No one is saying all kids are stupid but as adults we can appreciate the value of getting a good start in life and making the most of your youth in order to develop the skills you need for later in life- even if we didn't take heed in our younger days. But with so many other distractions affecting modern young people can they prioritise education over having fun with friends, getting hold of the hottest new mobile phone or being popular amongst their peers?
However, us grown ups don't always seem to be doing such a good job of guiding young people towards the best future they could hope for so perhaps it is time to hand over some power to the kids themselves.
"You can't solve things by becoming more domineering or restrictive. That's just going to perpetuate the problem," says Sam, "You basically have to engage the youth's intelligence and provide forums where these kids can find solutions for themselves."
Ctrl.Alt.Shift is the latest project by Christian Aid which aims to get the ball rolling on this issue. A survey carried out to launch the new website found that 85% of youths do actually want to change things around them but they just don't know how to go about it.
The site is similar to the popular social networking sites but users can engage with issues, sign up for petitions, upload their own content and involve themselves in action groups. This is definitely a step towards giving them their own forum but is it enough?
Is the stereotypical hooded youth brandishing a knife on the street corner really likely to sit in front of a computer debating issues such as education, the environment and what's going on in Dafur? Perhaps not. But why not?
The truth is these kids won't just suddenly feel empowered and start engaging in issues if they have not been brought up to do so. The problem of disengagement is often a seed planted before they even get to school and the reason is that their parents feel exactly the same.
"I think parents play a huge part," says Sam, "I think some parents feel very much the same as kids feel and they are not engaged themselves. I don't think people realise how powerful they are as individuals."
So if we don't feel like we matter and that we can really make a difference to the world around us how can we expect our kids to feel any different? The reality is that a democratic society just doesn't work properly unless we all stand up and be counted. We can't just leave the responsibility of the future on young shoulders- it's about time we all got our soap boxes out more often and shouted about the things we feel passionate about. That's the only way to make real change.
Caz Moss- Female First