Young people get a bad rep for being lazy or entitled.
This was the case before the pandemic and it will most likely be the case afterwards because opinions can be hard to sway.
But as a fellow young person, I can tell you that this is not the case.
Every day, I see my friends and family — fellow young people — doing their best to make a difference in their communities.
I see my friends protesting and fighting for human rights. I see my friends spreading awareness and educating others about what is happening in the world, even if it should not be their job to do so (people need to take over the education process for themselves at some point!). I see my friends and family donating what little we have to causes that matter
I see my friends volunteering and putting in the work to make sure people are supported and feel safe. I know we are all trying to figure out how to best support each other, whether friend or stranger. It's a constant work-in-progress but I see that work being done.
I see my friends creating and building for a brighter future. They're making apps to help build stronger communities, they're creating art that will bring everyone together, they're starting movements. They're coming up with new and inventive ways of sparking change.
I see my friends comforting each other; I see my friends being more open than any generation before. We are here to break the generational cycle of keeping emotions inside: we openly express. We talk about our fears and worries and anxieties because we know what it's like to feel alone. We listen to each other. We respect each other.
I see my friends finding who we are, finding out who we want to be. And we know we will always have each other's backs through this whole journey and will fight anyone who tries to tell us we should not exist. This is a generation of acceptance. I can only hope that I am brave enough to stand up when I see injustice.
I see young people across the world leading change. It should not be the responsibility of young people to change the world, to fix all that is broken, and yet, we are trying anyway. We are petitioning and protesting against governments that refuse to listen to us or are making decisions that negatively impact our communities.
I am not the kind of person to talk about my accomplishments — and sometimes I doubt even having any — but I am trying to make a difference in my community too. I am trying to keep people, particularly my demographic but not exclusively, informed about COVID-19 stats and news through an Instagram account I run. I am using that reach to petition the BC Government to implement more layers of protection. I contacted the government and journalists with the hope that someone would see and listen (and I did an interview that may never see the light of day, but I did it nonetheless, nervous sweat and all).
It never feels like quite enough, though.
I am just a small pebble trying to make ripples. I hope my ripples lead somewhere.
But regardless, I can tell you that we're doing our best to leave this world better than when we got it.
The kids are alright.
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