
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So we're doing beta testing now at the moment. M yeah so that's you know to to give you an idea of the different age ranges okay so the reason why we brought
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up you know the different u generations and age gaps we need to obviously understand them we have to understand and it's not just for parenting it's for
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because we are you know living with other people who are of different ages we're working with other people so there's like this um Islamically there's
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a profound understanding between parenting and and and mentorship that it must be adaptive and not rigid. So we
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have to understand that the these different generations have gone through different things and environments are changing and you know
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that famous um um hadith I'm sure you've heard it where it says do not um
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do not force your children to behave like you for surely they have been created for a time which is different
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from your time. So um with that you know we we need to realize that uh okay so
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one thing that definitely does not change is um the values the values will
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never change and that you know whatever value happened in 1950 is still relevant today 2026 right then those values are
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honesty modesty kindness justice and five pillars of Islam you know those are nonnegot negotiable across every
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generation. But what does need to change is methods, right? The way we communicate to each other, the way we
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protect, the way we teach those values, we have to adapt to the error. We have to, you know, everything's changing.
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Yeah. And then um there's also another hadith that I remember about the prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam who said that um he always advocated for
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making things relatable and achievable for people based on their specific circumstances. And he famously said make
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things easy for people and do not make them difficult. Give good news and do not turn people away. And that's from
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Mahi Albkari. So there's a lot you know about the different generations. There's a lot actually about the youth, you
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know, like I mentioned historically. Um the there's one thing that's very famous on Thursday nights and Friday. I'm sure
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you you all read Surah Gaf and you know that this the the story about the people of the cave. Those were youth. Yes.
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Yes. So um they play a major uh they play a major role in our environment. We
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have to advise, we have to um be there and protect. Yes. So if we um understand
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it, we are able to connect with each other and help with each other. You know, adults can be more empathetic and the youth can be advised. And speaking
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of the youth that need to be advised up until what age can we advise them? Okay.
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So, um like we said, we we put it out on all social media, Instagram, Facebook X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tik Tok threads as
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well as Upscrolled. And um we tallied everything together and um must we start
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from from the from the bottom and work our way up. Yes. As to it. Okay.
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Okay. So for 18 years old which
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uh I said is 8%
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25 years old uh which you said which me I said okay uh 8%
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8% yes oh okay and then 40 years old which uses Yes. Um I'm sure I won.
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Uh which was 31%.
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And then none of the above which was 53%. But did you say 53? 53%.
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Well done. Okay. All right. Before you get into why and when, what is the actual truth? I just wanted to say to
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you, so I guess no one thinks that the youth ends when they're 18. So they still want to be a youth after 18. No
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one thinks that the youth ends at 25 cuz they still want to be a youth after 25.
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Okay. So, you know, I said I heard that 25 was when it stops. But it's actually not um a the hard cut off uh year, you
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know, that at 25 it's going to magically cut off that your brain is going to stop forming or something is it's going to
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42 minutes, 29 seconds
start maturing. But um there's actually been new research that revealed that the brain actually keeps rewiring, pruning
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connections, and refining itself well into your 30s. So yes, it's definitely not up until 25.
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So I'm definitely wrong.
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Okay. So the correct answer actually isn't a correct answer but officially here in South Africa the
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youth is defined between the ages of 15 and 35 years old. Um the broader definition established by the national
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youth commission act and used by the government and organizations uh like stats South Africa statistics
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South Africa covers about 21 million people or roughly a third of the country's total population. While the
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43 minutes, 18 seconds
official upper age limit is 35 demographic breakdowns often split this group to better target specific
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43 minutes, 25 seconds
policies, education and labor market needs. So they break it down to 15 to 24 years. Frequently grouped to align with
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international standards such as UNESCO and measures involving education and the
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transition into the workforce. 15 to 34 years is the standard national bracket for youth employment statistics and
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43 minutes, 49 seconds
national youth policy programs. People under the age of 18 are also recognized as children under the South African
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constitution giving them additional legal protections while 18 is the age of majority when a person is legally considered an adult.
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Okay. But they are still a youth up until say age 35. Yes.
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44 minutes, 11 seconds
Okay. So you were almost correct but neither one of us were correct because it's there is no uni in university
44:19
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there's no actual age gap or age where youth is considered up until but most uh common answer is up until 35.
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Okay I think I think let's let's end it with you are as young as you feel.
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44 minutes, 35 seconds
That is perfect. And with that, once again, if you would like to join the conversation during the week, you can do so on our social media pages at
44:44
44 minutes, 44 seconds
iilov.com. That's iO Facebook X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tik Tok
44:52
44 minutes, 52 seconds
threads as well as Upscrolled. And you are welcome to read the articles on our website. You can also listen, watch and
44:59
44 minutes, 59 seconds
read all our previous level up um uh episodes. And you are also welcome to go
45:07
45 minutes, 7 seconds
through to the Radio Islam International Soundcloud if you've missed missed any of the other Level Up episodes or you'd like to just go back and listen to them.
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45 minutes, 16 seconds
Jazak to our dear listeners for joining us on this lovely Sunday afternoon.
45:22
45 minutes, 22 seconds
Please join us every Sunday right here on Radio Islam International from 2 to 3:00 p.m. Inshallah. from myself Nabiha
45:30
45 minutes, 30 seconds
from Arisa and from Zad. Enjoy your Sunday and we wish you a wonderful week ahead inshallah.
