Sitting in my dorm room between lectures, I scroll through the news another climate report warning of irreversible damage, headlines about unaffordable housing, and political debates that feel stuck in the past. As a university student, I’m not just studying for a career; I’m trying to make sense of a future that feels increasingly out of reach ¹. The political discourse around me seems disconnected from the realities my generation faces. We’re told to vote, to participate, but when the choices are recycled leaders offering outdated solutions, it’s hard not to feel like our voices are being ignored ³. Climate change, cost of living, mental health, and housing insecurity top our list of concerns, yet they’re often treated as secondary issues in election campaigns ⁸¹⁰.

What’s most exhausting isn’t just the problems—it’s the sense of powerlessness that comes with them. Studies show that young people today are more disillusioned with democracy than any other age group, and millennials and Gen Z are the least satisfied with political systems worldwide ²⁶. In Australia, nearly half of Gen Z say they only vote to avoid a fine, not because they believe in the process ⁷. We see politicians delaying climate action, normalizing extreme wealth gaps, and failing to address the mental health crisis—issues that will define our lives long after they’ve left office ¹⁵. When we do speak up, through protests or social media, our activism is often dismissed as performative or naive ¹¹¹².

This isn’t apathy—it’s grief for a future that feels stolen. We’re expected to study, work, and plan lives in a world where owning a home seems impossible, where the planet is warming faster than policies can respond, and where trust in institutions keeps eroding ¹⁴. Some of us turn to alternative movements or single-issue parties, hoping for real change ⁹. Others disengage completely, not out of laziness, but as an act of self-preservation. We didn’t create this mess, but we’re the ones who’ll have to clean it up—with fewer resources and less faith in the system than any generation before us ¹².