Young viewpoints have power to broaden adult minds

Last year around this time, a letter to the editor appeared in our newspaper from a boy in search of a plain old peppermint candy cane among a profusion of newfangled flavours. Reading his letter, and the subsequent response from another reader a day later, brought great joy into our household, especially because the boy in question was one of my sons.

For full disclosure, I don’t have any say in who gets published in the letters section, but I did suggest to young Albert that his emphatic disgust at these changing times would make a good opinion piece in the paper. This little exchange, and the ensuing sparks of recognition and response made me wonder at the time, where are our young letter writers with opinions?

Who among us hasn’t been charmed or challenged by a child’s perspective on an issue? Or humbled by a cogent argument put forth by a young mind? Albert himself used to delight in noticing when the three wise men would appear each year atop the portico at the Canada Life building, exclaiming proudly, “They’re on their way to see the baby genius!” a misunderstanding I would never dream of correcting.

Working full-time on the new media literacy project at the Free Press, and a teacher by trade, I’ve made it my habit to read the paper through a child’s eyes each day, scanning for stories and perspectives that might spark wonder and curiosity, or recognition and comfort. “How do you talk to your children about the news?” I see parents lamenting on social media, as though by “news” we only mean “existential threats of global collapse.” However, there is of course much more to the news than what occupies our cynical adult minds.

A few weeks ago, when we were keeping our little ones up late to view the spectacular northern lights, Nicole Buffie wrote a piece rich with scientific information about the auroras, answering a lot of questions and wonderment about the phenomena. Why is it rare to see red appear in the dancing lights? Why do the auroras occur? Why are there more of them this year? Why can our smartphone cameras pick up colours our eyes cannot?

Earlier this month, David Sanderson interviewed the restaurateur at the West St. Paul Curling Club, who had dreamed of owning a restaurant since arriving in Winnipeg from Jamaica when he was seven years old. Sanderson’s writing captured some of the immigrant experience of children and adults coming to Winnipeg, and the ways in which we embrace one another to create something brand new that could not have been achieved any other way.

Beautifully framed by her observations on movie-poster artwork, Jen Zoratti’s column a day later challenged us to examine what is lost when we allow AI to ease or dispense with the struggles of human creativity.

Last Monday, Malak Abas highlighted the need for pet-food donations at the humane society, starting a conversation that can get kids thinking and talking about the different ways hunger and health issues can be addressed in our community when we help one another.

There are many more examples — nearly 200 — in the “News for young children” page of the Free Press media literacy and learning website (wfp.to/iOI). This growing collection is nestled among others organized around school subject areas. But these stories, appropriate for kids’ consumption, are meant to appeal more broadly to young minds regardless of curriculum.

The collected stories are meant to provide a launchpad for breakfast conversations or chats while driving to skating lessons, and comprise topics relevant to this place we call home and ideas that intrigue us in childhood.

Local news and stories ground us and our children in our place and time. Written by and about our neighbours and friends, this journalism provides us perspective and meaning about where we come from, what we’re doing here and how we can make this place better. Sharing news with our children does not necessitate tarnishing their innocence by alerting them, for instance, to the many factors currently imperilling democracy. A news story can be the spark that ignites their curiosity and alerts them to their own agency and voice.

Seeing their city and interests reflected and discussed on page and screen helps young people understand that their experiences and opinions, too, are important and interesting. Knowing we have a resource for stories focusing on where we live, written by people who reside here, helps us know one another better and inspires us to create a better world. It shows us we can push back against the all-too-common feelings of defeat and hopelessness we face right now by recognizing the importance of where we are and who we are. These questions are essential explorations for children, and can bring us closer to our kids and our community.

If you find yourself in conversation with a youngster this week, whether regarding the news or more broadly about their experiences, consider encouraging them to get in the loop. Joining this community of storytellers is as easy as writing a letter to the editor.

rebecca.chambers@freepress.mb.ca