YOUTH | Spoken Word

Youth.

Always blamed for the issues in our world but shamed when we try to take action.

Consistently told we are lazy but ridiculed when news stories cause us to have a reaction

Titled as the technological generation, millennials, caught up within our own selves that we fail to acknowledge society,

But any positive use of social media to produce change is belittled unjustifiably.

We are told we are too young, too naïve, unable to make a difference,

But then when we don’t do anything the world labels us ignorant.

World leaders condemn the behaviour of students protesting climate change,

They implore students to stay in school and mindlessly learn information with no practical application,

However, what they don’t realise is that youth protests are education in practise.

A youth protest solves the crisis that our education system has been unable to solve

It utilises knowledge and transforms it into practical skills, allowing youth to evolve.

Climate protests highlight the power of youth, joining together as one body to fight for our planet,

Understanding the consequences of inaction could create havoc,

And continuing to pursue their passion despite the disapproval of leaders in our world.

So the question begs, what do you expect from youth?

Apathetic teens consumed by their screens or engaged adolescents determined to make a scene?

Unmotivated individuals clueless with the world around them or passionate leaders eager to work towards creating a greater outcome.

You see, we are not the causes of our climate crisis, but we are the bearers.

We are the generation who have always known a world of severe natural disasters and global warming.

We are the generation who have to solve this crisis.

So let our voice be heard.

For as Mary McLeod Bethune, famously stated,

 “We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practises so that we may direct their power toward good ends.”

The youth are here, and the youth have power.

Power to believe in a protected society

Power to fight for each person’s equality

And the power to take action defiantly.

Now is the time to work together, to destroy the unspoken barrier between the ‘decision-making adults’ and the ‘youth’,

To seek to solve the issues in our world as one group of people, humanity.