Young people and adults need equitable relationships-they do not need equal ones.

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.

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

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.

The outcome of this culture of discrimination is that young people are routinely denied the roles in society they can, should, and need to be occupying.

Young people and adults need equitable relationships-they do not need equal ones.

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