JOURNAL OF GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES FOR YOUNG SCHOLARS

School lunch is often treated as a break from education, but it is part of education. A student who is hungry cannot concentrate in the same way as a student who is well fed. The cafeteria is also where schools teach, quietly, what kind of care students deserve. A good lunch program does more than provide calories. It can introduce healthier habits, reduce stigma for low-income students, and make the school day feel less divided between those who have enough and those who do not. There are practical challenges. Food…

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Sewing machines can support repair workshops, craft classes, and community projects, but shared machines require more care than ordinary hand tools.

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  Cities attract young people with universities, jobs, culture, and possibility. Yet many cities now seem to welcome young talent while pricing out young lives. Rent becomes the first gatekeeper of opportunity. When housing is too expensive, students and new workers make choices that shape their futures. They live far from school, accept long commutes, skip internships, or stay in unsafe housing because every better option costs too much. The issue is not only personal budgeting. It is also about what kind of city gets built. A city without affordable…

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High school students graduate knowing how to solve equations, analyze poems, and memorize historical dates, but many do not understand credit cards, taxes, loans, budgeting, insurance, or interest. This is strange because financial decisions begin almost immediately after graduation. Students may choose colleges, sign loan documents, open bank accounts, rent apartments, or start jobs before they fully understand the financial systems around them. Financial literacy should be required in high school because money mistakes can follow people for years. A student who does not understand compound interest may underestimate debt.…

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Green energy is often presented as clean, modern, and morally simple. Solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and batteries are symbols of a better future. They are necessary tools in reducing dependence on fossil fuels. But calling them “clean” should not mean ignoring the environmental and human costs behind their production. Many green technologies depend on minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements. These materials must be mined, processed, transported, and manufactured. Mining can damage land, use large amounts of water, create pollution, and affect nearby…

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The Parasocial Breakup I spent three years watching a specific YouTuber every single morning while I ate my cereal. I knew his coffee order, his dog’s name, and the specific way he complained about the weather. When he was suddenly called out for some pretty terrible behavior and vanished from the internet, I felt a genuine sense of grief. It felt like a breakup, which is objectively hilarious because this person has no idea I even exist. This is the reality of the “parasocial relationship,” and when these digital bonds…

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