This group of Vermilion Catholic sophomores attended last month’s PULSE Weekend Immersion and left ready to get involved in pro-life activities. They are shown with program speakers.
By Amanda Montesano, Youth Programs Co-Director
I can never say it enough: Today’s youth are powerful. They have a voice, and we need to listen to them.
I’ve worked with high school students the last seven years while staying involved with my old high school, and I’ve noticed a few things: Students are passionate and driven, they thirst for knowledge, and they like to help others in need. I feel like high school-aged youth get a bad rap, and I can’t disagree more after working with so many of them and seeing where their hearts truly lie.
The largest gathering of pro-lifers is the National March for Life every January. If you look at the crowd you will see a lot of different faces. People come from all over, but there are some faces that are hard to miss, and those are the faces of the young people. Many of the people at the National March for Life are the youth, the high school and college students.
In Louisiana alone in 2018, 10 percent of all abortions in our state were performed on girls ages 15-19. This is just one reason why youth shouldn’t be complacent and allow only the adults to speak out against abortion. There were 721 abortions performed on high school and early college-aged women. How different would that statistic have been if more young people stood up against abortion and created a culture of life and love in their schools and their communities? I personally believe that number would have gone down if more of those girls’ peers supported them as young mothers.
The youth of today also are heavily involved in social media, and we are seeing a spike in pro-life/pro-choice debates and content across many social media platforms. Social media is a great way to converse with others, but without conviction in your beliefs many times you can be swayed one way or another by the more “popular” voices on social media. Pro-life youth have a great presence on social media that seems to be growing consistently on platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok, spreading awareness and education to other peers.
Our students are selfless, and the pro-life movement needs more selfless people involved in it. It takes every one of us and our special talents and gifts to make this movement work. Not one person can act alone in this movement; we must come together. Young people gathering to support one another is powerful. Young people don’t give themselves enough credit, and a lot of times we fail to do so, too. We need the youth to educate their peers, uplift their peers, and help us create a culture of life. Just think of the impact youth are able to make when they band together and set their minds and hearts on changing lives.
The pro-life movement may seem scary or overwhelming to a lot of young people, and sometimes it can be, but it’s all about making what you do fun. Knowing you are giving back to others and loving others makes the pro-life movement worth it.
Here are some easy ways to get involved in your community’s pro-life movement:
This unmatched passion brought into the pro-life movement by these young people is what will keep this movement alive and blazing a trail to spread life and love to all people. So, youth, stand up and get involved! Don’t be afraid because We are the Pro-Life Generation!
