After two holiday-packed weeks of re-connection, re-counting, reflection, and a smidge of Canadian culture-shock, I feel confident. I feel empowered. I feel like I have a sense of purpose. I'm comfortable expressing these emotions because we are in the midst of a revolution.
It's an age where a teenaged Swedish climate activist can become a household name in a matter of months; where a young Pakistani education advocate shot in the head can rise to international fame; where an eight-year-old American can defend a state's water security; and let's not forget that British actress who's now working with the United Nations -- what a decade!
Greta, Malala, Mari, and Emma come from different parts of the world, different walks of life, yet their values are the same: the radical belief that change is possible through collective action. And they're girls. That's really cool. By no means has the gender gap been filled, but these young women are pushing the boundaries surrounding feminism in an entirely positive direction. I'm not shy to say I'm a feminist. People listen to women, and their ideas are often more selfless than mens’.
The physical and social liberation of our world over the past 70 years has allowed women and youth to believe in themselves to the point where they can get into social media wars with heads of states -- thanks Twitter. Antonio Guterres, the U.N. Secretary-General, spoke recently in Geneva about the "gloomy" year that was 2019, and recognized the imperative role youth will play in righting the future course of our planet.
With the population more than doubling in that same time-frame, young people will soon make up a large majority of our world's demography. In turn, these inter-continental confrontations have become more commonplace than the never ending stream of bad news across your news-feed. I don't expect to personally challenge the global hegemons anytime soon, but I am proud to be a part of a generation that has no trouble doing so.
Provoking world leaders is, however, not our goal, but it is necessary in the pursuit of that goal. Youth's mission is to mobilize each other in pursuit of a more fair, just, and habitable planet, and we are exactly the people to achieve this. An article from The Conversation raises an interesting point that "...one of the reasons why youth climate activists are able to take on the role of messenger is that they are not nearly as tied to the status quo as older age cohorts." We're not bound to the same life-paths as our elder counterparts.
The increase in graduates with environmental backgrounds, combining business with health sciences, the sheer number of international students and foreign exchange programs are all indications of a change in values and perspectives in response to the trajectory of our planet. The Centre for Global Studies at Western -- my Alma mater faculty -- didn't even exist 20 years ago.
It's refreshing to see students and educators adapt to the changing demands of society. Educational institutions are a breeding ground for discovering one's identity and finding like-minded allies -- whether that's advocating for climate policy reform, calling BS on gun laws, pursuing equal access to education, or the many other areas of activism that exist. But how do we ensure everyone receives schooling? How do we stop student massacres? How do we eliminate the risk of bushfires?
Alone, we can't solve these riddles and their political baggage, but alone, we can start the fight. Greta began on the steps of Sweden's parliament building, Malala stayed defiantly in the classroom, Mari wrote an open letter to The President of the United States before she was 10 years old. No act is too small, especially if it makes just one of your Instagram followers stop and think.
A Star columnist labeled gen-Z as 'gen-anxiety' -- a fitting name given the overwhelming reminder social media relentlessly shoves in your face that the world is perfect when you and *SPOILER* everyone else isn't. But we're also scared because we're constantly reminded that the world won't be the same when we grow up. Social media is like a gold mine, full of wealth and opportunity, but go deep enough and you fall prey to oxygen debt. Come up for air once in a while.
The world has changed -- or have I changed? The truth is, I think it's both. We can be who we want to be, and young people are using this opportunity to fight against the unprecedented challenges facing our planet.
Being individual in an age of technological revolution allows us to tap into the collective. Start your own revolution.
Thumbnail from THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang -- "Save Me"