Teaching Kids About Current Social Issues

There’s a lot of social unrest going on in the world right now. Young kids may not understand what’s going on, but are likely to be curious. Images and footage of the protests may even leave some kids worried. It can be beneficial to educate your kids (and yourself) about these issues. Here are several hot button topics that are worth discussing with your kids.

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter has been one of the biggest social movements this year. After decades of police brutality towards African Americans, the killing of George Floyd was the final straw for many people. Not only did his death help raise awareness of just how severe police brutality is in America, but it also helped raise awareness of many issues of injustice against minorities across the world. Educating your kids about this injustice could help them to better understand why the riots took place. Kids are likely to come across racism and prejudice in school and educating them about this problem is important for helping them to stand up against it.

#MeToo

The #MeToo movement has also been very prominent in recent years. Use of ‘Me Too’ spread in 2016 after activist Tarana Burke coined the phrase in attempt to raise awareness for the staggering amount of people who have been victims of sexual abuse and assault. The movement has encouraged many people to open about sexual crimes committed against them and helped to out prolific sexual predators such as Harvey Weinstein. Educating kids about #MeToo can help to show kids that there is support out there for victims and that you should never feel pressured to hide abuse of any kind.

Occupy

Occupy is a movement that gained traction in 2011, calling for an end to the unequal balance of wealth and power in the world. It is a belief that an elite 1% rule the world – or more specifically that there are 13 families that rule the world. Occupy has helped raise a huge amount of awareness for the lack of social and economic opportunity that the majority faces, including the way in which the elite can bribe their way into prestigious schools, high-ranking jobs and even the government. Teaching kids about Occupy can help them to understand that it’s okay to speak up when others are given unfair privileges.

Climate Change

Climate change affects every one of us and is possibly the biggest issue facing humanity right. Global warming and pollution is having a huge negative impact on the environment, killing off wildlife that is vital to the entire food chain. Activists such as Greta Thunberg have helped to raise awareness for the severity of the situation and movements such as Extinction Rebellion have gained more prominence. By understanding how our lifestyles affect the planet, your kids may be more willing to make positive changes earlier in their life such as not wasting electricity, eating less meat and not littering. By encouraging a new generation of climate activists, it may be possible to reverse or at the very least slow down climate change.