Embracing Youth

I just came out of a 30 minute meditation and find myself on a bit of a mission.

The question that came up for me is "I wonder where the most youth-friendly town in Canada is?".  Obviously of interest to me since I am raising 3 children:).

So, I googled it.  I googled it with the idea that I would uncover well written articles about town's who have made a conscious effort to really weave youth into the fabric of the community.  Stories about the kinds of spaces and attractions that have been created from the intention of truly serving the needs of youth.  Do you know what I found?  Most rankings are done entirely from the perspective of money; where is the most cost effective place to raise a family.  The key metrics are housing prices and daycare costs.  Here's a couple to have a look at;

Top 10 Best Places to Raise Kids
The Best Canadian Cities to Raise a Family

And, when I googled the best place in Canada to live for 12-18 year olds, I got nothing.

I'm extremely passionate about being part of building the most youth friendly community in Canada.   My hope is that I can do that in High River.  But, there are a few things that have to change.

My son went into a convenience store here with a couple of friends last spring.  The worker at the store told them to 'hurry up and buy something'.  I get it, he was afraid they were going to shoplift - I'm sure he's had that happen before.  But, my kid and the others he was with were not going to steal from him - they were there, with their wallets, as honest consumers.  What if someone spoke to you that way when you were shopping?  What if they spoke to your grandmother like that?  It would be absolutely unacceptable.  You would leave and never come back.  I find this appalling - we cannot treat every child as a criminal just because a small few make poor choices.

Right now, there is some really cool planning going on to redesign the downtown core.  This excites me a great deal and I asked my kids what they would like to see.  The first thing they said is more bike racks - the simplest thing really isn't it?  Also, my son said, if businesses don't want us to bring our backpacks in, maybe they could have cubbies or hooks we could put/hang them on so they don't get trashed in a heap on the floor.  Good point - but I have to say, again, it makes me angry they have to do this at all.  What if all you ladies were asked to leave your purse hanging at the door, would you feel welcome?

The one thing that I'm super excited about with the new downtown plan is all the expanded pedestrian pathways.  I made a comment in conversation recently along the lines of, oh good, the kids won't get in trouble with their skateboards and scooters.  To which the person responded, oh no, skateboards and scooters aren't allowed downtown, nobody wants them.  Now, I don't know if that is true on the whole, but it is certainly the perspective of this person who spends a lot of time downtown.

This is the way we treat our youth - reluctantly tolerated, not welcomed.  Even the well meaning youth centre in town is located up by the high school away from everything and every other age group in the community.  I asked my dad this morning why he thinks that this mentality exists in adults, his thought is that we are all a little bit resentful because we miss the freedom and joy of youth.  I think he's probably right and I think if we consciously spent more time in the company of youth, we could be reconnected to all those same feelings of freedom and joy.

This is an issue I want to bring to the light as I'm sure there is some of this in every town.  12-17 year olds are people first - people that deserve to be as respected and embraced as every other age group in a community.  The first change that has to come is the mindset, yes, we want these kids included and they matter.  I want to see efforts made to intentionally weave them into the fabric of the community - not sitting uncomfortably on the sidelines.  I know I'm not alone in this desire and I am prepared to roll up my sleeves to be a part of it.  If you have ideas or know of really cool examples to have a look at - let me know:)