Eleanor Ohmstede

On February 24, 2022, Russian troops invaded parts of eastern Ukraine. Over a year later, there have been around 8,000 civilian deaths and nearly 14,000 injuries. Of these fatalities, 500 were children. When the conflict started, nearly 20% of Ukraine’s population fled. Over 5 million children are currently displaced, either outside their home country or in Ukraine, in danger because of the continuing war.

Far from a typical high school experience, teens in Ukraine will have endured extreme and dangerous situations that may leave them with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. This war has had detrimental effects on education, mental health, and leaves many without a stable and consistent home.  

Many families have opted for virtual or hybrid methods of education. However, the conflict has left the infrastructure in Ukraine severely damaged. The damage to electricity and energy has made accessing the internet and online school difficult for most families. 

At the beginning of the war, many thought the conflict would be over quickly. However, with the continuing conflict, providing an education for these children has become increasingly critical. Of the children who evacuated Ukraine, 2 out of 3 are yet to be enrolled in school within their host countries. The overriding issue is providing early education which is vital to develop necessary social skills for early childhood. 

Many mental health issues arise without the structured and safe environment that schools provide for children. The conflict has taken away stability, safety, school, friends, family, and a home from Ukrainian children. Mental health issues arising now could persist well into adulthood. War can cause or worsen anxiety and lower the condition of living. Supporting children and teens and providing resources to build resilience and nurturing care is crucial to healing the mental wounds that war causes.

Because of the mass evacuation of Ukraine, many children and teens do not have a controlled home environment. Refugees have found protection in many European countries and are attempting to find jobs and create a new life. For teens, this dynamic lifestyle is not beneficial for development. 

Children and teens require structure to mature. A structured life is essential to improve decision-making and allow for the development of influential adults. Growing up without a home and moving around can lead to mental health problems and reduced decision-making skills. 

Some of the top issues following the war are being addressed now by UNICEF, or the United Nations Children’s Fund. UNICEF is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The first and most prevalent issue they are addressing consists of social protection or helping families or individuals cope with crisis, shock, find jobs, and improve productivity. The next topic of discussion is child protection. UNICEF aims to protect children from exploitation, abuse, neglect, harmful practices, and violence. Another category is education. As mentioned earlier, education is crucial to development, and restricted access to education has been a serious issue arising from the war. In response, UNICEF is funding access to social and emotional learning for children of all ages. Another tier is water, sanitation, and hygiene. Many refugees may struggle to access these necessities. Millions of people are receiving access to fresh water and personal hygiene products. The last focus is health. UNICEF is funding vaccinations and providing primary care for refugees across Europe.

For children and teens living in Ukraine or refugees living in Europe, their lives have changed drastically in the past two years. Issues such as access to education, problems with mental health, and a struggle to grow up in a changing and potentially dangerous environment are arising. Funds are attempting to relieve these problems. However, it’s fundamental to understand what Ukrainians have gone through because of this war and how it has affected teens.

Nationwide temperatures dropped as much as 20 degrees in just a few hours between December 22nd and 24th of 2022. While it was not the coldest North Carolina Christmas on record, it was memorable. The coldest Christmas on record was in 1983, when the average temperature across the U.S. was 20 degrees. An arctic blast caused these intense and quick drops in temperature: cold arctic air from the jet stream slipped down to middle latitudes, resulting in extreme temperatures. 

Last year’s arctic blast affected everywhere east of the Rockies, spreading cold weather throughout the east coast and as far south as Florida. In North Carolina, the low temperatures and wind chills hit well below freezing. It got as cold as -25 degrees on Christmas Eve in Western North Carolina. The governor even called a state of emergency in several counties because of the cold and icy conditions. Earlier in the week, some places experienced winds up to 60 miles per hour.

Fluctuating hot and cold weather can be traced back to wind patterns surrounding the North Pole. The polar jet stream is a system of air that rotates around the polar vortex over the Arctic Region. When the polar vortex is unstable, cold bodies of air can move down from the jet stream and affect North America, Asia, and Europe. While this year’s front hit North America surprisingly early, we usually don’t see it until late January to early February.

The difference in temperature between middle latitudes and the polar vortex controls the jet stream. However, the arctic is heating much faster than these lower latitudes, causing the jet stream to be much more unstable. Instead of moving in a relatively direct route around the globe, the lowered difference in temperature allows the jet stream to vary much more, bringing cold air to warmer climates. While the polar jet stream does not always affect lower latitudes, it can be the root of extreme weather.

Over the past 30 years, the polar vortex has been steadily declining, resulting in more extreme weather. This past Christmas, the United States saw some of this severe winter weather. Along with subzero temperatures and icy conditions, December 2022 came with a host of other issues.

The arctic blast led to flight cancellations, interrupting holiday travel for many families during some of the year’s busiest travel days. The winter storm hindered around ⅔ of the flights nationwide on the days leading up until Christmas. Those forced to stay home because of the weather found themselves with another disruption: they were without power.

The cold temperatures stressed the electrical grid, causing more than 1.6 million people to be without electricity on Christmas Eve. Duke Energy utilized rolling blackouts for the first time in its history to relieve some of the stress on the power grid. There was supposed to be an automated system that would cut power in some areas for 15-30 minutes. Unfortunately, the automated system failed, and the rolling blackouts had to be controlled manually by Duke Energy workers, resulting in a much larger margin of error. 

Hundreds of thousands of customers were impacted by the blackouts, and there was little to no warning before the company cut power. Some customers were without electricity and heat for up to 12 hours on Christmas Eve. When the power did come back on, Duke Energy advised customers to reduce energy use by turning lights off, avoiding using the washer, dryer, or dishwasher, and lowering thermostats.

Thankfully, most North Carolinians had electricity restored by Christmas morning, and most flights nationwide resumed. Despite the dramatic onset of the arctic blast, most families could enjoy the holidays in the warmth of their homes, and the winter weather resolved as quickly as it started.

Companies have become accustomed to using social media influencers to market their products, specifically drinks. For the past 140 years, brands have used celebrities to promote their products, starting in the late 1800s with a famous actress endorsing Pearl Soap. Throughout the 20th century, products like Coca Cola, cigarettes, and the famous Air Jordan shoes were all endorsed by celebrities. Given the rise of social media over the past 20 years, companies have been experimenting with new marketing strategies. Well known brands now have prominent social media accounts and market through creators on social media.

Many companies market heavily through influencers. For example, on Tik Tok, Bang Energy and Bloom Nutrition utilize creators with large followings to promote their brands. Bloom Nutrition has over 130 million views under the hashtag #bloomnutrition on Tik Tok, and Bang Energy has more than 18.4 billion views. Additional companies market directly through social media accounts. Duolingo and Chipotle are two notable examples, and both have several million followers on TikTok and a few viral videos. The brands are known to partner with prominent creators, but primarily promote their companies through their own accounts.  

TikTok star Charli D’amelio coined the Charli Drink at Dunkin Doughnuts in 2020 and created a huge rise in popularity for Dunkin. The release of the Charli Drink triggered a 57% spike in app downloads. A few years ago, David Dobrik, a famous Youtuber, partnered with Chipotle to create a loyalty program with a chance of winning $10,000. Campaigns like this have become common online and successfully promote the companies and their products. 

Now, influencers have been releasing their own brands of drinks. Josh Richards and Bryce Hall, both TikTok stars, released ANI Energy in 2020. While it wasn’t incredibly successful, making under $100k with the last deal, it demonstrates a shift in online presence. 

Previously, product placement on social media platforms was mainly through outside companies as a form of marketing. Now, more and more social media personalities are starting their own brands. 

Internet celebrities Logan Paul and KSI recently launched Prime Hydration, which has been incredibly successful. At the moment, all flavors of the drink are sold out on their website and Prime is only available at select health stores nationwide. After its release in January, Prime is already the 6th largest sports drink brand in the US. At $29.99 per 12-pack Prime has sold over 110 million drinks and generated almost $200 million in revenue. 

Another internet celebrity who has built a brand is Emma Chamberlain. She has a large following on Youtube and many other social media platforms and rose to fame in the last 5 years. Emma now has a very successful podcast, Anything Goes, and her own coffee brand, Chamberlain Coffee. She sells matcha, chai, coffee, and a variety of cups and tote bags. Founded in 2020, Chamberlain Coffee has been extremely successful, bringing in more than $7 million in revenue. Emma built her brand and personality on social media platforms and now has deals with brands like Louis Vuitton and a net worth of over $90 million.

While social media has, and always will be, a creative space for everyone, influencers have begun to blur the line between trend setting and marketing. This has effectively transitioned social media platforms into a marketplace. Influencers working with brands as a form of income has become the norm. However, it has also become increasingly common for creators to enhance their income by promoting their own brands. A shift is evident in social media personalities making money through their own products instead of brand deals or acting as a company’s ambassador.