I can only imagine what itSA国际影视传媒檚 like to be a youth growing up in this day and age.
A youth may be forced to deal with the consequences of colonialism early on in life, which is a problem facing children across North America but is particularly concentrated here in the Arctic.
Even if youth are able to avoid or endure these initial challenges, they still have to complete the education system. In spite of tireless efforts of teachers and school staff to enrich the minds, bodies and souls of every student who walks through their door, all educators will readily admit thereSA国际影视传媒檚 only so much they can do SA国际影视传媒� for schools to succeed they need proper funding, which ebbs and flows at the whim of the voter. Navigating the maze of school social life remains as challenging for kids as ever.
As one gets older and learns more about the world, their heritage, science and history, things get even more depressing. Not only are languages disappearing, entire worlds are melting away. ISA国际影视传媒檓 sure most kids growing up today are acutely aware the North theySA国际影视传媒檙e experiencing is not going to be the North they raise their own kids in or grow old in.
Every year, youth in Tuktoyaktuk SA国际影视传媒� and I suspect all along the Beaufort Sea SA国际影视传媒� watch their home crumble into the ocean as climate change continues to get worse and worse. As demonstrated by the delegation of Tuk youth who presented their documentary SA国际影视传媒楬appening to UsSA国际影视传媒� to the United Nations a few years back, clearly youth in Tuktoyaktuk donSA国际影视传媒檛 want to lose their homeland. But instead seeing a positive change from their work, they watch adults complain about the price of gas.
ItSA国际影视传媒檚 like weSA国际影视传媒檙e all on the Titanic, we can see the iceberg approaching, but we forgot the escape boats and life jackets and everyone on board insists we canSA国际影视传媒檛 change course because it will make the caviar too expensive.
People often complain how youth are addicted to video games, but really, letSA国际影视传媒檚 look at this from a youthSA国际影视传媒檚 perspective. Here in the real world, all the amazing creatures like polar bears, sharks, lions, elephants and whales are in danger of going extinct, along with peopleSA国际影视传媒檚 language and heritage SA国际影视传媒� and every time society gets close to implementing a solution, someone stops it because of money. If you want to afford a place of your own, you are required to invest a third of your life into education and training until you at least have an undergraduate degree, portfolio or a recognized trade. Then you might stand a chance of landing a job in your area of interest SA国际影视传媒� assuming that either 1) artificial Intelligence doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 beat you to it or 2) a politician doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 villainize your field of study and makes it impossible to do. The expectation is you work hard so you can work harder so you can work even harder so that the establishment can either exploit or invalidate your work.
Compare this to any game on the market where you are given a set of guidelines, which if you follow are rewarded with advancement, either through more interesting tasks, more abilities to use or otherwise enhancing your experience. Hard work and creativity pay off far more efficiently in fantasy than reality, where usually the first lesson you learn coming out of high school is to shut up and do your job if you want to keep it.
Now with climate change, youth have the daily reminder they could be forced to evacuate their home at any given time. TheySA国际影视传媒檙e forced to live with this reality because we adults are slaves to money and have largely refused a change to a more sustainable economy, not because of anything theySA国际影视传媒檝e done.
ItSA国际影视传媒檚 no wonder by the time many people get close to 30 theySA国际影视传媒檝e basically given up. This is a problem not limited to the Beaufort Delta, but across the North and, I suspect, across Earth. Some find purpose through activism, art, a career or family, but many people simply drift until they sink.
If we want our youth to survive dangerous self-harming thoughts, we need to build a world worth living in.
