Finding Your Civic Voice at an Early Age

How Social Advocacy Reveals Who You Are & What You Care About

Finding Your Civic Voice at an Early Age

How Social Advocacy Reveals Who You Are & What You Care About

“Wait” has almost always meant “never.” said Dr Martin Luther King Jr. During this unprecedented year, students across elementary, middle, high school and university have learned so much about the power of technology and most importantly, online learning. Dr. Martin Luther King’s quote above encapsulates the idea that change does not need to happen slowly. As a result of the pandemic, we have been able to shift our educational systems to a completely new way of learning and although online learning might not work for traditional education, it has proven that we are incredibly adaptable and can change our systems quickly to fit the needs of a situation. Fifteen months ago, I would not have imagined that we would be in the middle of a global pandemic. While there are many aspects of my life as a fourteen year old that have changed in negative ways, I would also not have had the chance to have life changing experiences and begin to harness the power of online learning and communication platforms. Through Zoom, many incredible people have influenced me. I live in a tiny village in Hungary and although there are many opportunities, exploring global activism is not as readily available. Being able to connect online has given me an opportunity to associate with other global activists who are passionate about the same issues as me. I have had transforming conversations, conducted change-making projects and gained new perspectives from people from all over the world. 

While I recognise that this global pandemic has had a devastating social and economic effect worldwide, many individuals, like me, have been given the time and opportunity to explore our passions. My optimism stems from a twelve week online course on social advocacy, called The Youth Social Change Fellowship, which I enrolled in at the beginning of this school year. YSCF is at the epitome of what opened up my world of activism during this uncommon year. I found my voice through the action project that was assigned at the end of the course. I developed a newsletter in which I was able to write about issues that I was passionate about and spotlight ordinary people’s stories in advocacy. In the course, I met fascinating, inspiring and passionate young activists. The founder of the Youth Social Change Fellowship, Arden Reynolds, has chosen to take a gap year from university in order to invest more time and energy into developing this organization. YSCF groups students based on their age and the class works together to learn about the foundations of becoming an activist. During this course, young people partake in enriching discussions, learn the fundamental methods for social change, and craft a personal change-making project that sparks engagement in the community. 

The huge disruptions to every aspect of our lives around the world due to the pandemic has provided an opportunity for the younger generation to see the changes that need to be made in order to live in a just society. In the past year, all of the inequalities that our society faces have been exposed to us in devastating ways that we have not seen before. We have witnessed unprecedented incidents of inequality with the Black Lives Matter movement. With that said, a course like YSCF could not have come at a better time. Why isn't every student in secondary education authentically learning about the ways they can conduct change in their communities in times of inequality, disaster and distress? If our future is at stake, the youth of today will be the ones left to fix it. The current economic and political systems ensure a status quo; the privileged have power, voice and choice while others continue to be discriminated against. At its core, social advocacy is giving disenfranchised people and allies a voice. That voice allows them to make their choices known and disrupts the current power structures. We cannot continue to ignore the screaming need for young people to take a stand for their future. Our systems need to adapt to hold space for social advocacy in education.

That’s why youth leaders, such as Arden Reynolds and the facilitators at YSCF, are deeply invested in reshaping education for the next generation. Arden said that “traditional education left her feeling that she did not have power as a young person.” However, she realized that it is not our age that prevents us from participating in activism work; it is traditional education that holds us back. Arden only started to discover the tools available to her disposal when she went to university and also from a teaching experience with Breakthrough Providence. She embraced all of this knowledge and wanted to contribute her part to shaping the next generation. Arden is set on teaching young people about the tools they will need to change the world, confront injustice, and become active citizens in our democracy and in other nations. This is especially moving  considering that  protests around the world are predominantly made up of young people. They now have an opportunity to learn more about the issues they are fighting for and find the most effective way to conduct change.

As a part of the Youth Social Change Fellowship’s facilitating team, I know firsthand how passionate and diligent young people are to ensure that our vision is reached within the world. We look towards the future to see how we can significantly impact our youth community. In February, the YSCF team held a three-day online workshop for the International School of Yangon, an international school in Myanmar. We helped the students explore the concepts of identity, privilege, positionality, and collective liberation. Our goal was for these discussions to help students build their social activism toolkit and foster civic engagement that would last a lifetime.

I would recommend The Youth Social Change Fellowship for all young people (5-18 years old) who are interested in activism. Students can take the course or work for the organization. The next semesters sign up application is open right now. For more information about how to get involved, please check out their website.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Democracy is not a state, it is an act.” You do not need to wait until you are 18 to have a voice. Become informed on the issues that need your attention, and act upon them as a service to your community. We all have a moral obligation to fight for what is right. How will you use your voice and power?

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The end of the school year is near and my summer plans are a bit up in the air right now. I am excited to take an intensive writing class and science program this summer, so I will take a break from my weekly publications until the beginning of August.

Thank you for your continued support,

Ruby