I'm 17 | Kate Simonds | TEDxBoise

Summary

In this powerful TED Talk, 17-year-old Kate Simonds challenges the assumption that young people lack the experience or ideas worth listening to. She argues against the age-based bias that undermines the value of student voices and calls for a world where adults respect and collaborate with students to foster creativity and solve societal problems. Kate's passionate plea for the recognition of young people's potential and the need for their active participation in shaping the future is both inspiring and a call to action.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ The speaker, Kate Simonds, challenges the assumption that young people must achieve extraordinary feats to be respected and heard.
• 👠 Kate emphasizes that the only qualification to be a TED speaker is to have an idea worth spreading, not necessarily to be a recognized expert or achiever.
• 🧠 She points out the irony that being 17 and on stage garners respect, but not for the right reasons, highlighting the societal bias towards age and experience.
• 🙅‍♀️ Kate shares personal experiences of her voice being disrespected and dismissed by adults, suggesting a broader issue of ageism in how young people's opinions are valued.
• 🔊 She argues that young people should not have to be millionaires or cure diseases to be worthy of attention, advocating for the respect of any idea regardless of the age of its originator.
• 🤔 Kate questions the validity of the belief that teenagers are incapable of empathy, using her own empathy to understand the audience's assumptions as a counterargument.
• 🏫 Through her involvement with One Stone, a student-run non-profit, Kate demonstrates that young people are capable of significant contributions when their ideas are respected.
• 📚 She critiques the education system for not valuing student input in what and how they learn, suggesting this contributes to a lack of student engagement and confidence.
• 📉 Kate observes a decline in student participation and confidence as they progress through school, attributing it to a system that undermines their ideas and capabilities.
• 💡 She proposes the idea of creative collaboration between adults and students, where both parties listen to and respect each other's ideas, as a solution to societal problems.
• 🌟 Kate concludes by urging both students to believe in their own voices and adults to listen, emphasizing the potential for change when young people are taken seriously.

Q & A

What is the main theme of Kate Simonds' TED Talk?

The main theme of Kate Simonds' TED Talk is the undervaluation and disrespect of young people's voices and ideas, particularly teenagers, and the need for a creative collaboration between adults and students.

Why does Kate feel that her age might have influenced the audience's initial perception of her?

Kate believes that because she is 17, the audience might have initially perceived her as a child prodigy or an accredited creator, assuming she must have done something extraordinary to deserve a TED Talk.

What is the only qualification Kate mentions for being a TED speaker?

The only qualification for being a TED speaker, according to Kate, is to have an idea that one believes is worth spreading.

What experiences has Kate had that made her feel her voice was not respected?

Kate has been told by adults that she is not ready to vote despite her interest in politics, and she has been told to stop fighting for equality because her voice is considered too small to make a difference.

What is the name of the non-profit organization Kate worked with and what did she learn from the experience?

The non-profit organization is called One Stone. Through her work with One Stone, Kate learned how to create a budget, run an interview, speak in front of large groups, and most importantly, problem-solve.

How does Kate describe the difference in experiences between being within the One Stone organization and interacting with adults outside of it?

Within One Stone, Kate's thoughts were never questioned, but outside when interacting with adults about her work, she was often asked, 'What do you know?', implying that as a teenager, her knowledge and ideas are not valued.

What does Kate believe is the reason behind the decline in students' participation and interest in education as they progress through school?

Kate believes that students lose sight of the value of their education and stop learning because they are told they don't understand and don't deserve control over what they learn, leading to a lack of confidence and disinterest.

What does Kate suggest is a possible reason for society's inability to solve certain problems?

Kate suggests that society's inability to solve certain problems may be due to a lack of creative thinking, which she believes is more prevalent in the brains of teenagers who have more scattered and spontaneous neurosignalling pathways.

What is Kate's proposed solution to the problem of undervalued student voices?

Kate proposes a world of creative collaboration between adults and students, where adults listen and respect student ideas, and students respect and listen to their own ideas, fostering an environment of mutual respect and accountability.

How does Kate define the concept of 'brain conformity' and how does it differ between teenagers and adults?

Kate defines 'brain conformity' as the more constant and mapped neurosignalling pathways found in adults compared to the more scattered, spontaneous, and creative pathways in teenagers, suggesting that this difference could be harnessed for innovative problem-solving.

What is Kate's final message to both teenagers and adults in her TED Talk?

Kate's final message is that teenagers need to believe in their own voices and ideas, and adults need to listen to and respect those ideas, working together for mutual accountability and progress.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Challenging Age-Based Assumptions

Kate Simonds, a 17-year-old speaker, addresses the audience's preconceived notions about her age and what it means to be a TED speaker. She points out that the audience may have expected her to have achieved something extraordinary due to her age. However, she emphasizes that the only requirement to speak at TED is to have an idea worth spreading. Kate criticizes the societal tendency to only respect ideas when they come from those perceived as accomplished or authoritative figures. She shares her personal experiences of having her voice and ideas dismissed due to her age, and argues that any idea should be respected regardless of the age of its originator. She also refutes the claim made by a 2008 Life Science article that teenagers cannot experience empathy, using her own understanding of the audience's assumptions as evidence to the contrary.

05:01

🏫 The Suppressed Voices in Education

Kate discusses the lack of student involvement in the educational system, where students are expected to absorb knowledge without having a say in what or how they learn. She highlights the unrealistic expectations placed on students to transition from school to independent adulthood without adequate preparation. Kate observes a decline in student participation and engagement as they progress through the education system, attributing this to a lack of confidence, fear of ridicule, or disinterest. She shares her experience with a local non-profit organization, One Stone, where she and her peers were able to contribute their ideas without being questioned due to their age. Kate calls for a recognition of the validity of student thoughts and a change in the mindset that dismisses them as immature or inexperienced.

10:03

🌟 Fostering Creativity and Collaboration

Kate advocates for a world where adults and students collaborate creatively, respecting and valuing each other's ideas. She argues that the current education system teaches students to conform and lose their creativity, which is detrimental to societal progress. Kate suggests that the energy and fearlessness of young students should be harnessed and nurtured to foster innovative thinking. She also calls for the involvement of students in political and social issues, emphasizing that their voices matter and should be encouraged, not discouraged. Kate concludes by urging students to demand respect for their ideas and for adults to work collaboratively with them, holding each other accountable for progress.

Keywords

💡Respect

Respect, in this context, refers to the acknowledgment of someone's worth or value. It is a central theme of the video, where the speaker argues that young people's ideas and voices deserve the same respect as adults, regardless of age. The speaker challenges the audience's initial assumptions about her worthiness to speak based on her age, and uses the concept of respect to highlight the need for a shift in societal attitudes towards the contributions of young people.

💡Empathy

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. In the script, the speaker refutes a misconception from a 2008 Life Science article that teenagers cannot experience empathy by demonstrating her own empathetic understanding of the audience's initial skepticism. This keyword is used to emphasize the capacity of young people for deep emotional understanding and connection, which challenges stereotypes about teenagers' emotional maturity.

💡Stereotype

A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. The video addresses several stereotypes about teenagers, such as the belief that they lack empathy or the maturity to engage in meaningful discussions about politics and social issues. The speaker uses the script to challenge these stereotypes and advocate for a more nuanced understanding of young people's capabilities.

💡Creativity

Creativity in the video is presented as a valuable and underutilized resource, particularly in the context of problem-solving. The speaker suggests that the spontaneous and less conforming brain pathways of teenagers, as opposed to the more constant pathways of adults, offer a unique and creative approach to tackling societal issues. The video encourages embracing the creative ideas of young people as a means to foster innovation and progress.

💡Accountability

Accountability is the expectation that individuals or organizations will be responsible for their actions and will be held answerable for their decisions. The speaker calls for a collaborative world where adults and students hold each other accountable for progress, implying that mutual respect and responsibility are key to effecting change. The keyword is used to stress the importance of both age groups taking an active role in societal advancement.

💡Conformity

Conformity refers to the act of complying with or adhering to established ideas, customs, and practices. In the script, the speaker contrasts the conformity of adult thought patterns with the more creative and spontaneous thinking of teenagers. The video suggests that societal problems may be better addressed by embracing the non-conformist ideas of young people rather than relying solely on traditional approaches.

💡Education System

The education system is the structured process of teaching and learning, typically provided through schools and colleges. The speaker criticizes the current education system for not valuing student input in what and how they learn, which she argues leads to disinterest and a lack of agency in students. The keyword is used to highlight the need for reform in education to better engage and empower young learners.

💡Participation

Participation denotes the act of being involved in something. The video emphasizes the importance of encouraging student participation in political and social matters, arguing that when students feel their voices matter, they are more likely to engage actively in societal issues. The speaker uses this keyword to advocate for the inclusion of young people in decision-making processes.

💡Voice

In the context of the video, 'voice' symbolizes the expression of one's thoughts, opinions, and beliefs. The speaker discusses the frequent dismissal of young people's voices, suggesting that their ideas are not taken seriously due to their age. The keyword is integral to the video's message, which is about the importance of recognizing and respecting the input of all individuals, regardless of their age.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration is the process of working together to achieve a common goal. The speaker envisions a world where adults and students collaborate in a mutually respectful manner, leveraging the unique perspectives and ideas of both groups to drive societal progress. The keyword is used to underscore the video's call for a partnership between generations to address complex issues.

💡Maturity

Maturity in this video refers to the state or quality of being mature, which can be emotional, intellectual, or experiential. The speaker challenges the notion that maturity is solely age-related, pointing out that many young people exhibit more maturity than some adults. The keyword is used to argue against age as the sole determinant of one's ability to contribute meaningfully to society.

Highlights

Kate Simonds, a 17-year-old TED speaker, challenges the assumption that age equates to accomplishment or credibility.

Simonds emphasizes that the only qualification to be a TED speaker is to have an idea worth spreading, regardless of age.

She confronts the stereotype that young people must achieve extraordinary feats to be respected or heard.

Simonds discusses the problem of age-based respect, where her ideas are only considered valid because she is on a TED stage.

The speaker argues that any idea should be respected, irrespective of the age of its originator.

Simonds recounts personal experiences of her voice being disrespected due to her age.

She highlights the double standards between how adults and teenagers are treated when advocating for the same causes.

Simonds refutes the 2008 Life Science article's claim that teenagers cannot experience empathy.

The speaker's work with the non-profit organization One Stone is introduced as an example of student-led success.

Simonds explains the importance of problem-solving skills she learned at One Stone, which were not questioned by peers.

She points out the contrast in validation of ideas between the student environment at One Stone and adult skepticism outside it.

Simonds criticizes the education system for not including student voices in what and how they learn.

The speaker observes a decline in student participation and confidence in their own ideas as they progress through school.

Simonds calls for a world of creative collaboration between adults and students, respecting and listening to each other's ideas.

She suggests that harnessing the creativity of young minds could lead to innovative solutions for societal problems.

Simonds advocates for students to be taken seriously in politics and policy-making, as their voices are currently undervalued.

The speaker concludes by urging both teens and adults to believe in the power of youth voices and for adults to listen and collaborate.

Transcripts

Translator: Sarah Braun Reviewer: Denise RQ

Hi everyone.

My name is Kate Simonds, and I'm 17.

Upon hearing me say this or seeing the title of this talk, "I'm 17",

I'm sure you're thinking:

since she's on the stage,

she must have done something incredible that she can teach me about.

Maybe she-- I don't know, what did she do to deserve a TED talk?

Did she accidentally make millions

from investing in a successful startup company at age 15?

Maybe she cured some disease accidentally while interning in a lab

or maybe she received a perfect score on her SATs at the age of 7.

Did I do any of those things?

No.

I haven't done any of these things unfortunately

so here's the reason why I'm talking today:

When I took this stage, you all assumed that I'm some child genius

or some accredited creator because I'm 17.

I must have done something worthy of your attention.

Yet, the only qualification to being a TED speaker is to have an idea.

An idea you think is worth spreading.

And that's the problem.

Because I'm 17 and I'm on this stage,

you're only respecting me because I'm on this stage.

Maybe it's because you like my extremely high heels

but I don't think that's the reason why I should have your respect.

I don't think that I should have to be a high school millionaire

or to have cured an epidemic to be worth listening to.

I think that any idea should be respected no matter the age of who it comes from.

My voice has been disrespected what seems like hundreds of times.

I've been told by adults that I'm not ready to vote

even though I keep up with politics, and I'm sure of my beliefs.

I've been told to stop fighting for equality

because I have a little voice, and it won't fix anything.

The difference is, no one would say those things to an adult.

Any adult that fights for a cause like that

would be deemed a courageous and dedicated hero

but because I'm 17, I'm naïve and ignorant.

I have years of experience of my voice not mattering and not being respected.

I'm even told, according to a Life Science article from 2008,

that because I'm a teenager, I can't experience empathy

which is defined as the ability

to understand and share the feelings of an other.

Now, without any quantifiable data or scientific evidence

I can prove that article wrong.

Here's how.

I did it about a minute ago

when I understood the assumptions you made when I took this stage.

With empathy because I can relate to you,

I understand your hesitations to my qualifications

because when I was picked for this TED talk,

I wondered the same thing.

I'm just a 17 year old, what do I know?

What can I teach you about?

But by this time, I hope I've gained your respect.

I say "gained" because unlike the other speakers, I didn't have it initially.

There was an inherent paradigm of doubt.

This surrounds all students.

The reason I'm so passionate about this is because of my work

with a local non-profit organization which is called One Stone.

One Stone is a student-run, official 501(c) non-profit,

and after joining as a sophomore in high school,

I learnt how to create a budget, to run an interview,

how to speak in front of large groups like this one

and most importantly, how to problem solve.

Surrounded by high school students,

no one ever questioned the validity of my thoughts.

Let me tell you, we've got stuff done.

But things would change the second I'd leave the building.

I'd try talking to an adult about something I'd be working on,

my research or a project, and they would ask me, "What do you know?"

All teens are asked this, "What do you know? How could you know this?

You're only a teenager."

We are asked this when we talk about politics, education,

even with what we want to do with our lives

because we're "Too young to understand."

Just because we have vertical driver's licenses

and you all have horizontal driver's licenses,

apparently, we don't know what love is.

We can't know what we should or shouldn't believe,

we don't get to talk about education or politics

because we don't live in the "real world".

We actually do not get to speak for ourselves.

At this point, you may have noticed that I'm not using slides.

Part of the reason why is that I don't really need them

but to be honest with you, the real reason why is that this is a really unique chance

for a student like me to have your attention,

so I'm going to strategically direct 100 % of it to myself.

(Laughter)

This problem is bigger than it sounds.

From my contrasting experiences at One Stone

and with the help of the amazing teachers I've had,

I've become fully aware of the constant belittling that occurs to student voices.

This problem is big.

Look at our education system; as students, we have no say

in what we learn or how we learn it, yet we're expected to absorb it all,

take it all in, and be able to run the world someday.

We're expected to raise our hands to use the restroom, then 3 months later

be ready to go to college or have a full time job,

support ourselves and live on our own.

It's not logical.

My mum is an elementary school teacher.

I always hear her and her colleagues talking about how kindergarteners,

when asked a question, are thrilled to be raising their hands, all of them.

Yet, as you increase the grade level,

fewer and fewer hands are raised each year.

Now, in my senior classes in high school, it's common that, when asked a question,

no one raises their hand, and the teacher has to call out names from a roster.

I think this is because A, students aren't confident in their own answers,

B, students have been made fun of for answering too many questions correctly

or C, the students aren't listening.

Maybe they're texting in their lap

or most likely, just extremely disinterested.

These are all three really big problems.

Students have lost sight of their education's value

and have therefore stopped learning.

Because we're told, "You don't get it, you're 17.

You don't deserve to have the control over what you learn."

This statement and this mindset are toxic.

It's gotten to the point where we've begun to stop listening to ourselves.

Sometimes, I catch myself on a wild train of thought and stop myself thinking,

"Self, stop thinking about this.

You're only 17, you don't know anything about psychology.

What are you doing? Stop!"

This is me, someone who totally believes in the validation of everyone's ideas

and is doing a TED Talk on the validation of everyone's ideas,

discrediting my own because my thoughts don't come from an adult mind.

Last spring, my friend and I started a club.

Both of us are very outspoken, and we saw this as an opportunity

to make a difference in our school.

We anticipated it might take some work to convince the adults of our mission

but we didn't realize

that the real challenge would be convincing our classmates

that they could make a change as students.

When we tried to stand up for something,

they criticized us, they made fun of us for standing up for our beliefs.

That's really, really bad.

Students question the validity of their own thoughts

because they don't come from adult minds,

yet what really separates adults and teenagers intellectually?

Is it an age?

Do we wake up on our 21st birthdays with everlasting knowledge?

Do we turn 18 and suddenly have ideas that are worth listening to?

Also, this magical age of adulthood is different in countries all over the world.

It hasn't seemed to work so far, so who's right?

Or maybe it's from attaining a level of maturity which can come at any age

but I know a lot of high schoolers and college students

that are more mature than some adults I know.

So that's not logical either.

I think that it doesn't come with age or experiential maturity.

There's a definite biological difference between the two

but it comes instead with brain conformity.

Researchers at Stanford tested this a while back.

They looked at neurosignalling differences in the two ages

between adolescence and adults to see how brains were networked.

They ended up finding out adult pathways were much more constant

as if mapped than the younger subjects

whose pathways were more scattered or spontaneous or, dare I say, creative.

It's no secret that society has a lot of problems

that we just can't quite seem to solve.

The adults behind them have conditioned attempts at solving them

which is why we haven't made any progress.

In my government class, my teacher has a really sarcastic poster that says,

"If you think our problems are bad, just wait until you see our solutions".

(Laughter)

Maybe this problem is that we're not thinking about these solutions creatively.

Teens are criticized all the time for having rambunctiously inventive ideas.

But instead of making fun of these teenagers,

maybe the problem is that we should be harnessing these ideas,

we should be tapping into these spontaneous brain pathways

and using them to solve these problems.

This is my idea worth spreading:

a world of creative collaboration between adults and students.

It's a world where adults listen and respect student ideas,

and a world where students respect and listen to their own ideas.

The education system; it will improve dramatically,

students will care about learning

because they know that their education matters.

In the current status quo,

once you're educated past a certain point you've learned all about failure.

We're teaching our students right now

to lose belief in possible change or perfection.

In other words, we're teaching them

to stop thinking outside the box and to accept adequacy.

We're teaching them to conform to standards and to lose their creativity.

But before this happens, students don't think of logistics or limitations,

they're fearless.

Think of the kindergarteners; if we could harness this excited energy

before they lose it and foster it throughout their entire education,

think of the creative ideas that could come of it.

Possibly even more so, government could improve.

Once students know that their voices matter,

they'll feel obligated to participate.

They'll feel responsible for where policies are headed.

With improved efficacy comes progress across the board.

I'm not suggesting to extend suffrage to 5 year olds.

But I do think that we should encourage our 18 year olds to vote,

not discourage them, that so happens frequently.

Ask us about social security, ask us about environmental destruction,

ask us about anything.

Let us know that we matter because we do.

It's true that not all of us will understand these policies right away.

Just because we're teenagers doesn't mean that we don't understand politics

and similarly, just because you're an adult, doesn't mean that you do.

When you tell us that our votes don't matter, that we're not ready,

you lose, too.

Fewer and fewer people are voting each year, that's a fact.

And a loss of votes, to be dramatic, is a loss of democracy.

If you're not old enough, if you're 17 like me, 16, 15, 13, you still matter, too

even though you can't legally vote, and you aren't in college yet.

You are still valuable to society.

OK, if anyone has fallen asleep or something

or if you have found me completely disinteresting, wake up,

and listen to me now.

Students, we've been respectfully asking for student voice for years.

We've sat on representative seats at board meetings,

and we've protested standardized testing, but it hasn't been enough.

Look where we are.

We need to stop asking, and we need to start demanding.

More than student councils and board meetings, and clubs,

and representative seats.

We deserve to be trusted with more than setting up our parents' iPads.

(Laughter)

Our ideas matter.

But, unfortunately this will only work if it's a collaboration.

Adults, I'm asking you to work with us.

Give us your respect, hold us accountable.

I'm not asking for blind faith, I'm asking for you to let us prove it.

You hold me accountable for my education.

I can hold you accountable too.

Environmental destruction, national debt, unjust policies, social inequalities,

the list goes on and on.

We need to hold each other accountable for any progress to be made,

and I promise you it will.

I'm 17.

I haven't won a Nobel Peace Prize, I haven't solved inequality,

I haven't solved poverty, I haven't done any of the cool things

that I've mentioned earlier.

But the difference is, I know that I can.

Teens, you need to believe in your voices, and adults, you need to listen.

Thank you.

(Applause)