Youth are not ‘the future’ – they are ‘the now’
- Connor Luczka
- Oct 30
- 3 min read
CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
When Margaret Smart’s daughter was 14 years old, she would go to youth-led events and initiatives where adults would tell her and her peers, “You are the future.”
“And she would come home and she would be livid,” Smart, the executive director of the Local Community Food Centre, told a crowd of teenagers at Stratford City Hall on Oct. 24. “She'd be so angry and she'd say, ‘I'm so sick and tired of you adults telling me I'm the future. I'm here now.’”
Smart’s daughter is in her twenties now, but that sentiment was one shared by the youth of today that evening, when students from Stratford District Secondary School (SDSS), St. Michael’s Catholic Secondary School and Nancy Campbell Academy gathered in the auditorium of city hall to mark the 80th anniversary of the United Nations’ founding. They shared their experiences at their school’s respective model UN clubs, trying to make a difference in their community and, most importantly, why what they do matters now, not just in the future.
“There’s far too much bad press about high school students,” St. Mike’s teacher Mark Boersen said that evening. “… ‘Oh, they just don’t care. Oh, they’re only worried about this and they’re not really worried about what happens in the real world.’ That’s not true. They’re sitting here tonight, just some of them.”
Arlo Dunham was one of those students. He relayed to the crowd how he started SDSS’ model UN club by simply walking up to a teacher and asking if he could start one.
“A couple months later, we weren't just a club. We were standing right here at city hall, representing our school in Stratford's first ever UN conference,” Dunham said.
As Dunham said, on May 30 the three high schools gathered for a UN conference where student delegates represented 19 countries in simulations. Students discussed pressing global issues, most notably the potential of universal basic income (UBI) as a response to increasing automation, rising income inequality and poverty. Delegates engaged in moderated and unmoderated caucuses, as well as refined and finalized draft resolutions.
“Calling it a huge success would be an understatement,” Dunham said. “It showed us that Stratford could not only host a meaningful academic event, but also bring together students from across the town to engage in a real-world discussions about the future of global policy. When we first started our club, it was just two members. … It was humble beginnings, but this year, I'm excited to announce that we've grown to 22 active members at SDSS. That's a big leap, and it shows how much interest there is among students in learning about international diplomacy, leadership and global cooperation.”
“It helps individuals with critical thinking skills, group, speaking, research skills, diplomacy and knowledge on our global events,” said Matthew Corsaut, head captain of the St. Mike’s model UN. “I decided to join this club because I love debating current events, and I believe discussing global policies at such a young age fosters a foundational philosophy to do as much good for people no matter the borders.”
"Youth are the greatest source of hope for our planet," Charles Fitzsimmons, host of the evening, said, quoting UN secretary-general António Guterres. “… I can't help but think that Mr. Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN who I think is so distressed by the condition of the world and constrained in what he is able to do, and surrounded by complaints and bureaucracies and so on – I really wish that he had been here and able to sit with us tonight and hear these wonderful things that were said, because he has wanted to express to the youth of the world that they're the greatest source of hope. And I dare say he's not talking about when they grow up. He's talking about now.”
With files from Amanda Modaragamage, Times Reporter.
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