Students and children can often feel powerless when thinking about the plethora of issues facing the world today. Adults making decisions rarely consider the opinions of high schoolers, often viewing them as immature or uneducated. The thing is, students will have to deal with the repercussions of the decisions made today. This is why being informed and involved in social issues and advocating for what matters to someone can be important.
A survey was sent out to Mount Vernon high schoolers to ask what social issues they care about. The point of this survey is to hopefully bring light to some of the things that matter to Mt. Vernon’s student body.
One important issue that a large majority of people care about is climate change, with 55% of students saying that they either agreed or strongly agreed that climate change is one of the most critical issues today.
One respondent emphasized this issue, saying that he began to advocate against climate change after he, “learned that due to deforestation and wildfires we have lost 25% of the Amazon rainforest.”
The student body overall agreed that there is enough quantity and diversity in extracurriculars for students, with 72% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that extracurriculars are available for their interests. This shows that students have access to activities that align with their goals and passions.
Some issues were more divisive, such as whether or not the school provides adequate mental health resources: 31% agreed, 33% disagreed and 34% remained neutral.
One student, who is going to go into the field of physiological health, said that she believes “the administration and school system as a whole doesn’t seem to give student mental health any thought.”
Others voiced the opinion that the use of Every Monday Matters is sufficient, in combination with other mental health resources the school provides.
Surprisingly, gun control was not divisive, with 57% agreeing that they wanted stricter gun control.
One student stated, “ Why should students of all ages be scared to go to school because someone could come in and harm them?”
One of the most surprising trends is the number of neutral responses, with up to 30% of respondents answering they had no strong feelings on most issues. A possible explanation for this large neutral population could be a lack of knowledge or engagement rather than just indifference.
One student even said, “I think school is for education, not for social issues.”
These responses bring up an important point: Maybe the point of school is to just educate without bringing politics into it. I would argue, though, that education about our realities does not necessarily politicize, and understanding these issues, though uncomfortable, is critical to learning how to be better adults.
After reading this article, I hope that those who did not know a lot about a topic or have just stayed neutral now know what their classmates believe in. Being informed on social issues is critical today, and whether or not someone believes that school is the place for those issues, being informed and doing quality research is essential for developing a better society.
