15 YOUNG PEOPLE LEADING CHANGE
With every new generation comes a new wave of perspective on the world. For young people, global issues like resources, inequality, how we treat the planet and how we treat each other can often feel like an especially urgent threat to their future. Young people with their youthful vision and endless energy take action to create the change they want to see in the world. Here are 15 such young people whose work is leading the way with their courage and determination inspiring us all.
Amika George
British activist Amika George is the 22-year-old founder of Free Periods, an organisation that was instrumental in getting the government to commit funding for free products for schools in England, so that nobody who menstruates has to miss out on education simply because they’re bleeding. Now that they’ve accomplished that mission, Free Periods (and Amika) are concentrating their efforts on destigmatising period talk. Amika has also written the book Make It Happen: How to Be an Activist about her journey.
Melati Wijsen
At just 20 years old, Indonesian and Dutch activist Melati Wijsen already has almost a decade behind her of working towards a brighter future. Melati co-founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags, an organisation looking to create a world free of plastic bags, through education and policy work around the world. Melati more recently founded YOUTHTOPIA, a community designed to empower young people to be the change they want to see in the world.
Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg no longer needs any introduction. The Swedish climate activist has had an immeasurable impact on global climate policy since she first went on school strike (“skolstrejk”) in August 2018, when she was just 15 years old. Since then, she has started an ever-growing movement, led protests, and spoken on world stages including the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. She sailed to New York in order not to take a plane and, most importantly, has inspired world leaders to make the changes our planet so urgently needs.
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman hurtled into the spotlight on one of the world’s most-watched stages: the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden. There, she stunned millions of viewers with her powerful poetry reading, touching on themes of race, tolerance, peace and hope. At 22, she was the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, and now has a three-book deal with Penguin Random House.
Malala Yousafzai
Often referred to simply as “Malala,” I’m sure you already know exactly who this phenomenal young woman is — perhaps you’ve even read her book, I Am Malala. But if you’ve heard the name, but are unclear on exactly what work she has done to earn her a Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17 (!!!), here’s a quick refresher. Born in Pakistan, Malala’s town was taken over by the Taliban when she was just 11, forcing her to quit school because she was a girl. Soon, she began risking her life to advocate for girls’ rights, eventually founding the Malala Fund, through which she continues her work to this day.
Romario Valentine
At just 11 years old, Romario Valentine has already been an environmental activist for five years. Based in Durban, South Africa, Romario is an ambassador for Ocean Sole and received an Owl Award for his conservation work in 2022. He cleans beaches weekly, has planted 455 trees to date, and continually raises awareness for bird conservation, marine conservation, climate change and deforestation. He is the author of Protect our Planet – Take action with Romario, which will be released this December.
Thandiwe Abdullah
Thandiwe Abdullah was named a 2020 Voice of the Year by Seventeen magazine for her work with the Black Lives Matter Youth Vanguard, which she co-founded. With the group, she worked to defund the Los Angeles school police department and redistribute those funds to schools in need. She is now a student at the prestigious Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Jamie Margolin
Jamie Margolin is a climate activist who co-founded Zero Hour, an organisation dedicated to getting elected officials to listen to young people in the conversation on climate change. She educates about how the climate crisis affects marginalised communities the most, in particular the LGBTQ+ community, and is the author of Youth to Power, which includes a foreword by Greta Thunberg. Jamie was named a GLAAD 20 Under 20 Honoree in 2020 and is currently a film student at New York University.
Isra Hirsi
Isra Hirsi is the daughter of U.S. congresswoman Ilhan Omar, but she’s really distinguished herself through her own incredible activism work. According to Fortune, who named her on their 40 under 40 list for government and politics, Isra is an environmental justice organiser, a progressive political consultant and a Black Lives Matter activist. In 2020, she gave a Tedx talk about being viewed through the stereotype of the “angry Black girl.”
Desmond is Amazing
Desmond Napoles, AKA Desmond is Amazing, is — to quote their website — ”a multi-awarded LGBTQ advocate, outspoken gay youth, genderfluid editorial and runway model, motivational public speaker, drag performer, designer, actor, singer, entertainer and published author.” So yep, Desmond truly is amazing. They are in the process of launching three separate communities for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies, called Haus of Amazing, Haus of Amazing Junior, and Haus of Darlings. They are the author of Be Amazing: A History of Pride.
Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez
Raised in Colorado in the Aztec tradition, Xiuhtezcatl developed a deep love and respect for the planet from an early age. He has been fighting for environmental justice since he was a young child and at 16 was the youth director of Earth Guardians, an organisation dedicated to forming leaders in environmental activism. These days, alongside his action for the planet, Xiuhtezcatl is focusing on his music — hip-hop inspired by both his roots as well as the mainstream.
Bana Alabed
At just seven years old, Syrian girl Bana Alabed was already a fully fledged peace campaigner. She live-tweeted the siege of Aleppo with the help of her mother and spoke out about what it was like to live through all that violence and destruction. As of 2021, when she was 11, Bana and her family were living as refugees in Turkey. From there, the little girl continues to raise awareness of wars around the world, including in Syria and in Ukraine. She has written two books, Dear World and My Name Is Bana.
Sonita Alizadeh
When it comes to delivering an important message, few things are as powerful as art. That’s what Sonita Alizadeh, rapper and activist, has brilliantly captured through her work. Born in Afghanistan, Sonita narrowly escaped forced marriage twice, at 10 years old and 16 years old, and has been fighting to prevent girls like her from ending up in forced marriages ever since. She started with the rap song “Daughters for Sale,” which attracted so much attention that a nonprofit helped Sonita escape to Utah. She currently attends Bard College in New York and continues her activism work from there.
Jazz Jennings
Jazz Jennings rose to prominence as one of the youngest people to come out publicly as transgender — in 2007 when she was just six years old, and the term “trans” was still far from the mainstream. Since then, she has become a successful YouTuber, and author of autobiography Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen. She founded the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation with her parents. She currently attends Harvard University and continues to raise awareness for trans lives.