With awareness of social issues rising more and more with each passing generation, young people nowadays are more aware than ever about the issues that marginalized people face.
The fight for social equality is not an easy one by any means. There are always going to be issues that humanity faces in general, and when it comes specifically to human rights and equality those issues have been perpetuated for centuries on end. This is why fighting against inequality is no easy task.
There’s no manual telling anyone what is the best way to go about changing people’s perceptions or about how to destigmatize certain things. Most of the time though it’s worth noting that whether we’re talking about racial injustice, climate change, homophobia, or misogyny, the problem is systematic.
From the way minorities are presented within media to certain laws being made that treat whole groups of people as less than human, if you’re taking a stand against injustice you better be ready for a gruesome fight. Luckily, there are those who are more than ready to fight and at unimaginably young ages have already done so much good activism. All over the world, young people are using their voices in ways that are inspiring to so many others. What better way to celebrate youth than to show everyone that you’re aware you are the future and are willing to fight for a better society than the one we currently have.
The Inspiring Activists
Ikram Jaoui is a 24-year-old Moroccan activist fighting the good feminist fight. She’s working towards ending gender-based violence, as she says she wants to continue promoting women’s rights by providing more assistance to those in need.
Vibha Venkatesha is a 25-year-old activist fighting against mass incarceration, for refugee and LGBTQ+ rights within the United States. She points out that a new sense of hope is much needed especially with COVID and global warming being such huge and obvious issues these past couple of years.
Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez, 21, has been trying to save the world for well over a decade now, even at such a young age. He spoke at the United Nations in 2015 about taking action against climate change. His work against global warming and the way he’s been using his voice for so long is inspiring for anyone looking at his wonderful story that’s still only at the beginning.
Vanessa Nakate, 25, is a marvelous Ugandan climate justice activist. She was inspired by Greta Thunberg, one of the leading voices among young people fighting against climate change, to start her own movement in Uganda. She has started the Green Schools Project which aims to transition schools to solar energy and eco-friendly stoves in Uganda among many other noteworthy achievements.
Belinda Adikie Asamanyuah, 26, is determined to change the general mindset within Ghana. Through fighting for human rights, she says she wants to change the hearts and minds of her community and hopes to continue using social media platforms to increase visibility on human rights education.
Jazz Jennings, 21, is a transgender activist and is helping young trans people come to terms with their true identities by sharing her own experiences. Her YouTube series called ‘I Am Jazz’ is a wonderful way to get a good sense of who she is and also a very good medium for other trans kids to relate to and feel represented.
David Hogg, 21, is a survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. He is very vocal and known for his gun control activism since he survived the shooting at his high school. Currently studying at Harvard, he has constantly advocated for reasonable gun control in the United States, in order to avoid more school shootings (which are very prevalent in the US).
The official Amnesty International site offers prodigious information regarding activism concentrating in over 150 countries focusing on ending human rights abuses.
Best Way to Get Involved
If you want to get involved in the battle for equality, then the best way to start would be to read up on it as much as possible. Knowing what human rights violations are happening around you is the first step to taking meaningful action. That way you can involve yourself properly in the battle. You also don’t have to do this alone as likely no matter where you’re living there are plenty of non-governmental organizations you can participate in. Perhaps the best way to start is small, by helping your own circle and community first. That way you can grow as a person, move on to bigger communities, and who knows, maybe even take on the world’s challenges one day.
Most importantly, it’s good to remember that where there’s a will there’s a way. You have to be willing to lend your voice to something greater than any one person. There is simply too much inequality in the world. You’re never too young or too old to start fighting against this, and there’s no better day to start than today.
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