Why Can I Buy a Lottery Ticket, but Not Talk About Change? | Emeline Smith | TEDxYouth@CherryCreek
The speaker argues that society suffers from a false power dynamic where adults dismiss the concerns of youth, evidenced by the inability to purchase a lottery ticket on an 18th birthday versus being dismissed when discussing mental health, calling for co-creation between all ages.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker is a young advocate speaking about youth mental health and social issues.
- The speaker's experience with the **Colorado Youth Congress** serves as a successful model for youth-led advocacy.
- The talk contrasts the expectation of maturity (buying a lottery ticket at 18) with the dismissal of current concerns (mental health).
## Theses & Positions
- Society exhibits a *"false power dynamic"* where adults assume knowledge and experience are limited by age.
- Youth are capable of understanding complex issues—such as climate change, mental health crises, and global wars—to the same degree as adults.
- The solution is to *"co-create"* by shifting the power dynamic so that adults listen to and collaborate with youth voices.
- Directly addressing the misconception that "because we are younger [...] does not mean that we do not know anything."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **False power dynamic:** The societal structure where adults presume superior knowledge simply because of greater years lived.
- **Co-create:** The process of adults and youth working together to develop solutions, rather than one group dictating the terms.
- **Mentally prioritized:** The concept that mental health needs must be given parity in importance alongside physical or systemic issues.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Lottery Ticket Test:** The speaker uses the inability to purchase a lottery ticket at age 18, without needing an ID check, as an anecdote suggesting superficial acceptance of adulthood.
- **Advocacy Model:** The speaker describes the **Colorado Youth Congress** process, which operates with full youth-led power, supported by adults who act as guides rather than decision-makers.
- **Shifting Power Dynamics:** The mechanism for change requires an intentional shift in attitude—moving from *writing off* youth to *actively conversing* with them.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **18th Birthday:** Initial anecdote of failing to be taken seriously when buying a lottery ticket.
- **Later (A few days after):** The speaker addressed an adult at school about youth burnout, leading to the realization of the age disparity dismissal.
- **The Past Two Years:** Time spent working with and testifying as part of the **Colorado Youth Congress**.
## Named Entities
- **Colorado Youth Congress:** A youth advocacy organization based in Colorado, involving about 60 students, focused on mental health and racial justice.
## Numbers & Data
- **18th birthday:** The age associated with the initial "superpower" realization.
- **About 60 students:** The size of the **Colorado Youth Congress**.
- **16, 17, 18 years old:** The ages at which the speaker achieved visible success (passing bills, implementing trainings).
- **Four dollars:** The amount won from the lottery ticket.
## Examples & Cases
- **The 18th Birthday Gas Station Encounter:** Friend asks for a lottery ticket; worker never asks for ID, implying *enough* maturity for a minor transaction.
- **The Mental Health Discussion:** Speaking to an adult about burnout; the response was, "I don't think you know enough right now to talk about this."
- **Passing Bills:** The speaker personally testified to pass two bills while working with the **Colorado Youth Congress**.
- **Implementation of Trainings:** Working with other youth across Colorado to help implement better school trainings.
- **The Purple Sky Warning:** The speaker warns against dismissing advice, using the example of someone saying, "Hey, the sky is purple," requiring a listening response rather than immediate correction.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- None.
## References Cited
- None.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Adult Dismissal (Current State):** Adults know more based on age/experience, leading to youth concerns being ignored (e.g., mental health, climate change).
- **Co-Creation (Proposed State):** Equalizing power dynamics, where adults and youth work together, leading to better solutions.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- **Generalism of Issues:** The speaker notes that "we're all experiencing the same exact things right now" (climate change, wars, mental health), suggesting these global issues require universal consideration regardless of age.
- **Lack of Universal Rules:** Acknowledges that youth cannot be expected to understand everything (e.g., "I still don't know why I have to separate whites from colors in the wash").
## Methodology
- Personal anecdote recounting (lottery ticket, burnout discussion).
- Collaborative testimony experience (working with **Colorado Youth Congress**).
- Comparative analysis of power structures (adult authority vs. youth lived experience).
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Do not write off youth based solely on age; actively *co-create* with them.
- **For Teachers:** Talk to students about their take on mental health in the classroom.
- **For Parents:** Listen to their kids regarding current issues like elections.
- **General Action:** Shift the power dynamic by listening to young people's perspectives on any topic.
## Implications & Consequences
- Failure to listen to youth leads to conflict and incomplete solutions ("oh my gosh gen z doesn't know what they're talking about").
- Empowering youth leads to "so much more come to life" and better future leadership.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"It's your 18th birthday and you are absolutely ecstatic..."*
- *"I was going to do what any other responsible adult would do and i was gonna gamble"*
- *"He just never asks so i walk out"*
- *"I was kind of like whoa i i'm one of these people experiencing this burnout I'm i experience mental health just as much as you do as an adult so why why am i being written off because I'm younger i don't understand"*
- *"we're all experiencing the same exact things right now"*
- *"we need to switch the power dynamics where it's adults know more and kids can't really talk about these subjects so where it's evened out a little bit"*
- *"i helped testify to pass two bills that's amazing"*
- *"Don't just go you're right because you said"*
- *"Please please please do not write us off because we are younger adults"*
- *"If you're a teacher talk with students in your classrooms"*
- *"co-create together"*