Wednesday, August 15
11am EST
#Passion2Action
How can young people better understand social challenges, make their voices heard, and drive real impact on issues they care deeply about?
YouthActionNet and LeaderStories are co-hosting a Twitter chat featuring the voices and experience of young leaders who have fought for (and achieved!) measurable change in issue areas such as gun violence, racial intolerance, pedestrian safety, disability rights, access to education, and more. They’ll share action-oriented advice for other young people who want to get involved in social change but don’t know where to begin.
Join us on Wednesday, August 15 at 11am EST on Twitter using the hashtag #Passion2Action.
This discussion builds on the LeaderStories.org interview series featuring YouthActionNet Fellows advocating for disability rights and inclusion in Zambia, youth civic engagement in Kenya, and access to education for girls globally.
How it Works
We invite all changemakers and activists—both aspiring and accomplished—as well as individuals and institutions who support young leaders, to join us on Twitter August 15 from 11am-12pm using #Passion2Action.
@YouthActionNet and @LeaderStories_ will tweet out questions to get the conversation started, our featured youth panelists will share their thoughts, and we hope you will join in with your own responses and questions for panelists. It’s easy: just use #Passion2Action in your tweets, and follow that hashtag to keep up with the conversation!
Questions we’ll cover (feel free to ask your own!)
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What first inspired you to embark on your journey of putting your passion for an issue into action toward a solution?
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What resources and tools do you recommend for peers interested in taking the first steps to leading change?
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How do you make the case for youth activism?
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Can you suggest 3 concrete actions a young person could take in the next week or month to get started as a youth advocate for a cause they believe in?
… and more! Tune in on August 15…
Panelists Include
Anika Manzoor
Founder of Youth Activism Project @YouActProject
Anika co-founded the Youth Activism Project (YAP) to promote teen-led action to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In 2017, 120 YAP-trained activists in the US and Mali led campaigns on girls’ education, gun violence, sex trafficking, and other issues.
Chris Mukasa @ChrisMukasa
Founder of Fatuma’s Voice @FatumasVoice
Through Fatuma’s Voice, Chris encourages Kenyan youth to express themselves through art, poetry, and music, while creating bottom-up solutions to social issues. In 2015, the initiative reached over 1,860 young artists and 50,000 online and in-person audience members.
Co-founder of Sophie A Kanza Foundation @CandyCraftsDay
Together with her sister Louise, Sophie founded the Sophie Kanza Foundation to unite people from different backgrounds for a common goal: working together using pan-Africanism to spread love and tolerance. Her passions include promoting youth volunteerism, addressing sanitary issues, organizing anti-xenophobia campaigns and working to allow children to be just that—children.
Ehsan Gul @ehsangul23
Founder of the Youth Engagement Lab @gboxoriginal
Through the Lab, Ehsan creates a social space to foster sustainable thinking among Pakistani youth ages 16-29. In 2018-19, the Lab aims to develop a community of 100 young changemakers from diverse groups in Pakistan, who will develop and implement capstone projects focusing on thematic areas of UN SDGs.
Nigel Savel @NivgelSavel
Co-founder of the 9Miles Project @9MilesProject
Nigel pursued his passion for creating a safer community for at-risk youth in South Africa by founding the 9Miles Project, which provides mentorship and support to impoverished youth in the coastal informal settlements. Motivated by his love for surfing, Nigel, along with his wife, started the project with the vision of improving their crime and drug-scourged community.
Christen Brandt @cjbrandt
Co-founder of She's the First @shesthefirst
Christen is a feminist and women’s rights advocate who knows that quality education is the key to a more equal world. She is the co-founder of She's the First, a nonprofit which has mobilized students through 200 university chapters to raise funds for over 1,000 scholars accross seven countries to attend school.
Join us!
Click to Tweet: Ever wonder how young activists got their start? Hear from successful young changemakers on how they turned their #Passion2Action during the @YouthActionNet and @LeaderStories_ #TwitterChat Aug 15. https://bit.ly/2vNGJrD
Banner image photo credit: Sophie Kanza Foundation
Graphic credit: Danielle Varner, SparkAction intern
