Climate change has been widely dubbed the ‘Generation Z problem.’ However we were born into ‘our problem’ with our elders actually wanting the problem to be solved, but expecting that we will be the ones to fix it. We were born into a problem that everyone knew we would have to solve eventually, but kept putting off until it became a dire situation.
Even without sitting through a history class, the average person knows about the great social movements throughout the years. The civil rights movements in the 50s and 60s, marches for peace in the 70s, the fight against AIDS in the 80s – every decade had a continuous social or political issue citizens sought to rectify. With that, every movement seemed to be led by a specific generation, working towards solving their generation-defining problem.
As a 16-year-old, I have sat at countless carpets, desks and outdoor classrooms, learning about these movements and how they shaped the society I was born into.
It was made extremely clear what my generation’s problem was – the task we were given, the mountain we had to climb. I have so many memories of sitting in the library of my public school, as young as the third grade, watching ‘educational’ videos of the state of our climate. It’s an seemingly innocent picture, a way to create a connection between our science unit and our futures. Picture this: 30 eight-year-olds watching videos about the animals of our world…. until the screen changes to the destruction of their habitats, the plastic in their food and the images of them suffering.
“Picture this: 30 eight-year-olds watching videos about the animals of our world…. until the screen changes to the destruction of their habitats, the plastic in their food and the images of them suffering.”
Now, showing myself and my classmates these scenes probably had good intentions – well meaning educators wanted to show their students the problems of the world, and how the future will look without change. However, looking back on the experiences of myself and my classmates, it’s no wonder why after a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post, only 29% of teens feel optimistic for their futures because of climate change.
We are shown videos of destroyed rainforests, bleached coral reefs, plastic oceans, wildfires, and starving animals from a young age then are promptly told that THIS is the problem we have to solve. We are told that our parents and grandparents have created this problem and that we have no choice but to solve it. We need to stop the destruction of the earth not only because we care about the health of our planet, but because if we want any semblance of life past our 30s we must. We are told that we are strong, smart and dedicated: perfect traits for any activist. What we are not told is how to go about solving the problem that is quite literally a life or death matter.
In public school, we are taught that raising awareness on environmental issues is great, that making small changes to our daily lives will help the planet. We were raised thinking that was all that was possible for us to do, however we quickly realized that the size of our actions did not match the size of the problem; it was not enough.
Schools are hammering home the fact that the climate is changing and the world is in danger. However, that is where they are stopping. Children are learning about the destruction of their homes from a young age, but we are not being shown any concrete ways to help fulfill the generational destiny forced upon us by our elders.
Climate change has been widely dubbed the ‘Generation Z problem.’ However we were born into ‘our problem’ with our elders actually wanting the problem to be solved, but expecting that we will be the ones to fix it. We were born into a problem that everyone knew we would have to solve eventually, but kept putting off until it became a dire situation.
Governments have failed to act to protect our communities and the futures of our children and grandchildren, and they continue to treat our environment as if it’s incidental to life, rather than a foundation for it.
We need strong community organizations to fight for our future, now more than ever.
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“We were born into a problem that everyone knew we would have to solve eventually, but kept putting off until it became a dire situation.”
Schools have shown us what will happen if there is no immediate action, but have not given us the tools to act. We are taught to try to solve the problem with individual actions with no mentions of the systems in place that caused the climate crisis to begin with. It is true that the efforts to educate us on the crisis in the classroom have borne passionate youth climate activists; but on the other side they have created a population of teenagers that feel hopeless and detached from their own futures, desensitized even, on climate issues. Teens that discuss the melting ice caps, then switch seamlessly to a new tiktok trend not even a minute later.
In order for schools to become effective tools in preparing youth to fight for their future, we need to find the missing half of our ‘climate crisis education’. We need to incorporate tools that provide opportunities for student advocacy, stress the importance of collective action over individual efforts, and educate students about local policies that will directly affect their backyard environments. Within schools, green teams need to do more than sort recycling and begin to educate students on the topics mentioned above. Students are more educated than ever about world issues, but in order to motivate and mobilize them – and protect their mental health – the education system needs to begin providing actual opportunities for students to begin their advocacy journey.
Whether you are a teen, parent or educator – what are your experiences with in-class climate education? Leave a comment down below 🙂
Until next time,
Blythe
Blythe is SCGC's inaugural summer youth advocacy intern. She is a high school student in Orillia, a competitive swimmer, and president of Sustainable Orillia's Youth Council.
This week, there has been a lot of tension between less-than-ideal solutions that may be more practical in the short term, and ideal solutions that might allow things to worsen in the present moment. Ever since I was young, I have believed there is always another option that was missing from these limited conversations.
At this moment in time it is natural to feel discouraged and doubtful that the work we do is worthwhile at all. I get lost in the disasters happening every day and begin to think that nothing I do will ever create the changes I want to see.
…the changes in Bill 23 do not address the housing affordability crisis, rather they will simply put more money into the pockets of billionaire developers at the expense of Ontarians and the natural resources we depend on.
Very soon, the federal government will be deciding whether the Holland Marsh Highway (aka Bradford Bypass) poses enough risk to the health of our environment and communities to designate it for a federal impact assessment. The 25-year-old studies the province is using are woefully out of date and must be updated before work proceeds. The Holland Marsh Highway poses significant risk to the environment, Lake Simcoe, and our communities.
I didn’t know what I was in for, but I knew that helping youth get engaged through a grassroots organization was something I couldn’t pass up. This is exactly what I was looking for – a chance to do something in my community.
How local organizations can help reduce barriers to youth engagement in community organizations, local government, and climate action.
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