Full transcript
0:00The A to Z of isms... Youngism.
0:03You'll definitely have heard of ageism but what about youngism?
0:07Are young people discriminated against
0:10in the same way old people often are?
0:12It's hard to get much stats on this and it's not a designated subject
0:15in sociology or economics
0:17but look closely and you'll see it all around us.
0:20I've felt it and experienced it on a personal level
0:23and so have many of my friends.
0:25When I started my first job I was told by a colleague
0:28that young people don't know what real hard work looks like.
0:32I was judged negatively before I'd even done any work.
0:36Even when I used to go to the shop
0:37having signs that say, "Only two schoolchildren at a time"
0:41felt like a slap in the face.
0:43We would never allow signs that say that about old people.
0:46So why is it justified when it comes to young people?
0:49And then there's youngism at a societal level.
0:52Young people are treated differently because of their age.
0:55They aren't given the same political rights and opportunities as adults.
0:59While no-one is suggesting
1:00that babies should be heading to the polls,
1:02many do believe that 16 and 17-year-olds
1:05should have the right to vote
1:07as they now do in Scotland.
1:09Young people are also treated unfairly in the workplace.
1:12The minimum wage for young people is lower than adults
1:15which means young people get paid less for doing the exact same job.
1:19Is that fair?
1:20Even in school, which is designed to help and nurture young people
1:24they still often aren't treated with respect or taken seriously.
1:28Young people get no real say over their curriculum.
1:31Schools aren't designed to empower them,
1:33they are given little practical advice to prepare them for adulthood.
1:37We can't expect someone to suddenly become an active citizen
1:40when they become an adult.
1:41That process must start much earlier.
1:44Young people are our future
1:46but need to have the power to change their present
1:49if we want to create a better world.
1:51Young people have always played a significant role in shaping society.
1:56From the Edelweiss Pirates, who opposed Hitler in the 30s,
1:59to the March for our Lives protest against gun violence,
2:01there is a history of young people pushing to create change
2:04and fight for the rights of people across the world,
2:07not just in their own communities.
2:10Young people today are growing up knowing
2:11that climate change is going to threaten our world.
2:14They are likely to never buy their own home,
2:16and if they go to university they are going to leave
2:18with tens of thousands of pounds of debt
2:21without any guaranteed job.
2:23It's young people who are going to have to solve
2:25the biggest issues we face today
2:27all while facing these challenges.
2:30It's no wonder there's a huge mental health crisis.
2:33We need to treat young people with the respect they deserve
2:36because if we don't everyone loses out.
2:41Thanks for watching! :)
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