Betty Tushabe’s Policy Truth for the Youth

  Within Rwandan policy maker Betty Tushabe’s 2018 Ted Talk "Rethinking the Policy Making

Process for Today's Needs” a thorough explanation of what policy means for citizens and future

policy makers is introduced to an audience chalk-full of young people ready to institute change. 

As Tushabe begins her Ted Talk, she brings her audience to one of her most memorable formative

experiences: Her mother disregarding her passion for Mass Communications and encouraging her

to do law instead. While disheartening, Tushabe still let her audience know that by discovering

law per her mothers advice, she also stumbled into the crucial world of public  policy. She defines

the study as the “reason [ she stood ] on the Ted Ex Stage”  and why she credits the field's

innovative spirit to the spectacular collaboration that often happens in government. 

A main theme that runs throughout Tushabe's commentary is that policymaking undoubtedly

matters for the whole of society and can have various degrees of influence on citizens depending

on their relation to proposed policy. As an example of this, she turns towards the audience and

asks how much they would care if a policy was made if it affected them personally. When the

audience responded with a dissatisfied sigh, that's when Tushabe knew she had made her point:

policy can be and is personal. However, using this assertion, she explains more cautiously how

with “every policy there are winners and losers”, drawing on an old university professor's advice.

While making sure that a good majority of society benefits from policy is important, Tushabe

urges young policymakers to not let a search for perfect compliance keep them from developing

their ideas more fully. 

Because to Tushabe, the future of policy making lies in the hands of young adults and teenagers

that are daring enough to “communicate for [ engagement ]” in order to make the world a better

place. So even if not everyone can be wholly satisfied with every law, bill or policy that is passed, it

is still up to the youth to communicate how their idea of policy can work with the government in

order to establish services that citizens need today and tomorrow. 

Works Cited:

Tushabe, Betty. “Re-Thinking the Policy Making Process for Today’s Needs.” TED, 18 Dec. 2018, www.ted.com/talks/betty_tushabe_re_thinking_the_policy_making_process_for_today_s_needs