In the face of an issue that’s as encompassing and complex as the climate crisis, it’s easy to feel like individual actions don’t hold any power, and that it’s too big of a problem for young people to solve. However, if you ask young people themselves – especially a group of changemakers from dev.tv’s Young Activists Summit – a global platform launched by dev.tv and the United Nations that supports young activists defending human rights and the environment – they will beg to differ.
Born This Way Foundation co-founder, Cynthia Germanotta, gathered with seven young activists from all over the world to hear about their experiences and advocacy efforts in their communities and beyond – in a conversation supported with curation by the foundation’s intern Maame Forson. While their homes and backgrounds are incredibly unique, what ties these young people together is their undisputed passion to advocate for the environment and their resolve that they are capable of making a real, lasting impact.
A climate activist from Sudan, Nisreen Elsaim (she/her), has seen more than her share of conflicts in her country that have been triggered by climate change. Nisreen noted how this takes a toll on the young people in her community who “view climate change as a crisis that not enough people care about.” She stressed that “young people are facing ‘climate anxiety’ but it’s really ‘climate reality’ because these things are happening around us. But we still have the chance to change things, and we need people to believe that they can be useful.”
Sawyeddollah Maung (he/him), who joined the conversation from the refugee camp in Bangladesh his family is living in, founded the Rohingya Student Network after escaping persecution in Myanmar when he was 16. He advocates for better living conditions in the camps, especially for youth: “Living in a refugee camp and having no plan or hope for the future damages people’s mental health. [We aim] to empower youth through training and lessons to speak up for their own rights and develop their advocacy skills in order to support their mental health.”
Sisters Amy (she/her) and Ella (she/her) Meek founded Kids Against Plastic to combat plastic pollution, and the program has extended to include over 1,000 schools in the UK and beyond. They shared how community is so essential to change and that the combined impact of small actions really does matter.
“Many young people feel powerless to do something about climate change, and feel disconnected from the issue on a daily basis,” Amy said. “Community action is a powerful tool, and small actions have power in making people believe they are a part of something bigger and can improve the world around them.” Ella also shared how “empowerment through small steps is very valuable to mental health. We need to include young people in the conversations to quell their worries, but also because we have to value what they have to say and how they can change the world around them.”
These young activists recognize the importance of their own mental health in their advocacy efforts and their role in supporting the mental health of those around them. Pashtana Durrani (she/her), founder of Afghanistan-based nonprofit LEARN, has been able to empower more than 7,000 Afghan girls through education. She does this in part by “curating sharing circles for girls to share their emotions and encourage them to be genuine and honest.” Pashtana emphasized “showing up with kindness [and] showing up for yourself first before trying to take care of others.”
In the Hall of Biodiversity in the American Museum of Natural History, a Kenyan proverb on the wall reads: “Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.” These young people gave us a glimpse into the strength, compassion, and selflessness it takes to be a climate activist and shared how important it is to prioritize their own mental health in order to make progress. Nisreen Elsaim, Sawyeddollah Maung, Amy Meek, Ella Meek, Pashtana Durrani, Louise Mabulo, Emily Flores, and so many others are doing the hard work to build a kinder, braver world – and one that will be around for a long time.
