By NATASHA IMAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

I recall being in Year Six and avidly studying for my UPSR when someone came up to me and asked whether I had been preparing for my PMR.

“How old do you think I am?” I genuinely asked back.

Until today, when people attempt to ascertain my age, they usually conjure figures along the lines of early 20s and in extreme cases, even mid-20s!

In my pre-teens, I did struggle with being coined as the “old woman” of the family. I was always quick to debate politics I read in the news, join in discussions on how youth were sometimes a tad bit too reckless and discuss with my parents topics that seemed way beyond my age.

No, I wasn’t able to solve calculus equations at eight years old or compose music before I could read. I grew up an exceedingly normal child who thoroughly enjoyed playing Pokemon on her pink GameBoy (when I wasn’t forced to read another book from the Ladybird series, that is).

Being the youngest in the family, I have been surrounded by people older than me my whole life.

As a child, I very rarely parted from my mother. I tagged along to every coffee appointment, every after-hour business meetings and any family obligations.
I had a natural inclination to be around my mother so much that I barely spent any time around my peers, except when I was in school.

That possibly contributed to how I perceive things today.

In my life, the clichéd phrase “Age is just a number” reappears every so often, bringing with it exasperations when age becomes a limiting factor in everyday life.

Perhaps the maxim “age is not a barrier” is true, but it should be altered to read “age is not a barrier, if you’re above a certain age”.

In a world where age seems to dictate levels of freedom and ability, it is frustrating when people seek for the above 18 or 21 when it comes to things like volunteering or taking on leadership roles.

The capabilities of the under-21 youth are often undermined, with age often being the highest obstacle especially when older generations stereotype youth as being irresponsible, reckless and unproductive.

I have often felt dejected and discouraged when I am not allowed to do something due to age.

More often than not, I refuse to reveal how old I am when applying for a position in a leadership committee or enquiring about volunteering opportunities.

Putting legal issues aside, I have often seen highly capable youth not being taken seriously by adults.

Youth have the ability to discern whether or not they can cope with the task at hand, and I do not see the rationale for having to discriminate solely due to age.
It is important that adults do not judge by age as ability is based on experience and capability not the number of years in your life.

This invisible discrimination is often overlooked, but imagine the implications it carries as our generation moves forward and assumes leadership roles.

People always seek young people with experience and maturity, often forgetting that if no one is willing to accept and guide youth in order to gain experience in the first place, there would be no experienced youth to go around!

Motivation, passion and enthusiasm come secondary to experience and maturity in the real world, causing a growing number of dejected youth.

However, it is also the responsibility of the youth to gain credibility among adults to slowly change the way we’re perceived by the public.

Showing maturity when approaching a situation, displaying appropriate etiquette and being assertive are all important ways to gain credibility and have indubitably worked for me in the past.

There is nothing worse than portraying yourself as the stereotypical teenager when you’re applying for a position of significance or wanting to break the age barrier down.

In other words, you can’t expect anyone to be willing to take you seriously, if you don’t take yourself seriously first.

Some youth feel vexed about the situation where age seems to be an impossible obstacle to overcome, but I’d like to look at it as a challenge for our generation.
This presents itself as an opportunity to prove our worth and show that we are just as credible as the next adult.

We should not be discriminated based on our age. If anything, let our abilities, passion and enthusiasm shine through at every opportunity.