Youth and Change

By Mollie Semple

At this moment the world seems to be putting itself to a sort of rights. At least, that’show I see it. And, of course, by “the world” I am currently referring to the western hemisphere where the US and many European countries are addressing their deep-seated issues of racism.

I think that it is safe to say that these protests and outcries are being led by many young people. I don’t think that this is a coincidence. As much as movements such as Black Lives Matter are not primarily made up from the youth of our world, it seems that the support and momentum that they garner is thanks to the

overwhelming energy of young people.

I do believe that this is because young people are not yet wearied by the world’s

troubles. They see the issue and their hope outshines any doubt that they may not

be able to create change. This subsequently means that they are more often than

not able to create significant change.

I am actually excited by the events going on in the US. I am saddened by their

necessity and frightened for the well-being of those involved, but at the same time I

find myself thinking “finally, this is the momentous change that the world needs.”

No one said that revolution was easy.

And, at the same time, revolution does not have to look like riots and protests and

immediate radical action. Sometimes, revolution is quiet and made up of lots of

small actions that all equate to something bigger.

Young people have the ability to push forward both types of revolution because

their belief in the world’s capability to evolve is unrivalled. Also, because this belief

is so new and unchallenged they bring a freshness to what may have become stale

and immobile. Young people can bring energy and creativity to that which needs

desperately to change.

I remember when my sister was younger, about 5 or 6, and she became incredibly

passionate about collecting shoes to be donated to those in need. The initiative

came from the beloved British children’s TV programme ‘Blue Peter’ and my sister

collected so many pairs of shoes (with the help of our tireless mother) that she

ended up in the local newspaper. My sister so earnestly believed in the cause and

many others. She so earnestly believed, at an incredibly young age, that it was

deeply unfair for other children to go without everything she had and it was in her

tiny hands to enact change. ‘Blue Peter’ is now 62 years old and still running and in

that time has created many charitable initiatives for young people to get involved in.

I think this is because it is a programme that believes in the potential of all children

and young people and their unabashed creativity in being a driving force for

change.

I mention such contrasting acts of young people’s drives for change as an example

of how small actions for certain issues can also be a big force for good. Certainly, I

do not compare my little sister’s shoe drive to the (positive) earth shattering effects of the Black Lives Matter movement but I wanted to display the range of young people’s creativity when they want to enact change. Also that change can happen both globally and locally and both can have positive repercussions beyond our expectations.

Change is necessary in so many parts of the world for so many reasons. The world know this. Young people have not yet had the time to grow complacent. They see the older generations’ greed or exhaustion or complacency, and they see the affect of this on their own lives, and they see the children that will come after them. They are in the perfect position to want to drive change, they have perspective of all the necessary components involved in it.

As I write this, however, I also want to recognise that this cannot be applied to all

young people. Some people are born into such privilege that they might be blind to

the needs of others. Or perhaps privilege does not need to be involve, as some

people’s lives can be so insular that the need for change might remain unbeknownst to them.

Therefore, it is key to the creative methods and drive of change that young people

can bring about to include the power of education. I think this is another reason that

young people are so effective in bringing about change because they are so thirsty

for knowledge. And knowledge, as we all know, is power.

The world seems to be going through a positive change right now. It is exciting as a

young person to be here, active and involved, at a significant moment of global history. It seems that our compassion is growing, that the world might actually be able to heal all its hurt. Of course, the journey will be long and gruelling and it is very possible that none of us will be young by the end of it but I think that we can rest easy in the knowledge that without fail the next generation of young people will always come along to pick up the momentum.

Like I said, no one said revolution was easy.