It is believed that politics is “a matter for adults”. But is that really true?
The story of Greta Thunberg has demonstrated how much the role of teenage activism has changed today. It was previously unimaginable that the entire population of the planet, disregarding other news, would excitedly discuss the speech of a 16-year-old schoolgirl for several days. Or that the protests initiated by this schoolgirl will be attended by millions of her peers around the world in unison.
Of course, the youth have always protested, but the scale of the protests in the past was incomparable. Additionally, teenagers did not have many opportunities to convey their ideas to the masses and find supporters without the support of adults, but now, social media allows teenagers to do this instantly and without additional resources, turning them into a force that cannot be ignored. Politicians may say what they like about young people being “incompetent” or “manipulated,” but the fact remains that today’s teenagers have the opportunity to influence areas that were traditionally closed to them.
Ecology
This year, ecology is certainly the main topic of teen activism, largely due to Greta Thunberg. Her FridaysForFuture protests have grown into a global youth movement, and “climate strikes” have brought together millions of young people. Almost every country has its own teenage eco-campaigns and activists.
It would seem that eco-activism is not a new idea; so why did it take so many years for it to become a mass movement? The answer is simple: the agenda has changed. Ecoactivism is no longer about abstract concepts like polar bears, whales, or rainforests; it is now about tangible and relevant issues. Now, we are discussing a threat to mankind and its habitat. Furthermore, this threat is quickly approaching and not just threatening future generations, but the current one – the people who are currently studying in school. Since adults are not actively solving the problem, teenagers are increasingly taking the initiative into their own hands.
Until recently, Indonesia was one of the world’s largest producers of plastic waste, most of which ended up in the ocean and on beaches. In an attempt to make a difference, 10-year-old Melati and 12-year-old Isabelle Vijsen launched the Bye Bye Plastic Bags campaign on their home island of Bali. They started by creating a petition, collecting 100,000 signatures, and sending the document to the governor of the island. The officials ignored the petition, so the sisters went on a hunger strike.
It worked: a day later, the governor received the sisters at his residence, thanked them, and subsequently signed a law banning disposable plastic in Bali. In anticipation of the law coming into effect, Melati and Isabelle gathered volunteers and organized raids to clean the beaches (12,000 people attended one such action), lectured about the dangers of plastic in schools, and handed out bags made of organic materials. Since June 2019, the Bali authorities have completely banned the sale and use of plastic bags, as well as packaging, disposable tableware, glasses, straws, and other items made of “disposable” plastic.
In the UK, two other sisters are trying to solve the same problem: 14-year-old Ella and 16-year-old Amy Meek from Nottingham. They created the Kids Against Plastic movement and are fighting to reduce plastic consumption, with the ultimate goal of completely eliminating single-use plastic tableware from British schools and supermarket shelves.
Restrictions on the sale of weapons
On February 14, 2018, a former student at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland, Florida, committed a mass shooting, resulting in 17 deaths and 14 more people injured to varying degrees. The tragedy is all too common. According to statistics from The Washington Post, over the past 50 years, there have been 150 mass shootings in the country’s schools, resulting in 1,077 deaths.
This time, the surviving teenagers united and demanded that the authorities restrict the sale of weapons. The #NeverAgain hashtag used by young people went viral on social media; Emma Gonzalez, one of the movement’s activists, gained a million subscribers in the first ten days, twice as many as the National Rifle Association (NRA), the gun lobby’s main organization, had in the previous ten years.
In March, Parkland schoolchildren held a “March for Our Lives” rally in Washington, which was supported in 800 American cities; thousands of people with different political views took to the streets to demand stricter gun sale regulations. Although the government was in no hurry to change the law, public opinion was already leaning towards the protesters. Consequently, the state government had to give in and Florida senators raised the age to buy guns from 18 to 21, while also introducing a mandatory three-day waiting period.
Women’s rights
Afghan activist Sonita Alizadeh is a champion for women’s rights in Islamic countries, and she speaks primarily against forced marriages. Sonita is familiar with this problem firsthand: for the first time, her parents tried to marry her off when she was only ten; the second time, when she was sixteen. They did not hide the fact that they planned to get a good amount for their daughter and thus solve their financial problems.
Sonita refused to obey her family’s demands and wrote the rap “Girl for Sale”. Her parents were furious, but eventually reconciled when Sonita sent them a fee for her first concert. Now, at twenty-three, she lives in the US and records songs about the position of women in Islamic society.
However, women’s rights must be fought for in prosperous countries as well. 17-year-old British schoolgirl Amika George, upon learning that many of her compatriots from poor families often miss classes due to lack of funds to buy pads and tampons, initiated the Free Periods campaign. In addition to protesting on social networks, Amika organized a street action in which more than 2,000 people dressed in red gathered at the prime minister’s residence. This year, the authorities finally promised to provide all schools and colleges in the country with free hygiene products – a feat entirely due to Amica’s merit.
All immigrants should have equal opportunities and rights
The youngest activist in history is named Sophie Cruz. The daughter of illegal Mexican immigrants, she persuaded her father to take her to Washington to meet with Pope Francis when she was only five years old during his visit to the United States. By some miracle, she managed to break through security, run up to her father’s car, and hand over a note asking them to pay attention to the situation of immigrants. The Pope kept his promise and indeed raised this issue at meetings with the American leadership.
Later, Sophie wrote to then President Barack Obama and received a personal invitation to the White House. After the election of Donald Trump, she became the youngest participant in the Women’s March in Washington. She made a three-minute speech in two languages (English and Spanish), which, according to her parents, she wrote entirely by herself.
What’s next
For many, teenage activism is met with skepticism—and for good reason. Indeed, child activists can be (and sometimes are) manipulated. Yes, perhaps for some of them, activism is just a form of teenage rebellion and in a few years, they will be more concerned about their own mortgages than women’s rights or climate change. However, this does not change the fact that the alignment of forces is changing before our eyes