The real social change initiators don’t seem to be the politicians. They’re not the multi-million dollar company donors either. They’re the regular folks facing discrimination and dangerous social realities every day.
The people making real amendments tend to be the ones whose lives rely upon those amendments; they can’t afford to be apathetic. They’re the voters, marginalised communities, and often, youngsters. This group of young leaders has stood up to fight against harsh realities and bring about a radical change in society. They’re raising awareness about important social justice issues and speaking up for the marginalised.
Some of the young inspiring leaders from across the globe are:
Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is a brave young woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize in Oct 2014. Throughout her life, Yousafzai has advocated for education and women’s right. Yousafzai was born in 1997, in Pakistan, in a very conservative family. Malala is the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of seventeen. She was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012, but she survived.
She shared her experience of living below the Taliban in northeast Pakistan through radio, TV interviews, and blogs. At Harvard University in London, Malala has made several public appearances since the shooting. On her sixteenth birthday, she gave a speech at United Nations about the importance of education for all. The day of her speech was pronounced as ‘Malala Day’.
Her memoir, ‘I Am Malala’, was published in October 2013, and it was also made into a documentary – ‘He Named Me Malala’ which was released in 2015. She has also opened a college for Syrian women refugees in Pakistan, funded by the Malala Fund.
Darius Weems
“Darius Goes West: The Roll of his Life” is a documentary by Logan Richard E. Smalley on Darius Weems life. The film revolves around Darius Weems, a young adult living with the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Because of his condition; he never left his hometown of Athens Georgia. In the middle of 2005, with the assistance of his 11 young friends, 15-year-old Darius kicked off a 7000 miles road trip across the United States from his town to MTV headquarters in Los Angeles to ask Pimp My Ride to customise his wheelchair.
His aim was to spread awareness about the fatal illness and to raise money for research into a cure. Darius turned twenty-three on September 27, 2012, and recently launched his rap career. Darius wrote a rap as a tribute to his fans. In honour of his late brother Mario who also died due to DMD at the age of 19, Darius released his first album, “My Life In This Chair” on February 16 on his brother’s birthday.
Darius asked North America to be considerate about people like him and emphasised that the journey is as vital as the destination. In 2016, he lost his battle to DMD at the age of 27.
Madison Kimrey
Madison Kimrey is a 17 year old young political activist from North Carolina. She focuses on youth involvement in politics, women’s rights and the humane treatment of animals. Her activism started at the age of twelve when she started participating in protests and starting her own petitions to initiate change.
She started her blog about politics “Functional Human Being”. This is a collection of personal insights/opinion on political issues along with occasional music videos.
In her state, she has also started a youth organisation advocating the reintroduction of a voter pre-registration bill for 16- and 17-year-olds.
Emma Watson
Emma Watson was born on April 15 1990, in Paris. When Watson was five her parents divorced, and she moved back to England with her mother and brother. At Oxford, Watson attended the Stagecoach Theatre Arts School. She studied music and acting at Theatre Arts, a part-time theatre faculty. At the age of ten, she performed and took the lead in numerous Stagecoach productions.
Emma became a well-known actress in the world after the Harry Potter series. Watson auditioned eight times at the age of nine, for the role that made her a global star.
Watson has become a role model for young women all over the world. Currently, she saw however necessary it absolutely was to fret girls’ intelligence in society. The actress was taking huge steps in her career outside of the acting world at the age of eighteen.
Emma is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations conjointly, promoting gender equality. In May 2014, Emma completed her graduation from Brown University.
Liza Yaroshenko
She is one of the youngest campaigners for tolerance and understanding of HIV, as well as affordable treatment options. At the ago of six she lost her mother to Aids.
She carries the HIV virus but she has not not let the illness take control of her life. In her early teens she started campaigning to spread awareness about HIV, which has been an epidemic in her native country. She also addressed the Ukrainian Parliament, at the age of 13 to voice her concerns on the lack of affordable drugs for people suffering from HIV.
In spite of Liza’s protest, the budget passed by the Ukrainian parliament, provided only a fraction of the money required to fight HIV and AIDS. But Liza continues her fight with the help of alternative organisations.