Seneca, an ancient Roman philosopher, statesman and dramatist, once said, “Every beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Teen activists have realized this; the end is only the beginning of something newer, and better. Teenage activism is a teen who acts positively upon a issue, changing it for the better, and influencing others to do the same. They continue reaching and speaking out to bring attention to a problem that can be changed to make the world a better place. Ultimately, teen activism begins in different ways: some have a personal experience, some are born into it, and some learn about it.
To begin, many teens become activists through their own personal experience. For instance, Malala Yousafzai, a twenty year old Pakistani …show more content…
Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, has always believed that girls should have the same rights that men have, ever since he was a young boy. This belief has carried on through his lifetime, and into Malala’s. ”Don’t ask me what I did. Ask me what I did not do. I did not clip her wings,” he says. Ziauddin had been running his own chain of schools known as the “Khushal Public School” during the time when the Taliban did not let girls to attend school. He set an example for Malala by defying the rule that young women should not go to school, and allowing the girls continue to go to his school. Without a doubt, Ziauddin’s encouragement has led Malala to stand up for what she thinks is right, while his mentorship has formed the courageous, bold women that Malala has come to be. Ahed Tamimi, a seventeen year old Palestinian girl, is another example of a teen who was born into activism. Ahed was just sixteen years old when she walked up to a Israeli soldier and began to vigorously kick and forcefully slap him. Similar to Malala, Ahed also learned most of what she knew from her father, Bassem Tamimi. In 2012, Bassem was charged by authorities for organizing a protest. He himself was an activist, and stood up for his beliefs and personal rights. “My daughter has spent her whole life under the heavy shadow of the Israeli prison... her own arrest was just a matter of time. An inevitable tragedy …show more content…
Craig Kielburger, a twelve year old boy from Ontario, Canada, was astonished by the article he found in the newspaper when searching for comics. There was a piece on a boy named Iqbal Masih, also twelve years old but from Pakistan, who was killed standing up to child labor. As soon as Craig realized that it could have been him that died, he knew something had to be done, but it could not be done alone. For this reason, he called upon friends and created the “We charity.” They have created villages with education, clean water, sanitation, food security and healthcare. This shows that Craig’s goal to stop child labor came merely from the column on Iqbal in the newspaper. Alex Lin, a sixteen year old environmental activist from Westerly, Rhode Island, is another example of teen that became an activist from learning about a problem. After reading an article about Electronic Waste, better known as e-waste, in The New York Times and learning about how bad it was for the environment, Alex knew something had to be done about it. He began by gathering friends from his community service group, Westerly Innovations Network (WIN). Together, they spread messages about the harmful effects of e-waste, and how they are helping to dispose of the whole topic. Before long, Alex and his group had saved thousands of dollars, and therefore thousands of electronic devices such as computers, phones, and mp3 players from being thrown
To begin, many teens become activists through their own personal experience. For instance, Malala Yousafzai, a twenty year old Pakistani …show more content…
Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, has always believed that girls should have the same rights that men have, ever since he was a young boy. This belief has carried on through his lifetime, and into Malala’s. ”Don’t ask me what I did. Ask me what I did not do. I did not clip her wings,” he says. Ziauddin had been running his own chain of schools known as the “Khushal Public School” during the time when the Taliban did not let girls to attend school. He set an example for Malala by defying the rule that young women should not go to school, and allowing the girls continue to go to his school. Without a doubt, Ziauddin’s encouragement has led Malala to stand up for what she thinks is right, while his mentorship has formed the courageous, bold women that Malala has come to be. Ahed Tamimi, a seventeen year old Palestinian girl, is another example of a teen who was born into activism. Ahed was just sixteen years old when she walked up to a Israeli soldier and began to vigorously kick and forcefully slap him. Similar to Malala, Ahed also learned most of what she knew from her father, Bassem Tamimi. In 2012, Bassem was charged by authorities for organizing a protest. He himself was an activist, and stood up for his beliefs and personal rights. “My daughter has spent her whole life under the heavy shadow of the Israeli prison... her own arrest was just a matter of time. An inevitable tragedy …show more content…
Craig Kielburger, a twelve year old boy from Ontario, Canada, was astonished by the article he found in the newspaper when searching for comics. There was a piece on a boy named Iqbal Masih, also twelve years old but from Pakistan, who was killed standing up to child labor. As soon as Craig realized that it could have been him that died, he knew something had to be done, but it could not be done alone. For this reason, he called upon friends and created the “We charity.” They have created villages with education, clean water, sanitation, food security and healthcare. This shows that Craig’s goal to stop child labor came merely from the column on Iqbal in the newspaper. Alex Lin, a sixteen year old environmental activist from Westerly, Rhode Island, is another example of teen that became an activist from learning about a problem. After reading an article about Electronic Waste, better known as e-waste, in The New York Times and learning about how bad it was for the environment, Alex knew something had to be done about it. He began by gathering friends from his community service group, Westerly Innovations Network (WIN). Together, they spread messages about the harmful effects of e-waste, and how they are helping to dispose of the whole topic. Before long, Alex and his group had saved thousands of dollars, and therefore thousands of electronic devices such as computers, phones, and mp3 players from being thrown