Editor’s Note: The following story was submitted by Kwalikum Secondary School as part of last Friday’s youth writing the news edition of The News.
Hypothetically speaking: What would happen to local business, if young ones were removed from the community?
Results might be more drastic than we would have originally thought.
One student from Kwalikum Secondary School claimed she goes up town for lunch almost every day and spends up to $40 per week. Another student added they “spent roughly $500 on lunches, last year alone,” and it’s certain these two students aren’t the only ones contributing to local business.
Think of how many more young ones there are in our community; if you consider the amount they spend as well, it starts to add up. Other students may even spend a lot more.
I have witnessed first hand the flood of teenagers that sweep through town come lunchtime.
Young ones are important to the community. Like everyone else, they are key contributors who help the world go ‘round.
So what would we do without them? If talks of a school closure in Qualicum Beach were to go through, independent companies would certainly see a decrease in profits. Certain restaurants and shops even hold student specials, to assure their business.
The Oceanside Place arena in Parksville is a great attraction to the younger ones, the ones who pay to play sports, skate, or watch the local hockey games. Youth also flock to the local beaches during the summer — this gives them yet another opportunity to spend.
Like everyone else, these upcoming adults have their expenses; teens need to pay fees and bills, they also have their own wants to spend their money on.
However, in many areas youth are painted as ones who don’t contribute to the community. It should be clear the kids play a big role in our area.
These young adults aren’t the only ones playing a role though; let’s look past the older youth, and focus in on another important aspect of youth spending, the younger children.
Younger kids are ones that lead to business — they are the force behind buying junk food at the grocery store. Everyone is familiar with the whole “mom, can we get this, please,” speech.
Young boys and girls are a key driving force behind parental actions everywhere. Children want every sweet thing they see, from candies to suckers. The new candy shop, which opened up in Qualicum, has done well to embrace the young people’s market. This store catches kids’ attention as soon as they pass by, and tempts them to spend their money. It’s a business that relies on youth.
Next time you’re out living your daily life, look at how many young people you see in the local stores or shops. Maybe you’ll be surprised to see how many teens there are spending money, but you shouldn’t be.
Young people are relied upon by many businesses, in various different ways. If one student claimed to spend more than $500 in a year on food alone, then the income is splendid.
Spending money isn’t the only benefit we receive from the youth either.
Students and other young adults work at many of these businesses.
It’s a wonderful thing to see young people taking on the responsibility of working; and they usually start as soon as they can. Teens want to prove that they can do things on their own.
Again, if we had to remove youth from our community, there would be a hole in our system, and a reasonable amount of positions to fill. Thankfully we see many young workers and spenders in our area.
Young boys and girls in our area are very beneficial to business, yet they go unnoticed for their efforts.
Do the youth a favor, whenever you see a group of young people in our local stores, don’t first think about how imperfect they are. Instead, think of the contribution they make to the community.
Most students care very much about where they live.
Just like everyone else, they are important to business and the wellbeing of our community.
— Dylan Mitchell is a student at Kwalikum Secondary School.