Engaging our Youth

Last week as I met three young men from Waltham.  We got to talking and I was impressed with how knowledgeable they are about what is going on around us.  They had energy and enthusiasm and a willingness to engage in discussion about the community they are growing up to inherit.

Unfortunately they felt disenfranchised and discouraged at what they see as bleak prospects for the future.  It was sad to hear how checked out these young men are, kids really, in their early twenties.  One of them is supporting his mother and his little sister, another feels targeted by the local police for behavior he use to engage in and for the appearance he has carefully cultivated while the third was hesitant to be pulled to far into the conversation.  It was interesting and encouraging to listen to them expound on their world but it was frustrating to hear them denigrate what they see before them.  They did not feel as though they have a voice or as though there is anything they can do to impact their future.

I talked with them at length about the fact that they are the future.  That if they are not interested in taking part, who will?  Who do they think should be responsible for determining their future?  I suggested to the young man with the police issue that it is on him to change his reputation.  If he wants to present as a long-haired, bearded guy that is perfectly fine but given he has a reputation as a punk (his word) it is on him to prove that he no longer is.  I asked all of them what effort they are making to be heard.  Were they taking part in anything in their community to try to affect change? No, they are not even registered to vote because ‘it won’t make a difference’.  I suggested that taking that attitude was indeed making a difference but it might not be the difference they profess to hope for.  They shifted their feet and acknowledged the point.

They are concerned about the costs of college and coming out on the other side with a degree and a lifetime of debt.  It was hard not to sympathize with that concern but I suggested they would make more progress finding a solution if they took part in seeking one.  I told them it is not ‘somebody else’s job’ to pave the way for them, it is completely on them and they can do something about it or not, that is what a free country allows for.  They are not and should not be fighting this battle by themselves but these are really bright kids!  Sitting around griping about it hasn’t gotten them anywhere and maybe they need to take another look at their approach to the future.  By the end of our talk one, and maybe two, of them was interested in attending one of my community conversations.  I hope they come!  Our society is dependent on all of working together for the benefit of all. 

More on #communityconverstations in Lincoln and Waltham coming soon