kinds of social novenents, the objectives of nany of these novenenls being subsuned sithin the thematic structure of the fnternational Youth Year. clobal diverslty notr,l lhstand ing, one general phenonenon, observed in nany countries, appears to be the fact that schools, political parties, trade unions and even Governnents appear to have entered the I980s facing lhe potential threaE of a considerable rrithdrar.tal of confidence by young people al Large. 2/ Mo6t people are preoccupied irith a pragnacic, everyday struggle sinply to survive, and social groupa tend !o close their ranks. This is freouenEly a defininq cbaracteristic of recession and hard tin€s. If this situation continues. difficulties nay arise because many young people nay uell take recourse to narrog movements for the defence of sone specific econornic and social righfs of adulthood. However, it appears that the 1980s nay not be an era of youth movemehts as such. f/ fne early years of tbe decade have seen lhe involvenent of youth in many movements transcehdlng earlier thenes focused on the generation gap: lhe ecology firovenent, tbe wonenrs novement and the peace novenenl. Movements such as Chese, by their very nature, encompass nany other age groups and elements of the population. Young people are thus not excLusively involved, although they miqht play a pivotal role in Ehe movements. Many perceive their role to be crucial because it is youth, after all, lrho wll-l suffer the nost in the event of a further deeerioration in llving and environnental condigions. ?he recognition of tbis, among ever increasing nunbera of young people, encouragesqreater participation in tbese novements. New influences, such as knonledge abouC' and experience of, the linitaeion of energy and ecological resources or other contemporary factors, will affect society as a whole in a significant way. The
**Analysis**
The text discusses the potential threats to confidence by young people in the 1980s, the involvement of youth in various social movements, and the recognition of the importance of environmental and ecological issues. It highlights the concern about the degradation of living and environmental conditions, which may disproportionately affect young people. The text also touches on the theme of social movements transcending earlier focuses on the generation gap, encompassing various age groups and population elements.

**Category**
Education, Natural resources and environment, Humanitarian aid and relief