A small voice can make big changes

BY SABRINA S – 13 YEARS OLD

As the New Year chimes in, our battle with corona only gets more frustrating. All schools in Ontario are online and we don’t know when it will all finally start going back to normal. It’s been a long time since we started to battle this pandemic and I’ve just accepted the fact that masks out in public is the new normal. I appreciate everyone’s courage to make everything feel like it’s normal.

All of the teachers who had to shift from in-person teaching to online classes are real heroes. All of the health-workers that worked tirelessly to make sure the community is safe are also heroes. We are all heroes for sticking together and being there for each other.

But can we all agree that older kids need more money? Think about it, how much money does a two-year-old really need? In my opinion, teens need more money than toddlers and elementary school kids. The Canadian government gives money to each child in each family due to Covid in case the adult is having trouble paying for things. Kids under six years of age get $6,833 per year ($569.41 per month), while kids from 12-to-17 only get $5,765 per year ($480.41 per month). Why are teens getting less money?

Education up to high school is covered by the government and health care is free so besides this money going towards food and house bills, why do these kids need more money than teens? Teens need money for clothes, food, shelter and if they want to apply to college or university, they won’t have enough money. Yes, they can get jobs but that won’t help pay it all.

What is your opinion about this?