What does it take to save the world? 

It’s a common problem in our generation to feel overwhelmed by all that we see going on in the world around us, especially as our daily lives are bombarded with the latest information on everything everywhere all of the time. In my area of advocacy, climate change, sometimes it feels like it’s impossible to truly make positive change when so many parts of society are stuck in their ways. Yet, there are also times when I really am inspired by the things I see, and that is what I want to talk about in this article.  

I’ve spent the past few weeks working with kids at a middle school in Hartford as part of an independent study, teaching them about climate change and how to solve it. In general, I’d say working with kids is a powerful experience. It teaches you a lot about dealing with all types of people and social dynamics, and it’s very interesting to see what the tendencies are among the new generation. The curriculum my team and I taught was focused on establishing an emotional connection with nature, because no amount of knowledge will ever solve the world’s problems if no one cares enough to use it.  
 
This is ultimately the problem, and it is because of the way we think about ourselves in relation to nature. For example, so many religions have placed our origins in clay, from the Sumerians to the Christian Bible (Genesis 2:7). It shows that throughout our history, across the globe, we earnestly believed that we are a part of nature as beings made from the Earth, and we cared for it accordingly. Yet, somewhere along the line, we lost this understanding and stopped caring about the world around us.  

As I spoke to this group of 20 middle schoolers, I could see them understanding the bigger picture I was trying to paint for them. When we talked about mindfulness and the daily effort that it takes to care for something as simple as a single plant and how all of that relates to what it takes to take care of an entire planet, there are points where they really understand the gravity of the situation. Sometimes I think there’s an expectation for the younger generations to be uncaring, superficial or generally difficult little gremlins (and this can be true sometimes), but we also don’t give them enough credit for how  in touch they are with the world and cherish the world in a way we often lose as we grow up. Children don’t come pre-loaded with notions that we must stick to the old ways; they’re willing to ask questions and radically challenge existing societal structures (even though they might not know it).  

This is the reason why I advocate for all activists, or just generally people who want to see positive change in this world, to work with kids in some form. Especially as far-right forces place education under extreme attack in this country, there must be a strong response ensuring the quality, honesty and power of education. Although it is important to fight for change in the present, which in the case of climate change is very necessary, any positive movement needs maintenance. Ultimately, there needs to be subsequent generations capable of and willing to upkeep the work to protect the planet. Hopefully, they are even able to make more progress than we can. We think about changing the world as needing to be done by politicians or the UN, but this is not necessarily the case. We hold incredible power in our ability to help realize the potential of the next generation and all we have to do is use it.