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"I think giving animals a home is important," Says Faye. Faye follows up to that every week! She volunteers every Friday, and sometimes all weekend. Faye took a big interest after she helped rescue a puppy, on her first day. "We picked up a puppy in the pound, on my first day, I really felt sorry for him," said Faye. This supports my claim because Faye believes giving animals a second chance is important.

Faye advertises and grooms all the animals in the shelter, to find them a home. Faye takes her own time to take care of all the animals. Faye set up a Facebook account for a free way to advertise animals. "A good thing is Faye takes time to present our dogs in the best possible light," says control officer Vaughan Oliver. This also supports my claim because Faye takes time to groom and advertise dogs at her local shelter.

Faye is a volunteer worker that comes in every week. People that work with say she is a big help with the shelters. Faye started volunteering last November, and many people at the shelter enjoy Faye working there. "This takes a lot of heat off the shelter, for us trying to put these animals into homes. The good thing is Faye takes time to present our pets in the best possible light," Says control officer Vaughan Oliver. This shows Faye is wanted at the shelter, and she is also a big help.

Faye Carey is only six-teen years old and she is making a difference for animals. Also, she is standing up for animal rights. Faye feels that re-homing animals is important, she is the grooming and advertising pets, and she is a big help for her local shelter. How do you feel about animal right's?

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"I think giving animals a home is important," Says Faye. Faye follows up to that every week! She volunteers every Friday, and sometimes all weekend. Faye took a big interest after she helped rescue a puppy, on her first day. "We picked up a puppy in the pound, on my first day, I really felt sorry for him," said Faye.

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Young Activists on Why They March | Teen Vogue

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XIUHTEZCATL MARTINEZ IS PROTECTING OUR PLANET AND ITS PEOPLE

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XIUHTEZCATL MARTINEZ IS PROTECTING OUR PLANET AND ITS PEOPLE

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Xiuhtezcatl (shoe-TEZ-caht) Martinez is a 19-year-old indigenous climate activist, hip-hop artist, author, and one of DoSomething’s 2019 Youth Empower Players.

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Xiuhtezcatl Martinez Is Protecting Our Planet and Its People

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When he's not writing hip-hop lyrics or solving a Rubik's Cube in under a minute.

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With more than 130 million girls out of school today, she needs your help breaking down the barriers that hold girls back.

Your gift today is an investment in Malala Fund programmes that help girls around the world go to school.

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Learn how Malala began her fight for girls - from an education activist in Pakistan to the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate - and how she continues her campaign through Malala Fund.

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You've probably heard that Albert Einstein was a vegetarian, and it's common knowledge that Steve-O, Ellen Degeneres, and Emily Deschanel love to share how their love of animals has lead them to adopt a plant-based diet.

While these famous animal activists are influential in their own right, it's equally inspiring to learn about what young people in our own communities are doing to speak up for animals. They might be young, but they are driven, passionate, and successfully normalizing this ideology that was once considered radical. And unlike our friend Albert, these individuals are part of a young generation, setting a more compassionate and determined precedent for generations to come. These young activists demonstrate that age is but a number: their own commitment to animals will inspire you to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

1. Phoebe Goldstein

When she learned that her school was organizing a trip to SeaWorld, this eighth grader came out strongly opposed to the annual event. Goldstein took to the school administration, explaining the suffering and isolation inherent in whale and dolphin captivity, and successfully convinced her school to cancel the trip. Given the recent exposés surrounding SeaWorld's treatment of its animals, Goldstein will no doubt be at the forefront of this movement in years to come.

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2. Thomas Ponce

This 12-year-old activist is making a name for himself within the Animal rights community and beyond. Founder of Lobby for Animals, a lobbyist organization that advocates for protection of animals and activists, Ponce received the Young Animal Activist Award at last year's Animal rights national conference, and has been recognized by PETA. With a smart and motivated leader like Ponce, new generations will surely have a new reverence for our animal friends.

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3. Elora West

After watching films such as Sharkwater and The Cove when she was 15, West's perspective was forever altered. She began learning to scuba dive, and soon after moved to Taiji, Japan with her father to more directly help the dolphins there. There, she started the Cove Guardiancampaign with Sea Shepherd. Her work has inspired many supporters and has earned celebrity and diplomatic Support throughout the world.

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4. Tayler Jensen

Tayler Jensen has wasted no time spreading the message of Animal rights. At 14-years-old, she has distributed leaflets at her school, encouraged her friends and family to make the transition to a plant-based diet, is petitioning to add a veggie burger to her school's cafeteria menu, and has started her own vegan club at school with more than 70 members and 30 sponsors!

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5. Jasmine Polsinelli

At 11-years-old, Jasmine Polsinelli knows more about the fur industry than most adults learn in their whole lives. Last year, along with 40 other protesters, Polsinelli stood in front of the Canadian Goose headquarters 5,000 signed postcards objecting to the use of real coyote fur in the clothing company's jackets and hats.

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6. Kat Graham

Kat Graham's mission in life is to end the use of beagles in laboratory research and testing. This inspiring 11-year-old has teamed up with the Beagle Freedom Project (BFP) to create her own website, Kids Against Lab Beagles. The website serves as a fundraising platform for BFP selling her paintings that depict these friendly dogs.

Kids Against Lab Beagles

7. Genesis Butler

A Vegan Child's Journey/Facebook

When she was just three, Butler became a vegetarian, she switched to a plant-based diet just a year later. Now seven-years-old, Butler is a strong advocate for a vegan lifestyle, even maintaining a Facebook page aptly titled, A Vegan Child's Journey. Last year this young activist won the Young Vegan of the Year Award from Vegansarecool.com. With these early successes under her belt, Butler's future looks promising.

8. Kevin Storm

Not only is Kevin Storm a vegan and advocate for homeless animals, but he also happens to be New Jersey's youngest radio host! Storm and his mother saw a posting for radio DJ at a local station and in no time at all, this young teen was set up with his very own show. You can hear his broadcasts on TuneIn, a radio app for smartphones, or by listening to WNJC 1360AM Philly between 12-12:30 PM EST.
Green Monsters! Do you know some awesome young activists? We'd love to hear about them!
Koreandogs.org

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Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Do What You Can: Donate if you can, grow your own food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don't forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!

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8 Young Rockstar Activists Leading the Way for Animal Rights

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Check out these young rockstars who are changing the world for animals!

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Live | Hong Kong student activist Joshua Wong holds a press conference in Berlin

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Isra Hirsi: Co-founder of the Youth Climate Strike

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Isra Hirsi: Co-founder of the Youth Climate Strike

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She says the climate crisis "is the fight of my generation, and it needs to be addressed urgently."

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THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF YOUTH VOICES

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by Isra Hirsi

originally published on thegrist.org
Isra Hirsi is a 16-year-old from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is one of the cofounders and co-executive directors of U.S. Youth Climate Strike.
I am a black muslim woman in the environmental justice movement.

I grew up in Minneapolis, where the Somali population is visible. I went to schools with kids who looked like me and had the same culture as me - people I could relate to. Growing up in these predominantly black and Muslim neighborhoods, I was always aware of who I was.

When I first got involved in environmental work, I wanted to keep my identity and my community with me in my activism, especially given the droughts in my parent's birth country, and the increased air pollution in my own hometown. But that hasn't always been easy.

When I joined my high school's environmental club, I was the only black kid at most meetings, and usually the only person of color. The club consisted of a group of white students talking about their camping trips. I knew that I would never fit in. It was difficult to look like their token and attend their meetings, but I kept going because I wanted to change that.

Being the only person of color in these spaces made me realize why it was so difficult for other people of color. I remember, in late January, when we first started organizing the U.S. Youth Climate Strike, reporters would ask me, "So do you strike every Friday?" My immediate response to that question was, "No, and I'll tell you why."

While striking is a powerful form of protest, there are many barriers that make it inaccessible. Being able to skip class that frequently, even if it's for just a period or two, is not an option for many middle- and high school students. Just getting to your state capitol or city hall, or anywhere symbolic, can be difficult, especially for youth of color and low-income communities.

So, no I don't strike every Friday, because I can't. But that doesn't mean my activism is not valid. That doesn't mean that the activism of thousands of youth across the world is not valid.

Attending the climate strike in Washington, D.C., was everything I wanted but also dreaded. We had amazing speakers - our own organizers! But a diverse group of organizers didn't mean a diverse group of participants. Talking about my experiences to a crowd of thousands was amazing, but it was discouraging how few of the faces in the crowd looked like me. It showed how the climate movement needs a drastic change toward diversity before we can truly be intersectional and effective.

All of these experiences taught me that it is so important to make sure that those that are disproportionately affected by climate change be at the forefront of the issue, advocating for ourselves and our communities.

Let us remember our privilege for being here and the work of hundreds of indigenous activists before us. We strike because we can. Because the media focuses on some and not others. But many can't.

This movement is not one person, or one group. This movement is all of us and we need to make sure we value those who are disproportionately affected by this crisis. And allow those who are affected to lead.

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Isra Hirsi - THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF YOUTH VOICES

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by Isra Hirsi originally published on thegrist.org Isra Hirsi is a 16-year-old from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is one of the cofounders and co-executive directors of U.S. Youth Climate Strike. I am a black muslim woman in the environmental justice movement. I grew up in Minneapolis, where the Somali population is visible.

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Want to be a youth activist? Here are some tips | CBC Kids News

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These Teens Made a Difference: Ayna Agarwal

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These Teens Made a Difference: Ayna Agarwal

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This short article profiles a teen who after attending a Youth Empowered Action Camp began a school club called Hearts for Animals.

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Teen Climate Change Activist Greta Thunberg Is Time's Youngest Ever "Person Of The Year"

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Teen Climate Change Activist Greta Thunberg Is Time's Youngest Ever "Person Of The Year"

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16-year-old Greta Thunberg is Time Magazine's youngest-ever "Person of the Year" (Credit: Photo: Time/Screengrab)

Time Inc.'s "Person of the Year" tradition began in 1927, when the magazine commemorated 25-year-old aviator Charles Lindbergh for the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Though the media franchise has since recognized several young people for their global influence, it has never given the important distinction to a teenager. But then again, few teens are as passionate about their mission as 2019's "Person of The Year"- 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg.

Thunberg's rise to global prominence is even more stunning given that just over a year ago, she was a shy 15-year-old fretting about the looming threat of climate change. In August 2018, tired of the "refusal" of world leaders to take action, the young girl started camping out in front of the Swedish Parliament every Friday with a sign that said: "School Strike for Climate."

Thunberg has inspired thousands of kids worldwide to demand lawmakers take action to reverse climate change (Credit: Time)

The teen's singular act of protest soon went viral, inspiring kids and adults worldwide to take action. By September 2018, her weekly strike became a global climate change movement called "Fridays for the Future," with tens of thousands of students skipping school on this day to protest the inaction of the leaders of their respective countries.

Her rally cry for progress also encouraged other young activists to begin their own climate change movements. They include 17-year-old Xiye Bastida in New York City, USA; 19-year-old Artemisa Xakriaba in Brasilia, Brazil; 17-year-old Vidit Baya in Udaipur, India; 16-year-old Howey Ou in Guilin, China, and many more. Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the US youth-led Sunrise Movement, says Thunberg "symbolizes the agony, the frustration, the desperation, the anger-at some level, the hope-of many young people who won't even be of age to vote by the time their futures are doomed."

Thunberg believes we can all take action to reverse climate change (Credit: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf /CC BY-SA 4.0 /creativecommons.org)

The teenager, who has single-handedly helped bring climate change to the forefront of the global conversation, attributes her success to her Asperger's syndrome. She says, "I see the world in black and white, and I don't like compromising... If I were like everyone else, I would have continued on and not seen this crisis."

Though Thunberg does not have a magical antidote for reversing climate change, she believes change can be affected at a grassroots level - by educating friends, being more selective about the companies you buy from, and electing officials that support the cause. In her address at the recently-held UN Climate Conference in Madrid, Spain, the young activist said, "In just three weeks, we will enter a new decade―a decade that will define our future. Right now, we are desperate for any sign of hope. Well, I'm telling you there is hope. I've seen it, but it does not come from the governments or corporations. It comes from the people."

Resources: Time.com, CNN.com, Wired.com,USAtoday.com

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Teen Climate Change Activist Greta Thunberg Is Time's Youngest Ever "Person Of The Year"

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Time Inc.'s "Person of the Year" tradition began in 1927, when the magazine commemorated 25-year-old aviator Charles Lindbergh for the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Though the media franchise has since recognized several young people for their global influence, it has never given the important distinction to a teenager.

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Teen activist Marley Dias on her new mission for racial harmony

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This article is written by a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School who explores the benefits of teen activism.

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When I was a ninth grader in 1964, I was suspended from school for selling peace buttons for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

I was a tad anxious about how my mom would react, but when I came home that morning, she was beaming. "Good for you! Just don't sell any more on school property," she said.

I should have expected her reaction. She had been a teen-aged activist for organized labor in the 1930s. This was our family tradition. I became part of a group of kids who bonded over civil rights. Then, when I was in college, my mission turned to the movement against the war in Vietnam.

I do not want to write about guns, or the Florida tragedy, or the movement that is rising out of it and has my full support. Rather, let me put on my shrink hat and address why it is so good for teens to get politically active, from Twitter to the streets.

Let's look at some major components of their adolescent growth curve. We also need to appreciate that development doesn't occur in a vacuum, nor is it a theoretical construct. It must take place in real time with real people and in real situations. It must be lived and experienced.

And through all this -- though teens won't often admit it -- they do need adult supervision, because they typically are driven by impulse and at times don't stop and think before they act.

* Identity: One of teenagers' primary missions is to become autonomous individuals, who pride themselves in who they are and what they stand for. Some of this is image, but mostly it's solidifying a strong sense of self. They are developing their own personal narrative. Taking a role in a movement helps this process tremendously.

* Group inclusion: At the same time, teens need to feel connected with each other. Being part of a group -- a team, a club or a political group -- feeling connected with others, is a balancing act: being a separate individual on the one hand, but part of a collective on the other. As crucial as individuality is, a team membership, acceptance from others, and being recognized as part of a greater mission is a core developmental task.

* Rebellious testing of limits: We all know about teenage rebellion. We've all been there. How far can an adolescent push the limits of acceptable behavior and not get in big trouble? Or even if they do get caught, it can be kind of cool to be breaking rules. This is key. How do we know the boundaries of appropriate or inappropriate behavior unless we test it out in real time (as one shooting survivor did on Twitter, rejecting President Trump's condolences and calling him profanities)? Sometimes it's rebellion, sometimes it's questioning authority, sometime it's advocacy and fighting for what is right.

* Expression: Teenagers are also deeply emotional. Their passion is palpable -- at concerts, watching movies, in animated conversation. They need a voice and a medium to express it. Some journal, some draw, some play music, some act. Creativity as a means of self-expression is part of this picture.

Some of their creative endeavors are intentionally jarring for adults. That's their motive. (It was when my folks couldn't understand Dylan or the Rolling Stones. I must admit, I had a hard time with heavy metal, though my kids were more attracted to music of the '70s, thank God.)

Activism and protest call for expression, for persuasion. They channel creative expression into a cause, and the cause ignites the creativity.

* Intellectual growth: And finally, perhaps most importantly, the adolescent brain is capable of far greater abstract thinking than ever before in life. Teens are budding philosophers - or lawyers. They grapple with justice, fairness, beneficence, virtue, rights and responsibilities. And they argue. It's hard to win an argument with them, but always entertaining, if not outright frustrating.
The Need for Supervision
The teenage brain is ruled by the reptilian structures that are driven by emotion, pleasure and immediate gratification. From ages 14 to 26, the neurons that connect the centers of immediate passion to the higher cortical (thought) regions that slow things down and weigh actions and consequences become myelinated -- a process of insulating the wires so that emotion is modulated by reason.

This means unsupervised, teens tend to do impulsive, sometimes stupid things. And while they rarely acknowledge it, they do need adult supervision for guidance and safety.

In my time, "never trust anyone over 30" was a slogan. Though when push came to shove, I was really glad I had my parents and other mentors to guide me. And I'm glad now to see adults working with the teen activists.
Back To #NeverAgain
Considering the norms of development, these kids are right on track. They have so much to gain from their courageous efforts. We should applaud them and encourage their work.

Not only will their activism abet their adolescent development, they may remind us all what it means to have a voice and use it to try to make the world a better place.
Dr. Gene Beresin is executive director of The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The observations expressed here are solely those of Dr. Beresin and do not represent Harvard Medical School or Massachusetts General Hospital.

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Why Activism Is Good For Teens - And The Country

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When I was a ninth grader in 1964, I was suspended from school for selling peace buttons for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. I was a tad anxious about how my mom would react, but when I came home that morning, she was beaming. "Good for you!

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Animal Homelessness Is a Community Challenge

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Animal Homelessness Is a Community Challenge

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This article outlines the importance of community involvement in helping pets find shelters and offers suggestions of how to help.

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Our relationships with the animals we keep are highly personal. They provide us with unconditional love, and we take on a personal responsibility for making sure that they are well cared for. But when the bond between an animal and his guardian is broken, as when an animal is lost, abandoned, or surrendered to a shelter, who then has responsibility for the animal and his care?

Most people would say it's the local animal shelter's responsibility. And that's true. We take on the function of caring for animals other people don't want or can't care for. And we acknowledge our special role in speaking for the voiceless and upholding the moral status of animals in our communities. But if you were to ask the people at the shelter whose responsibility it is to care for lost, mistreated, and abandoned animals, they'd insist that it's the community's as a whole.

That's because we can't do this work by ourselves. Animal shelters rely on the community for funding, homes, volunteer help, and most importantly, we need people to care for their animals properly and not contribute to the problem. That's why we insist that animal welfare is a community responsibility and that success in this field comes through partnerships with people outside of the shelter.

In fact, just a few weekends ago we had an amazing adoption event -- a real example of community partnership. We got 65 animals into new homes in just two days. We kept our adoption trucks moving back and forth from the shelter to their temporary station in front of Friendship Hospital for Animals all weekend.

This private veterinary hospital, the largest in the nation's capital, understands the need for community involvement in animal welfare. Thanks to them, we have a thriving humane education program, ready veterinary interns and staff to help for events and patient care, and now... 65 new homes for our animals. It's exactly the kind of partnership we're always looking for.

With the help of that hospital, we made a lot of new friends and found many new homes. The astonishing thing to me though, was not the number of adoptions. We'd like to do that every weekend. It's the fact that by simply bringing animals to where our adopters live, and not keeping them in our shelter, which, let's face it, is not exactly on the beaten track of metro D.C.'s population (most shelters are tucked away near landfills, railroad tracks, airports, and other well-healed neighborhoods!), we literally tripled our adoptions for the weekend. One obvious conclusion -- we've got to get out more!

And that's exactly what we bought our new adoption truck to do -- bring our animals literally into the waiting arms of adopters. Easy enough to say, but not so simple to do. Especially in a city like Washington, in which parking a 22-foot truck has its challenges. So we need partners: businesses like Friendship Hospital for Animals that can host adoption events and provide us with venues to meet the public and tell them about our work.

At the same time, it's incumbent upon us in the animal welfare business to make our shelters welcoming places that the public doesn't have to be afraid to visit. So many times I hear from donors or other supporters that they love what we do, but don't want to visit because it's so sad to see all those animals without homes or hope.

But that's exactly what you won't see at the Washington Animal Rescue League or in any of the new "breed" of animal shelters being built all over the country. What you'll see at the League are contented dogs and cats acting like dogs and cats. That means you'll see them playing, eating, sleeping, and wagging their tails or stretching their paws in greeting. You'll also see funny bowls and buckets holding treats and messages from our behavior staff asking you to toss a few treats to help train our dogs to be household pets.

Every shelter needs to become a place of hope, education, and engagement -- not despair. They should be places where you can bring kids to adopt a pet, learn about the animals, or just practice compassion for all living things. But above all, places where you can teach responsible animal care, which includes spaying and neutering and adopting from shelters, not from Craig's List. Places where they are taught kindness and that it's important to be part of the world's solutions. Which includes ending animal homelessness. Put us out of business -- please.

November 6-12 is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. (But you knew that already, didn't you?) It's a great time to get to know your local animal shelter and show them that you're ready to become part of the solution. Every shelter needs adopters, donors, and volunteers. But here are few other ways you might get involved:

1. Help publicize the animals who are looking for homes. Hang a picture and description of an adoptable animal at your workplace or school. You can pull them straight from the shelter's website.

2. Consider donating used towels, blankets, toys, and treats to the shelter. Shelters go through a lot of these. You might even use your neighborhood list serve to organize a drive.

3. Host an adoption event at your work, school, or community group. Even if the event doesn't manage to find too many homes for animals -- and some are more successful in this regard than others -- you will introduce lots of people to the shelter and the work it does.

4. Learn about the services that your local shelter offers -- spay/neuter programs, low-cost vaccination clinics, dog training classes, help for feral cats, and the like -- so that you're ready to talk to friends and neighbors about how they can find help caring for their pets properly.

5. Offer to organize a tour of the shelter for a group of young people. Almost every shelter will happily talk to children about what they do and introduce them to their animals.

It's all about community. What Friendship Hospital showed us this weekend was that community partnerships work. Animal shelters need community support. And this starts by taking good care of all of our own animals. But if it's easier for the mountain to come to Mohammed, we'll do that too, like we did last weekend.

Because when the problem of animal homelessness becomes all of our problems, by spaying and neutering, giving proper veterinary care and teaching compassion for all living things, the animals will finally win. Sixty five dogs and cats who got to sleep in their new beds last week can attest to that.

Related

Animal Welfare abandoned animals animal shelters dc homeless-animals

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Animal Homelessness Is a Community Challenge

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November 6-12 is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. It's a great time to get to know your local animal shelter and show them that you're ready to become part of the solution.

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A teen from California is lead a lawsuit on immigration in the US.

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Teen activist Greta Thunberg delivers emotional speech at UN

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A movie/documentary was created about a child's real experiences with bullying.

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Bully Official Trailer #1 - Weinstein Company Movie (2012) HD

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A text on Florida’s National University’s web page that lays out the physical and emotional benefits of helping others for teens.

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Community Service Has a Number of Important Benefits

Engaging in community service provides students with the opportunity to become active members of their community which has a lasting, positive impact on society at large. Community service or volunteerism enables students to acquire life skills, as well as provide a service to those who need it most. These are some of the common benefits of participating in a community service program:

1. Psychological benefits: Volunteering increases overall life satisfaction and helps you feel good about yourself because you are helping others.

2. Social benefits: Volunteering engages students with the community, creates special bonds with the population being served, and increases social awareness and responsibility.

3. Cognitive benefits: Volunteering helps students enhance their personal knowledge, grow from new experiences, and develop important interpersonal communication skills.

Participating in community service not only makes a difference to the organization and people being served, but also makes a difference to every student's career prospects. Participating in community service activities helps to enhance student resumes by allowing students to obtain work-related skills prior to graduation, builds good references for employers in regards to community involvement, and provides a forum to network with future potential employers. It also helps students develop civic and social responsibility skills and become more aware of what their community needs.

You can also make a positive contribution to your community by earning an online degree in criminal justice or psychology. Contact us today for more information about our programs where you can learn how to help real people and leave a positive impact on the world.

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Why is Community Service Important? - Florida National University

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Community Service Has a Number of Important Benefits Engaging in community service provides students with the opportunity to become active members of their community which has a lasting, positive impact on society at large. Community service or volunteerism enables students to acquire life skills, as well as provide a service to those who need it...

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Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

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Canadian Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier addresses UN on clean water

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Canadian Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier addresses UN on clean water

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Autumn Peltier is youth working to protect safe drinking water.

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The Canadian Press · Posted: Sep 28, 2019 2:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 28, 2019

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‘We can’t eat money or drink oil,’ Autumn Peltier tells UN | CBC News

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Canadian Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier addressed hundreds of international guests at UN headquarters in Manhattan on Saturday. The 15-year-old activist from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario urged the global community to respect the sacredness and importan…

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Craig Kielburger - It Takes a Child Trailer - WE Charity

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After the Federal Judge ordered integration in Little Rock, Arkansas, the “Little Rock Nine” prepared for their first day at Central High School. Governor Orval Faubus, in defiance of the order, called out the Arkansas National Guard. One of the students, Elizabeth Eckford, could not be reached and was therefore not informed of the plan. This is her story.

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Isabel and Melat Wijsen- Banning Plastic Bags

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Isabel and Melat Wijsen- Banning Plastic Bags

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Bye Bye Plastic Bags - Say No To Plastic Bags

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This interactive article interviews twelve young girls around the world about their work advocating for girls education.

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What's it like to campaign to reduce illiteracy, sexual harassment or teenage pregnancy in your own community and why is it so important that the voices of girls are heard? We ask 12 girls under the age of 20 what they are fighting for and why

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adolescent girls - global development professionals network

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The other Malalas: girl activists in the developing world - interactive

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What's it like to campaign to reduce illiteracy, sexual harassment or teenage pregnancy in your own community and why is it so important that the voices of girls are heard? We ask 12 girls under the age of 20 what they are fighting for and why

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o determine TIME's annual list, we consider accolades across numerous fields, global impact through social media and overall ability to drive news. In the past, we've recognized everyone from singer Lorde to Olympic champion Simone Biles to political activist Joshua Wong. Here's who made this year's cut (ordered from youngest to oldest):
Marley Dias, 13
When Marley Dias was in the sixth grade, she encountered a problem: "At home I always got to see black girls and diverse experiences being reflected in the books I read," Dias tells TIME. "But at school, I did not have access to those experiences." So Dias, an avid reader, embarked on a mission to collect one thousand books featuring black female protagonists (mostly from donations), and distribute them to communities in need. Since its launch in 2015, #1000BlackGirlBooks has helped distribute more than 11,000 books to libraries, schools and community organizations around the world. And Dias, now a high school freshman, recently published her own book, Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You. Her goal, she says, is to ensure that "kids know that changing the world should not be something that feels imaginary, but something that you have the power to do today and always." -Rachel E. Greenspan
Rishab Jain, 14
Treating cancer requires immense precision: Doctors try to kill all the diseased cells, while sparing as many healthy ones as possible. This can be especially difficult for pancreatic cancer, since the pancreas moves around, and sometimes gets obscured by other organs. In an effort to help solve this problem, Rishab Jain, an eighth grader from Oregon, developed a software tool that, during simulations, was shown to help doctors zero in on the pancreas more accurately, ideally improving treatments. The algorithm won Jain the $25,000 top prize at the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in October, and he's now trying to find hospital and physician partners who could help him run a clinical trial to continue testing. "I've gotten to see how doctors can make an immediate difference in people's lives," Jain says, "so I want to continue pursuing that." - Jamie Ducharme
Marsai Martin, 14
At just 14, Marsai Martin has a career that most adults would envy-she's already won two NAACP Image Awards and a Young Artist Award for her role as Diane Johnson on ABC's Emmy-nominated . But her next project, executive producing and starring in Little alongside Issa Rae, a film based on an idea she pitched herself, may well take her to the next level. Martin tells TIME that her passion for performing began as a two-year-old, when her parents were amazed to find her acting out scenes from Dreamgirls. "I think it's been in my blood for a long time," says Martin. Despite not being old enough to vote, Martin campaigned for Stacey Abrams in Georgia and used her platform to encourage her 460,000 Instagram followers to go to the polls. "When you really believe in something," Martin says, "you will stand up for it. You will push for it to become a reality." - Rachel E. Greenspan
Millie Bobby Brown, 14
After rocketing to near-overnight global fame as the Eggo-loving, telekinetic Eleven in Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown has emerged as one of Hollywood's hottest young stars, with a host of A-list superfans, including Drake, Karlie Kloss and Aaron Paul, and an online following of more than 18 million people. In 2018, a year in which a season of Stranger Things will not air, she became the youngest person to ever be named one of TIME's 100 most influential people as well as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. And her star is only just beginning to rise. Brown is already set to make her feature film debut in the 2019 Godzilla sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, reprise that role in 2020's Godzilla vs. Kong, and both produce and star in a film series based on Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes Mysteries novels.-Megan McCluskey
Storm Reid, 15
In Ava DuVernay's diverse re-imagining of A Wrinkle in Time, which premiered earlier this year, Reid appeared alongside Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling as the main character, Meg Murry-a role that Reid told the Washington Post allowed her to "represent girls who look like me and let them know they can do anything." Now the self-described "future filmmaker"-who made her feature film debut in 12 Years a Slave at age 10-is not only set to star in another of DuVernay's hotly anticipated projects, the Netflix miniseries Central Park Five, but also the 2019 Blumhouse Productions thriller Relive. - Megan McCluskey
Thandiwe Abdullah, 15
As a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter LA Youth Vanguard, Abdullah has become one of her generation's most powerful voices on issues relating to social justice. This year alone, she has advocated for black youth in front of half a million people during the Women's March in Los Angeles and written a widely shared op-ed for Bustle that addressed the need for intersectionality within the Never Again MSD movement. Through the Youth Vanguard, Abdullah also helped create "Black Lives Matter in Schools," a program that aims to end the policing and profiling that black and brown students experience; its agenda was recently adopted this summer by the National Education Association. Now Abdullah is looking to the future, with plans of practicing law and continuing her work as an activist. "I want to change the world's perception of black youth and to empower black youth to claim their own space and demand to have our needs met," Abdullah tells TIME. "I want to transform the systems that we live under from ones that oppress us to ones that empower us." -Cady Lang
Bhad Bhabie, 15
It's hard to imagine a more fitting title for Bhad Bhabie's debut mixtape than 15. The name refers not only to her age, but to the number of minutes her fame might have lasted had she not leveraged viral meme-hood into a legitimate music career. Her public life began in late 2016, when Bhabie (real name: Danielle Bregoli) appeared on an episode of Dr. Phil titled, "I Want To Give Up My Car-Stealing, Knife-Wielding, Twerking 13-Year-Old Daughter Who Tried To Frame Me For A Crime." At one point, the audience booed her, and Bregoli turned to them and shouted, with outsize confidence, "Cash me outside, how 'bout dah?" A meme was born, and eventually, so was a rap career. "When I became famous and realized that I could literally do whatever I wanted," Bregoli says, "music was the first thing I wanted to do." In September 2017, she signed a multi-million dollar deal with Atlantic Records, and with her recent single, " These Heaux," Bregoli became the youngest female rapper ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Next up: a Snapchat reality show. And while Bregoli is floored that she's gone from spending some nights sleeping on the floor of a trailer to being one of this year's popular Halloween costumes, she recognizes that she's not exactly a role model. "Y'all can dress like me," she says. "Just don't act like me." - Eliza Berman
Greta Thunberg, 15
Before Sweden's general elections in September, Thunberg went on a three-week strike from school in an effort to urge her government to act on climate change. "I thought that nothing is happening and no one is doing anything - it is my moral duty to do what I can," she tells TIME of her mission. "I cannot vote, so this is a way that I can make my voice heard." Since then, Thunberg has inspired hundreds of similar school strikes around the world, including a mass school walkout in Australia. She has also been nominated for an international prize for her activism and recently met with the U.N. Secretary General at the COP24 climate summit in Poland. She plans to strike every Friday until Sweden is aligned with the Paris Agreement on climate change; while the Scandinavian country is one of only a handful in Europe actively pursuing policies to meet the climate goals, Thunberg says it is not enough. In October, she took her message to a crowd of more than 10,000 at a climate change demonstration in Helsinki. "Instead of worrying about the future, you should try to change it while you still can." - Suyin Haynes
NCT Dream, 16-19
With their synchronized choreography, bold aesthetic and dynamic performances bridging rap and song, seven-member K-pop group NCT Dream may appear similar to other rising boy bands from South Korea. But the group boasts a special feature: It consists only of members below the age of 20, as it's fashioned as the youth subunit of umbrella group NCT. Together, Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung made headlines this year when their mini-album, "We Go Up," peaked at #5 on Billboard's World Albums chart and topped iTunes Albums charts in 15 countries. A big part of the group's appeal is that they connect with teenagers, as teenagers. "More than just putting on a performance with great visuals and choreography, we really want our music to be a reflection of the thoughts and struggles that teens our age go through," Mark tells TIME. The group's title tracks have followed a narrative of the stages of adolescence, transitioning from innocence to rebellion-and growth. "For the older fans, I hope that NCT Dream could be a group that helps them reminisce and look back on their younger selves," Haechan says. - Kat Moon
Billie Eilish, 16
Billie Eilish was just trying to send some music to her dance teacher when she uploaded "Ocean Eyes," a song she recorded with her brother, to Soundcloud in 2016. Now, two years after that track went viral, Eilish is a rising star in the music industry. Her songs have been streamed more than 2.5 billion times and her first North American tour sold out within minutes. The Los Angeles teen, who comes from a family of creatives, projects an intimidating image-she cries black tears in a music video, sings from the perspective of a serial killer and the first song she ever wrote was about the zombie apocalypse. But behind the brooding expression, she says, she's "a little flower," never more humbled than when a fan is moved by her music. She hopes someday to direct music videos and design everything from shoes to cars. "I can't imagine a life that doesn't involve creativity," she says, "or at least inspiring other people." - Eliza Berman
Isabel and Melati Wijsen, 16, 17
Melati and Isabel Wijsen were swimming in the waters of Bali when they noticed something that didn't belong: floating plastic bags. And so in 2013, at ages 12 and 10, the sisters from Indonesia launched Bye Bye Plastic Bags to raise awareness about the issue. Their profile has risen considerably since then. This year, they organized Bali's Biggest Clean-up, with 20,000 people collecting 65 tons of waste; they also helped get 350 local businesses to commit to eliminating the use of everyday plastic products like cups and straws within the next two years. Beyond their home island, Bye Bye Plastic Bags has also met with policy makers, like South Korea's Minister of Environment, and spoken at environmental conferences, like the UN-sponsored International Marine Debris Conference in San Diego. But what the sisters value most is being able to give talks in classrooms. "Our golden moment and cherry on-top is definitely seeing when we can mobilize and activate young people," Melati says. - Kat Moon
Ahed Tamimi, 17
Even when it's not in the headlines, the Israeli-Arab conflict grinds on along a thousand points of friction, including the weekly protest at the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. Each Friday, Palestinians gather to march toward a nearby spring taken over by Jewish settlers. Israeli soldiers confront the march, answering stones with tear gas and rubber bullets. On Dec. 15, 2017, Ahed Tamimi slapped a soldier's face-an action that earned her both jail time (she turned 17 in an Israeli prison) and, once a video went viral, international recognition. Now Tamimi is being hailed as a leader in a new generation of Palestinian nationalism and urges a new approach to ending the 51-year Israeli occupation. "I didn't do anything wrong that I should regret," Ahed told the New York Times, who plans to study law and confront Israel in international courts. "At the end of the day, the soldier came to my house. I didn't go to his house." - Karl Vick
Tania Speaks, 17
Tania Speaks never thought that an emergency room visit she made as a child would be the genesis of her future as an entrepreneur. But a decision she made from a place of pain-cutting off her eyebrows after years of being bullied for their full, bushy shape-led to the idea that changed everything for her. When she returned to school only to find that the bullies were now harassing her for the scars where her eyebrows once were, she decided to grow them back. She tried several different products she picked up at the drug store. But, dissatisfied with the results, she decided to experiment with her own concoctions. She researched organic ingredients like aloe vera and vitamin E and set up a workstation in her living room for mixing different solutions, which she tested on herself. When rave reviews came in from family members, she began selling the product out of her high school bathroom, launching Brow Boost in 2016 and later adding a product for facial hair. After taking a small loan from her mother, she grew the business by 60% in less than half a year. Now in college studying entrepreneurship, she hopes to launch new companies in the future. But even as she looks forward, she never forgets where her story began. She shares her journey with children, speaking at elementary and middle schools, where she encourages victims of bullying to channel their energy into hobbies they love. Recently, one child burst into tears telling Speaks how much her words meant during a lonely time. "I treasure these moments," she says. "Every kid I can inspire is enough to keep me going." - Eliza Berman
The Parkland students, 18-19
In the immediate aftermath of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., which claimed the lives of 17 students and teachers on Valentine's Day, a group of young survivors emerged as some of the nation's most prominent voices for gun reform. Furious over the deaths of their peers, the student activists-who include Emma González, Jaclyn Corin and David Hogg-launched the March For Our Lives movement and organized a historic rally against gun violence in March in Washington, D.C., which drew tens of thousands of people and earned them a tribute from President Obama in this year's TIME 100. In June, the Parkland students embarked on a national bus tour, signing young people up to vote during multiple stops they made in at least 27 states in two months. The teens directly registered more than 50,000 people for November's midterm elections, many of whom were first-time voters. "It's not about empowering people," says Corin, 18, of the students' efforts. "It's about making them realize they already have that power in them." - Melissa Chan
Kavya Kopparapu, 18
In 2017, Kopparapu, now a freshman at Harvard University, was reading a story about the late Sen. John McCain, who was battling the aggressive brain cancer known as glioblastoma. What stuck with Kopparapu was the part of the story that mentioned that in the past 30 years, the survival rate for the disease has barely budged. "I thought, Why is that?" she says. "We have so much innovation that it didn't make sense that we hadn't gotten better." So she set out to change things, developing a deep-learning computer system that can scan slides of tissue from brain cancer patients looking for differences in density, color, texture and cellular alignment that are unique to that particular person's case. The goal: to develop targeted therapies that are also unique to the person. Her system has been awarded a provisional patent, and this year, she hopes to begin clinical tests in collaboration with a neuropathologist at Georgetown University. In addition, she is the founder of the non-profit Girls Computing League, which works this year to bring computing opportunities to girls in the northern Virginia and Washington, DC area. - Jeffrey Kluger
Adut Akech, 18
Since making her high-fashion debut just two years ago, Adut Akech has become one of the fashion industry's most sought-after young models. It's a future she hardly predicted for herself: Born in South Sudan, Akech spent her childhood in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp before moving to Adelaide, Australia, where she was scouted by local agencies, eventually signing with Sydney-based Chadwick Models. Akech, who was recently nominated for the 2018 Model of the Year by the British Fashion Awards, credits supporters like supermodel Naomi Campbell and British Vogue editor Edward Enninful-who put her on the cover of the magazine's December issue-for helping to pave the way for her success. She's also vocal about paying it forward, whether that means speaking out about the need for diversity in fashion, combating issues like poverty or amplifying the stories of fellow refugees. "I hope that with every 'achievement,' I can also give back in some way, whether it is giving a voice and hope to refugees around the world or simply inspiring other youth like myself to continue doing our best," she tells TIME. - Cady Lang
Jace Norman, 18
To most of his fans, Jace Norman is known as superhero sidekick Kid Danger on the hit Nickelodeon television series Henry Danger. But in the past two years, he's been branching out offscreen, as well-a decision he says was spurred by hanging out on the Henry Danger set. "I would stay after work and watch the writers produce the show," he tells TIME. Last year, Norman started his own social-media marketing company, Creator Edge, which recently partnered with Viacom to create a series of original content; he also has two shows in the works, one he is producing and one he will star in. His advice to other aspiring young entrepreneurs: stay humble. "Being a kind person and not expecting anything to come to you has a way of making people more willing to help you," he says. - Wilder Davies
Chloe Kim, 18
Snowboarding superstar Chloe Kim had already clinched an Olympic gold medal when she entered the halfpipe for her final run in Pyeongchang. She could have waltzed her way down the pipe and enjoyed a coronation for becoming the youngest woman to ever win the event's gold medal. Instead, she risked life and limb to land back-to-back 1080s-three full revolutions in the air per trick. "I really wanted to do my best run possible and knew I would have regretted if I didn't," Kim, 19, e-mails TIME from her training base in Switzerland. "So yah I am happy." She remains in top form: In July, ESPN named Kim Best Female Athlete at its ESPYs award show, and in October, she nailed her first "frontside double cork 1080"-two diagonal flips while spinning 1080 degrees-while training in Switzerland. - Sean Gregory
Jack Cable, 18
Jack Cable is a rising star in the world of white hat hackers-programmers who use their technical expertise to find and report bugs and vulnerabilities instead of exploiting them. Three years ago, the 18 year old got his first taste of bug bounty hunting after finding a vulnerability in a cryptocurrency site, one that allowed him to withdraw money from people's accounts simply by entering a negative number. "I knew that definitely shouldn't happen," says Cable, who reported the bug. He's since taken first place in various competitions, including the U.S. Department of Defense's Hack the Air Force program. Last October, Cable flew to Kyiv, Ukraine, and won the HackIT Cup where Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak presented him with his award. Now a student at Stanford University, Cable has started his own firm, Lightning Security, and works with cryptocurrency companies to shore up their protection against malicious behavior. "Ten years ago, people would go to jail for stuff like this...there's no way I would've gotten the same response," he says. - Patrick Lucas Austin
Amika George, 19
Last December, nearly 2,000 people showed up for a protest outside U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May's home, led by 18-year-old Amika George. Her goal: convince policymakers to end "period poverty," as she calls it, by funding the distribution of menstrual products to girls and women who can't afford them. "It really upset me," she tells TIME of learning that many girls in the U.K. were routinely missing school during their periods because they couldn't afford to buy menstrual products. "The government knew this was happening on their watch, but they were refusing to find a solution." She launched the #FreePeriods campaign as a response, gathering nearly 200,000 signatures on her petition to help eradicate period poverty; the movement eventually garnered the support of over a dozen U.K. policymakers, galvanizing the government to allocate funds to the issue for the first time. But George, who was honored with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Goalkeepers Campaign Award this fall, says she is just getting started. "We can't trust our policymakers to take action on issues that seem so obvious to us," she says. "If we want to see change, it falls on us to create that change." - Raisa Bruner
Margielyn Didal, 19
This summer, the 19 year old from Cebu City, Philippines, won the gold medal in women's street skateboarding competition at the Asian Games-and became a national hero in the process. "We didn't even have a street skating park where I grew up," says Margielyn. Speaking to TIME from Bangkok where she was holding a skate demo, Didal credits her family and her girlfriend with keeping her motivated to skate. One of five siblings, she started competing-and placing-in competitive events without even owning her own skateboard, to the initial dismay of her mother, a street food vendor, and her father, a carpenter. "At first, my parents didn't support me as much because skating wasn't seen as a 'girly thing,' but they 100% support me now," she says. Since Didal's triumph, Cebu's mayor pledged to build a new dedicated skatepark in her honor, with her input. Now, Didal is looking ahead to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where skateboarding will be included as an athletic event for the first time. "It's going to be the big goal in my life to get that gold medal," she tells TIME. That medal would be the Philippines' first Olympic gold and would help cement skateboarding's status as a serious sport in the country. "I want to build a new generation of skaters for the future." - Suyin Haynes
Kylian Mbappé, 19
The future of the world's most popular sport rests on the fleet foot of a French teenager. Kylian Mbappé, 19, enthralled soccer fans at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as he danced through defenses on the way to leading Les Bleus to their first title in two decades. Mbappé became the first teen since the legendary Pelé, 60 years ago, to score a goal in the World Cup final. But his actions resonated far beyond the soccer pitch. As the son of African immigrants and product of one of the low-income banlieus, or suburbs that surround Paris, the young phenom-who plays professionally for the club Paris Saint-Germain-also represents hope for a more inclusive Europe. - Sean Gregory
Kiernan Shipka, 19
Many child actors make their names in kiddie fare, but it seems appropriate that an old soul like Kiernan Shipka got her big break, at six, on Mad Men-perhaps the most grown-up hit in TV history. Even in early seasons, Shipka's Sally Draper fused her mom's petulance with her dad's inscrutability to uncanny effect. This fall, on the heels of juicy roles in FX's Feud and indie chiller The Blackcoat's Daughter, she stepped into the pointy shoes of Archie Comics' teen witch Sabrina Spellman, in Netflix's dark teen drama Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. And the character has already resonated with Shipka's politically aware peers: "She's a woke witch," Shipka told Variety. "She's a strong independent woman and she stands up for herself and she does what she thinks is right." - Judy Berman
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, 19
Millions first encountered Sheku Kanneh-Mason during the Royal Wedding, at which the cello prodigy was personally chosen by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to play while they stepped out to sign their registry. (Social media affectionately dubbed him #cellobae.) But even before then, the teenage Brit was making waves in classical music: In 2016, Kanneh-Mason became the first black musician to win the BBC's prestigious Young Musician of the Year award. Since then, he has released a record-setting classical album, announced an international tour, and continued to bring new fans to classical music. "The music itself can appeal to anyone," he says. "It's just a case of people having the chance to hear it or see it." - Casey Quackenbush
Joey King, 19
Joey King's Instagram followers shot up from 600,000 to 6 million after the massively popular teen rom-com, The Kissing Booth, premiered on Netflix in May. Most of her newfound fans are teen girls, but not all. "I was on an airplane from Istanbul," she says, "and a 73-year-old Turkish man recognized me from the movie." As the star of the film, King has had to answer critics who say that The Kissing Booth promotes sexist tropes. (At one point, her character gets slut-shamed by the school principal after being groped, while her love interest is lionized for fist-fighting the groper.) "I agree that our movie shows bad behavior towards women," she says. "But I think the lesson is that you shouldn't be the guy who grabs girl's butts." On social media, King uses platform to shine a light on issues like sex trafficking and gun control: "Now that I am of voting age and have educated myself politically, I feel inclined to share what I've learned with people who may look up to me." - Eliana Dockterman

Correction, Dec. 10: The original version of this story misstated Kylian Mbappé's last name. It is Mbappé, not Mpabbé.

Correction, Dec. 11: The original version of this story misstated a nickname for France's national football team. It is Les Bleus, not Les Bluès.

Contact us at letters@time.com.

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TIME's 25 Most Influential Teens of 2018

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o determine TIME's annual list, we consider accolades across numerous fields, global impact through social media and overall ability to drive news. In the past, we've recognized everyone from singer Lorde to Olympic champion Simone Biles to political activist Joshua Wong.

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Clay McMullen, Teen Passionate about Saving the Environment: Community Heroes 2011

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Clay McMullen, Teen Passionate about Saving the Environment: Community Heroes 2011

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An article and video about a teen in Ohio who has worked to educate others and improve the conditions of the wetlands in his area.

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Clay McMullen, teen passionate about saving the environment: Community Heroes 2011 (video)

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Clay McMullen, a senior at West Geauga High School, has turned his passion for the environment into a crusade. He is one of The Plain Dealer’s community heroes.

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The story of Iqbal Masih in The Globe Magazine from The World's Children's Prize

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News ELA- sign in

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Newsela | Passion Projects: Kids Can Change the World, Too!

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Emily-Anne Rigal: The 19-Year-Old Who's Banishing Bullying

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Emily-Anne Rigal: The 19-Year-Old Who's Banishing Bullying

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A text about Emily-Ann Rigal, the young founder of WeStopHate, an anti-bullying advocacy group that helps kids strengthen their self-esteem.

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Emily-Anne Rigal was recently ranked as one of Newsweek 's 150 Most Fearless Women in the World. She's received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award from President Obama. And Lady Gaga has called the 19-year old her hero.

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So, what is the college student doing that's making such a splash?

Rigal is the founder of We Stop Hate, nonprofit dedicated to ending bullying by raising teens' self-esteem. Through posts on YouTube and other social media channels, the site gives bullying victims from all corners of the world a chance to open up about their experiences in a judgment-free zone.

In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, we spoke with Rigal about her efforts fighting back against bullying and starting an organization at age 16.

What was your motivation to found We Stop Hate?

When I was in elementary school, I was bullied so badly that I had to switch schools. At my new school, I developed a new group of friends who became an amazing source of encouragement. The happier and more supported I felt, the more I wanted to help others feel that same way. So I started posting videos on YouTube to stand up for other kids who were bullied to give all of us a voice and provide a source of support.

You started the organization when you were just in high school-which couldn't have been easy! What were the greatest obstacles you faced?

The biggest challenge that I faced was not having a road map of what to do next and having to figure it all out along the way. The two things I knew when I started We Stop Hate was that I loved YouTube as a medium and that I had a real passion for spreading this message, since it was so personal to me.

I remember thinking, "Can I start this organization? I'm only 16!" Now, seeing what has happened and what the organization has grown into has been amazing.

We all know bullying doesn't necessarily stop after finishing school. What advice do you have for professionals who may be dealing with bullying in the workplace?

First, you have to realize that bullies have their own issues, insecurities, and agendas. What they say is not what matters, it's how you interpret and react to the situation. Having a small group of co-workers who are supportive and can help you keep focused on the work is important.

What is your top tip for people who are having a tough time at work to boost their confidence back up?

Do esteemable acts! Whether it's complimenting someone or making a small gesture that can boost another person's confidence, it will in return change how you are feeling about yourself for the better!

How can others help you on your mission with We Stop Hate?

I am really excited for the next phase of We Stop Hate, in which we are taking We Stop Hate into schools and starting Anti-Bullying Clubs so that kids can have that in-person support.

We also just kicked off a partnership with The Body Shop Foundation whereby proceeds from the sale of the company's Dragon Fruit Lip Butter will go to three nonprofit organizations-one of which being We Stop Hate. The organization with the most votes gets the largest amount of proceeds, so we have our fingers crossed! To vote, visit The Body Shop on Facebook.

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Emily-Anne Rigal: The 19-Year-Old Who's Banishing Bullying

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Ranked as one of Newsweek's "150 Most Fearless Women in the World," Emily-Anne Rigal is taking a stand against bullying.

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Your support of our girl changemakers means Girl Up can continue to work toward a world where girls have equal value, opportunity, and the chance to reach their fullest potential. You can make a difference in the life of a girl by donating today.

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5 years into water crisis, Little Miss Flint hasn't given up l GMA

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An outline on how to become a teen activist.

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Santa Monica Teens Saving the Environment

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Santa Monica Teens Saving the Environment

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Short video hosted on Youtube and funded through Whole Foods about a group of teens working together to fight a variety of environmental issues. The video focuses on their campaign against plastic bags.

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A brief description of teen activists, their efforts, and their outcomes in 2018.

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TEDxYouth@Victoria - Ella Van Cleave - Save the Dolphin Smile

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When I was a ninth grader in 1964, I was suspended from school for selling peace buttons for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

I was a tad anxious about how my mom would react, but when I came home that morning, she was beaming. "Good for you! Just don't sell any more on school property," she said.

I should have expected her reaction. She had been a teen-aged activist for organized labor in the 1930s. This was our family tradition. I became part of a group of kids who bonded over civil rights. Then, when I was in college, my mission turned to the movement against the war in Vietnam.

I do not want to write about guns, or the Florida tragedy, or the movement that is rising out of it and has my full support. Rather, let me put on my shrink hat and address why it is so good for teens to get politically active, from Twitter to the streets.

Let's look at some major components of their adolescent growth curve. We also need to appreciate that development doesn't occur in a vacuum, nor is it a theoretical construct. It must take place in real time with real people and in real situations. It must be lived and experienced.

And through all this -- though teens won't often admit it -- they do need adult supervision, because they typically are driven by impulse and at times don't stop and think before they act.

* Identity: One of teenagers' primary missions is to become autonomous individuals, who pride themselves in who they are and what they stand for. Some of this is image, but mostly it's solidifying a strong sense of self. They are developing their own personal narrative. Taking a role in a movement helps this process tremendously.

* Group inclusion: At the same time, teens need to feel connected with each other. Being part of a group -- a team, a club or a political group -- feeling connected with others, is a balancing act: being a separate individual on the one hand, but part of a collective on the other. As crucial as individuality is, a team membership, acceptance from others, and being recognized as part of a greater mission is a core developmental task.

* Rebellious testing of limits: We all know about teenage rebellion. We've all been there. How far can an adolescent push the limits of acceptable behavior and not get in big trouble? Or even if they do get caught, it can be kind of cool to be breaking rules. This is key. How do we know the boundaries of appropriate or inappropriate behavior unless we test it out in real time (as one shooting survivor did on Twitter, rejecting President Trump's condolences and calling him profanities)? Sometimes it's rebellion, sometimes it's questioning authority, sometime it's advocacy and fighting for what is right.

* Expression: Teenagers are also deeply emotional. Their passion is palpable -- at concerts, watching movies, in animated conversation. They need a voice and a medium to express it. Some journal, some draw, some play music, some act. Creativity as a means of self-expression is part of this picture.

Some of their creative endeavors are intentionally jarring for adults. That's their motive. (It was when my folks couldn't understand Dylan or the Rolling Stones. I must admit, I had a hard time with heavy metal, though my kids were more attracted to music of the '70s, thank God.)

Activism and protest call for expression, for persuasion. They channel creative expression into a cause, and the cause ignites the creativity.

* Intellectual growth: And finally, perhaps most importantly, the adolescent brain is capable of far greater abstract thinking than ever before in life. Teens are budding philosophers - or lawyers. They grapple with justice, fairness, beneficence, virtue, rights and responsibilities. And they argue. It's hard to win an argument with them, but always entertaining, if not outright frustrating.
The Need for Supervision
The teenage brain is ruled by the reptilian structures that are driven by emotion, pleasure and immediate gratification. From ages 14 to 26, the neurons that connect the centers of immediate passion to the higher cortical (thought) regions that slow things down and weigh actions and consequences become myelinated -- a process of insulating the wires so that emotion is modulated by reason.

This means unsupervised, teens tend to do impulsive, sometimes stupid things. And while they rarely acknowledge it, they do need adult supervision for guidance and safety.

In my time, "never trust anyone over 30" was a slogan. Though when push came to shove, I was really glad I had my parents and other mentors to guide me. And I'm glad now to see adults working with the teen activists.
Back To #NeverAgain
Considering the norms of development, these kids are right on track. They have so much to gain from their courageous efforts. We should applaud them and encourage their work.

Not only will their activism abet their adolescent development, they may remind us all what it means to have a voice and use it to try to make the world a better place.
Dr. Gene Beresin is executive director of The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The observations expressed here are solely those of Dr. Beresin and do not represent Harvard Medical School or Massachusetts General Hospital.

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Why Activism Is Good For Teens - And The Country

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When I was a ninth grader in 1964, I was suspended from school for selling peace buttons for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. I was a tad anxious about how my mom would react, but when I came home that morning, she was beaming. "Good for you!

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Meet the inspiring teenagers shaping the future they want to see

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From anti-corruption activists to gun control pioneers, young people all over the world are refusing to be downtrodden.

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Our country has a long history of youth-led movements that brought about significant social change. Young people have advocated for child labor laws, voting rights, civil rights, school desegregation, immigration reform and LGBTQ rights. Through their actions, the world has changed. Because young people often have the desire, energy and idealism to do something about the injustice they see in the world, they are powerful agents for change.

Our work in education helps students examine implicit and overt forms of bias and discrimination and as a result, educators often feel a responsibility to provide students with the structure, opportunity and tools to do something about the injustice they see in the world. Transforming students' feelings of anger, sadness and hopelessness into concrete actions that can make the world more equitable is a vital teaching opportunity. Voting is one way to get your voice heard but there are a myriad of ways young people can make difference.

Below are ideas for bringing social activism into the classroom and outside of the school walls. These are lifelong skills and attitudes that teach students about citizenship and that there is something you can do when faced with injustice. The strategies can be acted upon individually, organized together as a group and young people can join with a larger effort that is taking place locally or nationally. The tactics also bring opportunities for students to read, write, research, think critically and talk with each other.

1. Educate others

As students learn about an issue they care about, their natural instinct is to share their new knowledge and insight with others. Encourage this by providing live and online opportunities for them to teach others, including their classmates, younger students and adults in their lives. This can include school assemblies, community forums, teach-ins, peer-to-peer programs and social media forums. Include opportunities to share the information in interesting ways (written, art, theatre, etc.) and they should also give other students the chance to explore their own thoughts and feelings about the topics. Youth who want to know more may be more likely to learn from another young person.

2. Advocate for legislation

Change comes about in a variety of ways and one of these is through legislative change. For example, the primary advocates for the DREAM Act have been young people known as the DREAMers, who have a personal investment in the issue. With your students, provide opportunities for them to learn about the history and impact of legislative change like the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Help them analyze proposed legislation in relation to their goals and assess the extent to which it will have an impact. They can study research that examines the extent to which legislation impacted injustice. Have students push for legislation by working with other groups with similar goals, building coalitions and writing letters to their legislators to advocate for specific local, state and federal laws.

3. Run for office

Student government provides a chance for students to have a positive impact in their school and learn about how government works on a small scale. It gives youth the experience to reflect on and consolidate their own positions on important school issues, learn how to communicate those positions, build relationships with others and become a good listener in understanding constituent (i.e. other students) needs. It is also good practice for the future in getting involved in politics. Elected positions are not the only way to get involved; students can also become involved in groups like the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), peer training or other task forces that are working to improve their school.

4. Protest

Marching in the streets enables students to express themselves and publicly convey what's happening while meeting and connecting with other people who feel passionate about the same issues. Demonstrations and protests can be uplifting and empowering and can help students feel like they are part of a larger movement. In preparing to attend a protest, have students consider what their goals are in attending the event and think through what message they want to convey. They can create posters, prepare songs or chants and practice symbolism that conveys their thoughts and feelings. They should consider whether they want to do individually or organize a group of students from their school to go together, make transportation arrangements and ensure that safety concerns are addressed.

5. Create a public awareness campaign that includes social media

There are many ways to develop or participate in a public awareness campaign Educating people about an issue in order to inspire change can take place in school, in the community and online. Creating signs and posters using art and photography can be very effective as can videos and live speeches; these are all useful skills that young people can learn. In recent years, the use of social media to raise public awareness has been largely driven by young people and is a useful vehicle for raising issues and effecting change. The use of blogs, social media sites like Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, videos, memes and online petitions are just a few examples of how words travel fast online and can incite quick and effective action.

6. Do a survey about the issue and share the results

Understanding what people think and why is helpful in bringing about social change. Students can learn more about public opinions on issues by participating in surveys themselves and also reading about them. They can also create their own surveys. Using paper surveys or online surveys, students can gain insight into how other students in their school or the larger community feel about an issue. This is useful in organizing others and addressing their concerns and needs; at the same time it builds math, critical thinking and interpersonal skills.

7. Raise money

Raising money is a concrete way for students to contribute to community or national efforts to address injustice. From organizing a bake sale around a local issue to fundraising on a larger scale for a national concern like racial disparities in the criminal justice system, raising money helps students feel like they are part of something bigger and backs the cause. Fundraisers can include selling items, auctions, entertainment, sponsoring events and more.

8. Write a letter to a company

Students can reach out to companies or organizations that they feel have done something unfair or biased. This is something do-able that can make a difference. For example, if students want to change the ways toy companies use gender role stereotypes to package and sell their toys or games, have them write letters to toy or video game companies and explain why they think their practices are biased. In crafting a well-written letter with evidence and a clear statement of what needs to change, students learn useful skills in persuasion and at the same time, it has a made a difference.

9. Engage in community service

In addition to organizing and advocating on a large scale, students should be encouraged to engage in community service on issues they care about. For example, if they are concerned about the stereotypes and violence directed at homeless people, in addition to advocating for legislation or attending a demonstration, students can also donate their time to help out in a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Serving the people who are directly impacted gives young people firsthand knowledge of the situation, deepens their understanding and builds empathy.

10. Get the press involved

Help students understand that bringing publicity to their issue amplifies the message, gets more people concerned and potentially has a greater impact. They can write a press release, do an interview, write an op-ed in their local paper or invite a reporter to see what they are doing and write something about it. This sharpens their own message and serves to bring that message to a larger group of people.

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Our country has a long history of youth-led movements that brought about significant social change. Young people have advocated for child labor laws, voting rights, civil rights, school desegregation, immigration reform and LGBTQ rights. Through their actions, the world has changed.

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Animation Series: A is For Activist (#AtlantisBuild)