Our indigenous Latino youth wanted an opportunity to express how they feel about their struggle in school. Being first-generations students means that their parents often don’t know the hurdles their children have to overcome to be successful.
I hope I can empower my community through my film.
A simple conversation with someone can go a long way. My film shows the benefits of having a conversation about mental health.
Something I wish my parents knew is that I often felt isolated and alienated during middle school. I wish my parents understood how difficult it was to fit in and adjust to a new school.
Generational Ignorance tells The story of how Parents of Gen-Z will often disregard their child’s mental health needs due to stereotypes. The Stereotype in question that we are “addicted to phones”. In the poem, I explain, yes, phones can be addictive, but more often than not, they can be an emotional outlet in a world with very few of them available for youth. I also wanted to bring awareness of how those in power will often pin the blame on younger generations with sensational news headlines and propaganda about gen-Z, with the sole purpose of profit, feeding into these misconceptions that parents of gen-Z will buy into and use against their children, instead of offering solutions to the declining mental health of the youth.
This piece comes from a moment where I noticed a pattern of keeping things to myself and was able to trace how it’s impacted me since then. Keeping things to yourself without really processing them, talking about them, and working through them can impact your mental health and your relationships with loved ones. Supressing your thoughts and feelings makes healing from things more challenging.
My poem addresses the universal theme of the accepting mistakes and the burden of perfection, as well as expressing a desire for reassurance and care. I wanted to capture the delicate balance between vulnerability and strength while emphasizing the power of communication and understanding in fostering meaningful connections.
Every day almost feels the same, especially when you are supposed to be a top student and feel obligated to get everything done perfectly. When I’m working endlessly until the day is over, my window serves as a reminder of how much I miss those days when I had time to go outside, go biking, and hang out with family instead of being in my room constantly.
When teenagers have issues and difficult problems, they are often scared to share. They can have feelings of stress or depression and feel like giving up, even when an adult sees them as ‘happy.’
A ‘perfect’ conversation requires effort from both ends. The person struggling has to open up and trust the other person they’re asking for help, whilst the person being reached out to has to provide support and reassurance. A perfect conversation is one where the person who needs help can get it.