Written by Alexandra L...Edited by Ayushka T. and Natalie L.
In the 21st century, awareness of political events and human rights issues around the world has increased on different variations of social media. The driving force of social media activism is adolescents, ranging from ages 12 to 19. There are countless Instagram accounts that compile political memes or statistics, with account holders from all points of the political spectrum. Although Millenials and Gen Z are considered to be idealistic and unknowledgeable when it comes to politics, activism on social media is extremely important and the need for political awareness in youth is greater than ever before.
Some teenagers may have the idea that politics does not affect them, but that is far from the truth. Policies can be beneficial or detrimental to students all over Canada, and we can take the recent Ontario education cuts as an example. Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford introduced a plan called “Education that Works for You” on March 15th, 2019. This plan was created to modernize the Ontario education system by making online courses mandatory but it also created difficult changes for many students in specialized programs. The cuts to education mostly impacted Grants for Student Needs and OSAP, Indigenous student programs, and art programs. The cuts also increased class sizes and decreased funding for educational resources.
A great number of grade 11 and 12 students in Ontario, especially those living below or around the poverty line, may not be able to afford secondary education without OSAP. The conditions of the new education plan include a decrease in the amount of tuition that OSAP can subsidize and a shorter time frame for returning the money without interests or added costs. “Twenty-seven percent of 1,018 Canadian post-secondary students polled in a Bank of Montreal online survey cited paying for school as their biggest worry, ahead of finding a job,” wrote Marlene Habib in her article “Can you afford university?” for Globe and Mail. Paying attention to changes in policy and voicing one’s opinion is extremely important because certain changes may strongly affect people or those around them.
In addition to the benefits of staying politically aware, many organizations and politicians in Canada are fighting to lower the voting age to 16. Countries such as Austria, Scotland, and Brazil are already allowing younger people to participate in elections. The 2019 Federal electoral candidates Elizabeth May and Jagmeet Singh are amongst the many advocates of lowering the voting age. “Young people are impacted by the decisions that are being made… I think if we lowered the voting age to 16, it would allow young people to vote in high school, it would become part of the curriculum, and it would become part of the culture. We get young people voting, they get used to voting, they could talk about it in school and make decisions, vote and continue voting.” said Jagmeet Singh during one of his Federal election campaigns. Political science researchers have argued that lowering the voting age could reduce political apathy amongst younger generations and increase voter turnouts in municipal, provincial, and federal levels of elections.
Even if the voting age is not lowered, teenagers who are more knowledgeable about politics are statistically more likely to vote in elections as adults. An informed population reflects a more accurate representation of the wants and needs of Canadian citizens. According to Elections Canada, young adults from ages 18 to 24 are the least likely to vote, however, participation from younger generations have been increasing. From 2011 to 2015, there was an increase of 18.3 percentage points for participation from that demographic, meaning that more and more young people are starting to pay attention to the policies that will inevitably affect them.
It is essential for today’s youth to be aware of current events, not just because of the potential impacts they have on them or others surrounding them, but for the opportunities to develop their own opinions and take a stand for something they believe in. There are a plethora of methods for youth to express their opinion such as writing a letter to an authoritative member of society, participating in protests or even composing a piece of art. The expression of opinion has been the driver of major societal changes and will continue to be embraced as a key human right because it ignites change and unites the population. Hence, staying aware of the happenings in the world allows today’s youth to make decisive actions that would impact the current and future society, truly showing the care and attention the world’s future requires.