Support networks aim to help kids through the polycrisis

The phrase "polycrisis" isn't just academic jargon—it's the lived reality for a generation growing up with simultaneous, interconnected threats. When a six-year-old notices a mountain that's been quarried, they're not just seeing a landscape; they're witnessing the tangible consequences of systems that prioritize extraction over sustainability. The article's focus on support networks is crucial because it shifts the narrative from helplessness to agency. Families, schools, and community groups become the scaffolding that helps kids process and even push back against these crises. What's striking is how these networks often operate below the radar, in the small moments—a shared meal, a conversation in the car, a teacher who listens. They're not grand solutions, but they build the emotional and cognitive tools children need to face an uncertain future. The article suggests that resilience isn't just an individual trait but a collective achievement. If we want to truly address the polycrisis, we need to invest in these invisible support systems, not just technical fixes. Because the child who sees the quarried mountain and asks "why?" is already engaging with the world in a way that demands better answers. Source: [MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/20/1141686/support-networks-help-kids-polycrisis/)