More Than Ever, Our Youth are the Future

Betsy Ross ES Students

Written by: Reagan Flowers, PhD

It’s no secret that our planet’s natural resources have been declining at an increasingly alarming rate.  A recent study showed that the effects of pollution and destruction of nature could quickly reach a critical point, in just decades. Tomorrow’s leaders could be directly responsible for ensuring the resources that fill our everyday needs are still available. Science and technology will be crucial to finding solutions.

However, our young people will need more than just the skills and tools to make this happen. They must have a clear understanding of what is at stake, and how the continued destruction of natural resources will affect humanity.

It is critically important that we begin now, using STEM as a vehicle to teach environmental stewardship and to grow environmentally conscious future leaders in spaces that directly impact the environment. We do not need to scare our young people, but they must be sufficiently informed and provided a full picture of what is at stake with our planet.

I encourage the entire C-STEM family to step up to the challenge and be innovative. There are inspiring movements taking place across the globe such as the work being done to clean oceans and coastlines by 4Ocean. Our efforts need to be more intentional in our classrooms, homes and mentoring organizations. Let’s continue to share this message and create opportunities to help the next generation in making more informed, environmentally conscious and thoughtful decisions. Together, we can build a more promising future for generations to come.

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