The issues that plague our generation seem to be a never-ending laundry list: climate change, racial injustice, gun violence, suppression of our most basic rights, a once-in-a-century pandemic, poverty and mass protests not just at home, but globally.

So it’s only natural that we often ask: what is the primary thing that we, the students of the world, want to and can actually fix?

When staff members of The Wolf answered a survey in April, the overwhelming majority stated they wanted to address and solve the issues of climate change and economic inequality.

It makes sense: these are deeply-rooted problems that, if solved, could supply a breath of fresh air (literally) in our stagnant government and inspire action on the other issues they affect. Because climate change isn’t just about melting Arctic sea ice or freak weather patterns. It’s about mass starvation, uninhabitable zones that will displace millions of refugees, an increase in disease outbreaks and a host of wars that will likely occur over limited resources.

And economic inequality isn’t just about the wage or wealth gap. It’s an umbrella term that covers issues such as limited higher education prospects, lack of access to quality healthcare, homelessness and a broken tax system.

What we’re trying to say is that solving these blanket issues means targeting a lot of smaller ones and, therefore, seeing more overarching change.

But how and why does the world expect the high school and university students of the world to be the ones to care about and solve all of them? There are simply not enough of us: 15-19 year olds only make up 6.4 percent of the 2019 US population!

That means the everyday citizen has to get involved. Step one of reaching that goal is to build a sense of empathy for our fellow Americans and end our polarizing political divide so that we can attack these issues on a united  front. Remember, the preamble of the US Constitution starts with “we the people”—not we the divided Independents, Democrats and Republicans.

Day after day, we watch these representatives fight with each other instead of for progress or policy. It becomes both infuriating and tedious, as they are stripping us of our future and now think that policy and government can and should be spewed through Twitter or on cable news programs.

It’s obvious that this generation’s youth cares about the future. It’s ours. It’s our dreams, our hopes and our lives. So we find ways to push for the issues we care about while politicians continue to do nothing.

Those of us that can vote do so. We take up roles on the Tigard-Tualatin Student Council and volunteer for the campaigns of candidates we support. We attend Climate Strikes, Women’s Marches and share as much information as we can to keep ourselves and our friends informed. We have tough conversations with family members, the uncomfortable talks at the holiday dinner table. 

Because all we want is change. We demand progress and proof that previous generations and their voted-in representation care about us more than the dollar and more than securing their next term.

Is that too much to ask?