Youth Rights:
If Not Now, When?
by Chloe Hughes
If not now, when?
We are going to change the future. It is not a hope or a wish, it is simply a fact. We, the children of the future are going to shape society into something that we no longer have to be ashamed of. I am tired of being told that I am too young. Too young to be heard, too young to speak up, too young to make a difference. At what age am I old enough? I have more knowledge, compassion and life experience than some of our lawmakers. When am I old enough?
Will I be old enough when it affects me? It already does. Every law passed affects our lives, every policy change and comment about a woman’s body directly impacts the world I live in.
I am tired of being told that because I am young I am irrelevant and that my voice does not count. I have educated myself on the matters that are important to me, I know both sides of the debate so why is my opinion still irrelevant? How is it so easy for them to ignore my voice? When will I be old enough? When will I be educated enough? When will I be enough for our lawmakers? When will any of us be enough?
We will be the change. We will continue to force them to listen. We have learned from the mistakes of the past, we know what not to do. So why then does our age discount what we have to say? We are a force to be reckoned with, do not let them forget it.
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