Activist teen girls have been thriving
during the pandemic and accompanying quarantines, adapting their sense of
mission and involvement to include health issues as well as helping their
communities find ways to get beyond systemic racism. They’ve even been
experimenting with no-phone detoxification programs.
In a recent story, NPR’s Nadia Whitehead spoke to 11 girl activists during the (virtual) 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit sponsored by the United Nations for young
females to advocate for the health, safety and education of girls and women
around the world.
Many of the teens said that the pandemic
has worsened the problems against which they are passionately fighting. But
that has only made them more determined to speak up. And find ways of creating
new forms of activism.
Among the young women spoken to was the
co-founder of a Minneapolis non-profit that offers free tutoring and mentoring
for low-income students; a 16 year-old with Indian background who has faced
growing xenophobia from community members who believe all Asians are to blame
for Coronavirus; volunteers for the Save the Children Action Network; and advocates
for gun violence prevention and safety in vulnerable neighborhoods. They spoke
from all over the world.
"I
am a Muslim Arab girl living in the Middle East. There's lots of stereotypes
and misconceptions about Arab women,” said one teen, who has also started her
own non-profit. “Lots of people think we are all oppressed, and this undermines
the achievements of Arab women. I want to show Arab girls that you can do
something and be whoever you want.”
Other subjects raised included the rise in violence
against women once lockdowns started, and a sense of need that teens and their
parents urge elected officials to address issues
critical to children's lives, including racism.
Yet
there were also upbeat appraisals of new social media platforms such as TikTok
and Instagram, an appreciation for spending more time at home with one’s
parents, cooking, and binging television. Fave shows? How about The Politician and Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act.
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