More human humans, and changing what we have control over.
Scato is a 14 year old boy living in South Africa with his family. He has concerns and dreams for humanity and our planet. Here, his voice is loud and his reason is strong. Please listen.
👋 Welcome to this new series of short articles and visuals where the youth of today are sharing their thoughts, concerns and dreams about our systems, our life and our planet. I hope you enjoy learning what the youth of today has to say about our situation. Watch this space, these are our future leaders.
The Introduction
I had the privilege of speaking with a worldly young boy, Scato, 14, living in South Africa with his family who immigrated from the Netherlands. He shared with me his thoughts, feelings, hopes and conversations about the future.
I was truly amazed at Scato’s emotional intelligence and willingness to know more about the world he lives in, at just 14.
I believe awareness and curiosity are key to heading into the future, where we all may need all the mental and emotional tools we can get to help us grapple with the emerging realities.
But, to be clear, I have no idea what the future holds. I follow advice and facts from the scientific community and I have my own ideas, hopes and fears.
One thing I have noticed recently is the lack of broadcasted voices from the youth of today on what their future could be. Since, whatever preservation work we're all scrambling to do is ultimately for them. But, what do they think?
In my discussion with Scato he talks about his concerns for the highly concentrated plastic pollution we're seeing, his concerns for the health of our forests and imagines a world where peace and unity is no longer a dream.
It was a pleasure to talk with him and I hope you too will enjoy this interview and get a bit more of an insight into what the youth of today are thinking and feeling.
The Discussion
Thanks for joining me today, Scato!
Shall we start with a simple question, like, what did you do today?
“We’re doing job experience at school, and learning what our possibilities are. We work with someone for an hour or two, and today I was in the kitchen cooking with the ladies who make our lunches. And then I went to play soccer. So yeah, it was nice day.
I bet the kitchen is a great place to learn in, I mean, that’s where everyones energy is sourced from, right? So, what’s the atmosphere like in the kitchen with the cooks?
It’s very positive! They’re very open to people helping them and there’s a mutual respect thing there, maybe because they’re a bit older and we also understand that it’s them who provide food and energy for us, so it’s nice that we respect them and what they do for us. It’s not really something we talk about, but it’s definitely there. Like, respect them, and you’ll get respect back.
Is that frame of mind about the respect you give and receive something your school teaches you?
No, it’s not something they talk about in school. But I think I just feel its presence there, so I go with it.
Well, that’s very mature of you. I can imagine you would be welcome back in their kitchen any time!
So, another question about the work experience you’re doing at school. At 15 years old, do you feel like you know what you want to do for work?
No. I have no idea. But I know I want to do something that is a positive thing for me, and for other people too. But I don’t know what.
But at school we’re doing some online learning where you can choose a subject and one of them was entrepreneurship. I’d like to look into that. I think it’s nice to be a leader, I like doing it sometimes already, although I do sometimes get overwhelmed, so I think it would be nice to work on and get better at it.
Alright. Well, I think if you stay open minded, aware and emotional like it seems you already are, I’m sure you’ll find your way.
So, as we’re talking about your future as you grow, I’d like us now to shift the conversation towards the future we will all share.
What are your thoughts on what the future could look like, for everybody?
“It does sometimes feel like there is something that is going to happen, not sure what it is or when it could come. But, I think the future is going to be different because there is a lot going on in the world now and its something that will add up to something different in the future, but I just don’t know what.“
What is it that makes you think that? Where are you feeling this change come from?
Well, at home we talk about things that happen in the world and in school we talk about it too. Stuff like the earth warming, or the plastic soups and the deforestation, and also the politics all over the world and world leaders. Stuff like that.
That’s a lot of big deal stuff you just said. What do you think about all of this?
I don’t really know what I think… But, I think it’s an interesting thing to look at the way people think, what makes them do things so we can maybe know why these things are happening. So I think its going to be interesting in the future if it all adds up and creates something that we’re just not expecting.
And at school, what conversations around this are you having with your peers?
Me and my friends sometimes talk about what’s going on in our country, the politics in our country is quite unstable, so sometimes we talk about that. But also the floods that are happening, like in Brazil. We talk about that but it’s mostly with peers, like “hey did you know this was happening”… it’s not really something we talk about in class or in the school.
But because I don’t really know what its going to look like I find it hard to talk about, because at school there’s a lot of rumours that ago around and if you start saying “did you know this is going to happen…” its going to get into this whole thing where your spreading misinformation. So, I think its nice that there are some people I can have a deeper conversation with, but in general I find it hard to talk about the future
I want to switch the conversation over to asking you two kind of abstract questions on shaping our world and the mind of younger ones.
Imagine there was a president of the world that made the final decisions on everything, and they were taking suggestions. What would you ask of them?
I want to humanise things more. So, the world would be more liveable for everyone and make people more connected with one another. A lot of people are power hungry and money hungry which I think drives a lot of ethicality away from people, which can affect a lot of people. That’s what I would ask...
And the deforestation, all things we have in control on our earth, if we could change them to be better I would. I don’t know if climate change is in our control but the deforestation, the plastic soups, the littering, I think we could change.
I would also want to have more countries connected with one another, maybe you don’t even need a passport to cross a boarder and it could allow people to leave if they don’t agree with their country. I think it would be nice to have more of a united feeling.
I think it would just be nice for people to be more with each other, in a community thats actually more democratic and a place that is more free. More freedom to say what you want than there is now.
I love this – to have a more united feeling.
And finally, let’s say you’re speaking with someone who is younger than you, 10 or 11 years old. Someone younger than you, but learning a lot at school. What kind of advice would you give them in terms of growing up?
I think be open to whats coming, don’t be afraid, but don’t be inhumane, keep close to your values and don’t let other people decide what you want to do.
Yeah!! That’s a powerful message you’re spreading. Fantastic – “Don’t let other people decide what you want!”
I don’t think I have any other questions, Scato. This has been incredibly informative and enjoyable for me. I’m so grateful to have such awareness and sensitivity in our future leaders. I’m really very excited to see what you get up to in the years to come.
Are there any additional comments or questions you’d like to ask me?
Yes. I’d like to ask you back the first question you asked me. What do you think the future is going to be?
Well, one thing I think for sure is that we’re going to see a future where more and more people are finding their voices. I believe more people are slowly waking up to what injustice looks like, where it’s hidden in our every day luxuries and how important a healthy planet is to the their own families. So I think we’ll see more people on the streets protesting for what they believe in, and demanding change.
Thank you.
Thank YOU, Scato
Takeaways
This inspiring conversation serves as a powerful reminder that awareness and curiosity are essential as we step into an uncertain future. We will need every mental and emotional resource to navigate the emerging realities. Despite the atrocities, pollution, and corruption dominating the headlines, today's youth shine with a fierce spirit of excitement and wonder about what lies ahead. They wield these tools with courage and resilience, embodying hope and possibility. I believe these qualities will not only see them through whatever challenges come their way but also pave the path for them to become the visionary leaders our world so desperately needs.
If you know of anyone under the age of 19 who would be willing to share their stories, thoughts, fears and hopes with us, please do let me know via this form.