What can happen when kids are passionate about stopping deforestation
My little sister, Alexandra, came up to me earlier today and started telling me about this article about deforestation they had read in class.
"Trees are cut and burned down every day, and it's so bad for the environment! Not only do we lose oxygen that trees make for us to breathe, but lots of animals lose their homes when those trees are gone. Deforestation is so so bad for the entire world. It makes global warming worse." ~ Alex
She also shared this optimistic little opinion:
"The human race is doomed. Because they're stupid. Good job, humans."
*** Reminded me of Prince Ea's spoken word poems about climate change and deforestation. Check them out - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDgUAAHgsV2fFZQm2fIWBnA.
Also go support Stand For Trees, it's a project/organization that allows you to contribute to the fight against deforestation - https://standfortrees.org/en/
That got me wondering, how far would she be able to take her excitement?
I started asking her follow-up questions; "how do you think deforestation impacts people on a global scale?", and "why do you think deforestation contributes to global warming?"
Alex couldn't answer some of those more in-depth questions, so I asked her, "do you wanna find out?"
And she enthusiastically shook her head yes.
So we took to Google, learning about the different causes of deforestation, why it's so bad for the environment, and what people can do to stop it.
What interested me was how much information she retained.
She was able to tell me about all of the topics I mentioned above (causes, consequences, and solutions) immediately, and it wasn't just a spouting-back of information.
If I forced her to read about, listen to, or look up a topic that she wasn't interested in, that information would have just gone in one ear and out the other. She wouldn't have remembered as much of it and she wouldn't really care, either.
This is why we need to give kids the opportunity to study topics they are passionate about. They will be able to take the information they learn and use it to do good. To cause change.
Can you imagine if an entire generation of kids that were passionate about protecting the environment were given the opportunity to research it at a young age? When they grow up, we would have an entire generation of scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, teachers, etc. that would work to make a positive change in this area that they are so passionate about.
That blows my mind a little.
Give your kids those opportunities. Figure out what they're passionate about, let them explore, make mistakes, learn, and grow. That's how we're going to create a community of people who are passionate about solving the world's problems and take the initiative to do so.
