# data[].attributes.headline
David Hogg -- New Leaders We Deserve (politics)

# data[].attributes.subject
David Hogg -- New Leaders We Deserve (politics)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Parkland survivor, advocate David Hogg launches PAC

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
David Hogg has founded a political action committee.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Parkland Survivor David Hogg Discusses Activism, Voting and May 4 During Kent State Talk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Parkland Survivor David Hogg Discusses Activism, Voting and May 4 During Kent State Talk | Kent State Today Community & Society, Community Impact, May 4 Task Force | Parkland survivor David Hogg brought his message of activism and voter participation to Kent State University with his talk March 14 in the Kent Student Center Kiva.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Sir Darius Brown, teenage founder of Beaux & Paws, started his business to help rescue dogs get noticed and adopted faster. - Beaux & Paws

Challenges are inevitable when you're running a business. To teenager Sir Darius Brown, Founder of Beaux & Paws, being an entrepreneur means overcoming those obstacles and pushing forward.

"When it gets hard or when you make a mistake, just adjust, be resilient, and learn from it," Brown said. "Don't give up."

As a self-proclaimed "kidtrepreneur," Brown has faced many challenges in his entrepreneurial journey, but he continues to forge ahead. His business, Beaux & Paws, produces bow ties for dogs and cats in shelters to help raise awareness of shelter pets in need and pet adoption - but the idea stemmed from a skill Brown learned while overcoming some personal challenges.

As a toddler, Brown was diagnosed with speech, comprehension, and fine motor skills delay. A childhood therapist recommended he use his hands more to practice his fine motor skills, and since his sister was an entrepreneur making bow ties at the time, he learned right alongside her.

Shortly after, Brown witnessed the devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and wondered what was happening to all of the rescued animals. He found out many were being brought to shelters and wanted to help.

"I knew that when I wore bow ties, I received a lot of attention and compliments," Brown said. "So, if a dog wore a bow tie [to look] cute and extra dapper, I knew they would definitely get noticed."

Finding success through social media

Beaux & Paws took off with the help of social media. From his home in Newark, New Jersey, Brown made many of his original connections to shelters across the country through Facebook where he continues to connect with customers.

"I [also] opened a Facebook Shop where clients can buy bow ties directly from my page, which has amplified my reach, bringing more awareness to shelter pets and helping get more dogs adopted," Brown said.

As of December 2022, Brown also has more than 138,000 followers on Instagram and uses Instagram Reels to keep his followers updated.

Since the launch of Beaux & Paws, Brown has raised over $300,000 for shelters and been nominated for a multitude of awards, including the Global Child Prodigy Award, GoFundMe Kid Hero award, and Hero to Animals award.

But like any other entrepreneur, Brown balances his successful business with many other obligations. Not only does he produce his own products, market them, and visit shelters, but he also attends school. For entrepreneurs struggling to find a work-life balance, Brown recommends starting with a support system.

"[Owning a business] is a lot of work," he said. "It takes a lot of time, sacrifice, and a great support system. It took some time to develop a flow, but now I organize my time and my days to complete certain projects and orders."
[Read more: How to Choose the Best Social Platforms for Your Business]
Inspiring others to get started

Despite the long hours and busy days, Brown loves being an entrepreneur and is excited about what's next for Beaux and Paws.

"My favorite part of being an entrepreneur is having a business with a purpose where I can give back," he said. "I also like meeting new people and building a community, being able to interact with dogs and cats, and being able to inspire others."
CO- aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation. To stay on top of all the news impacting your small business, go here for all of our latest small business news and updates. CO-is committed to helping you start, run and grow your small business. Learn more about the benefits of small business membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, here.
In the future, Beaux & Paws will be offering even more products, such as bandanas, leashes, collars, and more. Brown is also working on a book that will launch in 2023, a new venture he hopes will inspire middle-school students and adults alike.

"I started a business not knowing anything about business," Brown said. "I'm still learning, so know that you will learn something new every day."

Published

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teen Founder of Beaux & Paws Shares His Journey to Business Success

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Challenges are inevitable when you're running a business. To teenager Sir Darius Brown, Founder of Beaux & Paws, being an entrepreneur means overcoming those obstacles and pushing forward. "When it gets hard or when you make a mistake, just adjust, be resilient, and learn from it," Brown said. "Don't give up."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
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.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When we spoke with Nupol Kiazolu in 2018, she was completing her senior year of high school, preparing to attend Hampton University, and she was the President of Black Lives Matter Greater New York Youth Coalition. She is now 22 years old, and next year, she will graduate from Hampton University with her degree in political science, and begin law school. Kiazolu, who was crowned Miss Liberia USA in 2019, is also currently a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, a dream she says she has "yearned for a very long time."

Kiazolu has been a community organizer for over a decade. According to , she has organized on the front lines of "hundreds of marches," many of which were actions demanding justice for Breonna Taylor in 2020. " The summer of 2020 definitely changed my life forever, so I'm really grateful that I was able to come out of that a better person; a better organizer," she tells Black Feminist Collective. "I've definitely grown in ways that I never thought were possible." In 2021, Kiazolu founded We Protect Us, a community service organization that is "dedicated to empowering Black and Brown people in disenfranchised communities through mutual-aid, education, self-defense, and community safety." In May, we had the chance to follow up with Kiazolu, and interview her about the story behind her organization We Protect Us, about Black youth and the significant role of community care in Black liberation movements.
Stephanie Younger: Can you share the story behind We Protect Us, and the impact this organization has had on your community?
Nupol Kiazolu: We Protect Us was an idea that I came up with back in 2020, when I was on the front lines and seeing everything that was going on. I just realized that we're all we got as a community, and if we don't show up for us, then who will? We can't depend on the police to show up for us. We can't depend on these systems that were built against us, to protect us. So how do we, as a community, come together to empower and care for one another? It really starts with us, and that was the motivation and push behind getting We Protect Us started. I'm really proud that our one year anniversary is coming up. The first service project of We Protect Us was a peace treaty between two street families; the Nine Trey Gangster Bloods and Rollin' N' Movin' Crips. I've grown up in the hood my entire life, so I know about the realities of everyday gun violence, street violence and gang violence. I have personally been impacted by these realities, and what really pushed me to organize the peace treaty was when I lost one of my closest friends in the summer of 2020 to gun violence. I knew that something had to be done, and that's why I came up with the idea of bringing these folks together.

It wouldn't have been possible if I didn't have a good relationship with our community. You can't just go up to people and say, "I want to form a peace treaty"-you have to have good community rapport. Your community has to be able to trust you. There's a lot that went into that, and I'm very thankful for the activists that got involved to help facilitate the peace treaty on the day of, as well to make sure everything went accordingly. There were also no cameras present. No one, including myself, wanted this to be performative in any form or fashion; I wanted it to be authentic. We were blessed to have a community member lend a space for us to be able to facilitate it and make sure that everything was safe. Everyone came together to hash out their differences, and it ended up being one of the most beautiful things that I've ever been a part of in my life. Since then, we've definitely been working on community service projects for different areas across New York City.
SY: Could you speak on the significance of community care versus the system?
NK: Community care is so important. That's exactly why I started this organization. When you build a solid foundation within the community, and people are able to feel safe, and there is love present, communities are able to thrive. The system, in terms of where we are today, in terms of funding different programs, poor Black communities across the country don't have the foundation. The economic resources and tools to financially invest in all of the programs that we need in order for our communities to thrive, but we have to start somewhere. In the period of time, that we're in right now, [I believe] that the system still can play a role in terms of investing in the programs and necessary things that our communities need to thrive like public education, mental health, resources and job placement programs. All of these things can be funded by the systems. Local and state politics definitely still matter in my opinion, but what's more important is community power and coalition building. Two things can co-exist at once.
SY: What ways have Black youth been practicing community care?
NK: I've seen so many different, beautiful examples of Black youth taking care of each other and showing up for each other throughout this pandemic, and keeping each other safe [through] the mutual aid drives in New York City. Mutual aid is something that's really big in New York City, and the pandemic and summer 2020 [protests] definitely made it even more popular, which is a good thing. I'm glad that mutual aid has become more popular in New York City, after 2020, because it was definitely needed. That's one of the key ways that I've seen young Black people in New York City and across the country practicing community care.
SY: Are there any mutual aid projects you would like to shout out?
NK: One organization that I would love to shout-out is Warriors in the Garden, a Black women-led organization.
SY: What is your message to Black youth in the movement whose voices have been suppressed?
NK: I am a young Black person, and I've been in the movement for over 10 years now, since I was 12 years old. I, for one, definitely know what it feels like to have your voice suppressed in spaces that are supposed to be empowering. My message to young Black people that are in this movement is to be unapologetic about who you are, in what you have to contribute, and to be confident in walking in your purpose unapologetically. A lot of times, adults will try to tell you, "Oh, you don't know what you're talking about. You're too young." This time, we are going to carry this movement forward, when these generations come to pass. So we are not only the future, but we are the present as well. We have to invest in ourselves and believe in ourselves in order to keep this going. Young people are more than capable of effectuating change. We have literally been the catalyst of every social movement. I encourage young people to find their own path as activists or organizers, as there are many. You don't have to be on the front lines; just find your niche in the movement, and whatever you can contribute is valuable. Whether you're a journalist, an educator, a doctor, there's just so many different ways that we can change our community.
SY: What needs to be done to protect young Black women revolutionaries?
NK: There's an elephant in the room that has yet to be addressed in a productive way that can effectuate change and that is protecting Black women, Black queer folks and trans folks from abusers in the movement space. A lot of people do not talk about that, and so many survivors go with their stories untold and unheard because a lot of people think that when survivors come forward, that it would hurt the movement. But in actuality, what really hurts the movement is protecting these people that harm others and continuing the cycle. Holding these people accountable that harm others in the movement space is incredibly important to protect people and lives first, and then second, the longevity of the movement. I've seen so many young Black folks that have experienced this, and I too, have survived abuse in the movement. For me, it didn't discourage me or stop what I do every single day, but for a lot of people, and understandably, it pushes them away from the movement. It's really important to protect Black women and protect Black people, and it starts with us. We have to hold people accountable in our space. We don't get to pick and choose when you should show up for Black women and to protect Black people as a whole in this space.

There's no reason why Black organizers should be without homes, without food, without all of these basic necessities, when they're putting so much into our community. So, empowering and uplifting our community organizers as well [is important] because they're doing the work that a lot of people either can't because of their situations, because of their circumstances rather, or they just don't want to; and that's okay. Being Black is already its own struggle in this country, but for the people that are doing the work to help liberate our community, the least that we can do is support them and make sure that these people are safe. Listening to the [calls-to-actions] that Black organizers put out, amplifying the needs of what's on the ground at a grassroots level, and also supporting these organizers themselves and just creating a safer community overall [is important] within the movement.
SY: What are some Black liberation movements from previous generations and our current generation that inspire you? What keeps you motivated?
NK: The Black Panther Party is definitely something that I'm inspired by. It definitely had an influence on We Protect Us and its creation. I know people that were in the Black Panther Party, I have mentors who were a part of that, and just listening to them and their experiences has helped shape me into the leader that I am today. I respect the Black Panthers and everything that they have done for our community.

What keeps me motivated and going throughout this movement is love. I love our people, and I wouldn't be able to give myself to this movement, if I didn't love it because it's definitely a labor of love. It is not easy [to be] doing this and wearing so many different hats, knowing that a change is going to come; and we've seen changes in real time come from this movement. I take to the streets, and I see people from all different backgrounds and walks of life come together in the name of Black liberation. It really is inspiring to see, so my love for the people really keeps me going. I'm just so inspired by the young people, especially those who come out. I've seen people as young as three years old marching. I have a huge amount of respect for the people that come out and support Black liberation and really empower our community.

Stephanie Younger is a 20-year-old college student based in Richmond, Virginia, whose work centers the intersections Black feminism and womanism have with prison and police abolition.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"You have to have good community rapport": An Interview with Nupol Kiazolu - Black Feminist Collective

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Stephanie Younger * When we spoke with Nupol Kiazolu in 2018, she was completing her senior year of high school, preparing to attend Hampton University, and she was the President of Black Lives Matter Greater New York Youth Coalition.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A lot has changed since I first met David Hogg in 2018. He has a beard now, and a girlfriend. He's about to be a senior at Harvard, studying the history of conservative political movements. His face has lost what little roundness it had. There's a new President, and a new party in control of Congress. He's in therapy these days.

At the same time, so much has not changed. In the four years since Hogg and his friends in Parkland, Fla., launched the March for Our Lives movement, there have been at least 611 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Firearm-related deaths have overtaken auto accidents as the leading cause of death for children in the United States.

"I'm sick and tired of us giving ourselves pats on the back for trying," Hogg told me on the morning of June 9, a little over two weeks after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and two days before the March for Our Lives movement held rallies around the country on June 11. "Objectively we've been failing."

That may finally change, now that 20 U.S. Senators have announced a bipartisan framework to increase background checks for gun buyers under 21, provide funding for states to enact red-flag laws, and close the so-called "boyfriend loophole" to disarm domestic abusers, alongside more funding for mental health and school safety. While modest, the framework, announced the day after thousands marched to end gun violence in March for Our Lives events around the country, may have enough Republican support to pass the Senate, making it the most significant step towards addressing gun violence on the federal level in decades.

The 17-year old David Hogg would have hated this compromise, which falls far short of what he and other gun-violence activists have demanded, and is much narrower than the sweeping reforms that passed the House. The older, wiser David Hogg, now 22, says the bill is less than he'd hoped for, but more than he'd expected. "If we pass this right now as it's described, it's been more than has ever been done in my lifetime on the federal level," he says. "And that's progress."

Hogg didn't have much to do with crafting the bipartisan compromise. But his own shifting approach to activism mirrors the evolution of the movement he helps lead. Back in 2018, Hogg had told me he considered Florida Republican Rick Scott "the devil," and called the battle for gun safety a contest of "kids versus evil." As a fiery teenager, he was visibly enraged at Republicans. Now, he is determined to talk to them.

"I've gotta get 10 votes," Hogg told me last week, as we hustled through the Hart building. "I can't be picky."

In a meeting with Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who supports more restrictive gun laws, glimpses of the old David Hogg peeked through. "Mental illness is a bulls-t talking point," he told Menendez, adding that racism is also a root cause of gun violence. Menendez nodded serenely. Yet he also asked if Senator Menendez had strong relationships with any Republicans, and whether the senator could put in a good word for him. Menendez said he would think on it.

Out in the Hart atrium, Hogg looked up at the massive Alexander Calder sculpture, "Mountains and Clouds." He was awaiting a meeting with Senator Ed Markey, another safe Democratic vote. His staff had arranged meetings with staffers for Senators Pat Toomey, Marco Rubio, and Lindsey Graham, part of his effort to get Senate Republicans on board with new gun-violence prevention measures. But those meetings had been cancelled, and it was unclear whether they would be rescheduled.

Hogg knows he has one key political advantage as an activist. Studying the history of conservative movements has taught him the power of endurance as a compounding political force. "We have the most valuable thing in politics besides a boatload of money, which is time," Hogg says. "We're going to outlive almost everyone else in this building."

Over a bowl of beef pho at a Vietnamese place near Capitol Hill, I asked Hogg whether the youth movement to end gun violence has been a success. "Objectively, if you look at the number of gun deaths, no. It hasn't," he told me. "And it's hard to reckon with that, because we have tried so hard."

The year after the massacre in Parkland, there were at least 31 shootings at schools, according to a CNN estimate. Four years later, gun violence in schools is reaching new highs. There were 136 incidents of gun violence at school in the first half of the 2021-2022 school year, quadruple the previous average for that period, according to a report from Everytown for Gun Safety. It was the deadliest stretch since the group began tracking guns in school.
Read More: The School Shooting Generation Has Had Enough.
Hogg is probably the most recognizable face of March for Our Lives, and one of few original Parkland organizers still actively leading the movement. His friend and co-founder Jaclyn Corin is still involved-she recently appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote the June 11 marches-but most of their peers have slowly drifted away. They've burned out, or struggled with PTSD, or simply decided that they'd rather be college students. "It's exhausting for kids," Hogg says. As the Parkland generation moves on, new youth gun-violence advocates from other communities have taken their place, which has helped to diversify the movement and expand its focus beyond school shootings to gun violence more broadly.

Studying conservative movement-building has helped Hogg realize that the long game takes even longer than he thought. In 2018, many of his peers believed gun violence was a problem that could be addressed with strong Democratic turnout in the 2018 congressional midterms and a victory over Donald Trump in 2020. Both of those things happened, and the push for stricter gun laws is still stalled.

And as the years go by without meaningful action, the young people who started the movement aren't so young anymore. "That's one of the problems that March for Our Lives faces, honestly," Hogg says, loading up his pho with sriracha. "[Moms Demand Action founder] Shannon Watts is always going to be a mom; we're not always going to be kids."

Hogg keeps a Google Doc where he lists everything he's learned from the mistakes he made while starting a massive social movement at 17. He opens it up and starts to read them out loud. By the time he's done, the pho has gone cold.

The lessons he's jotted down sound like leadership mantras for executives two or three times his age. Thing big, start small. Beta test, then fail. Focus on what happens the day after the march. Ask yourself: does this make someone on staff happy, or does this advance our goal? Don't let a fox in the henhouse.

There's also: "Adults who come offering help cannot be trusted."

More from TIME

Most importantly, Hogg has "become a lot more pragmatic," he says. He used to be uncompromising. "But we've gotta pass whatever we can, even if it just saves one life."

To that end, Hogg has tried to expand the March for Our Lives movement to include more gun owners, more law enforcement supporters, and more veterans. He's appeared on former Republican congressman Joe Walsh's podcast to try to find common ground on the issue.

"I want to state unequivocally that I am not anti-gun," Hogg wrote in an op-ed on FoxNews.com. "In fact, the movement I helped to start has been pro-Second Amendment from day one." The goal now, he says, is to build a movement against gun violence that transcends party lines. That's why he's so eager to accept the bipartisan compromise: "It's a step, it's progress," he says. "It's not the final step, but it's a good first step."

Part of this pivot is informed by his academic focus. Hogg has learned that conservatives are more disciplined and proactive than liberals, and they tend to stay focused on a single goal rather than try to do everything at once. He and his fellow liberal activists too often find themselves reacting to outrages, he says, "timing the market" rather than building new political structures from the ground up. He cites conservative organizations like the American Legislative Exchange Council, the Federalist Society, and the Heritage Foundation. "Liberals are organized the way that a bunch of six-year olds doing a group project together with a bunch of crayons are," he says. "Conservatives are organized like SEAL Team Six."

Hogg now thinks that curbing gun violence is going to require a multi-year, three-pronged strategy: focusing on state-level activism; expanding the movement to include responsible gun owners and moderate Republicans; and changing the culture around gun ownership in the United States.
Read More: The Parkland Student Activists Are On The 2018 TIME 100.
On this last point, Hogg likes to point to the success of the fight against tobacco. Cigarettes aren't outlawed anywhere in the United States, but they're regulated and taxed aggressively. More importantly, they've declined in popularity; young people see smoking as risky and many prefer vaping instead. He wants to attack the reasons someone may pick up a gun the same way health advocates once went after the reasons people smoke cigarettes.

"If we're successful, future kids will look at guns the way we look at cigarettes-not as something cool and sexy, but as something that's dangerous and gross," he says. "Because death is gross and murder is gross."

Four years ago, it seemed like the passion of the Parkland kids might be enough to move the needle. So many shootings later, Hogg knows that this work is far bigger than one school, one massacre, one march. Hope is cheap; determination is what lasts.

"We have to get some wins under our belt here for the movement itself, because people are exhausted and hopeless," he says, getting into the car with the security detail that now follows him around most of the time. "I'm not powered by hope. I'm powered by the fact that I have no other choice."

Write to Charlotte Alter at charlotte.alter@time.com.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A lot has changed since I first met David Hogg in 2018. He has a beard now, and a girlfriend. He's about to be a senior at Harvard, studying the history of conservative political movements. His face has lost what little roundness it had. There's a new President, and a new party in control of Congress.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Autumn Peltier was 12 years old when she rose to international prominence after telling off the prime minister for his broken promises to Indigenous people.

The young girl from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario - who has been a water advocate since the age of eight - was asked to gift Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with a traditional Anishinaabe water bundle at a 2016 Assembly of First Nations winter gathering.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
She confronted Justin Trudeau when she was 12. Now Autumn Peltier has a new message

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Autumn Peltier was just 12 when she took on the prime minister. Today she hopes to build a better future for Indigenous peoples and wants world leaders to listen.

# data[].attributes.headline
Leading the Next Generation of Activists

# data[].attributes.subject
Leading the Next Generation of Activists

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Autumn Peltier: Leading the next generation of activists

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Boy finds his purpose after learning some classmates are going without food: ‘Reality check for me’

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It started when William Winslow was in first grade and the now high school senior has helped get thousands of pounds of food donated to pantries.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
CNN speaks to activist Malala Yousafzai about girls' education in Nigeria

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Emily-Anne Rigal, WeStopHate Founder - ABC Family & Seventeen Magazine's Delete Digital Drama Rally

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
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.

What's the best job for you?

Use The Muse to find a job at a company with a culture you love. Select the career path that aligns with you:

How many years of experience do you have?

What company benefits are most important to you?

Calculating your job matches...

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.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Emily-Anne Rigal: The 19-Year-Old Who's Banishing Bullying

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ranked as one of Newsweek's "150 Most Fearless Women in the World," Emily-Anne Rigal is taking a stand against bullying.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong jailed three months for posting personal details of police officer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Nupol Kiazolu Became a Powerful Activist & Organizer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'This Is A Civil Rights Issue': Founder Of #1000BlackGirlBooks Marley Dias Talks Book Bans

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Madhvi Chittoor, 12 year old #UnitedNations Child Advisor, Climate Warrior, recognized Music composer, Author, 2 Guinness World Records Holder, Singer, Black belt in Taekwondo, Bharatanatyam exponent, violinist, pianist, clarinetist, etc.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
/ CBS Colorado

You might notice a change the next time you order takeout or bring home leftovers. A new Colorado state law is doing away with plastic foam and bringing in compostable containers.

Meanwhile, a local girl who's still years away from getting her driver's license helped to drive the big change for Colorado's environment.

Madhvi Chittoor is the 12-year-old activist, whose passion is to help the environment.
RELATED: Colorado law banning plastic foam containers at restaurants goes into effect Jan. 1
"I fight for every living being's fundamental right to clean air, clean water, clean soil, clean food and great health," said Madhvi. "It's a really big passion of mine. So, I always I love doing what I'm doing for the climate."

At 5 years old, Madhvi became inspired to make a change after she watched a documentary.

She then worked with Jefferson County Public Schools to make the switch from Styrofoam lunch trays to compostable trays. Madhvi said the change impacted all 155 schools in the county and 86,000 students. Her efforts also helped eliminate 28 million Styrofoam lunch trays from going to the landfill.

"It's a really important thing because it saves the health of the students," said Madhvi.

Madhvi then began working with state lawmakers to declare April as Plastic and Styrofoam Pollution Awareness Month.

"Styrofoam is one big burden to the landfill because of volume," said Madhvi. "Styrofoam also leeks a chemical called styrene and it's carcinogenic and nonbiodegradable, and it leeches into our food and water. It compromises the health of everyone."

She then began the push for banning plastic bags and retail stores and plastic foam at restaurants in Colorado.

"I did a lot of things like emailing and convincing businesses, legislators and even the public to support this bill or law.

Madhvi testified at the state capitol, gave many speeches and spoke to 35 mayors across the state, as well as many restaurants, including businesses in rural areas. She also conducted signature campaigns. Gov. Jared Polis also gave her the pen he used to sign the bill into law.

With a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Madhvi also coined the nickname, "No Styrofoam Ninja."

"Everyone should transform into ninjas and fight Styrofoam and plastic pollution," she said.

As the law takes effect, Madhvi recognizes her hard work is paying off, proving age is just a number when it comes to making change.

"It's really exciting. It's a really big win for ecosystems," said Madhvi.

Meanwhile, as she visited a nearby restaurant today, she also didn't forget to bring her metal containers. It's a lifestyle change she's made and she hopes others do the same.

"I want everybody to start to refuse plastics and Styrofoam, and also like, do their part in their own life, in their own lifestyle and make sustainable lifestyle changes and try to eliminate unnecessary plastics," said Madhvi.

In her spare time, Madhvi also composts in her backyard, plays many instruments and composes her own music. She also organized three river clean-ups over the past few years and organized youth lobby days.

For more information about her story and efforts, click here.

More from CBS News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
12-year-old environmental activist fought to ban plastic bags and plastic foam use in Colorado

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A new Colorado state law is doing away with plastic foam and bringing in compostable containers. Meanwhile, a local girl who's still years away from getting her driver's license helped to drive the big change for Colorado's environment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The effort to limit the use of plastic grocery bags involved climate activists from all over Colorado -- including 12-year-old Madhvi Chittoor.

ARVADA, Colo. - Twelve-year-old Madhvi Chittoor has been on a mission for the past seven years to raise public awareness and fight for children's rights when it comes to the environment and climate change. She's been working since 2016, when she was just 5 years old, to ban the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam containers in Colorado.

"When I was 5 years old, I watched a CNN documentary called 'Midway the Plastic Island' and it was really sad," Chittoor said. "It showed the great Pacific Ocean garbage patch. Albatrosses and aquatic animals were eating those plastics and they died because they could not digest plastics."

Chittoor said in 2016 she wrote a children's book titled, "Is Plastic My Food?" In 2017, she founded her nonprofit organization called Madhvi4EcoEthics to bring awareness to plastics and other pollutants.

"I told my mom, 'I really want to do something about it'," Chittoor said. "So that's how I got inspired to start taking action and now it's a big passion of mine."

In 2018, she worked with federal and state leaders to declare April as "Plastic and Styrofoam Pollution Awareness Month." She's organized river cleanups, met with state legislatures, spoken at climate rallies, met with 34 mayors of cities and various businesses across the state to pass eco-friendly state bills.

"All the plastic bags and Styrofoam which were first manufactured (in) the 1950's still exists somewhere in the world, floating in our air, water, soil and our food chain," Chittoor said. "Styrofoam leaches styrene which is a carcinogenic chemical into our food when it comes into contact with it and its also nonbiodegradable."

Her dream became a reality in 2021 when Governor Jared Polis signed into law the State of Colorado's Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, also known as House Bill 21-1162, to reduce and mitigate plastic pollution in Colorado. The statewide plastic bag ban went into effect Jan. 1.

"I am extremely thrilled and happy that the law has now become affect since Jan. 1 and it's a really big win for our ecosystems," Chittoor said. "I did a lot to try to get the bill passed. I did many speeches, signature campaigns, meetings, and phone calls with many legislators as well as businesses across Colorado."

Madhvi was named child advisor for the United Nations where she continues to fight for the rights of children. She's the UN's youngest advisor and the only one from the U.S. She said she hopes other states and countries take notice of what's happening in Colorado.

"I think Colorado would be a role model," Chittoor said. "So that now all states will do this ban and the U.S will be the role model for all countries."

For more information about Madhvi, click here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
12-year-old climate activist helped lead effort to ban plastic bags at grocery stores

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Madhvi Chittoor has been on a mission to slow climate change. She helped spur Colorado's ban on plastic bags. Madhvi was named child advisor for the United Nations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
#16 | Madhvi Chittoor: 12-yr Old Climate Activist & UN Child Advisor Out to Save the World — How We Change the World | Podcast

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At just 12 years old, Madhvi Chittoor has achieved remarkable accomplishments in the fight for sustainability, including eliminating styrofoam from her school district and influencing state legislation to protect our environment. In her role as a UN Child Advisor, Madhvi collaborates with other chil

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meet the Arvada 11-Year-Old Selected as a UN Child Advisor

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This 11-year-old from Arvada is fighting for the fundamental rights of children to be protected from climate change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
n 1 February 1960, 17-year-old Franklin McCain and three black friends went to the whites-only counter at Woolworths in Greensboro, North Carolina and took a seat. The humiliation of growing up black in the south had left the teenage McCain contemplating suicide. Having spent the previous night chastising the older generation for their failure to effectively confront segregation, the four young men had talked themselves into an act that was brave, reckless, exhilarating and, ultimately, liberating.

"We wanted to go beyond what our parents had done," McCain told me almost four decades later. "The worst thing that could happen was that the Ku Klux Klan could kill us ... but I had no concern for my personal safety. The day I sat at that counter, I had the most tremendous feeling of elation and celebration. I felt that, in this life, nothing else mattered ... If there's a heaven, I got there for a few minutes. I just felt you can't touch me, you can't hurt me. There's no other experience like it."

Listening to David Hogg, the 18-year-old former high school student who became an internationally known gun-control campaigner after a gunman shot dead 17 students and staff and injured 17 others at his school in Parkland, Florida, reminds me of McCain's account of his protest. Fearless, relentless, passionate, earnest and old beyond his years yet brimming with youthful intensity. A teenager who, having already entertained his own mortality, has become recklessly audacious and singlemindedly driven.

Will he go to college next year? "I don't feel comfortable going to college until we have at least $50m to fund gun violence research annually," he says. Has he had time to grieve? "I can't sit back and grieve while so many people are dying." What's the difference between the gun control efforts he is involved in and previous attempts that have not succeeded? "We are young and we are not going to leave it to a generation of corrupt politicians to decide our future."

Hogg has the interview manner of a person who is more used to answering questions than listening to them. It would be easy to lampoon him. But it would also be ungenerous. He is young, his sister lost four of her friends in the shooting, and he was unexpectedly thrust into the public eye. He is also dyslexic and didn't learn to read until he was nine. His mother told New York magazine that the challenges of those early years account for his declarative manner. "He gets absorbed in his words because he's been doubted so much," she says. "He needs to overcompensate when he's arguing."

When I ask what side of his personality the media portrayals fail to catch he passes the phone to his two friends. "There's a goofball side of him," says one. "They portray him as a stern hard-arse - and he is sometimes. But that's not who he is all the time."

Hogg at a youth march in Massachusetts in August. Photograph: Katherine Taylor/EPA

At the beginning of the year, he wanted to be a journalist or an aerospace engineer. For the past eight months, thanks to a tragedy not of his making, he has become a high-profile figure in a media culture where certainty is valued far more than clarity or nuance. He was applying for colleges. Now he is being offered six- or seven-figure salaries by media outlets and nonprofit organisations and receiving invitations for paid speaking gigs at universities that rejected him.

Since he started speaking out about gun control, he has been the subject of several threats on his life and, at times, has been accompanied by a security detail. (Facts he would rather not discuss.)

Hogg divides his short life into before the shooting and after. Before: a debate team geek with a handful of friends. "I was not popular at all and I wasn't an extrovert. And I'm still not: I'm an introvert, I like to keep to myself." After: a constant media presence and tireless campaigner with more than 900,000 Twitter followers.

That transformative moment lasted just a few minutes. Nicholas Cruz, 19, arrived at the Stoneman Douglas high school at 2.19pm with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle and several magazines and soon started shooting indiscriminately. The shooting lasted six minutes. Before the hour was out, Cruz had left the school with fleeing students. He went to Walmart, Subway and McDonald's.

The first time many of his fellow students met Hogg, the shooter was still at large and Hogg's angular face was lit as though for a Hitchcock movie: a wide-eyed glare peering from a dark place. He had heard the gunfire and been herded, with several other students, into what looks like an unlit cupboard to hide. In the midst of this terror, he narrates the scene on his phone to an audience that has yet to exist. "Right now, we're in a school," he whispers, affecting the cadence of a war reporter. "An active shooter. It's not a drill." He goes on to interview fellow students before launching a political broadside: "The fact that school shootings have happened so much to the point that we need drills for them almost as much as fire drills is unacceptable. I call on legislators of this country to take action and stop this from happening."

For Hogg, the shift to advocacy was not simply immediate, it was simultaneous. He went to school a nerd and turned himself a national advocate as the event was happening. A few days later, while the political class was still talking "thoughts and prayers", his classmate Emma Gonzalez "called BS" on the entire establishment regarding gun control. Hogg and Gonzalez knew each other from astronomy club, where they worked together the year before on an experimental weather balloon. The vehemence with which they, and other students, protested against lax gun laws in the immediate wake of the shooting roused a dormant constituency.

When reporting for my book about all the children and teens shot dead in one random day in the US, I asked each family who lost a child an open-ended question: what did they think had made the tragedy possible? Not one mentioned guns. When I asked the more leading question, of what they thought about guns, most had an opinion: they were too easily accessible. They just didn't think anything could be done about it. In the few weeks after Parkland, the learned hopelessness around the prospect of gun control seemed to have been replaced by a sense of urgency, militancy and indignation that had been sorely lacking. Hogg was not yet a teenager when the shootings at Sandy Hook happened in 2012. Neither he, nor his fellow students, had yet learned to be hopeless.

For the first time we heard the witnesses and the victims of the mass murder tell their own story

Hogg says one of the key reasons the shootings at Parkland produced a broader and bigger response than other school mass shootings was timing and agency. "We spoke up immediately after the shooting," he says. "For the first time we heard the witnesses and the victims of the mass murder tell their own story. We spoke out against it in a particular way."

The other, he says, is that those who were affected were relatively affluent and mostly white. "If our school had been in a different zip code, we wouldn't have got the same coverage." Hogg's father was an FBI agent (and is a Republican) and his mother (a Democrat) is a teacher. How does he navigate the fact that he has become a prominent advocate in a cause that has a disproportionate impact on black and brown communities living in poverty? "I acknowledge it, in the first place," he says. "I don't know what it's like to be discriminated against. I can empathise, but I can't sympathise. So then I, literally and metaphorically, hand over the mic to someone who does."

The uncompromising rhetoric after Parkland triggered a wave of protests. There were school walk outs that involved millions of students and die-ins outside the White House and elsewhere. Hogg was one of the speakers on March for Our Lives, a demonstration in Washington called by another Parkland student - the third-biggest demonstration in US history - that took place less than six months after the shooting.

The protest figureheads also drew significant opposition. Hogg and some of his fellow student leaders were accused, by the rightwing echo chamber, of being "crisis actors" - trained dramatists putting on a show for the cameras for political purposes. A rumour raced through the internet claiming that Hogg wasn't even at the school when the shooting happened and that the video he put together was a fake.

Days after March for Our Lives, his public profile soared further as he faced down the ultra-conservative Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham, who mocked Hogg on Twitter after he was rejected by four colleges. Hogg hit back, calling on advertisers to boycott Ingraham's show. Advertisers duly pulled out. Ingraham apologised. Hogg refused to accept her apology. The advertisers have stayed away - and her ratings have gone up.

From then until now, Hogg has barely stopped. He led a mass die-in at a supermarket chain that contributed to a Florida gubernatorial candidate who took money from the National Rifle Association (NRA). Over the summer, some survivors from Stoneman Douglas took a bus tour across the country - 75 cities over two months - in a bid to register young voters.

Hogg believes that the results in the recent US midterms, where he cast his first vote in a general election, speak for themselves. "We had the largest youth turnout in history," he says. "We promoted youth engagement all over and had one of the largest protests in American history." It is true that November saw a record number of young people vote in a midterm election. But it's also true that, at around 31%, the number still lagged significantly behind all other age groups. At the time of writing, there have been 296 mass shootings - where more than one person was killed or wounded - since Parkland, 25 of which have been in Florida. And gun policy was the fourth most important issue for voters (after healthcare, immigration and the economy) even though there was a mass shooting in a synagogue 10 days before polling day. For all the hard work the activists had put into their home state, it wasn't enough to tip the balance in Florida, where voters sent one gun-loving Republican to the Senate and another to the governor's mansion. Hogg shifts register from advocate to politician, advising against impatience and frustration. "Change takes a lot of time," he says. "We are not always going to be 100% successful."

Hogg addresses protesters at a March for Your Lives rally outside the headquarters of gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson. Photograph: Steven Senne/AP

He believes the primary, if not sole, obstacle to change has been the main gun lobby, the NRA. The gun-control movement was cowered by them, he says. "Some [gun-control] organisations wouldn't even talk about the NRA because they were afraid," he says. "Democrats and Republicans were afraid of the NRA. We have to make it so that it pays for you to stand against the NRA and that you pay if you stand with the NRA."

Meanwhile, the population at large has been duped by them, he says. "In the 50s, two thirds of Americans thought having a gun in your house made you less safe. Now, two thirds think it makes you more safe. That's NRA propaganda. Their success has been in convincing people that they have no power to change anything."

He believes the movement's main task is not so much to change people's minds as to make them hear and understand the case they are making. "They don't understand what we stand for. They think we want to take away their guns, and we are not advocating taking guns away. A majority of people already believe in gun reform."

That's true. And yet Hogg's reasoning seems to assign a little too much credit to the NRA and too little to the agency of American people. In 2013, after Sandy Hook, polling showed gun owners were almost twice as likely as non-gun owners to have contacted a public official about gun policy, and almost three times as likely to have donated to a group that takes a position on the issue. When the national narrative is underpinned by self-reliance, rugged individualism, masculinity, conquering, dominating, force and power, the NRA may simply be better positioned to tap into attachment to mythologies than any logical argument about "common-sense gun reform" made by the other side.

On the evening of the Parkland shooting, before the Twitter spat, Hogg went on Ingraham's show. Just as she was drawing his segment to an end, he interjected: "Can I say one more thing to the audience? I don't want this just to be another mass shooting. I don't want this to be something that people forget."

I put it to him that Parkland has not been forgotten. But that it has perhaps become another mass shooting that people remember, like Newtown or Columbine - a punctuation point in a story that doesn't change. How is this possible? "People forget and they move on," he says. "It says a lot about our country."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What happened next? How teenage shooting survivor David Hogg became a political leader

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
n 1 February 1960, 17-year-old Franklin McCain and three black friends went to the whites-only counter at Woolworths in Greensboro, North Carolina and took a seat. The humiliation of growing up black in the south had left the teenage McCain contemplating suicide.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Social media provides an opportunity for those advocating for causes to make their voices heard, spread awareness and garner widespread support. By reaching audiences across the nation and the globe, social media influencers can harness their social impact by educating and informing the masses on current-day issues, solutions and organizations working to create change.

Here we're featuring six changemakers who partnered with Points of Light during Global Volunteer Month throughout April to amplify this movement through their social media platforms. Their messaging lent support to promote volunteerism in communities around the world.

6 posts using social media for a good cause

Taylor Moxey

The Taylor Moxey Foundation was created to empower literacy for children and families worldwide through local sustainable libraries, education and arts programs. The organization's founder, Taylor Moxey, is passionate about the power of reading to promote creativity and innovation in both children and adults. This young philanthropist is already a published author, award-winner and creator of a daily mantra card deck.

The three Florida-based Taylor Moxey libraries are constructed of pod-style buildings created from repurposed shipping containers, providing a sustainable approach to creating more spaces for youth and families to cultivate their love of reading and education.

You can meet Taylor here and see her Global Volunteer Month post on Instagram.

Dani Aravich

Dani Aravich is a Paralympian, adaptive model and disability advocate. Born without her left hand and forearm, Dani has represented the United States at the summer and winter Paralympic Games. She fiercely advocates for inclusion in the outdoors for people with disabilities.

From playing sports from a young age and excelling against non-disabled peers, Dani went on to a decorated career in professional sports, including track and field, Nordic skiing, trail running, backcountry skiing and more. She advocates for disability inclusion in sports and is currently working toward establishing an avalanche course for people with disabilities.

Meet Dani and see her Global Volunteer Month post on Instagram.

Sir Darius Brown

Sir Darius Brown is a powerhouse teen social entrepreneur, speaker, shelter pet advocate, philanthropist, recipient of the Global Child Prodigy Award and founder & CEO of Beaux & Paws, where he designs and creates handmade stylish bow ties for dogs in animal shelters.

At the age of 2, Sir Darius was diagnosed with speech comprehension and fine motor skills delay. But by the age of 8, his fine motor skills started to improve after he began assisting his older sister with cutting fabric and learning how to use a sewing machine. During this time, he discovered his passion for making bow ties. Beaux & Paws was founded during the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, in an effort to help displaced pups become more adoptable with adorable bow ties that help them look their best.

Meet Sir Darius and see his Global Volunteer Month post on Instagram.

Trevon Jenifer

Paralympic Gold medalist and advocate Trevon Jenifer was born with congenital amputation, but that didn't stop him from becoming a successful track athlete and top wrestler in high school. In 1992, Trey started playing wheelchair basketball with team Air Capital in Washington D.C., eventually becoming a three-year captain and two-time All-American for the Edinboro men's wheelchair basketball team. He then played professional basketball for two years overseas in France.

A published author, husband and father, Trey is an advocate for equality and equity, shining his light on issues that individuals with disabilities face within our society. Since embarking on the Paralympic stage in 2009, Trey has continued to empower all athletes on all levels in their respective sports. He uses his athletic platform to spark difficult conversations with high-ranking personnel within government, corporations and private agencies

Meet Trevon and see his Global Volunteer Month post on Instagram.

Hollis Belger

Eighteen-year-old Hollis Belger founded Juggling for Jude when she realized she had a knack for juggling - a skill she recognized after joining a competitive soccer team at age 8. Through a combination of soccer juggling, appearances at special events and public speaking, Hollis has raised more than $660,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, with the help of thousands of individual donors, juggler volunteers and partners supporting her cause.

Hollis has since become an advocate for youth in philanthropy, speaking and writing about how young people can take a passion and turn it into a way to get involved with the causes they care about. Having completed a Certificate in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Organizations through Northwestern University's School of Professional Studies, she's currently working with Howard Moskowitz, PhD, a pioneer in the field of consumer analytics and market segmentation. Together they are applying his research methodology and technology to help St. Jude and other nonprofits and philanthropists communicate with their audiences for maximum return.

Meet Hollis and see her Global Volunteer Month post on Instagram.

Shreya and Sahana Mantha

Shreya and Sahana Mantha created the Foundation for Girls in 2012 to economically empower marginalized women and support their children. Since economic empowerment is the way to financial independence for women, these sisters spotted an opportunity to utilize their knowledge and passion to pave the way for future generations of women to be more equipped for economic success.

The organization's four-pillared approach invests in women to become financially savvy, digitally capable, career confident and socially connected. The programs are based on the organization's theory of change model and are crucial enablers for women to accomplish their financial, career and personal goals. Through FFG programs, women summon the courage to commit to action which builds competence and, in turn, gives them confidence.

Meet Shreya and Sahana and see their Global Volunteer Month post on Instagram.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
6 Influencers Using Social Media for a Good Cause This Global Volunteer Month

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These six influencers used social media for a good cause: To spread awareness and amplify the message of Global Volunteer Month in April.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Last year, Sir Darius Brown , a teenager from Newark, New Jersey, received the prestigious Global Child Prodigy Award for his work helping animals in shelters. Previously, he had become an ambassador to the ASPCA, and even before that, he'd received a letter of commendation from then President Barack Obama.

These are breathtaking overachievements, especially when you consider that less than 10 years before that, Brown was struggling to surmount his disabilities: speech, comprehension, and fine motor-skills delays. "It was really hard for me to participate in normal day-to-day things. It was hard for me to tie shoe laces or [write] with a pencil," the now 16-year old Brown tells The Wildest. "Some people might tell me certain things, and it'll be hard for me to comprehend."

What he did have was an abundance of curiosity. His sister had started making hair bows for women. And Brown, intrigued, wanted to help. "There were a good amount of times when she was hesitant because of my motor skills. She didn't want me to get injured on the sewing machine," he says. "So, my mom suggested that I start off by cutting the fabric first."

Over time, Brown would learn how to make bow ties, his style staple. Then, after learning about the plight of animals after hurricanes Harvey and Irma, he switched to creating bow ties for orphaned dogs and cats - he named his company Beaux & Paws - in an attempt to make them more (aesthetically) adoptable. It worked.

Today, Brown, who now exclusively makes bow ties for animals, donates one bow tie to a shelter for each one sold on his website. He also created Pawsome Mission, a fundraising initiative to help shelters, for which he has raised more than $300,000. And he has a new book out, Project PAWsome: Saving Shelter Pets One Bow Tie at a Time. We caught up with the very busy Brown, who's still making bow ties when he's not doing homework, to talk about everything from his unconditional love for pets to how he got that "Sir" before his name.

Whenever I think of the pinnacle of bow-tie style, I think of NBA players.

Yes! Actually speaking of basketball players, one of my mentors, his name is Allan Houston [the former Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks All-Star], also wears one of my bow ties as well.

How does your business work? Like, you make a bow tie for a human and donate some of the money to animal charities?

Right now, because I have a really pet-loving audience, I just focus on making bow ties for pets, which I love doing. And I continue giving out and donating my bow ties to different animal shelters. And I also do some monetary donations.

How do you decide which shelters you're going to help?

I would say it depends on where I'm at. If I'm home in New Jersey, I do have really close relationships with local animal shelters. But if I'm in different states...like, when I was in Chicago, I'll go to PAWS Chicago . Or if I'm in New York, I'll go to Animal Haven . But I don't really like picking and choosing. People DM me and send me requests all the time. "Can you please send donations to such-and-such animal shelter?" So, I just ship them out to different animal shelters.

Do you also volunteer?

As much as I wanted to, you had to be a certain age to volunteer. But now because I'm [older], I was able to volunteer at Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter , and it was a great, amazing time. It was my first time ever volunteering. I felt more of a bond or love for animals, which was already huge.

What do you personally get from being around animals?

Animals are really loving and caring. A dog is a person's number-one best friend...Even when you go to animal shelters and have conversations with the staff, they will all advocate that they are super-protective of the people that look out for them.

Dogs will never betray you, and they're always going to be by your side. Seeing that one on one makes me jealous, because I want a dog so bad, but I can't. Unfortunately, where I'm [living], I cannot have any more pets. But hopefully we're going to move very soon, and I'll have a dog of my own. I would love, love, love, love, love to have a Dachshund or Pomeranian.

How did watching hurricane coverage affect what you do?

The reason why I pivoted from making bow ties for people to [making them for] dogs...I remember we were watching TV during Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. And there were a lot of bad things going on. I remember that Puerto Rico was hit. Texas was hit. A lot of different places were hit by the storm. I saw people getting help - and I was glad they were getting help - but I wondered how come there weren't any animals?

Then, a week later, I saw there were some animals being transported from Texas to New York, impacted by Hurricane Harvey and Irma. I was making bow ties [at the time], and people would send me amazing comments, because I used to wear my bow ties in public. I thought, "You know what? If I get positive feedback, what happens if a dog or cat receives a bow tie, and that raises more attention?" There's going to be more people adopting them, because you normally dont see a dog or a cat wearing a bow tie. So, I donated my first set of bow ties to the ASPCA.

Did people think this would work?

At first it was like, "That is cute, what you're doing." But afterwards, when they actually saw that people were wanting to adopt, more specifically, dogs with bow ties, they wanted me to come back to donate more.

You also have "wag bags" for shelters. How does that work?

Last year at Christmas, I created wag bags, and these wag bags had bow ties, different pet treats, pet essentials, poop bags, play toys. Different small cute things to help relieve the stress of animal shelters and rescue groups from having all those dogs and worrying, "How am I going to feed this dog?" or "We don't have enough supplies for this."

You've received so many accolades and awards. Which one are you most proud of?

I will say the letter I received from President Barack Obama was really emotional for me. I remember that day. I am eternally grateful for receiving a letter from a person of his stature. It really inspired me to help dogs more and motivate people more because this shows that no matter what you look like or who you are, you can always achieve greatness and success. He pretty much explained, "Don't lose sight of what you are given, continue what you're doing."

No wonder there is a "Sir" before your name.

Honestly, the "Sir" came from family and friends. It was my nickname. People were already calling me that, but I feel like what I'm doing now for the pets...with the "Sir," I'm a guardian for the pets. I'm protecting them, helping save their lives.

Do you have a strategy for where you want to go to help? Like, are you paying attention to natural disasters?

I remember there was that disaster in Australia [the huge fire which burned 24.3 million hectares] with all the koalas and whatnot. I was doing a lot of different creations. I made a skirt and a hat and a collar, for dogs participating in the New York Pet Fashion Show . The wildfires were around this time, and I wanted to make mittens to help koalas with burned hands. I donated, I think, like 200 or 300 to an organization. But to answer your question, I do look at different current events that are happening in the world. And oftentimes people DM me, or they send me to different animal shelters in different places to help.

What's your plan after you graduate high school?

I am looking to go to college. People always expect me to want to become a veterinarian or go into some animal-type stuff. I love helping pets, but sometimes [vets have to] do extreme things. And that's going to traumatize me to some extent. So I do want to go to college for business or some kind of law.

After college, I plan on continuing my business to help dogs and cats around the world, creating more of an initiative. I'm starting off with this book, actually. It's called Project PAWsome: Saving Shelter Pets One Bow Tie at a Time. The book pretty much covers my mission and my journey, and different adoption stories. It's about the different ways that you can help and support your local animal shelters. And actually anyone interested in learning how I make the bow ties, it includes step-by-step instructions.

You mentioned you did show at the New York Pet Fashion Show. Does that mean you're designing entire pet wardrobes now?

Right now, I do not do that because that takes a lot of time. I remember for the show, it took me two to three months just to make the garments alone! And that was small compared to what other people were doing. And I don't really do custom garments or whatnot. I'm not there yet, but hopefully soon.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sir Darius Brown Makes Rescue Work Look Positively Dapper

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This Obama-endorsed, teenage animal advocate designs and donates bow ties to shelter dogs to help get them adopted.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Raa'naz

As International Workers' Day approached, I pondered how to approach the topic. Eventually, the story of Iqbal Masih, a young boy who was freed not only from physical slavery but also from mental slavery, came to mind.

At just four years old, Iqbal was forced to work in a factory to repay his mother's debt. Despite his youth, he refused to accept his oppressed status, and when the end of forced labor was announced on the radio, he fled and joined the protests.

At the age of ten, he founded the first children's liberation movement, and over time he freed about three thousand children from the factories and kilns of ten capitalists. But tragically, at the age of twelve, this little hero was shot dead and put to eternal sleep.

Also Read: Child labor, a blot on the face of Pakistani society

But as someone once said, it is not necessary to live long to be remembered forever. Iqbal Masih's legacy lives on through the statues installed in his honor in many countries, the numerous honors he received, and the many educational institutions named after him.

Labor is a crucial part of our society, accomplishing feats that are truly remarkable through hard work and dedication. However, despite their hard work, laborers are often not given the recognition and appreciation they deserve. Many work long hours in factories and kilns, enduring exploitation and maltreatment, and when they ask for their rights, they are often met with resistance and hostility from their owners.

In addition, workers in brick kilns are often forced into debt bondage, as they are unable to repay loans given to them by their owners. They and their children become trapped in a cycle of slavery, unable to escape their circumstances.

It's important to note that this cycle is perpetuated by a societal mindset that dictates that a rich man's son will remain rich, and a poor man's son will remain poor. But if the upper class were to free these laborers and slaves, they would not only be freeing them from physical bondage but also their children and future generations from the life of slavery.

If these children were given a chance to receive an education and live freely, they would be able to play important roles in society, breaking the cycle of poverty and oppression. The rich should recognize the humanity of laborers and their children, and work towards their liberation.

In conclusion, let us remember the life and legacy of Iqbal Masih on this International Workers' Day, and work towards a society where every individual is free to live without fear of bondage or oppression.
Note: Raa'naz is a teacher and exam controller at Kapus College Mardan, and she also blogs about gender and social issues.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Remembering Iqbal Masih: A Child Laborer Who Became a Symbol of Hope

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Raa'naz As International Workers' Day approached, I pondered how to approach the topic. Eventually, the story of Iqbal Masih, a young boy who was freed not only from physical slavery but also from mental slavery, came to mind. At just four years old, Iqbal was forced to work in a factory to repay his mother's debt.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The rampant child labor in Pakistan is the consequence of the living conditions due to poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and government inaction. In this video, we remember the story of Iqbal Masih who relentlessly fought for his freedom from the chains of slavery.

Even after his untimely death, Iqbal's efforts against child labor continue to resound throughout the nation.
If you want to submit your articles, research papers, and book reviews, please check the Submissions page.
(Visited 143 times, 1 visits today)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
[Video] Iqbal Masih, Pakistan's Unsung Hero - Paradigm Shift

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this video, we remember the story of Iqbal Masih who relentlessly fought for his freedom from the chains of slavery. The rampant child...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Greta Thunberg’s rise from youth activist to global climate leader | Context

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Climate campaigner Great Thunberg has pleaded not guilty to a public order offence after she was detained in a London protest

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
LONDON - Climate activist Greta Thunberg went on trial Thursday for refusing to leave a protest that blocked the entrance to a major oil and gas industry conference in London last year.

Thunberg, 21, was among more than two dozen protesters arrested on Oct. 17 after preventing access to a hotel during the Energy Intelligence Forum, attended by some of the industry's top executives.

The Swedish environmentalist, who inspired a global youth movement demanding stronger efforts to fight climate change, and four other protesters face a two-day trial in Westminster Magistrates' Court on a charge of breaching a section of the Public Order Act that allows police to impose limits on public assemblies. She and four Fossil Free London protesters have pleaded not guilty.

Thunberg and other climate protesters have accused fossil fuel companies of deliberately slowing the global energy transition to renewables in order to make more profit. They also oppose the U.K. government's recent approval of drilling for oil in the North Sea, off the coast of Scotland.

Thunberg sat in court in a black T-shirt and black pants, taking notes as a police officer testified about efforts to disperse demonstrators who had blocked several exits and entrances for hours outside the luxury InterContinental Hotel in central London.

"It seemed like a very deliberate attempt ... to prevent access to the hotel for most delegates and the guests," Superintendent Matthew Cox said. "People were really restricted from having access to the hotel."

Cox said protesters were lighting colorful flares and drummers were creating a deafening din outside the hotel as some demonstrators sat on the ground. When officers began arresting people, other protesters quickly took their places, leading to a "perpetual cycle" that found police running out of officers to make arrests.

The protest had gone on for about five hours when police issued an order for demonstrators to move to an adjacent street, Cox said.

Thunberg was outside the front entrance when she was warned she would be arrested if she didn't comply, prosecutor Luke Staton said. She said she intended to stay where she was.

If convicted, the protesters could receive fines of up to 2,500 pounds ($3,170). Outside the courthouse, protesters held signs saying "Make Polluters Pay," and "Climate protest is not a crime."

Thunberg rose to prominence after staging weekly protests outside the Swedish Parliament starting in 2018.

Last summer, she was fined by a Swedish court for disobeying police and blocking traffic during an environmental protest at an oil facility. She had already been fined for the same offense previously in Sweden.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Goes On Trial in the U.K.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is on trial for refusing to leave a protest that blocked entry to an oil and gas conference in London.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Greta Thunberg: Activist arrested at Hague climate protest

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The activist was placed on a bus with fellow detainees and driven away from a protest at The Hague.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Meet the teenager whose one-person protest sparked a worldwide climate revolution! Discover more about this young eco-hero in our top ten Greta Thunberg facts...
Who is Greta Thunberg?

1) Greta Thunberg is an environmental activist. She was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2003. When she was eight, she started learning about climate change. The more she learned, the more baffled she became as to why so little was being done about it.

2) At the age of 11, Greta became so sad about climate change that she temporarily stopped speaking!

3) Greta has Asperger syndrome, a condition that affects how people socialise. But Greta views her condition as a positive, calling it her "superpower"! She says it helps her see the world in black and white, and that there are "no grey areas when it comes to climate change."

4) In August 2018, Greta decided to take action. Instead of going to school, she made a large sign that read ' SCHOOL STRIKE FOR CLIMATE ', and calmly sat down outside the Swedish parliament. Her aim? To make politicians take notice and act to stop global warming.

5) Greta was inspired by teenage activists in Florida, USA, who were protesting to end gun violence. Read more about the School Strike for Climate protests that Greta inspired!

6) Greta's strike was picked up by the Swedish media, and the word started to spread. Soon enough, tens of thousands of students from around the world joined her #FridaysforFuture strikes - skipping school on Fridays to protest against climate change.

Greta with her original sign outside the Swedish parliament.

7) In March 2019, climate campaigners across the world, and inspired by Greta, came together to co-ordinate the first Global Strike for Climate. It was huge - over 1.6 million people from 125 countries took part! There are further global strikes planned for September this year.

8) Since her strike began, Greta's life has become a whirlwind! She's given rousing speeches to politicians, to the EU parliament, the UK parliament, to protesters and more. She's appeared in documentaries and had loads of books and articles written about her. She's even been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize!

9) In August 2019, Greta travelled on a wind and solar-powered boat from Plymouth, UK, to New York, USA - the journey took 15 days! Greta will be at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York, where she'll demand action from world leaders.

10) Greta has named Rosa Parks, the civil rights activist, as one of her greatest inspirations. In the 1950s, Rosa sparked a civil rights movement that improved the lives and treatment of millions of African Americans.

What do you think of our Greta Thunberg facts? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Who is Greta Thunberg, and is she making a difference? Discover more about this young eco-hero in our top ten Greta Thunberg facts...

# data[].attributes.headline
Greta is TIME Magazine's Person of the Year

# data[].attributes.subject
Greta is TIME Magazine's Person of the Year

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Greta Thunberg Is TIME's 2019 Person of the Year

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The climate activist has succeeded in turning vague anxieties about the planet into a worldwide movement calling for global change

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Greta Thunberg: Who is the climate activist and what has she achieved?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The climate activist has been arrested in Sweden and the UK as a result of her protests.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
On Feb. 14, 2018, David Hogg was in his AP Environmental Sciences class at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., when he heard gunshots. It was the beginning of one of the deadliest school shootings in American history.

A janitor directed Hogg and several other classmates to hide in a closet. Not knowing if he'd make it out of the classroom alive, Hogg leaned on what he had learned in his TV production classes, and began recording with his phone.

"I interviewed my classmates so that if we didn't make it out of there, hopefully our voices would carry on, and it wouldn't be possible for the NRA and gun lobby to say, 'Oh, you can't talk about this. You're politicizing this,'" Hogg says.

Seventeen people were murdered that day, and 17 others were injured. Soon after, Hogg and several other students created March for Our Lives, a youth-led effort to eliminate the epidemic of gun violence. A month after the shooting, organizers estimatemore than 800,000 people gathered with the group at a rally in Washington, D.C.

"We came out of Parkland saying 'never again' over and over. ... That was our original hashtag that we had when we started speaking out after the shooting," he says. "And unfortunately, that wasn't the case. It did happen again - thousands of times."

Hogg went on to attend college at Harvard University, but he continued his work with March for Our Lives. He says one of the most important things he's learned through his advocacy is that it's not enough to point out why something is wrong - you also need to provide solutions.

"We have to move beyond this binary of either you're only talking about guns and how people access them or you're only talking about mental health. We have to talk about both," he says. "We do need to address how somebody gets a gun. ... We need to talk about, why does somebody pick up a gun in the first place? We need to address the systemic poverty that drives gun violence."

The work is often painful. In 2022, 19 children and two teachers were killed at a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Hogg and other advocates come in to meet with the parents and survivors. Later that night, feeling overwhelmed by the trauma of the day, they drove out to the South Texas desert to look at the stars.

"I used to tell myself that things like [stargazing] would be really dumb to do because they are so unnecessary and not efficient," Hogg says. "But I realized that those moments are some of the most important in the work, because we have to sustain ourselves and make sure that we aren't just constantly exposing ourselves to the horrors of gun violence and its aftermath. We can have friends in this work. We can make a movement that is joyful and hopeful and not just sad and depressed constantly."

Interview highlights
On his message to older generations
We were told time and time again after Parkland, "Oh, thank God the kids are here to save us. My generation really messed up and you kids will save us." And how wrong it is for older generations to just absolve themselves and say, "You know what? We can't do it. We're just going to put it all on you kids, you know, the survivors of gun violence to solve this. And it's up to you." And we need everybody in this fight.
On why he joined the shooting club at Harvard
This past semester, after one of the many unfortunate shootings that have happened, I decided the only thing that I haven't done at this point was learn as much as I can about guns and how to use them, operate them, clean them and fire them safely and responsibly. And I joined the shooting club at my college, and I talked with a lot of young people there who were actually pretty supportive of the work that I was doing, along with some people who obviously were not. Nobody's going to be in agreement about everything. But through that process, I realize that there's a lot more agreement than disagreement out there, even with people who think that they're completely against us.
On how being a visible activist impacted his college experience
I couldn't go to parties because when I started out as a freshman there, people would film me and stuff and it would be really weird. I would pretty much just leave most of the time. But over time, especially after COVID, things got a lot better. I really focused on being a college student for the most part. And, of course, I did some stuff with March for Our Lives. But not being in the spotlight as much enabled me to live more of a normal life as a college student. I think one of the benefits of going to Harvard was that there are a lot more people who are way, way better known than I am that go there. ... I'm able to blend in more, I guess, because of that. So that's one thing that helped. But it was not an easy adjustment my freshman year, that's for sure. But COVID really helped because it made me stop and really process a lot of my PTSD and everything because I wasn't traveling constantly. So I really had to confront a lot of the stuff that I guess you could say I was running from, the PTSD trauma, just by focusing on trying to do activism constantly. And then COVID stopped that.

On areas where he finds agreement with gun advocates

I think one of the things that makes me the most hopeful is that we can fund more violence intervention programs, that don't increase the mass incarceration rate, that focus on getting young people the resources they need to not pick up a gun in the first place - specifically working with young men, who need mentorship and resources and tutoring and everything that they need to get through school. We have agreement there. We have agreement around more mental health funding in our schools. But I do think it's important to note the shooter at my high school had tons of mental health stuff. From my understanding, ... there were school psychologists, there were therapists, there were all these different things involved. And I don't think one more therapist would have made the difference for him.

But I do think it's worth investing in mental health to address ... especially our young Black and brown people in this country have from gun violence that's happening outside of their schools on a near daily basis that is not getting addressed. The trauma that that creates and how that harms them ... and prevents them from being able to study as effectively as they could, it really hurts their long-term potential and growth, which overall not only harms them and their community, but harms our country, because we aren't enabling every American to be all that they can be, because our government is failing to do one of its core principles laid out in our preamble of ensuring the domestic tranquility.
On using the reform of the tobacco industry as a blueprint for gun reform
It's important to acknowledge that the way that they did it was they didn't just focus on how so many get cigarettes. ... It's also about addressing why people wanted to smoke in the first place. And I think that's such a critical part of this. We cannot just address how somebody gets a gun. We have to address why they pick up a gun in the first place. ... And they also did stuff around making sure that they aren't allowed to market [cigarettes] to kids anymore, like they had with Joe Camel and stuff like that. And I think that things like the JR-15, the junior version of the AR-15 is really dangerous. All guns are dangerous but obviously marketing an assault rifle to a child to be child-sized is crazy, and the fact that they're using cute little animations in their advertising is so irresponsible. I don't think that the responsible gun owners of the NRA in the 1930s, for example, that advocated for the National Firearms Act, arguably the largest piece of gun control legislation in American history, would have supported something like that, because they want to make sure that only responsible people are getting access to these things.
On why he doesn't believe school police are a solution
We've put thousands of cops in schools since Columbine. From my understanding, there's basically been one instance, maybe two, where they've even potentially, arguably stopped anything. If our only solution to stopping gun violence at our schools [happens] once a shooter is in the parking lot, then ... people are already going to die - almost certainly. The vast majority of kids who die from gun violence die outside of school. Just in the past year in Philly, over 100 public school kids have been killed or injured, and that's predominantly outside of school, predominantly kids of color who don't get the same attention that kids in Parkland get, because our school is largely white. And not to mention the fact that these school resource officers, to many white parents, might seem like they're making their kids safer, but I know many Black and brown students that I work with will not feel safer having a cop there, becausethere the cop could be the threat.

Amy Salit and Seth Kelley produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Susan Nyakundi and Acacia Squires adapted it for the web.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A lesson Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg learned: Find the joy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
David Hogg is a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at his high school. He talks about advocacy, finding common ground with opponents and the importance of making time for joy amid the pain.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Alex Lin was a boy who was just reading the newspaper one day. He read an article about something called e-waste. He learned that it is the waste generated as people upgrade electronic devices. When people are done with things like computers, phones, mp3 players, etc. and throw them away, that's e-waste. He also learned that e-waste is dangerous to the environment. Yet this was not something that was not widely known. Alex decided to do something about it.

To help stop e-waste, Alex got help from his community service group, the Westerly Innovations Network (WIN). WIN spread the message about e-waste and gave people a chance to recycling and refurbish it instead. Before long, Alex and WIN were saving thousands of pounds of e-waste from being thrown away! They helped recycle e-waste and refurbish computers to donate to those in need in America and in other countries. Alex and WIN are helping save the environment, one old computer at a time! This video tells all about Alex's great efforts.

Additional Resources:

Here is an article about Alex and his efforts.

Here is an interview with Alex.

Click here for more InspireMyKids stories about the environment.

Find great books in our store, like Acting for Nature, about how children can help the environment.

This video is about recycling e-waste.

Topics for Discussion:

Think about all the electronics families have. How often do they get replaced? Where do the electronics go after the family is done with them?

One of Alex's inspirations is the quote "Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something." Are there any "brick walls" in your life that you can get past if you just work harder on them?

Take Action:

Talk to family and friends about the danger of e-waste and tell them to recycle their old electronics!

Check out the Environmental Protection Agency website for information about how you can help recycle e-waste!

Teacher Features:

Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.

Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Alex Lin - Turning E-Waste Into E-Treasure - InspireMyKids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Alex Lin was a boy who was just reading the newspaper one day. He read an article about something called e-waste. He learned that it is the waste

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Air Date: Week of January 4, 2008

stream/download this segment as an MP3 file
Alex Lin (Courtesy of Alex Lin)
Living on Earth interviews Alex Lin, who won the Brower Youth Award for his pioneering work on electronic waste. Lin recycled and refurbishes computers for kids in the U.S. and around the world.

Transcript

CURWOOD: One kid who needs no New Year's resolutions on the environment is 14-year-old Alex Lin. When he was 11 he came across a newspaper article about the massive piles of E-waste-that's waste from electronics and computers that's generated around the world.

When the electronic devices we use every day get taken apart or dumped, toxic substances, like lead, leech into the environment. Alex decided to attack E-waste, starting at home. He founded WIN - Westerly Innovations Network (named after his town of Westerly, Rhode Island).

And this year he received the prestigious Brower Youth Award for young environmental leaders. Alex Lin, welcome to Living on Earth.

LIN: Thanks a lot.

CURWOOD: So one day you're reading the newspaper. You see this article about E-waste and you decide to do something about it. What was it that grabbed you? What made you decide to make this your mission?

LIN: I think what helped me choose to do this was that it's such a little known problem, really. When we started our project in our town, like, when we found out how many people knew about it, it was just less than 15 percent. It was like, ten percent or so of residents even knew what E-waste was, so I mean, just the fact that it's so little known and that by raising awareness we could just do so much to help it. That kind of grabbed our attention when we started the project.

CURWOOD: So how many computers are you guys recycling?

LIN: Recycling-wise we're not really sure about the amount. We just kind of hear back from CR2 Recycling because they weigh the trucks and they let us know how much we've been recycling every month or so. Because whenever a container fills up, the people at the transportation station they call them and they'll send down a truck to bring it to the facility in Massachusetts.

CURWOOD: So it's what-5,000 pounds a month or something like that?

LIN: Something like that. I mean it varies between month and month. I mean, some months it's like 25 hundred, some months it's a lot more. It all depends.

CURWOOD: Now you're working internationally. You've taken the whole thing that you started in Westerly, Rhode Island and you've taken it to people around the world. How's that working?

LIN: Yeah, it's working really well right now. Right now one of our contacts and friends in Cameroon-Rosemary-and she's been helping us to establish WIN teams in Africa and she's been looking around in Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon. Right now we have two definite set-up WIN teams in Kenya and Cameroon and the rest are on the way. And she's also helped us a lot by looking for schools that need computers so that computers in the U.S. used by companies in large numbers can be reused and sent to people across the world who really need these computers to help better their lives. And we have a Mexican WIN team who's raising awareness. And right now I think Rosemary's been talking with a team in the UK about starting a group there and we're just kind of dealing with it as it comes because it's been coming pretty fast for the past couple of months. But we're going to have to do the work and we're ready to do it, I guess.

CURWOOD: Hey, Alex. Can you tell me a story of where you know one of your computers helped change somebody's life?

LIN: Yeah, I definitely have a pretty good one that we did. You know, after the tsunami in 2004 there was a lot of shortages of computers, learning equipment, schools, teachers. We actually had a local pediatrician from our area-she went to Malaysia and Sri Lanka I think at the time to help out and she met an English teacher there and he contacted us saying there's a need for computers over there and we ended up sending five computers and a laptop. And it was really cool because he sent us some pictures afterward of the children singing to like Barney software and other educational stuff that we put on there and afterwards they named the school the WIN learning center after our team and that was just like really cool that we could have such an impact on the other side of the world.

CURWOOD: By the way, how do you find the time to do all this work on top of what-homework, sports, piano, and well, let's face it, being a kid?

LIN: Yeah. I don't know. It kind of just depends. Like it's more of a-I remember one of my friends I met at Brower in Boston-Carlos. He said it's more of a lifestyle and I totally agree with him. Environmental justice community work is like a lifestyle. You kind of incorporate time to do it into every day and if not every day, definitely on a regular basis because I mean, sure there are times where I would have projects, reports, tests the next day. Or, even sports games and stuff that I need to get with, but usually I'm able to find time during the week to do the work.

CURWOOD: Alex Lin's organization is called WIN, Westerly Innovations Network. Alex received the prestigious Brower Youth Award for young environmental leaders. Congratulations Alex, and thank you so much for taking this time.

LIN: Thanks a lot, Steve.

Please enable JavaScript to view comments.

Living on Earth wants to hear from you!

P.O. Box 990007
Prudential Station
Boston, MA, USA 02199
Telephone: 1-617-287-4121
E-mail: comments@loe.org

Donate to Living on Earth!
Living on Earth is an independent media program and relies entirely on contributions from listeners and institutions supporting public service. Please donate now to preserve an independent environmental voice.

NewsletterLiving on Earth offers a weekly delivery of the show's rundown to your mailbox. Sign up for our newsletter today!

Sailors For The Sea: Be the change you want to sea.

Creating positive outcomes for future generations.

Innovating to make the world a better, more sustainable place to live. Listen to the race to 9 billion

The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment: Committed to protecting and improving the health of the global environment.

Energy Foundation: Serving the public interest by helping to build a strong, clean energy economy.

Contribute to Living on Earth and receive, as our gift to you, an archival print of one of Mark Seth Lender's extraordinary wildlife photographs. Follow the link to see Mark's current collection of photographs.

Buy a signed copy of Mark Seth Lender's book Smeagull the Seagull & support Living on Earth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Living on Earth / World Media Foundation / Public Radio International

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Alex Lin (Courtesy of Alex Lin) Living on Earth interviews Alex Lin, who won the Brower Youth Award for his pioneering work on electronic waste. Lin recycled and refurbishes computers for kids in the U.S. and around the world. CURWOOD: One kid who needs no New Year's resolutions on the environment is 14-year-old Alex Lin.

# data[].attributes.headline
CBC/Radio-Canada "Want to be a Youth Activist?"

# data[].attributes.subject
CBC/Radio-Canada "Want to be a Youth Activist?"

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/I1Fx3m2oPC4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Want to be a youth activist? Here are some tips | CBC Kids News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As we reflect on the ways Americans of all ages across the country helped each other in the aftermath of 9/11, it seemed fitting for us to ask high-school students in North Hollywood, California, where Ernestine Fu went to school, to tell us about an experience in which they helped others in their community. We received almost 100 thoughtful responses. Read together, they make clear that these teenagers are committed to community service and are gaining a deep sense of satisfaction in that service.

Here are ten ways youth are making a difference today.
1) Sana Ahmed
Sana Ahmed described a cigarette pick-up at North Hollywood Park. The event was organized by her school's American Cancer Society (ACS), which works to alert people to the dangers of smoking. The cigarette butts were saved in a large container and used as a symbol in teaching others about the hazards of smoking among other cancer causing activities.

"Just on our short walk to the park, we were able to collect about three hundred butts, which were located around the sidewalk. By a nearby freeway entrance, we were able to find a shocking amount of cigarette butts... After about two hours, we had collected about 2,300 butts in all. Everyone, including the people in the park, had big smiles on their faces because of the pride of what we had just accomplished."
2) Woojin Cheon
Woojin Cheon volunteers with The Salvation Army and its child-care center. He helps elementary and middle school students from low-income families with their schoolwork. Tutoring at the center has also inspired Woojin to help raise money for students in financial need so they can buy needed supplies and books.

"Teaching, for me, has been a way for me to give back to a community... When I was able to help an elementary student understand a mathematical concept, the student developed a deeper interested in the subject, which was greatly rewarding... I was happy simply because I was able to help someone."
3) Isabella Fortier
Isabella Fortier volunteered for Wendy Greuel 's campaign to be the mayor of Los Angeles in 2013. Although Isabella was not yet old enough to vote, she spent her time making calls and encouraging those in her community to vote for Greuel. Greuel would have been Los Angeles' first female mayor, but she lost to Eric Garcetti.

"For nine months, I dedicated every spare hour of my time to phone banking, canvassing, and campaigning for mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel. While this took hours of office work as well as hours of walking in the hot sun, the experience was one of the most rewarding of my life."
4) Sean Garcia
Sean Garcia belongs to an organization called IXIM, a center for the integration of indigenous Mayas. IXIM was started to create a community of Maya refugees. Mayan customs were repressed in Guatemala during the Spanish Conquest. Many Guatemalans fled to Los Angeles, including Sean's family. Each year, IXIM holds a toy drive for children with the help of the local fire department.

"Whenever I come back from these events, I gain two things, a joy from having seen all the kids happy with their toys and a greater respect for the things that I have... Volunteering is a mutually beneficial and kind thing to do. If you have the time to do something for others, and you really like what you are doing then it is worth the time and effort you put into making these events happen."
5) Rahul Goyal
Rahul Goyal volunteers at a nonprofit organization called Caring Hand for Children. The organization provides education to those living in underprivileged areas in India. One project is an annual cultural show that is held to raise money for this work. Rahul's part of the show is a dance whose theme pertains to a particular period of Indian history. Last year, the event raised $150,000 to help over 1,600 children.

"As a volunteer who played a role in making this possible, I was actually both joyful and extremely surprised at these numbers. Never had I been part of anything so small that could raise that type of money just within a day and a couple hours of preparation."
6) Katie Lam
Katie Lam volunteers at Teenline, a teen-to-teen crisis hotline. The hotline is affiliated with the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 's Department of Psychiatry. Nearly 9,000 youth call the hotline every year. Volunteers like Katie are trained to listen, not judge, those who call and assess options with them.

"Every time the phone rings, it is a different experience. It's not always a different caller, but always, an individual whose struggles stem from the same root as the caller before. Sometimes the call has to do with child abuse. Sometimes it's self-harm. We use a reference system to keep track of our calls, checking off boxes with subjects most relevant to the call, like "Bullying," "School," and "Relationships" after we've hung up the phone. On rare nights, I don't need to check more than one box to sum up a call. Most nights, I have to check several. There is almost always overlap."
7) Romina Noorbakhsh
Romina Noorbakhsh helps Teens for Jeans. Volunteers collect used jeans from schools throughout America, and Teens for Jeans donates them to one of 1,000 homeless shelters across the U.S. and Canada. Last year, Romina and her fellow volunteers at North Hollywood High School collected over 500 pairs of jeans within a little over a month.

"When I went in, I carried this big box of jeans to the store... I was struggling to carry it all the way, so my friend helped me. As we were walking, underneath the box broke and all the jeans fell out. Everyone in the mall was staring and to us... We put the jeans back, we took a few steps furthers, then flop, it all came out again. This time, we were laughing so hard, and we put the jeans back and took it to the store... We finally gave all the boxes and left. I had an amazing feeling... I felt happy that I did something like that, and I was so excited for those kids to get the jeans we collected."
8) Alexandra Nordyke
Alexandra Nordyke volunteers for Visual Arts and Music for Society (VAMS), an organization that brings music and art to community centers. Alexandra initially viewed art as "an individual task." But volunteering with VAMS changed this perception, and she now realizes the satisfactions of sharing her passion for painting with those less privileged than her. At one youth center, VAMS set up stations for different kinds of arts activities.

"The most popular station was the face painting station. The face painting station started to just paint butterflies and flowers, but later in the night, they expanded to paint superhero faces. The most popular face paint was Spiderman. It was a lot of fun to see kids running around in Spiderman face paint, playing superhero games. I have given back to society through art."
9) Vedang Patankar
Vedang has volunteered as a teacher's assistant, helping first, second, and third graders struggling with English at Akanksha Institute's DN Nagar Municipal School in India. The students come from families below the poverty line and often have little prior education. These students "knew little English" and "spoke in a variety of languages at home," said Vedang. He "struggled to understand them and teach them English without getting frustrated." Over time, however, Vedang developed a strong relationship with them.

"The children and staff referred to me as 'bhaiyya,' brother in Hindi, and such friendliness made the volunteering far more meaningful than simply 'collecting hours.' A month after my initial visit, the students received their first unit test scores, and the marked improvement convinced me that my efforts had paid off... Through public service in Akanksha, my vision of community service was transformed from being a requirement to a personal obligation."
10) Harriet Steele
Harriet Steele participates in her high school's Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), which helps lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students connect with straight students, and support one another. This includes increasing awareness of HIV/AIDS and assisting organizations such as AIDS Project Los Angeles. When Harriet started high school two years ago, she said she was only vaguely aware of AIDS Project Los Angeles and their AIDS Walk. Harriet has since participated in AIDS Walk annually. In addition to participating in walks and raising money for them, she has also donated canned and packaged food for locals living with HIV/AIDS.

"I realized that, even as one individual, I had the power to make differences in the lives of people suffering with this debilitating disease. I knew that this would not be my last time attending the AIDS Walk, nor would it be my last involvement with AIDS Project Los Angeles."
Note: Space constraints limit us to ten examples, but we could have chosen many others that are no less impressive. We initially misspelled Wendy Greuel's name as "Gruel." We regret the error.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
High School Students Making A Difference In The Lives Of Others

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As we reflect on the ways Americans of all ages across the country helped each other in the aftermath of 9/11, it seemed fitting for us to ask high-school students in North Hollywood, California, where Ernestine Fu went to school, to tell us about an experience in which they helped others in their community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ruhy Patel, 17, lives in Doylestown, Pa. When she was 15 she was planning to run for student council office. "All the other people running were boys," she says, "and people were like, 'Well, you're not going to win.' You feel intimidated because you're the only girl in the room. It makes you question if you'd be OK in the field of politics."

Did she drop out? No.

Did she win? "I did!"

"I feel like it kind of makes you want to try harder when people say no," says Patel.

That could be the motto for the activists of Girl Up. There are nearly 5,000 teenage girls in 66 countries who volunteer for the U.N. Foundation group. They speak out and raise money so every girl can go to school - there are an estimated 62 million who don't - and can receive official government identification papers, can get proper health care and gain the skills to pursue her dreams.

This week, we met with 13 "teen advisers" from Girl Up. They were a few of the 225 members in Washington, D.C., for the annual leadership summit.

Unlike the 62 million out-of-school girls, these Girl Up girls are all in school. They're thinking about college; they lead comfortable lives. Sometimes their friends can't understand their activism. "They don't think we're able to make a difference," says Janet Ho, 18, who lives in Los Angeles. But that's not true, she says.

Kennede Reese, 18, from Denver, mentions a SchoolCycle fundraiser. The proceeds were used to send bikes to girls in Malawi: "Because even though they have the school supplies, there's no way to get to school to get the education they need. We think of the small things."

The girls we spoke with all live in the U.S., but some have roots in the countries they're trying to help. So they know firsthand what life can be like outside the American bubble.

"My family is from the most rural part of China," says Amy Gong Liu, 18, of Alameda, Calif. "My dad was chosen to go to school instead of my aunt. My aunt was very brilliant, very outspoken about women's issues." But she never learned to read and write.

"When [my dad] told her he was going to have a daughter - me - she said, 'Make sure you educate her, keep her in the loop at the dinner table, make sure she has a voice.' "

Liu pauses: "It's hard not to think, 'What if I was born in China and my aunt was born in America, and she had the opportunity [for] success and I didn't?' "

Does the unfairness of it all make the teen leaders feel guilty?

The unanimous reply: Yes, yes, yes!

Yet they've learned that even though girls in low-income countries face many obstacles, they have a sense of hope and gratitude.

Ishana Nigam, 17, from Charlotte, N.C., visits India every year or so. That's where her parents are from. The girls she meets have "a lack of education, poor health care," she says. "But they're not jealous of me. They always tell me, 'I'm thankful for what I have, thankful just to be breathing.' And that takes a toll on me because I have so many more things than they have."

Meanwhile, all the girls bond over pop culture.

"I tutor refugees in Chicago," says Celia Buckman, 16. "They're 10 to 12, from all over, Malaysia, Kenya, India, Iraq. And they like to listen to ' Shake It Off' by Taylor Swift. They come from all over the world, they practice different religions, speak different languages, but they can all sit down and watch Taylor Swift videos, and that's great!"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Haters Gonna Hate. Teen Girl Activists Shake It Off And Try Again

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These Girl Up leaders know that it's hard being a girl anywhere in the world - whether you're fighting to go to school or convincing boys that yes, girls can run for student council, too!

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.eonline.com/news/1160926/meet-the-inspiring-teen-whose-black-lives-matter-protest-brought-in-thousands-of-people

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Watch: Teen Activist Organizes Peaceful BLM Protest Amidst Adversity

Mikiiya Foster wasn't quite prepared for what was waiting for her when she arrived at the corner of Sycamore and Cochran on Saturday, June 6.

It had only been eight days since the 18-year-old recent high school graduate first had the idea to organize a Black Lives Matter protest in her hometown of Simi Valley, Calif., a suburb outside of Los Angeles. Chatter around town-which was home to the infamous Rodney King trial and remains traditionally known for its conservative politics-and on social media hadn't been especially favorable towards the idea of the march. Businesses had boarded up in fear of the destruction that had occurred some 40 miles away in L.A. The chances were high that turnout might be low.

"I had made a comment saying like, you know, 'Even if there's only three people, I'll still be there,'" Foster told E! News exclusively of her mindset leading up to the event.

And yet, when she arrived at the intersection that stands almost smack-dab in the center of town, a different story entirely was waiting to be told.

A crowd had begun to swell, filling the street they'd soon be marching down. Final estimates of the size totaled over 2,000. "I couldn't believe it," she admitted. "I mean, in the beginning of the protest, I honestly couldn't see how far back it went because I was up near Chase Bank, so I could only see that small corner. That itself I was just like, 'Oh my God. What is happening? Did I do this? How did I?'"

How did an 18-year-old with no prior experience in community organizing-whose prom and graduation were canceled amid COVID-19-inspire with such force a community that's left her feeling, as she said, "like an outsider."

It all started, she told E!, with an off-handed comment on FaceTime.

It was only after she attended a protest in L.A.'s Pan Pacific Park that she became resolute in her plan to take action.

"That definitely did help with that feeling of empowerment," Foster said. "Just feeling that unity, that we all have that one common goal and we're all here to support one another, was very helpful [in] keeping myself motivated, even when I was being threatened or there were certain people saying that I shouldn't do it."

It certainly didn't hurt that she's been drawing on Grown-ish actress and activist Yara Shahidi as her "number one inspiration." As Foster explained of her affection for Shahidi, "Yara has always been very outspoken and never shies away from the camera when people start asking 'difficult questions.' She uses her platform to bring light to the injustices Black people go through and empowers the Black community and younger generation to become more involved. She even founded her own summit to bring together young activists in the community and vocalize the importance of voting."

After casually shooting off a tweet-"'Protest in Simi? I'm in'" or something like that," she recalled-prompted more reaction than she was expecting, she, Brown, and a few other friends got to work on the simple logistics of when and where and mocked up a flier. Once the visual began circulating, she was contacted by Ruth Luevanos, a member of the Simi Valley City Council.

As Foster explained, "Under his original post...a lot of the comments were honestly in support of me and saying like how inappropriate that was of him. Her social media, however, was a different story. "There [was] a lot of people saying, 'We're not going to let you in Simi Valley' and one person even said, 'You're going to find out what an AR-15 looks like close up...I had been getting a little bit of that before he had posted it, but obviously since everyone knew that it was me now, and my name is so unique, I think that did give my social media a lot more traction and attention to some interesting people to say the least."

Judge and the City of Simi Valley have yet to return E! News' request for comment, however the Ventura County Star reported on June 4 that Judge said he posted the exchange "for transparency." The report continued, "He also said that since she used his city email address, the email was a public record and that her name was already out on social media as one of the protest organizers."

Despite the fears, threats and boarded-up businesses, which Foster admitted probably had "an impact on people who are already kind of scared to come," she and her group of volunteer-based "peacemakers" did just that: hosted a march and subsequent rally, with a program of speakers, that resulted in zero incidents of violence and ended right on time.

Reception to the event has been overwhelmingly warm, Foster told E!. "There have been a lot of new people who will just DM me or message me or something, and it's really so nice," she explained. "I have such a hard time accepting it because they'll say, 'Thank you for putting this on. Our city needed it, it really helped empower the city.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I know, but also, you don't have to thank me.' Most of the time I'll just reply with, 'Oh, thank you. That's so sweet.' But yeah, I've just received so much support."

On top of the support, people have also begun asking what's next. Her response? "I'm like, 'Yes I'm thinking. I got you. We still have to be careful because of COVID-19, but we're going to do something because this movement is far from done."
[Editor Note: Shortly after this story published, Foster announced her next event, a "peaceful march" to be held on June 19, 2020 (aka Juneteenth, the day slavery finally ended in the United States) in Simi Valley.]

As she ponders her next steps and prepares to attend UCLA in the fall, where she'll study business economics and political science with a minor in global studies, Foster said, "I have always known that I will be involved in activism somehow, but am still learning exactly which way that will take form."

For now, she hopes to encourage other people her age out there in small towns similar to Simi Valley who might be interested in following in her footsteps.

"I would say do it," Foster said with a laugh. "Definitely know what you're walking into because it's a lot of work and I definitely wasn't prepared. But as long as you have that strong support system-nine times out of 10, you're not going to be the only person in that community who wants to do this and who wants something to change...Just do it."

Despite the threats going so far as to include a claim that someone had "found my address, my phone number and pictures of my family," Foster remained committed to the cause. After talking it over with her mom, Leslie Foster, she was reminded of her family's history in the fight for civil rights. "Her parents...were part of CORE [Congress of Racial Equality] back in the '60s," she shared, referencing her maternal grandparents. "My grandpa marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and...they had heard worse than I had and they kept going and kept going. So that really helped me keep that motivation."

"The people that are saying all of these things are just proving to me that this does need to happen because there's a lot of people in Simi who feel how I do and who did feel isolated in elementary and middle and high school," Foster continued, "and who are really going to have a positive impact from the sort of unity that would come out of Saturday."

Foster said Luevanos wanted to show her support, telling the organizer she thought Foster was "doing a great thing." It was through the council member, she added, that Foster "was able to meet a bunch of different other community leaders and community organizers that eventually did help me make Saturday happen."

Not everyone was as supportive as Luevanos, however. After emailing the entire City Council, as well as the town's mayor, chief of police, and school board, to "give these public officials a chance to be involved in the community and, you know, let our voices truly be heard to people that oftentimes are the ones making decisions on specific things going on in the city," Mayor Pro Tem Mike Judge made public her letter and his response to it without receiving Foster's consent.

In his response, as reported by local paper Ventura County Star, Judge wrote that he was "hard pressed to find one example of a truly peaceful protest," and that "almost all of the protest to date, have turned to violence and destruction." He then asked her to "reconsider this protest march, and call it off."

Michael Coons/Acorn Newspapers

"I was honestly just on FaceTime with one of my friends, Alyssa Brown, and I was like 'You know what, we should do a protest in Simi,'" Foster said. "And she was like, 'Why are you still talking to me? Go plan it.'"

She'd only ever been to one protest in her life up until that point-for the environment-but she knew she wanted to take action at home just as people were doing all over the country. "What happened to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor has been happening to black people for forever," Foster explained. "I don't think it was necessarily like this new thing happened. It was more so just this built up fact of this happening over and over again, and me always feeling like I couldn't do anything. Like I was too young."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meet the Inspiring Teen Whose Black Lives Matter Protest Brought In Thousands of People - E! Online

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Watch: Teen Activist Organizes Peaceful BLM Protest Amidst Adversity Mikiiya Foster wasn't quite prepared for what was waiting for her when she arrived at the corner of Sycamore and Cochran on Saturday, June 6.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When 16-year-old Anika Krishnan isn't playing the violin with her band or board games with her family, she's helping teens find volunteer opportunities through her nonprofit Treefish.

Krishnan figured that many nonprofits were struggling after the pandemic hit, so she started volunteering through remote opportunities.

"During the pandemic, I felt really isolated, because I didn't really have any interaction with my classmates," Krishnan said. "Volunteering helped me feel like I was doing something to help my community."

Krishnan wanted to share this experience with classmates and find ways to impact her community at a larger level. So she created a prototype of a mobile app encouraging youth to volunteer. Her app was selected as a national finalist in a competition by ProjectCSGIRLS in 2020.

Treefish continues to help teens find remote volunteer opportunities and recently added paid internships. Krishnan finds organizations online and features partners on her website and blog. The app currently lists more than 150 organizations and has around 500 volunteers using the platform.

Krishnan, who last year received a Bellevue Youth Leadership award for "Outstanding Creative & Innovative Thinker," uses social media and virtual announcements at her school to promote Treefish. But she said getting the word out more broadly has been a challenge.

Going forward, Krishnan hopes to partner with more organizations and create a newsletter that send users updates about new opportunities posted on the site.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Seattle high schooler creates online hub to encourage youth volunteering

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Anika Krishnan. (Treefish Photo) When 16-year-old Anika Krishnan isn't playing the violin with her band or board games with her family, she's helping

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nine stories made by and about young people making a difference

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teen producers find and tell stories of young people making a difference in their communities for this special PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs feature.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Download Article

Download Article

An activist is anyone who sees the need for change and devotes their time to doing something about it. And, as successful teen activists prove, structural, social, or economic barriers don't have to stop you from pursuing your passion and creating positive change. If you are interested in making a difference for a cause you care about, you can do so by educating yourself about the issue, finding ways to get involved in-person and online, and possibly even pursuing a career in a field related to your cause.

Add New Question

Is registering people to vote a form of activism?

Bridget Connolly has volunteered on political campaigns at the local and federal level for over 10 years, most notably for the 2008 Obama campaign in Nevada and Josh Harder's Congressional race in 2018. She has gone door-to-door to help register voters and get out the vote in both California and Nevada.

Yes! Registering people to vote helps remove barriers for people who have been marginalized by educational systems, culture, and misinformation about the importance of their vote. I've had so many experiences where every vote counts. If 500 people are registering people to vote in a specific county, and we each get 1 person, and somebody wins by 400 votes, that's a really big deal. I think it's a civic duty for people who understand how politics work and understand that voting is at the bedrock of all of that. The people who don't vote are essentially disenfranchised; they aren't playing a part in what's happening with their tax dollars and who is representing them at the local, state, and federal level. All levels. It takes a lot of work to stay informed, but that's how our system is set up. You're voting people into power, so it's a civic duty.

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

This article was co-authored by Bridget Connolly and by wikiHow staff writer, Christopher M. Osborne, PhD. Bridget Connolly has volunteered on political campaigns at the local and federal level for over 10 years, most notably for the 2008 Obama campaign in Nevada and Josh Harder's Congressional race in 2018. She has gone door-to-door to help register voters and get out the vote in both California and Nevada. This article has been viewed 888,355 times.

Updated: November 19, 2023

If you feel passionately about an issue and want to become an activist, start by contacting local or online organizations with a similar mission. Ask them if you can volunteer your time or donate your money to contribute to the cause. Alternatively, you can also promote your cause on social media, share news articles, and circulate online petitions to raise awareness. Be sure to stay well-informed by keeping current with any news related to your cause! For tips on finding organizations that support your cause, read on!

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 888,355 times.

"I was doing a schoolwork about teen activism, and all of these thoughts and ideas helped me with what I could write about! I loved how you explained it, and it's a really well-written article. Congrats, you should be proud!" ..." more

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An activist is anyone who sees the need for change and devotes their time to doing something about it. And, as successful teen activists prove, structural, social, or economic barriers don't have to stop you from pursuing your passion and...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you don't know Marley Dias ' name, you better learn it quickly. The 16-year-old activist and founder of the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign is one of the many young people changing the world for the better.

In 2015, when Marley was still in middle school, she started her organization to increase access to and recognition of books with Black female protagonists. What was meant to be a one-off effort exploded into a years-long campaign, centering the stories of Black girls in an overwhelmingly white field. Through organizing and campaigning, she has been able to emphasize the importance of representation in literary spaces for young people. She's even written her own book about activism and doing the work of changing the world, and has a Netflix series highlighting Black voices.

In an effort to help other young people do that work, Marley is hosting Rebel Girls Fest: Adventure Awaits, an event during Women's History Month meant to inspire and empower young girls.

Teen Vogue talked with Dias about her upcoming projects and collaborations with Rebel Girls, a company "on a mission to inspire young girls."

Marley Dias: The #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign started because I have basically loved to read most of my life and my parents have shown me the importance of representation in reading. And then I spent a lot of time in my home, seeing myself reflected, seeing Black girls as the main characters in the books that I read. But when I went to school, specifically in fifth grade, there was disparity. So when I talk about the highlights of #1000BlackGirlBooks and collecting books that promote diversity, we've now been able to collect over 13,000 books where Black girls are the main characters and donate more than half internationally.

Whenever I think about the origins of just being some person that likes to read, and likes to see themselves and now being able to use something that I'm really interested in, to tell others the amount of books we've been able to collect in the years, always stands out.

MD: I'm so excited to partner with Rebel Girls for a host of reasons. I've known Rebel Girls for their best-selling book, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls ... which I value a lot.

When it comes to specifically talking about Rebel Girls Fest: Adventure Awaits, it's really important to me for two reasons. One, the event is free and virtual. So we're able to reach so many other people that may not have access to these experiences, these lessons, and these stories, which means a lot to me.

Another thing is that there are actual girls at the center of this work and I think a lot of the times the word 'girl' is used when talking about issues that ... older women face. And I think it's really important to have people like Maya Gabeira and Eris Baker and myself, who are actually teenagers and young women in this new era, to discuss what it feels like to be a young woman in this era. So I find that really special and important and it's something that, to be honest, I haven't experienced much before, where I'm not the only young person talking about what girls need, but rather we're opening a space for actual girls to talk about how they feel in these moments.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you don't know Marley Dias ' name, you better learn it quickly. The 16-year-old activist and founder of the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign is one of the many young people changing the world for the better. In 2015, when Marley was still in middle school, she started her organization to increase access to and recognition of books with Black female protagonists.

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/gjGL6YY6oMs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Daily Show - Malala Yousafzai Extended Interview

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMGlaNUv668

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Young voices for World Wildlife Day 2020 - long version

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a33336406/marley-dias-black-lives-matter-essay/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Iqbal Masih became a debt slave in a carpet factory in Pakistan when he was a child. Five years later he was set free. He gave other children the courage to leave their owners.

Iqbal was threatened by the carpet factory owners and was murdered on 16 April 1995. He is a symbol for the struggle against child labour and in 2000, he received the first World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child posthumously (after his death).

Iqbal was around five when he started working in the carpet factory. He worked from early morning until evening and was often treated badly. When his mother Anayat needs money for an operation, she took out a loan from a carpet factory owner. The loan, or 'peshgi', was in Iqbal's name. That means that Iqbal owes Ghullah the 5000 rupees (ca 600 US dollars) that his mother's operation cost. Now Iqbal was a debt slave and the factory owner was in charge of his life. > Read the whole story about Iqbal's life and death here.

Experience Iqbal's life, liberation and death in this graphic novel. © WCPF

Learn more about Iqbal in the Globe Magazine (2009).

Text: Magnus Bergmar

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Iqbal was freed after years of slave labor in a Pakistan rug factory but was then murdered at 12 for fighting child labor. Watch video and read his story.

# data[].attributes.headline
Kid Activists Who are Changing the World

# data[].attributes.subject
Kid Activists Who are Changing the World

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2020/04/11/12-kids-who-are-changing-their-communities-our-world/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
One of the most fascinating things about working on KidsPost is learning about kids who use their time and talents to help others. We've written about kids who are famous for their efforts - yes, a certain teen climate activist comes to mind - but we've profiled many more who become leaders in their schools or their communities. They have fostered abandoned kittens, collected eyeglasses for those who can't afford them and created artwork for the apartments of people moving out of homelessness. And they have raised awareness of countless issues, including hunger, gun violence and bullying.

To mark 20 years of KidsPost, we wanted to highlight 20 kids and teens from around the world who have noticed problems in their communities or countries and are working to solve them. We then realized that 20 is a lot to read in one sitting, so we have profiled 12 here. We would like you to help us decide on eight more to feature through the rest of this year. (Send your suggestions to kidspost@washpost.com with the subject heading "kid activist.") We hope these stories inspire you to figure out what your community needs and use your considerable energy and creativity to bring about change.
- Christina Barron, KidsPost editor
Shana Grant, 17, Washington, D.C.

Cause: Gun control and nonviolence

There were 116 homicides in the nation's capital in 2017. It took just one to change Shana Grant's life.

"I had always been interested in social justice and how I could improve my community," the 17-year-old Washington native said. "But I wasn't sure how to go about it."

After September 20, 2017, she knew. That was the night that her 16-year-old friend, Zaire Kelly, was shot to death outside his home by a teenager trying to rob him.

Zaire was the first person Shana knew personally who had died from gun violence. And she wanted him to be the last. Police statistics showed that the percentage of gun-related deaths in the city was rising.

"It was time for it to be enough," Shana said.

Believing strongly that youths can make a difference, she engaged in anti-violence activism. She was on Pennsylvania Avenue a few months later for the student-led March for Our Lives demonstration supporting gun-control measures. Other rallies and meetings followed. Last year, she was elected a D.C. youth "mayor" through a city-run program that develops future leaders.

"I have a unique perspective as an African American girl living in Ward 8 and seeing how gun violence and poverty affect families in my community," Shana said.

Now she is working on a proposal to help students who are at risk of turning to a life of crime. She calls it "preventing the school-to-prison pipeline."

At youth government meetings and town hall gatherings, she urges nonviolent solutions to problems. She calls it "practicing peace."

Here are some of her suggestions for young people feeling angry or stressed: Breathe deeply, write down your feelings, talk to someone, try to see the other person's point of view, and look for activities you enjoy, such as listening to music.

Shana expects to graduate in May from BASIS DC charter school. She wants to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, in the fall and plans to become a doctor. She is not planning on giving up her activism, though.

"Things need to be changed," she said. "I want to be part of that change."
- Marylou Tousignant
Kauã Rodolfo, 11, Brazil

Cause: Raising environmental awareness

One natural disaster after another had sent Brazil reeling. There had been a massive mudslide in the country's southeast, then a mysterious oil spill along the northeastern shore, and finally the fires in the Amazon rainforest.

That was when Kauã Rodolfo, 11, decided it was time to help. The way he sees it, the planet is in big trouble - and it's up to kids to solve it. So he started planting trees in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, one after another.

"It's important to save the planet," Kauã said, "and it's important to protect the trees, because they make us better."

Kauã is an ambassador of an organization called Plant-for-the-Planet. Conceived in 2007 by a 9-year-old German named Felix Finkbeiner, it is an international awareness campaign led by children that began with an ambitious goal: plant 1 million trees. But soon, what began as the one tree Felix planted at his school had turned into several thousands, then several hundreds of thousands, then, within a few years, 1 million.

But the campaign - and the mission - didn't stop there. It has sprouted in dozens of countries across the world. Last autumn, it reached Kauã's classroom. He immediately fell in love with the idea of planting trees and raising awareness about the environment, so he signed up for a day-long training course to become an ambassador of Plant-for-the- Planet.

What's happening in the environment is unpredictable. It's a scary time to be a kid. But Kauã doesn't think it has to be.

The planet will find a way if people can learn to work together, he says. It is a value he is trying to instill by making frequent environmental presentations and planting trees.

"I'm not scared of the future of the planet, because I'm going to help the planet," he said. "I'm going to do this. I'm going to go forward with this project. You don't have to be scared."

He's already planted seven trees. And he's excited to plant more.

"I don't know why I love nature, but if I stopped planting trees, I would be sad," he said.
- Terrence McCoy
Maimouna Ndiaye, 14, Mali

Cause: Get more girls involved in programming

The youngest kid on Mali's national robotics team wants to build the perfect assistant.

"Artificial intelligence that is extremely precise," Maimouna Ndiaye said, "for someone who is very busy."

Like her - the teenager in the West African country's bustling capital, Bamako, spends most afternoons behind a Dell laptop, coding away while pop stars such as Shawn Mendes croon through her speakers.

Maimouna, 14, is one of two girls on her high school's elite programming squad, balancing a full load of schoolwork on top of technology competitions across Africa. They create, among other projects, applications that translate Mali's mother tongue, Bambara, into French and English.

"She is a master," said her coach, Malick Traore, the technical manager at RobotsMali - and very unusual in a conservative region where some frown upon women who choose to work.

"That mentality is old-fashioned," said Maimouna, a numbers lover who applied for her first computer camp at age 9. A group of engineers had visited her school, she said, inspiring her to take the leap.

Today she sees robotics as the future - a path to speed up development in a nation where the average worker earns just more than $2,100 a year - and nudges other girls in town to pursue their machine dreams.

The first step, she tells them, is shushing the internal voice that says, "You can't do it."

"You're capable," she gushes in these pep talks. "We need everyone to get involved and build a better world."

Plus, she said, it's fun.

Maimouna has designed a remote-controlled robot on wheels that flashes a rainbow of colors. She hopes to construct something more humanlike as technology advances, an android that handles everyone's chores.

For now, she's busy studying artificial intelligence - the focus of her next competition this summer in Rwanda.
- Danielle Paquette
William Winslow, 14, North Carolina

Cause: Ending childhood hunger

William Winslow could spend the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend playing basketball in the driveway at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina. Instead, the founder of the Food Drive Kids sits at the kitchen table with his 10-year-old brother, Alexander, and their parents to plan his nonprofit's annual food drive.

"I will do whatever it takes to end childhood hunger," he said.

William was in the first grade when he first learned that as many as 1 in 5 kids in his state were at risk for hunger - including some of his classmates.

"That came as a shock," he said. "I thought everyone had the same life as me. It was a rude awakening to the real world."

He persuaded his mom to drive him to a local Food Lion. There, he talked shoppers into buying food - 1,400 pounds worth - to send home in backpacks with kids during spring break.

Seven years later, he's collected more than 55,000 pounds of food, raised $63,000 and been recognized as a Prudential Spirit of Community honoree.

He's expanded his mission, too. With Alexander working as head of advertising, Food Drive Kids also provides emergency food relief to the community, has helped build four school gardens to give kids access to healthy food and has set up two Little Food Pantries, which the brothers stock with food and toiletries each Friday.

"I didn't imagine that William would be 14 and still doing this, but the older he gets, the more passionate he is," his mom, Blythe Clifford, said.

Many children, not just William and Alexander, still help make Food Drive Kids' food drive a success. More than 100 kids from the boys' school and Scout groups turn out in April to hand out food lists to shoppers, collect purchased boxed and canned items and load them into trucks.

Said William: "We prefer kid [volunteers] over adults because they don't think something is impossible. They just want to do it, and it ends up being possible."
- Lela Nargi
Haaziq Kazi, 13, India

Cause: Ocean trash

It was the sight of a dead whale in a National Geographic documentary that moved Haaziq Kazi to act. Washed ashore, the whale had 37 pounds of plastic inside its bloated stomach.

"Two things stuck to me: The first was the magnitude of the problem, and the second was the impact it has on life," he said.

So when the time came for a school project, when students had to come up with solutions to a problem they felt strongly about, Haaziq chose to work on ocean trash.

"There are about 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the ocean," he said. "This would be enough to stack two-liter plastic bottles from here to the moon and back - twice."

Haaziq, then 9 years old, attempted to create a device that could help clean the oceans. Finished in three years, the first concept design of the device - called ERVIS - is a ship with saucers and chambers. While saucers would float on the surface of the ocean, creating a whirlpool to suck the waste inside, the chamber compartments would store the waste. The ship would then separate the waste into large, medium, small and plastic particle categories. The waste would be forwarded for recycling on land. It would be powered by renewable energy and have a mechanism to filter out marine life that may get pulled inside.

He has worked with a product designer to make a 3-D printed model, and he intends "to work on a real-life model in the next stage," said Haaziq, who is collaborating with scientists and engineers. "This is literally a moonshot project with huge funding requirements."

While the ship is the long-term goal, he has not stopped his fight against plastic. Six months ago, he set up the ERVIS Foundation to bring a "generational change," by educating kids about the effects of plastic usage. The foundation has created an app to track daily consumption of plastic, provide tips on how to cut down plastic use and sell zero-waste products.

"You are never too young to make a difference," says the eighth-grader from the city of Pune in western India. Haaziq was invited to New York in 2017 for a Ted-Ed talk about his project. In his free time, he likes having fun with Nintendo video games and playing the piano.

"When I grow up, I see myself as problem solver," said Haaziq, who admires technology entrepreneur Elon Musk. "He challenged the status quo and made what people perceive as impossible possible, and that's what I want to do."
- Niha Masih
Genesis Butler, 13, California

Cause: Animal rights and environmental protection

Genesis Butler has three dogs and loves all animals. Just not on her dinner plate.

When she found out where her favorite meal - chicken nuggets - came from, she became a vegetarian, someone who doesn't eat meat. She was 3 years old.

At age 6, she went further, going vegan. A vegan doesn't eat any animal products, including eggs and dairy products.

Then she decided to persuade her family and friends to join her.

"It's not as hard as you think," said Genesis, now 13. Her parents and three younger siblings became vegan, although Genesis likes to tell how she once caught her mom hiding in a closet with a chocolate bar.

Genesis's passion led her to start the nonprofit GenesisForAnimals.org to help animal shelters and sanctuaries. She began with $5,000 saved from talks she gives. One talk, posted online in 2017, has been viewed by thousands of people. Her delivery includes rattling off statistics faster than the Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg throws fastballs.

When she was 8, she went before the city council in Long Beach, California, where she lives, to support "Meatless Mondays." The advisory measure, which recommends that people eat more plant-based food, passed. A TV reporter called Genesis "the most effective speaker" there.

Last year, she wrote to Pope Francis, asking him to give up meat for Lent. A spokesman replied, saying the pope is proud of her.

On the state level, Genesis worked to promote the passage of laws requiring prisons and nursing homes to offer vegan meals, and limiting the sale of cosmetic products that use animal testing.

More recently, she expanded her activism to include protecting the environment, saying that raising animals for food is "the primary cause" of pollution, loss of biodiversity and water shortages.

"If people can change the way they eat, it will have an immediate impact on the planet," she said.

For her efforts, Genesis was chosen for the 2020 "Marvel Hero Project" about "real kids making a real difference." She's the star of her own mini-comic book and will appear in a Disney video.

But she doesn't think of herself as a hero, just an ordinary kid who enjoys painting, writing and sleepovers with friends.

"And I still love chicken nuggets," she said, "but now they are vegan."
- Marylou Tousignant
Naudia Greenawalt, 10, and Linkin Eger, 10, Wisconsin

Cause: Raising awareness about childhood cancer

When Naudia Greenawalt's friend Linkin Eger was facing cancer, Naudia had a lot of questions. What kind of medicine would Linkin take? Was it possible to get rid of the cancer? Would her friend still be the same goofy, fun-loving Linkin?

Linkin was 2 years old when doctors found his brain tumor. Surgeons removed most of it. But a few years later, the tumor came back, and Linkin needed chemotherapy - medication that kills cancer cells.

Naudia, who attends school with Linkin in West Allis, Wisconsin, wanted to understand what her friend was going through - not only the medical parts, but also what it was like to be a regular kid dealing with a serious illness. She decided to turn Linkin's story into a book, sell it and donate the profits to Linkin's family. "I was trying to create awareness about childhood cancer," said Naudia, 10.

Before writing the book, Naudia joined Linkin at hospital appointments, took pictures and interviewed his family and medical team. In 2017, "My Friend Linkin" was published.

"I thought it was awesome," said Linkin, now 10. The book sold 500 copies and became the subject of an Emmy-nominated documentary produced by Milwaukee PBS.

In the book, Naudia describes what it was like to see Linkin go through chemotherapy. "To be honest, it was a little bit scary, but once I got used to everything, I wasn't scared anymore."

Linkin is done with treatment now, and he's stable. He and Naudia are continuing to promote childhood cancer awareness by interviewing other young patients and writing their stories.

"They are a great team," said Kelly Eger, Linkin's mom. "Linkin brings the experience, and Naudia brings the questions."

Last year, Linkin finished his first book, "My Friend Mackenzie," about an 8-year-old girl with brain cancer. "If Mackenzie had a superhero power, it would be to help people beat cancer. I wish I had that super power too," Linkin wrote.

In the future, Naudia wants to become a primatologist like Jane Goodall and study monkeys. Linkin wants to be a brain surgeon.

But first, they'll write more books.
- Gina Rich
Sidney Keys III, 14, Missouri

Cause: Improving literacy among boys

From a young age, Sidney Keys III loved to read. But finding characters he could relate to was a challenge, because most of the books at his school library featured white protagonists. "I'd never been exposed to African American literature in a fun way," Sidney said.

That changed when Sidney's mother, Winnie Caldwell, took him to EyeSeeMe, an African American children's bookstore in University City, Missouri. Sidney, then 10 years old, picked up "Danny Dollar Millionaire Extraordinaire: The Lemonade Escapade," by Ty Allan Jackson. "I couldn't put that book down, because it was about a black boy who looked like me," said Sidney, now 14.

Sidney wanted his peers to experience the same excitement in finding characters that resonated with them. In 2016, he created Books n Bros, a reading club for boys ages 7 to 13. The club, which now has 100 members, focuses on African American literature and meets each month to discuss a book; past topics have included history, sci-fi and fantasy genres.

Meetups take place in the Saint Louis area, but out-of-town "bros" can participate by Skype. Caldwell, who manages the club's business and communications, said Books n Bros wants to eventually offer the program in schools.

The club is open to boys of all races and backgrounds and has an "Adopt a Bro" option enabling donors to sponsor memberships, which cost $25 a month.

People assume boys don't enjoy reading, Sidney said. But he hasn't found that to be true.

"Now that kids are having fun while reading, boys don't want to leave the meetups," he said.

"Marvel's Hero Project," a new Disney Plus series recognizing kids who are making a positive impact, profiled Sidney in a documentary and comic book titled "The Spectacular Sidney." The video premiered in January.

Getting to be in the documentary was "definitely pretty awesome," Sidney said. But his favorite part of the Books n Bros experience has been helping boys like him improve their literacy skills and enjoy themselves at the same time.

"It really warms my heart knowing they're having fun," he said.
- Gina Rich
Milena Radoytseva, 16, Bulgaria

Cause: Encouraging better behavior online

Have you ever been a bully? Or not stopped a bully when you had the chance? Those are important questions, says Milena Radoytseva, who is on the youth panel of the Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre (SafeNet). She remembers when she was in a group chat a few years ago, and another kid became the target of mean attacks.

"It started as a joke," she said, so she didn't do anything about it. "I sat and watched."

"We won't let that happen again," declared Milena, who helped develop the youth panel's new campaign to raise awareness about online aggression. The approach isn't to criticize kids, but to educate them about how to change their perspective - and hopefully their behavior. For example, they made a video featuring an angry boy furiously typing messages on his computer. When he sees that his little sister's drawings show him as a superhero, he realizes he hasn't been acting like one.

"The Internet will never be this totally happy place with rainbows," she said. But the experience can be improved by being thoughtful and careful, added Milena, who purposely keeps her social media profiles private.

Being part of a team that encourages kids to speak out is new for Milena. She didn't know that opportunities like this existed a year ago. But when she entered (and lost) an essay competition, she wound up at an event promoting youth participation. That's how she found SafeNet, and she has since joined other groups, including the youth network Megaphone and the Eurochild Children's Council. Milena jokes she had to make her parents a chart so they could understand all of her activities.

At a recent children's rights event in Brussels, Belgium, Milena took the microphone and introduced herself - unexpectedly in French, the native language of most of the audience.

"She took the moment and put everyone at ease," said Alice Hagger-Vaughan, Eurochild's child participation and policy officer.

Milena's best languages (other than her native Bulgarian) are English and German, and she hopes that communication plays a big part in her future. When she was younger, she pretended to host a talk show in her living room. Her goal now isn't so different: "I want to speak about things that need to be spoken about."
- Vicky Hallett
Demetri Sedita, 16, Florida

Cause: Protecting Tampa Bay waterways

Each January, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival attracts crowds to Tampa, Florida. They line Seddon Channel to watch a pirate ship pretend to attack the city. They cheer and toss thousands of glittery bead necklaces.

Demetri Sedita knows the dark side of these festivities. Many beads wind up in the city's waterways, where they're eaten by marine animals or break down into tiny bits of toxic plastic that "work their way up the food chain," said Demetri, a high school sophomore. They pose a threat to the area's shorebirds, manatees, dolphins, stingrays, common fish such as sheepshead and "to all levels of the ecosystem."

He and his 14-year-old brother, Ethan, founded Green Gasparilla in 2015 to try to stop the problem. They organize post-festival bead cleanups - with parents and friends using weighted hooks to snag the strands, or with volunteers in scuba gear. More critically, they work to keep beads from getting into the water to begin with.

The month before the parade, Demetri and Ethan do media interviews to spread the word that "tossing beads is simply littering," Demetri said. For 2020, the boys also enlisted the help of Tampa's mayor, Jane Castor, and appeared with her as she announced her Bead-Free Bay initiative.

"Our goal is to let the public know that future generations won't be able to enjoy the waterways because of their reckless practices," Demetri said.

He was frustrated to see that, despite his efforts, most people continued to throw beads this year. But he's determined to figure out a way to make Green Gasparilla's message and mission more effective.

Last August, Demetri was named a "youth ambassador" by the ocean conservation group, EarthEcho International. Speaking with adult mentors and activist peers has given him ideas for improvement. One is drafting sample anti-bead legislation to present to Tampa's lawmakers.

Exploring with his underwater drone is a favorite activity - Demetri once spotted a Civil War shipwreck in the Hillsborough River. It's also part of his advocacy strategy.

"When I showed the mayor underwater footage of all the beads, she was shocked," he said.

If he can similarly shock his fellow Floridians, they might take bigger, better action in time for next year's festival.
- Lela Nargi
Alice Imbastari, 10, Italy

Cause: Picking up trash

Wiggling her toes in the sand, Alice Imbastari surveys a stretch of Mediterranean coastline near her home south of Rome. But she's not looking at the waves or even the paraglider soaring above. She's searching for trash. "See that?" she shouts, and rushes to grab a ripped chip bag.

In minutes, she fills up a sack with all sorts of things that shouldn't be here - deflated balloons, hot dog wrappers, a hair comb. They range in size from a chunk of plastic foam to a tiny dot of plastic. "Birds think they're eggs and eat them," said Alice, who dreams of being a vet when she grows up.

Alice has learned a lot about litter in the past year since she spoke in Rome in front of a crowd of thousands gathered for the first Global Climate Strike for Future. "I counted to 100, and then I gave up," she said of the crowd.

Although giving that speech - and others that have followed - was scary, Alice is more terrified for the environment. That's why she begged her parents to let her protest just like her role model, Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenage activist who has attracted worldwide attention with her campaign to fight climate change.

Because they wouldn't let her skip classes every Friday, Alice came up with another plan. "From school, I looked out the window and I could see the sea," she said. So she got trash bags, rubber gloves and a pair of chimney tongs, and started doing weekly beach cleanups. She tries to reuse whatever possible, often to make crafts.

"When she was smaller, we used to take shells. Now we take plastic," said her mother, Paola Bernasconi, who has noticed other changes, too. For snacks, Alice prefers cut-up veggies instead of sweets wrapped in packaging. For her 10th birthday last May, she asked to plant fruit trees.

It's often lonely on the beach - other kids from school haven't been interested in helping, and some even bullied her about her activism. So she recently switched schools. But she won't stop cleaning.

"I go home, and there's plastic again the next day," Alice said. "It keeps coming."
- Vicky Hallett Illustrations by Natalya Balnova for The Washington Post. Art direction by Alla Dreyvitser. Design by Victoria Adams Fogg.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
12 kids who are changing their communities and our world

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
12 young people from around the world are tackling problems in their communities and the world.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.wral.com/teen-s-little-pantry-project-offers-free-food-in-6-locations-around-raleigh/20125311/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teen’s ‘little pantry’ project offers free food in 6 locations around Raleigh

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It began with two roadside pantries in 2019 as an Eagle Scout service project. Now, there are six.

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/G7XY0UAOeRc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
13-Year-Old Advocate Autumn Peltier is Devoted to Protecting the World’s Water

# data[].attributes.headline
(Another People Magazine article PDF if others are blocked)

# data[].attributes.subject
(Another People Magazine article PDF if others are blocked)

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/9W0zXPEAonU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong appears in court

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.seventeen.com/life/real-girl-stories/a33438/bullying-flawd-emily-anne-rigal/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When I was nine years old, a lot of people called me fat and ugly. I was overweight and bullied for it all through elementary school. There were times on the playground when people didn't want me to play Four Square with them because they said I was fat and not athletic. I used to walk the halls by myself and keep my eyes on the ground because I didn't want to look up and see people staring or laughing at me.

Whenever our teacher said we could pick our own partners for an activity, I never had anyone who would want to be my partner. I was that person the teacher would take by the hand and awkwardly say, "OK, Emily-Anne is going to join your group today," and people weren't very excited about it.

There wasn't one ringleader who made fun of me. There was just a group of "popular" people who thought I was uncool. Since then, I've learned that 85 percent of people in bullying situations are just the bystanders. They're not being bullied or bullying, but they were all of the kids who didn't stand up for me or invite me to sit with them at lunch because I was "uncool," and they didn't want to risk their reputations by treating me as a friend. So even though there were only a few people who were initially mean to me, everyone else followed suit. It got to the point where I was very isolated at school, so I left. I ended up going to a private all-girls middle school.

No one there knew who I was, so I started with a clean slate. For the first time in years, I made really good friends. It was a new experience - I wasn't used to having people to hang out with or talk to in class or be partners with during activities. But I didn't want to risk being bullied again, so I started to be mean to other girls and point out their flaws. I was so desperate not to be the victim again.

When I was in sixth grade, I remember walking with one of my friends back to class after recess. One girl wanted to walk with us, but I didn't want to include her for some reason. Honestly, I can't even remember why. My friend and I started walking really fast and even running into the building, giggling and laughing.

For the first time in so long, I wasn't the one being excluded! That made me feel so cool. My self-confidence had been destroyed from being bullied for so long, so I became a bully myself. That was 10 years ago, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. I feel terrible about it, even though I've since apologized to that girl.

My best friend at the time, Jasmine, was the kind of girl who was friendly to everybody. She would come to my house for sleepovers, and whenever people would start to gossip, she would say she wouldn't be included in the conversation. Gradually, she started to rub off on me. I thought she was so awesome, and I didn't want her to think I was mean and petty.

Jasmine and my other friends had such a positive influence on me. The more I was around good people, the better I felt about myself. I didn't feel the need to bully other people anymore. Suddenly, everything shifted, and I wanted other people to feel good about themselves, too.

During my freshman year of high school, I started to make silly YouTube videos about all sorts of things under the name Schmiddlebopper. Between me and my other friends on YouTube, our collective subscriber count together was really high. I thought if I made one YouTube channel where we could all come together, we could really make a change.

I launched the channel WeStopHate from my bedroom in Williamsburg, Virginia when I was 16. My friends and I all made videos about our experiences with bullying. Within eight months of posting the first video on the YouTube channel, it was the 27th most-subscribed YouTube non-profit channel of all time! Over 100 teens made videos, and we got over a million views. It really took off because the videos were by teens, for teens, so they were super-relatable.

A year after launching WeStopHate, I was an intern at Seventeen. One day, I was at the office in New York City, and Nick Cannon came in. He came over to me and said, "You won the TeenNick HALO Award!" (Nick started the HALO Awards - which stands for Helping And Leading O thers - in 2009 to honor five outstanding teens every year. Tons of celebrities go to the awards ceremony on Nickelodeon, and it's super exciting.) I was honored for my work with WeStopHate. Part of winning the award meant you got to spend the day with a celebrity who shares one of your passions.

A week later, I walked into the hotel room to meet the celebrity I was paired with and gasped when I saw it was Lady Gaga. She started the Born This Way Foundation, which is all about encouraging young people to be fearless and fabulous, and she's always been a hero of mine. She wore this giant hat that looked like a dandelion and big black sunglasses and huge high heels. When we sat down on the couch, I was so intimidated. I remember I really wanted her to take off her sunglasses so I could see her face better, because I was so nervous! I pulled the hair off my face, and at the same time, she took off her glasses. I don't know if that was because of me, but it worked!

She really put me at ease. She was going to MTV in her limo, and let me come along for the half-hour drive! There weren't any cameras on or anything; we were just chatting. She gave me great advice for connecting and engaging with the fans of WeStopHate, and helped me come up with a name for the people in the WeStopHate community. I told her I was Schmiddlebopper online, and she thought that Team Boppers was really cool. So ever since, we've been calling fans Boppers.

Once we got to MTV, she invited me to come on TV with her to talk about WeStopHate! She asked the host to hand me the microphone, and I didn't know it was going to happen, but somehow I felt completely at ease. I just started explaining how WeStopHate is all about embracing the things that make you you.

That's what my book is about, because when you look in the mirror and you only see your flaws, it can be really hard to be your best self. FLAWD is your new cheerleader. It's an energetic guide celebrating your flaws as the doorway to something more.

When I was a kid, I was so ashamed of being made fun of for being fat that I tried to cover it up. So, one of my biggest pieces of advice for young people is to tell someone when you're being bullied, because it makes it easier if you don't keep it bottled up inside like I did. The more I tell my story, the easier it's been for me to see the truth and not feel so ashamed.

Now that I've gone full circle, from getting bullied, to bullying other people, to being an anti-bullying advocate, I feel really good. It's definitely hard to be so vulnerable and to tell my story in all of its gruesome and embarrassing parts, but I know it's important to speak up.

FLAWD: How to Stop Hating on Yourself, Others, and the Things That Make You Who You Are, Emily-Anne's book, is available on Amazon.

Do you have an amazing story you want to see on Seventeen.com? Share it with us now by emailing yourstories@seventeen.com, orfilling out this form!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
I Was 9-Years-Old the First Time Someone Called Me Fat & Ugly

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When I was nine years old, a lot of people called me fat and ugly. I was overweight and bullied for it all through elementary school. There were times on the playground when people didn't want me to play Four Square with them because they said I was fat and not athletic.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.vtcng.com/stowe_reporter/news/local_news/youth-activist-roars-for-big-cats/article_94fe0d6a-38eb-11e8-9000-7f1d1776600d.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Big cats occupy only a fraction of their historic habitat worldwide and are under serious threat, often killed by people who see them as a threat to livestock.

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/X3vK5qVNOWw

# data[].attributes.body
https://atlasofthefuture.org/futurehero-marley-dias-mini-literary-activist/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Bored of only reading about "white boys and their dogs" at school, in 2015 an 11-year-old from New Jersey launched a book drive. She collected books from around the world with one thing in common; they all represented black girls or "girls like me". Then she donated them to schools, starting in Jamaica. In one year #1000blackgirlsbooks amassed over 7,000 books.

Meet Marley Dias... a real character.
Hear from Marley:
To consider myself revolutionary I would need more people working for diversity in books. I would like to be able to create a super squad of those people. Right now I am making a small step in the direction of inclusion.

Being a kid opens doors for me. I'm doing something that I haven't seen a lot of kids do, so that I can create a path for others to do work in literature. I want to make sure that I'm able to blaze a trail for other girls... kids should be able to help create the rules.

It's important to ask "What about us?" As much as I work to have books with black girls as the main character, I want all voices to be part of everyone's story, so people can have diverse experiences.

Every person should have access to great, diverse books. That could even mean fixing it so buses stop at libraries so that kids can read out of school.

I want to write a book about black girls' lives and black girls' stories. I want the story to be about transformation, probably starting off with a girl who is comparing herself. Don't always compare yourself. It makes it harder for you to personally grow and be your best self. Then she would become the heroine of the story by doing something... but I don't know what!

The character I most relate to is in Jacqueline Woodson's 'Brown Girl Dreaming'. It's about a girl who loves to read. She just loves her family. Like me, she doesn't have any pets and she loves to write, poetry and school. I met Jacqueline when I was on a panel with her in San Francisco. She donated some books to my elementary school.

My mother was born and raised in Jamaica. I chose Saint Mary, Jamaica as the first 1000 black girl books donation point as I wanted to experience my mother's history. She came to America when she was 13 years old and I thought that it would be important to create the full circle.

I appreciate when people are touched by my story. But I prefer inspiration to the point of motivation, when someone actually does something because of something I said. I want people to find problems and create solutions.

The word that sums up the most challenging thing about the #1000blackgirlsbooks project is "entitlement". At first when I realised that I was able to help people I felt like a charity. I thought 'I'm giving the books to you, you should be grateful, you should all hail Marley.' That's not really something I want to embrace.

I want to be a magazine editor. I'm still playing with that idea, but everything new is evolving. Paper might not exist when I'm my mum's age!

I don't want my friends to change their perception of me. I sometimes don't tell my friends what I'm up to out of school. I don't lie to them, I just say, I'm going to work or my mum and I need to do something.

I would like to tell the girls who don't think they can make a difference... that whoever put that idea in your head you should tell them to stop. You can, and as long as you firmly believe in whatever you're saying your dreams and wishes will come true.

I was a quarterback on my football team. All my friends were like "that's a boy thing, you could have signed up for cheerleading". I never say things are a boy colour or a girl colour.

To make a perfect FutureHero... I would take my mother's kindness, my father's creativity, Angelina Jolie's hard working skills and balancing that with being a mother and director, writer and producer. A lot of women help and create a better society for women all over the world. I like to take attributes from different people and use them to create the version of my best self that I want to be.

My FutureHero power would be to go back into the past and save people's lives. I watch Quantum Leap and would like to do that again and again. That would be awesome."

AtlasAction: You can donate books to #1000blackgirlbooks here. 'Marley Dias Gets it Done: And So Can You' is out now. To order a copy for £8.79, go to guardianbookshop.com

Editor's update: By 2018, Marley had found 9,500 books and written her own book.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FutureHero Marley Dias: Mini-literary activist | Atlas of the Future

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bored of only reading about "white boys and their dogs" at school, in 2015 an 11-year-old from New Jersey launched a book drive. She collected books from around the world with one thing in common; they all represented black girls or "girls like me". Then she donated them to schools, starting in Jamaica.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.moms.com/marley-dias-bio-facts-activism/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Since 2015, Marley Dias has worked towards racial justice, wrote a book, and hosted a children's Netflix series, but she's only 15 years old. Dias's activism started at ten years old when she came home from school complaining about English class, she explains in an interview for Family Action Network. She liked the teacher and the course, but she was tired of the books he assigned his students. They all seemed to be about the same person--some White boy and his dog. She wanted to read about characters she identified with. It was her mom's response that sparked her activism.

RELATED: Your Teen Can Vote For Their Favorite Book On 'Teens' Top Ten' List

Dr. Janice Johnson Dias (Marley's Mom)

Marley Dias was born into a family of amazing women. According to the GrassROOTS Community Foundation website, Janice Johnson Dias, her mother, holds a Ph.D. in sociology and a post-doctorate from the poverty center at the University of Michigan. She is the president of the GrassROOTS organization. She has won a Congressional Medal of Honor for her work in Long Island on Black girls' mental, sexual and physical health issues. When her daughter came home complaining about the English curriculum, she just shrugged.

Johnson Dias pointed out that she could read what she wanted, and that it was her daughter who didn't like the books. "So what are you going to do about it?" she asked. That got Marley thinking. She came up with a plan.

#1000BlackGirlBooks

Dias decided to organize a drive to collect 1000 books with Black girls as the main characters. Her mother pledged to help her. They would donate the collection to her mother's school in Jamaica. With just two weeks left until her set deadline, she had collected only 200 books. She was feeling pretty down. Again, her parents' support helped her.

They encouraged her to keep trying, but also stay realistic. Dias's mother and father said that she might not reach her goal, but they would still travel with her to Jamaica to turn the books over to the school she had selected. Her drive picked up when she appeared on the and other local Philadelphia news sources. Since then, she's managed to add 11,000 books to her collection.

Marley Dias Gets It Done (and So Can You).

In an interview on , Marley Dias describes her book, Marley Dias Gets It Done (and So Can You). It is about inspiring other young adults to become activists in their communities. She encourages her peers to educate themselves and find their passions. She said it was easy for her since she knew that she loved reading at a young age and that she used that to impact her community. Education, she says, is learning about the helpers in one's community--librarians, mailmen, and teachers. Then, young people should take steps to assist them.

Dias also talks about what it means to be an "upstander." She says that it's the opposite of a bystander--someone who stands and watches while another young person is bullied. She says it's more than just standing up for the victim. It means talking to the bully, finding out why he or she is mean, and helping educate the person to prevent future bullying. She wants everyone to learn to be kinder to each other.

When one of the hosts asks her how she can encourage her children to read more, Dias answers that kids and parents should read together. She says that kids should get to choose the book. Parents should never use reading as a punishment. Finally, families can try watching the movie version first and then read the book together.

Inspirations For Marely Dias

On CBS This Morning, Dias explains that one of her inspirations is Augusta Baker, a woman who was a librarian in New York City's Public Libraries for 37 years. Baker worked to provide various narratives through books, allowing all different groups of people to have voices. She was born in the 1940s and lived when segregation was still legal in the U.S.

Dias had never heard of this woman when she started her campaign, but their goals were similar. The teen says that she wanted to create a world where all people have voices, whether they're Black, white, Pacific South Islanders, Latinxs, people with disabilities, or anyone. She says it's not about pushing one group out so another can be heard, but instead creating a safe space in which everyone has a chance to express themselves and be listened to.

Marley Dias's newest project is a children's series. She hosts and produces Netflix's Bookmarks. Some have described the show as a modern Reading Rainbow. In each episode, Dias introduces a children's book. Then Black celebrities like Misty Copland and Lupita Nyong' o read the story and lead a discussion about the message in each one.

What's Marley's next move going to be? We don't know, but she's sure to continue doing big things to make the world a better place. It'll probably have something to do with books. We'll be busy working our way through her #1000BlackGirlBooks list in the meantime.

READ NEXT: 20 #Boss Lessons All (Good) Moms Need To Be Teaching Their Teenage Girls
Sources: CBS This Morning, View, Good Morning America, Family Action Network, GrassROOTS Community Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Get To Know Marley Dias, The Young Activist Changing The World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Since 2015, Marley Dias has worked towards racial justice, wrote a book, and hosted a children's Netflix series, but she's only 15 years old. Dias's activism started at ten years old when she came home from school complaining about English class, she explains in an interview for Family Action Network.

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/8BDBhemmd8I

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meet Marley Dias, The Force Behind #1000BlackGirlBooks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
WE Charity was founded in 1995 when Craig Kielburger, then 12 years old, read the story of Iqbal Masih, a child labourer of the same age who escaped slavery and was murdered for advocating for children's rights. Inspired to take action, Craig rallied his classmates and his brother, Marc, to join him. Iqbal's story showed Craig and Marc that people as young as them could drive significant change in the world. They channelled this inspiration into creating WE, a global movement that sought to give young people a voice and a platform to become agents of change around the world and in their own communities.

Through WE Schools innovative service-learning programs, the organization helped turn the tide on declining civic engagement in Canada by engaging and inspiring students to support more than 5,000 causes and log over 70 million hours of volunteer service. Through WE Day, a global series of events that featured renowned speakers, activists, celebrities and youth taking action, WE inspired hundreds of thousands of young people to act on issues that mattered to them, some for the very first time in their lives.

Internationally, what began as a fight against child labour grew into a global movement that works in partnership with communities to develop the tools to uplift themselves from poverty. The pillars of WE Charity's international development model, WE Villages, were engineered over 25 years to work in five key areas-education, water, health, food and opportunity-that together create transformative and lasting impact. WE has built over 1,500 schools and school rooms around the world, educating 200,000 children; partnered with 30,000 women in its alternative income programs; and helped one million people gain improved access to clean water and sanitation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
About WE Charity - WE Charity Foundation (WCF)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For 25 years, WE Charity empowered change and worked in five key areas - education, water, health, food and opportunity - to create transformative and lasting impact.

# data[].attributes.headline
(If the People Magazine articles are blocked)

# data[].attributes.subject
(If the People Magazine articles are blocked)

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/growth-studio/teen-entrepreneur-shares-business-success-journey

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Sir Darius Brown, teenage founder of Beaux & Paws, started his business to help rescue dogs get noticed and adopted faster. - Beaux & Paws

Challenges are inevitable when you're running a business. To teenager Sir Darius Brown, Founder of Beaux & Paws, being an entrepreneur means overcoming those obstacles and pushing forward.

"When it gets hard or when you make a mistake, just adjust, be resilient, and learn from it," Brown said. "Don't give up."

As a self-proclaimed "kidtrepreneur," Brown has faced many challenges in his entrepreneurial journey, but he continues to forge ahead. His business, Beaux & Paws, produces bow ties for dogs and cats in shelters to help raise awareness of shelter pets in need and pet adoption - but the idea stemmed from a skill Brown learned while overcoming some personal challenges.

As a toddler, Brown was diagnosed with speech, comprehension, and fine motor skills delay. A childhood therapist recommended he use his hands more to practice his fine motor skills, and since his sister was an entrepreneur making bow ties at the time, he learned right alongside her.

Shortly after, Brown witnessed the devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and wondered what was happening to all of the rescued animals. He found out many were being brought to shelters and wanted to help.

"I knew that when I wore bow ties, I received a lot of attention and compliments," Brown said. "So, if a dog wore a bow tie [to look] cute and extra dapper, I knew they would definitely get noticed."

Finding success through social media

Beaux & Paws took off with the help of social media. From his home in Newark, New Jersey, Brown made many of his original connections to shelters across the country through Facebook where he continues to connect with customers.

"I [also] opened a Facebook Shop where clients can buy bow ties directly from my page, which has amplified my reach, bringing more awareness to shelter pets and helping get more dogs adopted," Brown said.

As of December 2022, Brown also has more than 138,000 followers on Instagram and uses Instagram Reels to keep his followers updated.

Since the launch of Beaux & Paws, Brown has raised over $300,000 for shelters and been nominated for a multitude of awards, including the Global Child Prodigy Award, GoFundMe Kid Hero award, and Hero to Animals award.

But like any other entrepreneur, Brown balances his successful business with many other obligations. Not only does he produce his own products, market them, and visit shelters, but he also attends school. For entrepreneurs struggling to find a work-life balance, Brown recommends starting with a support system.

"[Owning a business] is a lot of work," he said. "It takes a lot of time, sacrifice, and a great support system. It took some time to develop a flow, but now I organize my time and my days to complete certain projects and orders."
[Read more: How to Choose the Best Social Platforms for Your Business]
Inspiring others to get started

Despite the long hours and busy days, Brown loves being an entrepreneur and is excited about what's next for Beaux and Paws.

"My favorite part of being an entrepreneur is having a business with a purpose where I can give back," he said. "I also like meeting new people and building a community, being able to interact with dogs and cats, and being able to inspire others."
CO- aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation. To stay on top of all the news impacting your small business, go here for all of our latest small business news and updates. CO-is committed to helping you start, run and grow your small business. Learn more about the benefits of small business membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, here.
In the future, Beaux & Paws will be offering even more products, such as bandanas, leashes, collars, and more. Brown is also working on a book that will launch in 2023, a new venture he hopes will inspire middle-school students and adults alike.

"I started a business not knowing anything about business," Brown said. "I'm still learning, so know that you will learn something new every day."

Published

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teen Founder of Beaux & Paws Shares His Journey to Business Success

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Challenges are inevitable when you're running a business. To teenager Sir Darius Brown, Founder of Beaux & Paws, being an entrepreneur means overcoming those obstacles and pushing forward. "When it gets hard or when you make a mistake, just adjust, be resilient, and learn from it," Brown said. "Don't give up."

# data[].attributes.body
https://people.com/human-interest/boy-who-made-bow-ties-for-animals-making-masks-amid-coronavirus/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Darius Brown has been using his sewing talents to help animals get adopted, but now the 13-year-old is relying on those skills to help humans fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Darius - who is best known for his organization Beaux and Paws, where he dresses shelter animals up in homemade bow ties so they shine while seeking adoption - has recently shifted his production from the pet accessory to masks for health care workers.

The teen announced his new plans in a post on Instagram March 28, explaining that he felt compelled to help after hospitals around the nation started experiencing a shortage on masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).

"Today I am working on creating surgical masks to donate since the hospitals have a shortage on masks," he wrote beside a photo of himself wearing a mask and working on his sewing machine. "This first one came out great."

"Let's all work together, help out where we can, and especially practice social distancing so we can all get through this pandemic," Darius added. "In the midst of this storm remember to smile and STAY PAW-SOME!!!!"

Since then, Darius has managed to sew over 75 masks and plans to donate them to medical personnel working at hospitals in New Jersey and New York, according to Better Homes & Gardens.

Though the masks he sews are not medical-grade PPE, such as N95s, frontline workers can still wear them as a supplement, the outlet reported.
RELATED: Boy Creates Bow Ties for Shelter Animals to Help Them Get Adopted
Darius was diagnosed with comprehension delay, speech delay and fine motor skills delay when he was 2, and over time, his family encouraged his creativity as he developed his love for animals and fashion, according to .

His mother, Joy Brown, and older sister, Dazhai Brown-Shearz, noticed a breakthrough for him when he turned 8 while his sister was enrolled in cosmetology school. There, Darius began to cut fabrics and learned to sew to make his sister hair ribbons.

Shortly after, Darius began making his own bow ties and wore one nearly every day. According to the outlet, strangers would stop Darius to ask him where they were sold. It was then that Beaux and Paws came into fruition.

The teen has since donated hundreds of bow ties to animal shelters throughout the country and launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to obtain more fabric and materials so he can provide even more to dogs and cats who are looking for a home.

The young entrepreneur was even acknowledged by former President Barack Obama, who in March 2018 sent Darius a letter praising him for his work and commitment to community service.
RELATED: Coronavirus: How to Make Your Own Cloth Face Mask at Home
Darius' mask efforts started just as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that as many as 25 percent of people infected with COVID-19 may be asymptomatic, meaning they never show symptoms.

Because of this, the federal health agency advised that all Americans wear cloth face coverings when out in public, aside from children under the age of 2, or "anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance," to help slow the spread of the virus.

The CDC also stressed in its announcement that it is not encouraging the public to use surgical masks or N-95 respirators, as they should be reserved for medical professionals only.
RELATED VIDEO: Rachel Rothenberg on Co-Founding Garment District for Gowns
As Darius continues to make masks for frontline workers, the teen also disclosed on Instagram that he plans on visiting animal shelters over the summer if the coronavirus pandemic passes.

"I felt so bad because I was supposed to visit 6 animal shelters in 3 states this week during my spring break (PAW-SOME Mission) but because of the pandemic everything is postponed until the summer hopefully if this is all over," he wrote.

Still, he said: "I'm happy that I'm able to use my skills to help those on the front line."

As of Thursday, there have been at least 852,253 cases and 43,587 deaths attributed to coronavirus in the United States, according to the New York Times.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
13-Year-Old Boy Who Made Bowties to Help Animals Get Adopted Is Now Making Masks for Coronavirus

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Darius Brown has been using his sewing talents to help animals get adopted, but now the 13-year-old is relying on those skills to help humans fight the coronavirus pandemic.

# data[].attributes.body
https://sirdariusbrown.com/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sir Darius Brown is a powerhouse teen entrepreneur, pet fashion designer, speaker, philanthropist, animal advocate and founder of Beaux & Paws. He designs and creates handmade stylish bow ties. Beaux & Paws by Sir Darius Brown is a pet accessories and lifestyle brand with a mission to give back to shelter pets.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.kcet.org/shows/tending-nature/autumn-peltier-water-warrior-for-marginalized-communities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Fifteen-year-old water protector Autumn Peltier, Anishinaabe-kwe, comes from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario, Canada. It was there, after observing that Indigenous people on the island could not drink the water in their communities, that she began her fight for clean water.

"It all started by learning why my people couldn't drink the water on Ontario Indigenous lands. I was confused because Canada is not a third-world country, but in my country, the Indigenous people live in third-world conditions," she said when she addressed the United Nations Global Landscapes Forum in September 2019.

Peltier was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prizeby the David Suzuki Foundation in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She was also recognized as an Ontario Junior Citizen for her environmental advocacy work and won a WE Day award for Youth in Action when she was 12. She has shared her message at hundreds of events around the world and has been dubbed a "Water Warrior" for her continued activism.

In 2016, she famously confronted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about his failure to protect Indigenous people's water at a meeting of the Assembly of First Nations in 2016. She was just 12 years old when she told him, "I am very unhappy with the choices you made." Through tears, she added only "the pipelines," to which Trudeau responded, "I will protect the water."

In her U.N. speech the following year, Peltier explained that boil water advisories have existed in some Indigenous communities in Canada for over 20 years. She also mentioned learning about Flint, Michigan and other marginalized communities' struggles to obtain clean water around the world.

Peltier's passion comes, in part, from the tradition in which she grew up. Her great-aunt, Josephine Mandamin, served as the chief water commissioner of the Anishinabek Nation, a position Peltier took on when she was just 14. In her 2019 U.N. speech, Peltier described the spiritual significance of water to her people.

"For years and years, our ancestors have passed down traditional oral knowledge that our water is alive and our water has a spirit," she said. "Our first water teaching comes from our mother. We literally live in water for nine months, floating in that sacred water that gives us life."

During her first U.N. speech in 2018, Peltier urged the general assembly to "warrior up" and take serious steps to defend the planet. In 2019, she called for a banning of plastics and a return to older, more sustainable ways of life.

"We can't eat money or drink oil." she said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Autumn Peltier: 'Water Warrior' for Marginalized Communities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Autumn Peltier is passionate about granting communites acess to clean water. It's a cause she has been fighting for since she was at least 12 years old.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.royalroads.ca/news/indigenous-water-activist-autumn-peltier-honoured-her-activism

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier honoured for her activism | Royal Roads University

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier recognized with a Royal Roads University Doctor of Laws for her commitment to creating a better future.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/live/zg60sr38oic?feature=share

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Autumn Peltier, 13-year-old water advocate, addresses UN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Autumn Peltier, a 13-year-old Anishinaabe girl from Wikwemikong First Nation, addresses world leaders at the United Nations about protecting water.""" Subscr...

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/autumn-peltier

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Early Life and Education

Autumn Peltier was born and raised on the shores of Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes, the world's largest freshwater supply. She has attended school in Ottawa, where she lives with her mother and two sisters, Naomi and Ciara.

At the age of eight, Peltier attended a ceremony at Serpent River First Nation in Ontario with her mother, Stephanie, that, in part, inspired her future work as a water protector. At Serpent River, Peltier saw signs that warned of "toxic" drinking water. Contaminated water on reserves in Canada - caused by a variety of factors including pollution and pipeline leaks - has been an ongoing problem. During a 2019 Women of Influence interview, Autumn recalled the experience and how it affected her: "My mom explained to me that the community had been on a boiled-water advisory for over 10 years. I was shocked." ( See also Social Conditions of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

Peltier learned about the importance of clean water and respecting the environment from her mother and great-aunt Josephine Mandamin. Mandamin was known as the "water walker" because of her years working as the Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner until her death in 2019. Peltier discussed how she has been inspired to take on the responsibility of clean-water advocacy in an interview that year with the magazine, ETFO Voice:

My aunt and mom have been teaching me about the importance of clean drinking water and how to protect the environment since I was a little girl.... I advocate for water because we all came from water and water is literally the only reason we are here today and living on this earth.

Activism

Autumn Peltier has fought for the right of people to drink clean water, whether on reserves in Canada or in the developing world. In 2016, at the annual winter meeting of the Assembly of First Nations, then-12-year-old Autumn displayed great courage in criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 's clean-water policies in a face-to-face meeting: "I am very unhappy with the choices you've made." Trudeau replied, "I understand that. I will protect the water."

The public "scolding" of the prime minister by such a young activist gained Peltier international media attention. Autumn shared her urgent message about water at the United Nations (UN) in New York. She spoke before the UN General Assembly for the launch of the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development in 2018, and then again before the UN Global Landscapes Forum in 2019.

Since 2015, the Canadian government has lifted 88 long-term drinking advisories, as they work toward cleaning contaminated water on reserves. However, as of February 2020, 61 long-term drinking water advisories remained in effect. The federal government acknowledged in December 2020 that its goal to get rid of the problem by March 2021 will not be met, though efforts to eradicate boil-water advisories continue.

It's The Secret Life of Canada's first shout out to a living youth leader! Meet Anishnabe-kwe Autumn Peltier. Greatly influenced by her great aunt Josephine Mandamin, Autumn has been using her voice to advocate for water rights since she was 8 years old. Today, The Secret Life of Canada learns a little more about this phenomenal water warrior and International Children's Peace Prize nominee.
Note: The Secret Life of Canada is hosted and written by Falen Johnson and Leah Simone Bowen and is a CBC original podcast independent of The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner

With the passing of her great-aunt Josephine Mandamin in February 2019, Autumn Peltier was appointed Chief Water Commissioner, the new "water walker" of her people. Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Glen Hare admitted that it was an easy choice: "Autumn has extensive nibi giikendaaswin (water knowledge). She has been bringing global attention to the water issues in our country for a few years now."

Recognition

Autumn Peltier has made positive contributions as a water-rights protector. Maclean's magazine recognized the young activist in December 2019, naming Peltier one of Canada's "20 people to watch in 2020." Peltier's name topped the list of notables, including politicians Catherine McKenna and Chrystia Freeland. The Maclean's article noted, "As youth-led climate strikes continue globally, Peltier's voice will undoubtedly be one of the most crucial."

Peltier's environmental efforts have been recognized globally as well. She was nominated for the prestigious International Children's Peace Prize in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The award, sponsored by the international organization KidsRights, is given annually to "a child who fights courageously for children's rights." Peltier was also named a "Science Defender" by the Union of Concerned Scientists in 2019.

In 2021, Peltier was awarded the 2021 RevolutionHer Community Vision Youth Award for her work as the Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner. The award recognizes youth between 13-18 years old, operating as volunteers, philanthropists, or entrepreneurs. The candidates are active community members that are passionate about leading initiatives to better future generations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Autumn Peltier, Anishinaabe water-rights advocate, Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner (born 27 September 2004 in Wiikwemikoong Unceded Territory, Man...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
TIME for Kids _ 8 Questions for Autumn Peltier

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/A33XRMLBbOc

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
On National Child Day, meet clean water activist Autumn Peltier | CBC Kids News

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/09/americas/autumn-peltier-water-protector-first-nations-canada-spc/index.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Here’s how a young First Nations clean water activist is captivating global audiences | CNN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Seventeen-year-old Canadian indigenous rights activist and clean water advocate Autumn Peltier is empowering young people around the world to protect the environment.

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/Alu4MwerfSE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2020 Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholars - William Winslow

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/G5o375s01qA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meet Nupol Kiazolu, the 20 year old president of Black Lives Matter Greater New York

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.theparachutemedia.com/politics-activism/passion-profile-nupol-kiazolu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Passion Profile: Nupol Kiazolu — Parachute Media

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Edited by Olivia Deally Passion Profile, a monthly interview series for the Politics & Activism section, spotlights the community work of grassroots organizers who discuss how the intersectionality of their identity influences their political education and engagement with the world. In

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.seventeen.com/life/real-girl-stories/a35634049/voices-of-change-nupol-kiazolu-civil-rights-miss-liberia-usa/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
At 20-Years-Old, Nupol Kiazolu Has Already Organized Hundreds of Marches. She’s Just Getting Started.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Seventeen’s latest Voice of Change is a civil rights activist and the reigning Miss Liberia USA.

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/SHVF00FqPeA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
RADIO.COM LIVE: Check In with Nupol Kiazolu

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/the-incredible-life-of-malala-the-youngest-nobel-peace-prize-winner

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The remarkable life of Malala, fighting for the right to education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A round-up of the life of Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

# data[].attributes.body
https://malala.org/malalas-story

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
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.

# data[].attributes.headline
Malala Returns to School After Being Shot

# data[].attributes.subject
Malala Returns to School After Being Shot

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.childrensmn.org/educationmaterials/kids/article/12761/she-stops-hate-emily-annes-story/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you've been on YouTube, you know that you might find the funniest, cutest videos ever. You might see babies giggling and super-cute kittens being - what else? - super-cute.

But you also might find not-so-nice stuff there, too. Even on the sweet and funny videos, people sometimes leave rude or mean comments.

In her own little corner of YouTube, Emily-Anne Rigal won't put up with that. Her YouTube channel is called "We Stop Hate" and on it she welcomes videos from people who agree to these three simple rules:

1. Don't make fun of people who are different from you.

2. Think positive - not negative thoughts - about yourself.

3. Pick friends who make you happy, not stressed.

Middle school is an especially good time to start working on those goals, Emily-Anne said.

"The gossip that went on during middle school was outrageous," she said. "It was almost all we talked about! If I could go back to the beginning of middle school, I would have told myself to not stress about rumors and gossip as much."

Advice From YouTubers

Emily-Anne believes personal videos can help spread a positive message that everyone needs to hear. So far, more than 20 YouTubers have submitted videos to the channel. The list even includes a few celebrity videos from Disney stars Mitchel Musso and Monique Coleman.

The videos are a source of encouragement and advice from people who have learned a thing or two, even though most of them are still in high school. One teen boy said he thinks of teasing as negative energy that he can turn into positive energy. It's as simple as telling someone "I like your hair" or "nice shoes."

"The next time someone makes fun of you, turn right around and give someone a compliment," he said in his video. "Make someone else's day."

"Be who you are," advised Strawburry17. "That's how you make the friends you want to keep."

Ninth grader Emma, also known as "Funny With Freckles," says she wears her We Stop Hate bracelet to school every day.

It reminds me that it's OK to be different ... it's OK to just be you," she said in her video. "I always look at it and it reminds me that I shouldn't let the little stuff bother me."

Oceangela said she uses the bracelet to challenge herself. She tries not to think negative things about herself or other people. If she fails, she moves the bracelet from one wrist to the other wrist. When she goes 21 days without having to move it, she celebrates.

"Once you get in the habit, you won't even need the bracelet anymore," Oceangela said.

Now she's using the bracelet challenge to ensure that she gets exercise or at least spends time outside every single day. "You need to be good to yourself," she said.

Emily-Anne agrees and said that she's happiest when she's doing stuff she truly enjoys and not worrying so much about what everyone else thinks. She spends a lot of her time making videos of all sorts and would like to have her own TV show. She even has a YouTube stage name: Schmiddlebopper.

At 14, she began hosting a weekly radio segment, "Teens Going Green," at a local station. She's also president of the group at her high school that does the daily TV news announcements. And she was just honored with an award at the Allykatzz.com Tween Summit for starting We Stop Hate. If that's not enough, she just built her own website.

True accomplishments - like getting an A, learning to cook, or making a sports team - can definitely boost your self-esteem. But Emily-Anne thinks we all need a few cheerleaders, too.

"After giving something your all, the feeling of success and accomplishment is one of the best feelings in the world," she said. "Nevertheless, sometimes knowing another person believes in you can help give you a needed confidence boost."

Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.

© 1995-2023 KidsHealth ® All rights reserved. Images provided by iStock, Getty Images, Corbis, Veer, Science Photo Library, Science Source Images, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you've been on YouTube, you know that you might find the funniest, cutest videos ever. You might see babies giggling and super-cute kittens being - what else? - super-cute. But you also might find not-so-nice stuff there, too. Even on the sweet and funny videos, people sometimes leave rude or mean comments.

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/XhY9jHvEgIQ

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
How I Found My Confidence as a Teen Activist (Opinion)

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-how-i-found-my-confidence-as-a-teen-activist/2020/09

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a difficult situation for many schools to handle. Educators have been forced to reengineer entire courses into an online format; young people have been forced to get computers, printers, and scanners (luxuries not every family has) to succeed in those courses. However, these hardships also seem to have brought out the best of many individuals who work to overcome this crisis.

Look at people like Avi Schiffmann, a high schooler in Washington state who built a website that provides easy access to information about COVID-19 for young people, and 6th grader Matthew Tuer, who organized a GoFundMe campaign to support local schools in his hometown of Northville, Mich. They're far from the only students working to improve their communities. In fact, the past few months have seen a surge in activism and advocacy among young people.

Related Video
Brandon Griggs and a local councilman consider how to empower students to use their voice.
What led to this new energy? And how can teachers help foster this same resiliency and drive in all their students?

Read the full package.
As a teen activist and the founder of Hear the Youth, an organization that works to amplify the voices of young people in local government, I first became involved in my work after witnessing how crime and violence affected teenagers in my community in Florida. I was frustrated to see that none of those teens was ever consulted by the adults looking to address the problem. I am now the only teenager to serve on the Jacksonville City Commission on Safety and Crime Reduction. COVID-19, which has cut short graduation ceremonies and ended athletic activities, is having a similar effect in motivating other students to get involved in their communities.

While there is no substitute for firsthand experiences to inspire young people, adults can still play an important role in encouraging student activism. And they do not need to wait for a crisis to support their students' social innovation-and the independence, confidence, and hope that come with it.

One of the most significant things educators can do to encourage their students to be involved in their communities is to believe that student-led efforts can accomplish real change. This might be as simple as offering to hear our ideas and providing guidance for our projects. After teachers at my school invited the superintendent to come hear from students, Hear the Youth was able to work with our school district last year to secure free mobile hot spots to qualifying students who don't have home-internet access. Students involved in other budding youth-led endeavors deserve the same opportunity to meet public officials.

How can teachers help foster this same resiliency and drive in all their students?"

Another key role adults can play in activating youth-led projects is to spend more time listening to-rather than lecturing-us. Young people often have a unique perspective on the social issues that affect us directly. Teachers can start by simply asking kids what issues matter most to us. Then, allow us to formulate our own potential solutions to these problems and provide constructive feedback. COVID-19 may be at the forefront of all of our minds right now, but we shouldn't neglect other important areas where improvement is necessary.

By taking this approach, teachers can avoid using young people as props without taking our concerns seriously.

Finally, when students do start taking the initiative and advocating their needs, teachers should foster a culture of positivity and acceptance toward those change-making efforts. Too often, young people are discouraged from making a difference by school administrators who are defensive of the status quo. Students who are not yet confident in their ability to make a difference can find inspiration from a school environment that welcomes change-and from seeing examples of other young activists who have succeeded in the same environment.

I say this because when we first started our activism work, Hear the Youth didn't have any such examples of teenage-led organizations in our community, and I know just how helpful it would have been for many of us to have a role model to follow. There were countless times when I felt as though I was the only person in my community who wanted to make a difference. Just as living in a neighborhood surrounded by crime perpetuates a cycle of violence, seeing young people like us advocate change has allowed teenagers in Jacksonville to realize that they are capable of changing that narrative.

Now, youth activists in our community don't have to be alone in their efforts. It is my hope that educators can help all students find their voices by taking the time to encourage, support, and listen to us.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How I Found My Confidence as a Teen Activist (Opinion)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a difficult situation for many schools to handle. Educators have been forced to reengineer entire courses into an online format; young people have been forced to get computers, printers, and scanners (luxuries not every family has) to succeed in those courses.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/how-to-get-involved-in-activism-for-the-first-time

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It can be difficult to figure out the best way to help, but there are many actions that can create a beneficial impact on the community around you. These actions - both large and small - have significant results.

When beginning your journey into the world of activism, the options can seem somewhat overwhelming. Currently, there are hundreds of wonderful campaigns focused on various issues, but you're only one person. That is why we start at...
Step 1: Finding your passions.
Educate yourself on different organizations, and get more involved in those that you feel most connected to or inspired by. For example, if you feel strongly about human rights, then Amnesty International, the world's largest grassroots human rights organization, where I work, would be a good choice for you. There are local organizations that serve communities directly, which is a good place to start, too.
Step 2: Learn!
Once you've identified an area you're interested in, it's time to learn more. Connect with local or school groups that are in turn connected to organizations that cover issues you care about. Taking initiative to be a part of these groups - or even starting them yourself - builds a sense of community between you and your fellow activists! There is power in numbers, and local groups are the gears in the clock of organizations.

Next, educate yourself about the issue you want to work on. Whenever possible, speak to people that are personally affected by your issue, and gain perspective on how to be an ally.

The third is implementing the use of IDEA into your daily life. IDEA is an acronym; it stands for "Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility."

Inclusion: Creating a space where all people are welcomed, seen, heard and valued as their authentic selves.

Diversity: Ensuring difference and variety are present or represented in a certain situation, place or context.

Equity: Identifying and dismantling structures that cause differential starting places for different people, and taking proactive measures that increase fairness and transparency.

Accessibility: Developing and implementing resources, practices, policies, and accommodations that break down barriers and provide entry points for all people to fully participate.

Keeping IDEA in mind in your day-to-day life will create a safer and more just environment for you and your fellow people. It is a small step that can create a big difference in the lives of many.
Step 3: Take action!
Taking action can be done in both large and small ways. It's all based on what you're comfortable with. If you don't want to immediately start with large actions, that is completely fine. Each small step is equally as important, and it all makes a difference.

Here are some actions you can take to inspire a change:

Lobbying: This is the action of trying to influence elected officials to see an issue from a human rights perspective and vote accordingly. It can be accomplished through petitions, phone banks, letters, or even emails - any way to share your perspective and influence human rights.Volunteering: Volunteering at local events pertaining to the subject you are trying to better is productive. If you want a more hands-on experience in your activism work, then this is the perfect choice for you!

Creative Projects: This includes music, paintings, display pieces - anything eye-catching and different. If you find the best way toexpress your sentiments is through art, then by all means, go ahead! Art is an emotionally appealing, and beautiful way to stand up for what you believe in.

Social Media Campaigns: Social media has the potential to unite people. Creating a social media campaign in support of your topic or organization opens up a world to new possible activists.

If you don't have time to do these actions every day, that's completely understandable. There are little things everyone can do daily that will reap success as well. For one, it is important to think about what you say, before you say it. If you see injustice, don't just stand by. In a room of silence, be the deafening cry of justice; stand up and with those who are being mistreated. In addition to that, if there is a discussion, make your voice heard. Opinions cannot be changed without conversation.
Step 4: Persevere.
Activism is not an easy job, especially if you start attending protests and participating in actions in public spaces. In troubling times, when it's the most important to speak out, it can feel even harder. Whenever these feelings begin to creep in, turn to friends and remember that millions around the world have goals to better our global community. You're not alone: each and every one of us is important.
This article was written by Zainab Shamim for Amnesty International USA.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
This Can Be the Year You Become an Activist

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It can be difficult to figure out the best way to help, but there are many actions that can create a beneficial impact on the community around you. These actions - both large and small - have significant results. When beginning your journey into the world of activism, the options can seem somewhat overwhelming.

# data[].attributes.body
https://everygirlhastherighttolearn.weebly.com/what-is-teen-activism.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Have you ever heard of a teen who changed the world? Or someone being targeted for their opinion? Or even a youth child killed for trying to make a difference in the world? These are what...

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/V0N_W--97Rg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teenage activist Marley Dias on the trailblazer who inspired her

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/video/young-activist-recounts-pivotal-moments-fight-black-lives-71434425

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Young activist recounts pivotal moments in her fight for black lives

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nupol Kiazolu, president of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, discussed what spurred her to activism at a very young age.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/13/young-people-are-angry-meet-the-teenage-activists-shaping-our-future

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
n a political climate where most adults are inert with despair, a growing number of teenagers are responding with action. After 14 children and three adults were massacred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, it was students - not parents, teachers or political representatives - who organised themselves to campaign for changes to US gun laws. The March for Our Lives demonstration in Washington, DC on 24 March was accompanied by sister marches around the world: millions of young people supporting each other and demanding policy reform. Lead campaigner Emma González, a high-school student who now has more than 1.5m Twitter followers, made a call to arms for her peers to: "Fight for your lives before it's someone else's job."

González is one of many teenagers shattering the stereotypes of the lazy, entitled, self-obsessed millennial. More and more teenagers are noisily questioning the world they're inheriting and demanding things work differently. Here, we meet some of the young activists whose voices are increasingly impossible to dismiss.

Last spring, I was watching the news when there was a report on girls in the UK missing school because they couldn't afford menstrual products. Some were using toilet paper, newspaper or socks. Thinking about girls my age going through this hit me hard. The report gained attention, but I felt the government was sweeping it under the carpet and we needed to pressure them to do something. So I did what felt normal to me and went online and started a petition. It calls for free menstrual products for children on free school meals. I didn't imagine even getting 100 signatures. But in between revising for AS exams, I emailed as many people, companies and universities as I could. I asked my parents to send it around their work. My dad was a bit reluctant at first, but he did.

There's huge embarrassment about periods, but it's something half the world's population will go through for a week every month. That it's a taboo holds us back in achieving gender equality. Within two weeks, the petition reached 2,000 signatures. Comments were divided between people being shocked that this happens and others saying it affects them or their friends. Hearing that made me want to fight harder.

When the general election was announced, I emailed the parties. The Green party and Women's Equality party both replied and included a pledge in their manifesto. I was so frustrated I couldn't vote. Then in December we organised a protest outside Theresa May's bedroom; more than 1,000 people came and shouted. To date, 150,000 people have signed the petition. It's sad when adults are surprised to hear a young person being politically vocal. Young people are angry about the state of the world and a lot of us use social media to articulate that. I get asked to speak a lot.

The other morning, a TV station sent a car to school, I left for an hour, spoke on the issue and came back to a history lesson. My parents are supportive and as surprised as me that this has taken off. My dad went with me to the Women's March, which was cool. But sometimes my mum can get annoyed if I'm doing lots of campaign stuff with exams coming up.

If someone tells me I should be in school right now, I know that they don't see the bigger picture. Earth's ability to support human life is falling apart and if things don't change in the next five to 10 years, nothing's going to matter.

I'll finish high school, but right now this is the most important thing I can do with my time. Myself and 20 other kids are currently suing the Trump administration for violating our constitutional rights for failure to act on climate change. We originally launched it against the Obama administration a few years ago. The US government has known the fossil fuel industry is having a negative impact on our climate, yet they have been offering them subsidies and opening up land to exploration. We have just heard that we are going to trial in October.

I'm also involved in law actions and civil disobedience to stop fracking around my hometown of Boulder. In 2012, my friends and I successfully helped push for a five-year ban.

From a young age, I was aware of my part in protecting our planet. I was three or four the first time I went on a protest, and six when I started speaking at them. I was born in Colorado and have spent a lot of time in Mexico. My entire childhood was travelling, hanging out in nature and learning about my family's indigenous heritage. My dad taught me that we have a responsibility to protect the Earth the way that our ancestors did.

I've spoken at the UN about my work. I was surprised how disrespectful, disconnected and sterile it was. The delegates were on their phones, not listening. They perked up when they heard I was just 15 years old. The power of me speaking wasn't for them but for the millions of people my speech has since reached online.

The world is seeing how powerful young people are and how things are going to change. Adults on CNN and in the United States specifically, they can argue and cover gossip about Trump and his hair and porn stars. But young people are mobilising on the streets.

There's so much power in what's happening within our generation. We don't have the respect we deserve, but I think it's coming.

I've been racially abused since about 12, but it was never seen as an important thing to tackle. At secondary school, white children called me disgusting things, but teachers would turn a blind eye. And not just to racism, but sexism, homophobia, transphobia. There's also internal racism in the Eritrean community. My dad is called names because he has darker skin. It all comes from preconceived ideas that black is less, or the darker you are the lower you are in terms of income, society and politics.

Because these problems weren't taken seriously, I normalised them. But when I moved to a sixth form where the majority of students are black girls, I was surrounded by political and social consciousness. The more educated I got, the angrier I became. Last summer, I joined an organisation called the Advocacy Academy and, with a small group of people my age, we launched a campaign challenging the image and under-representation of black people in the media. We recreated iconic posters, such as Doctor Who, Titanic and Harry Potter, and made all the characters black. The campaign is rooted in personal experiences and I've gone from talking about things with my friends in the lunch hall to speaking about them nationally.

The Academy has revolutionised the way I think. Back in the day I definitely upheld toxic masculine identities. I'd tell myself that I didn't cry. Challenging gender norms wasn't of interest to me because I wanted to fit in with my friends. But I've learned to let go of my ego and be vulnerable so I can say what's on my mind. It's allowed me to take all the cold anger I have built up over years and turn it into something good. I've learned to become an ally to many other issues that don't affect me directly.

After university, I don't just want to get a really good job, buy a big house and forget about my community. I want to change something and challenge the status quo.

Even before the war in Syria, I wanted to change society, but I knew I needed to get educated to do that. Back then, we had a normal life. We went to school every day and saw our friends. The war started when I was 11 or 12. Going to school became difficult. There were people fighting on the ground, there would be bombing, sometimes bullets. Sometimes school was just closed because of budgets. My father is a teacher and he lost his job.

We left Syria five years ago, when I was 14. I was so worried about my future and education. We went to a refugee camp in Jordan. I didn't expect there to be a school, but I was happy to discover a caravan with a tent and some teachers. There was no electricity. We studied computing from a book. In the winter, it got so cold it was hard to focus on the teacher.

But school gave me hope. And I started to encourage other girls and boys to go, too. I would walk from tent to tent, caravan to caravan, persuading kids and parents. I met people who thought that because we are refugees, education isn't important any more, or that they'd continue school when they returned to Syria. I encouraged people to believe in themselves and not give up. I met kids who'd never been to school, and girls who saw marriage as their profession. Some parents told me it had nothing to do with me. I fought hard for everyone to believe that we can't do anything without knowledge and got involved with international charities who supported me.

What's happening in my country is not of our making and it's not our fault that we're losing our rights. One day, we'll be able to return, and we need to have knowledge. After three years in Jordan, my family came to the UK. Last year I became the youngest and first refugee Unicef Goodwill Ambassador. I'm now on my way to university and am doubling my activism.

I came out at 14. When you're a young LGBTQ+ person and you come out, you're put in this position where you are suddenly expected to educate your peers. I'd be in a lesson and someone would ask me an incredibly inappropriate question. People feel like they have permission to access all of you when you're still figuring things out for yourself.

At the same time, someone in my class was sending me online anonymous, violent messages, telling me to kill myself. My school didn't know what to do with it. At one point, they had contacted my parents, pushing me to come out to them, too, and it all became detrimental to my mental health.

I don't come from a political family, but I've always had a strong sense of fairness. After coming out, I started making educational YouTube videos on LGBTQ+ issues and people watched them. I also worked with my school to establish support systems and visibility for LGBTQ+ pupils. I got together with teachers to set up a group. We held events and assemblies, and suddenly others wanted to join. I worked with the school to run surveys of the staff and students, so we knew the issues that needed addressing.

As part of a Stonewall youth programme, I started a YouTube series called Queeries. I invite anyone to submit questions, however inappropriate or silly, and I sit down with another LGBTQ+ person and we answer them. Part of that is creating space for difficult questions, but also to give others a platform. I am very aware of the fact that I am white, middle-class and able-bodied, and there are a lot of things I feel I can't speak to. I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and autism, but campaigning is always something I've felt able to do.

I was happy to do the work with my school, and I know that education resources are stretched, but schools shouldn't rely on pupils to affect change. That puts pressure on young people to challenge things adults should be addressing.

Many young people think they aren't going to amount to anything because of all the headlines we read. But that's designed to discredit our concerns about how the world's being run. A lot of people in control are invested in the world as it currently stands; to suggest that things aren't great the way they are scares them.

We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks. Not because we're going to be another statistic about mass shooting in America, but because we are going to be the last mass shooting. Just like Tinker v Des Moines, we are going to change the law. And it's going to be due to the tireless effort of the school board, the faculty members, the family members and most of all the students. The students who are dead, the students still in the hospital, the students now suffering PTSD, the students who had panic attacks during the vigil because the helicopters would not leave us alone, hovering over the school for 24 hours a day.

If President Trump wants to tell me to my face that it was a terrible tragedy and how it should never have happened and maintain telling us how nothing is going to be done about it, I'm going to happily ask him how much money he received from the National Rifle Association.

It doesn't matter because I already know: $30m. And divided by the number of gunshot victims in the United States in the first one and a half months of 2018 alone, that comes out to being $5,800 each. Is that how much these people are worth to you, Trump? If you don't do anything to prevent this from continuing to occur, that number of gunshot victims will go up and the number that they are worth will go down. And we will be worthless to you.

To every politician who is taking donations from the NRA, shame on you. The people in the government who were voted into power are lying to us. And us kids seem to be the only ones who notice and call BS. Companies trying to make caricatures of the teenagers these days, saying that all we are is self-involved and trend-obsessed and they hush us into submission when our message doesn't reach the ears of the nation, we are prepared to call BS.

Politicians who sit in their gilded House and Senate seats funded by the NRA telling us nothing could have been done to prevent this, we call BS. They say tougher guns laws do not decrease gun violence. We call BS. They say a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun. We call BS. They say guns are just tools like knives and are as dangerous as cars. We call BS. They say no laws could have prevented the hundreds of senseless tragedies that have occurred. We call BS. That us kids don't know what we're talking about, that we're too young to understand how the government works. We call BS.
This is an edited transcript from the speech student and activist Emma González gave at the anti-gun rally in Fort Lauderdale on 17 February 2018, three days after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'Young people are angry': the teenage activists shaping our future

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fed up with waiting for the older generation to sort out its problems, a growing number of teenage activists are taking matters into their own hands. Here, six motivated people reveal why they've decided to fight for a better world

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/X_WRe-9ArNI

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/lcGG0JUqtzI

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Activist Joshua Wong expects to be ‘prime target’ of national security law in Hong Kong

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.pointsoflight.org/awards/teen-serves-as-next-gen-voice-of-wildlife-conservation/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Taegen Yardley. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Taegen Yardley says as a 6th grader she learned about the horrifics of wildlife trafficking, and discovered that trafficking was even taking place in her home state of Vermont. Committing to promoting wildlife conservation, Taegan decided to use her voice to protect animals and raise awareness about trafficking.

Initially focusing on elephant conservation with her initiative, A World with Elephants, the now 16-year-old Stowe, Vermont resident quickly expanded her efforts, discovering that the issue was widespread, with thousands of wildlife species threatened by illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. Estimated to be a multibillion-dollar business, trafficking involves the unlawful harvest of and trade in live animals and plants or parts and products derived from them.

Connecting with thousands of people through her educational conservation movies, Taegen is one of the next-generation of leaders raising awareness about the planet's most critically endangered species and the impact of decreasing biodiversity.

What inspires you to volunteer?

This was my first real introduction into advocacy. Seeing that my voice had power was an "aha moment" for me, because I realized that young voices can make a difference. A lot of youth today think their voices are too small, but I've discovered through my volunteerism that I can get other kids to raise their voices about unique issues they are passionate about.

Describe your role with A World with Elephants.

As the founder of A World with Elephants, I am educating the world about our rapidly decreasing biodiversity and the plight of our planet's most critically endangered species. As the leader of this initiative, I post on our Facebook page to raise awareness, and I speak to students to educate them about these issues. Additionally, I produce and promote movies about wildlife and conservation issues. My former social students teacher, Mark Cline Lucey, who is also a filmmaker, handles all of the filming and editing for my movies.

Why have you decided to help endangered animals?

I've always loved animals, and the altruism and compassion elephants have for others is astounding to me, and are qualities that drew me to them. By volunteering to help endangered species, I am giving future generations the chance to witness these amazing animals on this amazing planet.

As part of your volunteerism, you produce conservation movies. Explain.

I've produced five movies thus far, and these mini-documentaries have been shown around the world. I've been invited to speak at the National Geographic Society, the Department of the Interior, and the United Nations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses some of my movies in courses being taught in San Salvador, Budapest and Vietnam.

Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.

I was speaking to 3rd graders at a local school and showed them one of my movies. Trafficking is a difficult topic to teach young kids because it's heartbreaking to watch the animals being slaughtered. One of the kids started crying. All the students came up to me after the movie asking what they could do to stop the killing of animals. It was validation for me that I am making a difference across my generation.

When you're not at school or volunteering, what do you do for fun?

I am a ski racer and ski coach. I enjoy teaching younger kids how to race. I also started a girls boxing group, and I'm really into theater and singing. I also spend my spare time hiking and hanging out with my family.

What's been the most rewarding part of your service?

Seeing the impact I am making on others and the ripple effect my voice has. When I inspire someone to want to learn more and dive deeper into an issue they are passionate about, that's extremely rewarding.

How can readers help?

Please check out A World with Elephant's Facebook page for more information.
Do you want to make a difference in your community like Taegen Yardley? Find local volunteer opportunities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teen Serves as Next-Gen Voice of Wildlife Conservation - Points of Light

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Taegen Yardley. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. Taegen Yardley says as a 6th grader she learned about the horrifics of wildlife trafficking, and discovered that trafficking was even taking place in her home state of Vermont.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.themuse.com/advice/emilyanne-rigal-the-19yearold-whos-banishing-bullying

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
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.

What's the best job for you?

Use The Muse to find a job at a company with a culture you love. Select the career path that aligns with you:

How many years of experience do you have?

What company benefits are most important to you?

Calculating your job matches...

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.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Emily-Anne Rigal: The 19-Year-Old Who's Banishing Bullying

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ranked as one of Newsweek's "150 Most Fearless Women in the World," Emily-Anne Rigal is taking a stand against bullying.

# data[].attributes.body
https://people.com/pets/boy-12-creates-bow-ties-for-shelter-dogs/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Boy Creates Bow Ties for Shelter Animals to Help Them Get Adopted

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The 12-year-old Newark, New Jersey, native uses his organization Beaux and Paws to donate self-made bow ties to shelters so animals look spiffy for adoption

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/6by9NEhT9GM

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/GeE08APp6w4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
William Winslow Helping Feed Hungry Children