Adultism is not always harmful-but it is always real.

Young people often serve as scapegoats for the challenges communities face. At the same time, they are routinely pushed away from connecting to their communities as serious problem-solvers capable of changing the world.

Like a pet fish unaware of the fishbowl it lives in, each of us inherently discriminates against young people without knowing it.

The pattern of discrimination that allows this discrimination was set in the founding of the United States.

Most of society's decision making for young people happens without young people, and that could not happen without adultcentrism.

Any honest conversation about engaging young people must address discrimination against young people.

Adultism leads to a phenomenon of little adults, who are young people who are treated as adults-in-the-making. A non-discriminatory perspective would be to treat children and youth as whole and complete people right now.