Is youth wasted on the young?

After listening to Sir Ken Robinson’s highly entertaining and profound speech about children and creativity, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated about society’s predetermined hierarchy of the educational curriculum.

He elucidates that children are prepared to take risks and explore the world around them but as we move into adulthood we become frightened of being wrong. It’s that old adage, “youth is wasted on the young.”

In 2007, Robinson said the structure of education was shifting, “intelligence is dynamic” and interactive, creativity comes about through the interactivity of different disciplines.

His speech raised a number of challenging questions:

How do people discover their talent? And who validates it? And more complexly, can you teach creativity?

Michael Wesch talks about how media can be a confusing tool for youth to help find their identity but concedes that through “layers and layers” of new media, online conversations become a feasible way to make an impact.

Here are two examples of young people that have harvested their creativity and used new media to spread their vision.

Tavi Gevinson

Tavi Gevinson, who has recently been in Australia for a writer’s festival, is an American blogger, founder and editor of Rookie Mag, actress and singer. Oh, and she’s only 17 years of age. I must admit, I am late to the party on this one, and although gaining public attention at the age twelve through her fashion blog Style Rookie, I hadn’t come across her work until recently. She writes predominately for teenage girls and explores modern feminist ideas. Her blog has attracted guest editorials from people like Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow.

Aelita Andre

Aelita lives in Melbourne and has been in the media’s eye since she was two years old. She learnt to paint before she could walk and at the age of four had her first solo exhibition in a New York gallery. Below is a video of the abstract child painter in her studio. I’m undecided whether she is a ‘child prodigy’ as her mother claimed when she was just a few months old, but I must admit, she is very articulate and determined and most importantly passionate abut her art.