Festus Maiginap, aged 24, Papua New Guinea

Every young person in the South Pacific’s largest island nation, Papua New Guinea, lives in different worlds.

What one does in the city would be slightly similar to those in the provincial centres but the two worlds would be a big contrast to those in rural settings. The future for us is unknown, caught between the pressures of development and keeping up with modernisation, at the same time holding on to one’s cultural identity. But worst is the notion of not knowing what is in store for us, especially those who come from underprivileged families where they try to get by each day with the challenges and hardship that’s typical for a developing nation.

What I may say would be slightly biased keeping in mind that I’m an urban youth whose future is already secured with a professional career. My heart is for my fellow peers who find each day a challenge to make ends meet. That is why I want you to keep them in mind as I take you through a typical day of mine.

I get up each morning to get to work at a television station where I serve as a journalist, tasked to contribute to the 6 o’ clock news bulletin and current affairs program that runs once a week.

I usually spend my day in the political, business and diplomatic circles as well as the citizens who’ve got a thing or two to get across to the government and the population at large. This gives me the privilege to see what there is in terms of development and its effects, both negative and positive.

I finish work at 7 o’clock in the evening and go back home, wondering what is there in store for me the next day.

As a professional young adult, I feel privileged being a part of a Commonwealth nation whose political system and precedence were set following that of the British Empire.