The day is November 20th, otherwise known as World Children's Day. A day celebrated to promote international unity, self-awareness among youth, and make known the need for improving children's welfare around the world. It was on this day a few decades ago that world leaders came together to adopt the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Much of this document is intended to declare the need for children to have a safe environment where they can grow physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. Today, youth are becoming more and more aware of their environment. From physical environment to political environment, many of today's youth have begun to take action after taking time to analyze and assess the world around them more than ever.
The significance of this fact is that youth are noticing a lot of things that appear to be overlooked according to their beliefs. And such, they are making their voices heard in an effort to have a seat at the table. We as youth recognize that the decisions leaders make today about present issues will impact the future that we will lead and live. Knowing this, we realize that we must speak up because it is not only our future at stake but the present adult generation's as well. The youth are pushing against all forces that oppose them. For too long, the youth role has been to sit outside while the big people do the work. But now youth are arguing that we at least deserve a chance to testify for our beliefs and petition for our demands. I ask that the leaders of today's world acknowledge the important insight that youth can have. I have always believed this and as a part of my 2020 New Year's Resolution heading into 2021, I presented the following concept in some poetry for the year:
For an alarm clock is never silenced.
We will pay attention to the worries of the world,
Or else we are upon a day of reckoning.
The youth will not sit in a soundproof booth,
For no one can silence the future."
The youth are the alarm clock, alerting the world today that we must acknowledge, study, and take action on many issues. Mental health, climate change, access to education, equality, and many more issues have been the issues of the gospel youth preach. The youth perspective is one of great importance for it is the perspective of the budding future. So no, youth will not stand aside as the world they will lead and live in is potentially massacred and when decisions may be made that will greatly affect them. It is morally wrong to drop an unexpected, heavy weight upon anyone, and that applies to the passing of burdens, formed from poor decisions, from generation to generation as well. This budding generation needs nurturing from the "fully bloomed" (adult) generations. This can be done by working together.
So join me on this World Children's Day in the effort to acknowledge the youth perspective. Let it not be a call for adults to step aside, but rather one for leaders to seek input from other perspectives by working together with them and to keep an open-mind about who they are making decisions for. Leaders are called upon to work not only for those who can voice themselves in the polls, but those who cannot as well. Leaders are called upon to correct the wrongs of the past by actions in the present to create a brighter future. In other words, as people of the present, we all must stride, each in our own ways, to correct the wrongs of our pasts to create a brighter future. And to the youth, keep being aware, keep learning, and keep leading.
