- Kids are gonna be the next generation of adults.

- I think that we finally aren't sitting happy in our bubble and acknowledge the fact that there are many, many problems in our community.

- Kids know way more than people would ever try to give them credit for, especially when it comes to things that are directly affecting us like climate change or like gun control.

- We could be the difference whether the country breaks or whether the country builds.

- Size doesn't matter.

It's really like you're small or like tall or sometimes you feel like you're nothing, but you're really something.

(upbeat music) - Our generation is so tech savvy because we are on the internet so much.

We're able to consume a lot of information.

- Everyday, you see another new story of something that happened, whether it be more police brutality, whether it be...

I mean school shootings aren't going on now because of COVID, but anytime before that.

- Some of the bad things that are going on is stuff like racism.

When I was younger, I didn't know what racism was.

I didn't look around and see people of color.

I looked around and I saw kids.

- Things have been passed down from generation to generation so, and that's where racism stems from.

I kind of like questioned like when I go outside, am I next?

You have to try so hard to just be so perfect.

- I just want to make sure that everything that has happened to black people this far is remedy.

- If there were someone trying to help every black person on the earth and there's only one black person left behind, it'd still make me sad.

- I'm white, automatically I have privilege.

And I'm also an upper middle class family, but to educate yourself on what's going on in society and educate yourself on how to be anti-racist and you're gonna need to be doing that for the rest of your life.

- You have to be less worried about like posting black squares on Instagram, more like what is happening in your local government?

- People in power should be more fair to like other people.

- It's important to talk to legislators so that way, the youth voices can be heard.

- I think that politicians a lot of the time, and no judgment, but one of their big things is they want to get reelected.

If that means violating what they believe in, what the people that they're supposed to be representing believe in, they will do that.

We use what we have, we use our vote and yet don't necessarily see any change.

- The world's core temperature has raised one degree Celsius so far and I feel like maybe over time if we don't start fixing it, it could really start leading into some horrible things happening in the world.

Water levels are already rising, which fun facts, certain animals that live in the ocean can actually drown if they go into another level.

- I think the biggest thing is that we are listening to what scientists have to say.

And if they're telling us that we are in danger and not even like oh, we have like a couple years, but like a year or two to fix what's going on, I think that we should listen to that.

- We need to treat the earth like it's something or someone.

- I use label of queer.

I only like girls so it's technically like a lesbian.

Every youth has to worry about coming out to their parents and if they'll be accepted.

LGBTQ kids are more likely to commit suicide, more likely to have mental disorders, more likely to be homeless.

- Like it's something that people can profit off of now like to like put something rainbow on like a shirt or on tennis shoes and then like sell them less than amplifying the actual voices.

- I am a part of the LGBT plus community and I identify as lesbian, but people would always perhaps use the word gay as an insult and I don't really understand why that's such a bad thing.

- It's harder for kids now because it's like we can't go back to school at all.

- For people like me who go to public school, we can't really go back until all the teachers have gotten their COVID shots and vaccines.

- Some schools don't have a lot of the technology that other schools have.

- The fact that Pittsburgh public schools are all virtual had to start weeks behind because they didn't have computers.

And then you look at all this suburban schools and they are good to go, they're golden.

- A lot of minorities who go to different schools are not getting opportunities that they probably have worked very, very hard for.

- You can find school money for resources and they're a great school with top tier education, then I don't see why there's a problem doing it with schools who aren't as successful as those.

- I wanna be a veterinarian and a doctor so I can help like other people's COVID like cancer, diseases.

Helping people, it feels like you did something great in your life.

- I think I would like to make more change-based activism work and art work that amplifies more minority groups.

- I'm very big on giving back.

That was my new year's resolution.

Try to be a more positive person.

- We're slowly getting better as time goes on and I'm hoping that sooner or later, we will all be able to live equally.

- I don't think anyone knows what the future's going to look like, unfortunately, but it's one of those things that I will do whatever it takes to at least dent the world a tad and help out in whatever needs to be done.

(inspiring music)