We Are Generation Opportunity: Madeline Toal at TEDxYouth@InnovationDrive (Transcript)

Madeline Toal – TRANSCRIPT

Every older generation always thinks that the new generation is some kind of inferior product or something. I’m pretty sure that everyone here has or their parents or their grandparents or someone else in their family launched into that classic, “Kids these days” a certain negative stereotype here kind of a spirit, right?

I’m pretty confident everyone’s heard some kind of variation on that. So, what specifically is our generation being stereotyped with? Well, young people today are often labelled negatively as the self absorbed generation who likes nothing but their iPhones.

Well, people conveniently overlook the fact that many middle aged adults are engaging in the exact same behaviors that are being pick sole upon youths. Because when I look at my generation, I don’t see all of these negative connotations that people are so worried about I see people who are joining bands, who are making music, who are creating art, and working jobs in volunteering, innovating, and who are playing active roles in their communities every day.

They wake up, and they go out, and they push the boundaries of society, and they push their personal boundaries, constantly. What we are is a generation of opportunity. Youth today have so much more opportunity in regards to so many things other generations never even thought of.

Today, we are able to be honest about who we are in regards to our appearances, our personalities, and our sexualities. Let’s just take a minute and pinpoint one of those subjects.

Regarding specifically one’s sexuality, Mr Kyle Rae, a Canadian politician, stated that my generation didn’t come out until at least university. Today, people are coming out in high school if not grade school. Can everyone just take a minute and imagine what it will be like to have to deny a mayor part of who you are until at least university? That’s for 18, 19, 20 years of your life. Of lying immensively to your friends, to your family, and in many cases to yourself, just because the generation you were born into didn’t give you the opportunity to express who you are.