Why We Listen To Our Young People

Young people have a gift. They see things in a simple and uncomplicated way. Whether it is how to decide priorities for children, making sure everyone has health coverage, developing areas for family time and exercise or emphasis on education over punitive actions that derail lives, young people are gifted with clarity of vision.

Young people do not see obstacles, they simply see other people in need of help, in need of support, in need of a second chance at life. When they share their stories and ideas we should listen.

I am born here and am an American by birth but my mother and father who pay taxes live in constant fear of deportation and getting sick.

For parents, teachers, community leaders and politicians to dismiss their views as simplistic and naive is itself, short-sighted. Young people understand their world far better than most adults realize. Let them talk. And let them be heard. The most effective solutions to the problems faced by the youth of today can only come when we set aside our own prejudices and truly listen to what young people have to say.

Through the unashamedly simple eyes of youth, truths can emerge. They may not be the truths that politicians, parents or society want to hear. Perhaps because their sheer simplicity and honesty are so hard to refute. There is no ‘wriggle-room’, no scope for the spin doctor, no opportunity to respond with political double-speak. Straight questions require straight answers.

The voice of youth, reporting the world through their eyes is unsullied by motivation or agenda.

And it is powerful. In the past it has risen up and the world listened.

My mother cried when she heard about President Obama’s new immigration plan.

Anne Frank’s story has influenced millions of children and adults since her father discovered and published her diaries. Her story gave us an insight into a world of fear, frustration and hope that most of us are lucky enough never to experience.

More recently, Malala Yousafzai has changed the world with her words. A young Pakistani school girl who was shot in the head at point blank range. On her school bus. In front of her friends. Because she dared to stand up to the Taliban and insist on her right to an education.

Her shooting and miraculous survival made headlines around the world. She has become the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner and is a source of hope and inspiration to people the world over.

These two young women changed the world because they chose to tell their stories.

Other young writers have communicated through fiction. SE Hinton’s first novel, ‘The Outsiders’ (1965) was based on rival gangs at her high school. She chooses to portray her sympathy for the ‘Greasers’ over the ‘Socs’ by writing the story from their perspective. She succeeds in making the reader, or viewer, see and understand the world from a challenging but real perspective. Her novel continues to sell today.

The ‘Seventeenth Summer’ (1942) was written by seventeen year old Maureen Daly. A teen romance, it deals with the emotions of relationships and issues like sex and drinking. By today’s standards this is tame. But in her day it was highly controversial. She succeeded in making society acknowledge how teens thought and felt and the pressures that they were under.

These two writers saw things happening around them and chose to write about it. They took what they saw around them and created characters to tell that story. Characters that society didn’t necessarily like or trust, but in the end had to listen to. They exposed adult society to the reality of their world, in often gritty and uncompromising ways.

Malala Yousafzai is the most ‘proactive’ of these examples. But that may be largely a by-product of her time. The digital age, and the ability to go global from virtually anywhere. She wrote because she had a cause she believed in, and at age twelve began blogging for the BBC under an assumed identity. But it was the actions of the Taliban that launched her to global fame. What her story shows is that you don’t need to be a gifted writer to tell your story. You just need to believe that your voice is important, that your words are important.

These are examples of young people who have bravely and eloquently told their stories. They are respected by both young and old. Their words inspired people. Influenced public opinion and changed local, state or even federal laws. Anne Frank’s story moved us to remember and resolve that such terrible things should never happen again. Her words are constant reminder as each generation reads them.

If they think I’m a thug or only going to be a thug why am I trying to be better or even trying to finish school?

We should respect the voice of our youth for its purity and simplicity. We should not need youth to tell ‘grown-ups’ how to behave. Sadly, it seems that sometimes adults struggle to see, or simply don’t want to see the reality of our world. If our children can see that all humans deserve to be treated equally regardless of race, gender or orientation, why can’t we? That our children believe everyone deserves to have equal earning power and opportunities, to be happy and healthy is something we should be proud of. The truth is our youth are not biased, flattered or influenced by PACs or lobbyists. They speak only as they see. If we truly wish to address

Fresno’s needs we could do far worse than listen to her heart and soul- the young people who will one day inherit responsibility for her.

Our job as stewards of the youth is to help give the tools to young people to share their stories and voices. Be it through the written word, a photograph, an illustration or in moving pictures and sounds, The kNOw will always be an organization that helps to nurture the stories and voices of young people of Fresno. We believe that the numerous voices of young people will help to illuminate the plight of our communities and share in the work towards solutions for them.