How Youth are Changing the World
[Music]
in march of 2020
i was an anxious grade 12 student
anxious for the transition from
adolescence
to adulthood anxious for my coming of
age moment
anxious to walk across that wide stage
dawned in a navy blue graduation gown
smiling wildly and my friends and family
sitting in the crowd applause rumbling
through the auditorium
confetti blasting through the air
staring straight into the eyes of my
principle
handing me my diploma the sacred scroll
that wrapped around 12 years of my life
yeah well that didn’t exactly happen
we are known as the class of covet 19.
in march of 2020 the vision of our
future trembled
and instead of actively reshaping our
futures
we sat in our bedrooms staring at each
other
through computer screens winded by a
pandemic punch in the gut completely
confused
watching people hoard toilet paper
what instead of being eager
to get out there and start changing how
the world
thinks acts and lives
we stand in our bedrooms not knowing
what to think
how to act or what living was even going
to look like
the pandemic stool our spotlight
changing how we will all think act
and live forever a disruption to the
norm
like we have never seen before
it’s hard to compete with that
there we were in the aftershock of the
new normal
feeling like our futures just fell
through a fault line
but when valedictorians from all over
the world began to rewrite their
speeches
voices from some of the world’s greats
erupted
you are indeed the chosen class for such
a time as this
and our world needs you to be the
biggest versions of yourselves
it was hard to believe that we were the
chosen class
in those weak old pajama bottoms
not a toothbrush in sight
so here i am sitting at the dinner table
with my mom
and sister talking about the shortage of
personal protective equipment
or ppe in the hospitals where they work
listening to their conversation i was
truly taken aback
before this conversation i didn’t even
realize the vitalness of ppe
during the covid 19 pandemic for the
first time
since the pandemic began i realized that
this was not about me
i looked around the room trying to
absorb this information
in
from the corner of my eye i noticed
a bright light shimmering in the
background
that was my light bulb idea literally
that light was coming from my 3d printer
soon i started thinking why not use my
3d printer
to make ppe and the positive difference
in my community maybe i could be part of
a youthquake
a movement by young people that has the
effect to change
how many in the world think act
and live youthquakes or yqs as we like
to call them
are not new things it was a cultural
movement
that started back in the 1960s and has
continued
to change the landscape of the world as
we know it
a movement that is characterized by
looking to youth culture
as a source of inspiration and when
you’re young
while the epicenter of that yq where it
really starts to shake
is when you identify a pressing issue
affecting you and those around you the
magnitude
and intensity begin to increase as you
work towards fixing that issue
and witnessing the impact of your quake
this phenomenon has been witnessed by
countless youth
around the world such as greta thunder
a swedish youth who is raising climate
change awareness
and gitanjali rao a 12 year old
indo-american scientist
who recently innovated a novel coven 19
vaccine distribution method
soon i researched ppe designs and found
hundreds of them the power of 3d
printing
is truly amazing concepts can leap off
the page
and right into your hand it didn’t take
long to have a menu
of different ppe devices that could be
used by people in my community
such as an ear saver
and
a face shield
next thing you know my principal and
teachers at school
encouraged me to borrow two of the
school’s 3d printers
so i could increase my output just
a quick psa announcement for you folks
we have
3d printers in schools now instead of
typewriters
chalkboards floppy disks and or
macintoshes
you might remember from your days i just
want to make that
super clear anyways
back to the story soon i transformed my
basement
into a 3d printing factory and got a 250
grand from the government of canada and
taking it global
to purchase filament then i put out the
word through social media to see if
anyone
i knew needed any ppe devices
soon orders started coming in and next
thing you know
1545
devices went out the door to over
30 organizations in my community
3d printing is a technology that
scientists
and engineers are using to change the
way the world
thinks acts and lives
put that technology in the hands of
youth and
introduce them to some of the challenges
facing your community
and there will be disruption in the way
the world sees
us youth in times of crisis
we can contribute we have the technology
and the means to communicate with one
another at the speed of light
that’s right the speed of light
today’s youth have technology
and communication skills unlike any
other time
in history we may not have had the
commencement
we all dreamed of but we became
the biggest versions of ourselves
the great part about that story is that
i was only
one of the class of kovit 19 one part of
the youthquake
who used their home and school 3d
printers to produce
ppe for their communities yeah
it was sort of a movement by young
people that had the effect to change how
many people in the world
think act and live
think in times of crisis we can
contribute
we have the technology and the
communication skills
and we’re not afraid to use them
act look to youth as a source of
inspiration
we have innovative ideas and unmatched
creativity
and we’re ready to support our
communities
don’t overlook us when prompts need
solving
in your community live
the pandemic holds the power to tear us
apart
or bring us closer together we have the
drive
to create change that will result in a
better future
for our families communities and
countries
now that’s a youthquake worth missing
prompt for
thank you
you