The youth don't want to save us
"Just because you're 50 does not mean you've aged out of being a decent citizen."
Years ago, when I was hosting Teachable Moments, a live education-themed storytelling event, we invited a teen leader from the youth-led education justice organization Teens Take Charge to share a story. The theme for the night was "Black Lives Mater at School." I was amazed as I listened to the young person's story. Her analysis of educational injustice in New York City was clear, and her call to action was urgent. "Yes!" I thought to myself. "These young people are so smart and radical!"
Her story made me angry at the racist, segregated school system and New York City's cowardly leaders, but also hopeful. It felt like her generation could do anything, even topple generations-old inequities in our city. So when I got to the mic to thank her, I wanted to affirm her and tell her how much I believed in her generation to transform New York City's schools. But there I was, a 30-something-year-old educator in New York City. Wasn't it too early to pass the baton on to a 16-year-old? Didn't I have the power - and the responsibility - to keep fighting for change too?
I was reminded of this experience recently after talking to teens from Climate and Resilience Education Task Force's Youth Steering Committee for an article for US News & World Report. Our conversation focused on how adults should talk to young people about climate change. Similar to that night of storytelling, my head was continuously nodding as teens shared their thoughts on climate change education. Unfortunately, many of their ideas did not make it into the final version of the article, so I'm sharing them here, starting with why adults need to stop pinning our hopes for the world onto the next generation. Quotes have been edited slightly for grammar and clarity.
Maggie Handelman, a 10th grader at LaGuardia High School, told me:
"I definitely do feel the weight of this problem on my shoulders, and I always have so much resentment when I hear adults say, 'Oh, like you're gonna be the ones, you guys are the future, you're our hope.' Parents need to encourage action and help prepare us, but telling us that is just not helpful, and I especially think parents need to take responsibility for the way that their generation and they specifically have contributed to the problem while also taking responsibility for taking action."
Noa Greene-Houvras, an 11th grader at the High School of American Studies, shared that she does not feel a sense of urgency from adults in her life:
"I think if there was like an alarm blasting in your house, and the kids were like, 'Hey, do you guys hear that? What's going on with that?' And there was just like radio silence. That'd be like slightly odd for the parents not to address the blaring loud noise. And I think that's kind of a similar state we're in with the world where scientists and educators are blasting the alarm. And so, when kids are looking to the news and to their classrooms and to their friends. And they're saying, 'Hey, we're hearing about this. What's going on?' and it's just radio silence, and their parents aren't equipped to handle these conversations; it feels the same way as it feels when there's something very obviously wrong happening. But the conversation isn't happening about it."
Noa also echoed Maggie's frustration towards adults who pass responsibility for the climate crisis onto youth:
"As an adult, please never tell any child, 'You're the future, and your generation is going to fix this,' because we don't have time for their generation to grow up and fix this like we need to fix this now. We need the people who are currently grown up to fix this. Just because you're 50 does not mean you've aged out of being a decent citizen."
Ellery Spikes, an 11th grader at NEST+m High School, assured adults she does not expect them to fix everything. But they need to do something:
"We're not asking you to save the world just like we can't do it on our own. But to understand the importance of this, and then also sound the alarm yourselves. Talk about it the way we're talking about it. You can carry that weight too… We need to have parents and guardians stop thinking of this as a purely scientific issue and instead, think of it like an emotional it as an emotional crisis for students."
Vivian Wanjing, a 12th grade at John Dewey High School, explained:
"It's really important that parents talk to their kids about this problem because it creates like a sense of reassurance as well because a lot of kids they know about this problem, but they don't really know what to do, and this creates a sense of hopelessness."
Young people also mentioned the importance of hope in the face of the climate crisis:
Shiva Rajbhandari, an 18-year-old climate activist, high school senior, and member of the Boise School Board, told me in a separate conversation:
"So often when we talk about climate, we kind of get in the weeds of it, and we're talking about the science, we're talking about why it's bad, and I think it's really important to, especially for young people, to present the idea that it's not all bad and that there are some really incredible people who are working to solve this crisis and doing really incredible things in their communities."
Greene-Houvras also argued that climate activism cannot be rooted in despair: "A lot of climate activism is and should be centered around joy instead of fear and anxiety."
I left this conversation full of gratitude and admiration. But I also felt (rightfully) called out. Young people are scared and angry, yet determined. They do not see enough adults treating the climate crisis seriously. They are practically begging adults to take action.
If we genuinely feel inspired by these young leaders, we won’t just cheer their words, we’ll listen to them. We’ll take responsibility for changing the world today, instead of expecting them to save us all.
Other Recent Writing:
How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change, US News & World Report
Recommended Reading/Listening/Watching:
The Man Who Didn’t Invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos by Sam Dean, Los Angeles Times
The “copaganda” epidemic: How media glorifies police and vilifies protestors by Robin Andersen, Salon
Dear Mr. Biden: The Danger in El Paso Was at Walmart, Not Behind the Wall by Angela Sanbrano, National Day Laborers Organizing Network blog