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INTRODUCTION: Adultism is the oppression of all young people that
happens
from the day they are born. It is based on age, and
presented in the attitudes of every adult who occupies the same space
as young people, including parents, teachers, and youth workers. Adultism is part of the structure of society and its institutions,
including families, schools, churches and the government.
POINTS TO PONDER: "If I had to make a general rule for
living and working with children, it might be this: be wary of saying
or doing anything to a child that you would not do to another adult,
whose good opinion and affection you valued." - John Holt, American
educator.
RESOURCES: The following resources are websites and
publications that can help young people and adults understand adultism
better, and work for social change in this area.
Publications & Websites
 Understanding Adultism: A Key to
Developing Positive Youth-Adult Relationships
An outstanding article that helps explore adultism,
written by long-time youth worker John Bell of YouthBuild.
Adultism
An edition of the School Mediator: Peer Mediation
Insights. Includes definitions, quotes, and more.
Exploring Adultism
This Crimson and Gray magazine from 1997 explores various
aspects of adultism, including the definition and
a detailed exploration of offenses.
Adultism is an "ism" too
 This article is by Candice Swiderski and
Stacey Palma of the Center for Youth Development in Connecticut.
The authors include the impacts of
adultism and methods to overcome adultism.
Treating
Children as Equals
Jodi Wright is the editor of Motherwear magazine. In this
article she details how parents are complicit in adultism and how we
can fight adultism at home.
Adultism and Autonomy: Youth as Deviant and In Need of Control
This university-based project from Canada and the EU
explores social justice, and places adultism in the context of societal reasoning and
explores the effects of adultism on young people.
Oppression Of Children And Young People -
Adultism - Is The Foundation For All Forms Of Oppression
From the "American Pictures" project by Danish
photographers Tony Harris and Jacob Holdt. Explores adultism in the context of
all social oppressions, including racism and sexism.
Unit on Adultism
A four-session course on
adultism, including: Session One: Introduction to adultism,
exploration of stereotypes and putdowns of young people, and analyses
of youth/adult interactions. Session Two: Focuses on how young
people are mistreated or discriminated against in adult-defined
institutions, how young people can internalize mistreatment against
themselves and other youth, and explores strengths of young people.
Session Three: Examines the conditioning process of becoming an
adult, identifying the costs and privileges of adulthood and the
requirements for being an adult ally to youth. Session four: Goes over tools to
organize and take action against adultism.
Workshop on Teens &
Authority
The National Coalition Building
Association of Northern Virginia offered a two hour workshop called
"Teens & Authority". Scroll 2/3rds of the way down for a description.
Resources to Fight Ephebiphobia
This Freechild Project webpage includes facts and resources on the
extreme fear of young people.
Resources for Social Change through
Youth Liberation
This Freechild Project webpage includes facts and resources on ways to
end the oppression of young people.
Organizations
Youth on Board
Offers multiple workshops to combat adultism in organizations,
particularly where young people are involved as decision-makers.
National Youth Rights Association
A nationwide advocate for youth rights and the end of adultism.
The SNAYR is brought to you by
The Freechild Project in partnership with
National Youth Rights Association
NYRA has been working for more than
five
years to bring young people across the United States a society where
they experience
political, social, and economic, and cultural equality, and where the rights of youth
are equal to those of adults.
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