“What can you show us that might help explain what it’s like to be a teenager right now?”
That was the question posed by The Learning Network, an educational resource of The New York Times, in its “Coming of Age in 2022” contest. Nearly 3,000 students answered with their artwork, and the winners (some of which are seen here, along with their accompanying statements) were announced earlier this year.
Though much of the uncertainty and isolation of the first year of the pandemic has passed, young people have been left juggling myriad repercussions.
This collection shows the teen response not just to Covid, but also to issues such as climate change and gun violence. What emerges is a strong common theme: the need to make sense of these experiences together.