# Empowering young people to be changemakers | Becca Head | TEDxAberystwyth Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQaSs5J22CU Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/GQaSs5J22CU Generated: 2025-12-03T16:50:20.794+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Becca Head delivers a TEDx talk arguing that society fundamentally fails to empower young people by undermining their agency, experience, and inherent worth, proposing that change requires adults to actively hand over power, trust youth voices, and commit to being the supportive figures they needed when they were younger. **Key Points:** - The speaker, Becca Head, argues that young people (under 25) feel disempowered because society treats them as having insufficient experience to make decisions about their own lives or well-being. - She highlights the common societal phrase "You kids don't know what you want" as a source of cognitive dissonance and disenfranchisement for youth. - Statistics presented show that individuals aged 23, 18, 16, and 10 are legally granted rights (like teaching positions, voting, marriage, criminal responsibility) that contradict the underlying societal assumption that they lack knowledge or capacity. - The speaker advocates for three actions to empower youth: starting over by challenging adult assumptions, making a genuine commitment to believing in young people, and actively handing over power and trust. - She states that many youth organizations treat engagement as a mere 'tick box exercise' rather than genuine consultation, leading to young people feeling unheard. - The presentation concludes with the maxim: "Be who you needed when you were younger." - The speaker's talk occurred at TEDxAberystwyth, focusing on empowering young people to become changemakers. ![Screenshot at 01:20: The speaker displays the slide "'Where dreams go to die'" to introduce the sentiment associated with feeling unheard or unsupported in one's community while growing up.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/GQaSs5J22CU/00-01-20.png) **Context:** The speaker, Becca Head, presents her argument at a TEDxAberystwyth event, focusing on the systemic ways society disempowers young people by dismissing their agency and experience. She contrasts this dismissal with the various ages at which society grants young people significant legal responsibilities, illustrating the hypocrisy that leads to feelings of disenfranchisement and powerlessness among youth. ## Detailed Analysis Becca Head delivers a passionate talk arguing that society actively disempowers young people, creating a situation where their voices are ignored and their potential for change is stifled, which she terms disenfranchisement. She notes that growing up in rural areas like Ceredigion often meant facing a lack of opportunities and feeling like the community's youth were irrelevant. She illustrates the widespread societal belief that youth lack knowledge with specific examples: at 23, one can hold a teaching position; at 18, one can vote or marry; and at 10, one is held criminally responsible, yet these same people are told they "don't know what they want." This creates cognitive dissonance, leading young people to feel powerless, as if they are screaming into the void. She critiques organizations that use surveys merely as a tick-box exercise rather than genuine consultation. To counteract this, Head proposes three steps for adults: 1) Start again by challenging the assumption that adults inherently know what is best for young people; 2) Make a genuine commitment to young people and tell them you believe in them; and 3) Hand over the power, trusting youth with the skills and inspiration to create the changes they desire. The core message is for adults to 'Be who you needed when you were younger.' ### Introduction and Problem Statement - Speaker introduces her topic by sharing her upbringing in rural Ceredigion, describing it as a place where dreams went to die, leading to young people feeling unheard and disenfranchised. - The core problem identified is the societal belief that youth (under 25) cannot make decisions for themselves, despite being granted increasing legal responsibilities with age (e.g., voting at 18, teaching at 23). ### Societal Hypocrisy and Impact - Speaker details how youth feel their voices are ignored, leading to feelings of powerlessness, comparing it to screaming into the void. - She critiques organizations for using youth consultation as a mere 'tick box exercise' rather than genuine engagement, leading to irrelevance. ### The Solution - Speaker outlines three steps for change: 1. Start again by questioning the assumption that adults know best; 2. Make a genuine commitment to believing in young people; 3. Hand over the power, trusting youth with skills and inspiration to drive change. ### Conclusion and Call to Action - The talk concludes with the imperative for adults to "Be who you needed when you were younger," emphasizing that progress requires giving agency to the next generation. ![Screenshot at 00:04: Establishing shot of the speaker, Becca Head, on the TEDx stage in front of the large red TEDx logo, with an aerial view of a green landscape projected behind her.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/GQaSs5J22CU/00-00-04.png) ![Screenshot at 01:20: Slide displaying the quote in cursive font: "'Where dreams go to die'" accompanied by a small heart sketch, illustrating the speaker's childhood perception of her community.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/GQaSs5J22CU/00-01-20.png) ![Screenshot at 03:26: Slide displaying the number '23' to highlight the age at which young people are entrusted with teaching positions, contrasting with societal views of their inexperience.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/GQaSs5J22CU/00-03-26.png) ![Screenshot at 04:08: A meme slide showing a walking cat with the text: "The feeling you get after completing this survey," used humorously to illustrate the feeling of being heard or participating.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/GQaSs5J22CU/00-04-08.png) ![Screenshot at 08:37: Slide displaying the core message: "BE WHO YOU NEEDED WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER," with a sketch of a person struggling to fit a square peg into a round hole above the text.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/GQaSs5J22CU/00-08-37.png)