ESL WORKSHEET - People, Society and Change

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

YOUNGISM

LinguaHouse
Dec. 7, 2022

Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2-C1)
Type of English: English for Teenagers
Tags: People and Places; Society and Change; Adjectives Describing People; Developing an Argument; Third Conditional; 13-15 Years Old; 16-18 Years Old; Video Talk
Publication date: 12/07/2022

The topic of this lesson is youngism or discrimination against young people. Students will watch an animated video which shows a comedic situation illustrating an example of youngism. They will discuss the video and topic. They will learn adjectives to describe characteristics. They will watch a second video which explains youngism and how it affects teens and young people. There is a language point on third conditionals and pronunciation of contractions and reductions. There is an extension or homework writing exercise to come up with dialogue for the animated film (by J. S. Fox).

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio of the video “Youngism”.

AUDIO/VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

The A to Z of isms... Youngism.
You’ll definitely have heard of ageism but what about youngism? Are young people discriminated against in the same way old people often are?
It’s hard to get much stats on this and it’s not a designated subject in sociology or economics but look closely and you’ll see it all around us.
I’ve felt it and experienced it on a personal level and so have many of my friends. When I started my first job, I was told by a colleague that young people don’t know what real hard work looks like. I was judged negatively before I’d even done any work. Even when I used to go to the shop having signs that say, “Only two schoolchildren at a time” felt like a slap in the face.
We would never allow signs that say that about old people. So why is it justified when it comes to young people? And then there’s youngism at a societal level.
Young people are treated differently because of their age. They aren’t given the same political rights and opportunities as adults.
While no-one is suggesting that babies should be heading to the polls, many do believe that 16 and 17-year-olds should have the right to vote as they now do in Scotland.
Young people are also treated unfairly in the workplace. The minimum wage for young people is lower than adults which means young people get paid less for doing the exact same job. Is that fair?
Even in school, which is designed to help and nurture young people they still often aren’t treated with respect or taken seriously. Young people get no real say over their curriculum. Schools aren’t designed to empower them, they are given little practical advice to prepare them for adulthood. We can’t expect someone to suddenly become an active citizen when they become an adult. That process must start much earlier.
Young people are our future but need to have the power to change their present if we want to create a better world. Young people have always played a significant role in shaping society. From the Edelweiss Pirates, who opposed Hitler in the 30s, to the March for our Lives protest against gun violence, there is a history of young people pushing to create change and fight for the rights of people across the world, not just in their own communities. Young people today are growing up knowing that climate change is going to threaten our world. They are likely to never buy their own home, and if they go to university they are going to leave with tens of thousands of pounds of debt without any guaranteed job. It’s young people who are going to have to solve the biggest issues we face today all while facing these challenges. It’s no wonder there’s a huge mental health crisis. We need to treat young people with the respect they deserve because if we don’t everyone loses out.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/english-for-teenagers/youngism. Accessed on February 17, 2023. © 2008–2023 LinguaHouse.com. All rights reserved.