“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is a common question. But perhaps we would be better served by asking ourselves: “What problem do I want to help solve now?”
The traits of passion, perseverance and ingenuity can blaze a trail both at work and beyond. These five young activists and innovators started young — and show no signs of slowing down.
Sofia Scarlat (18) Romania In 2019, two murders in Caracal awaked Romania to the brutal reality of gender-based violence and sexism. Police failed to take seriously repeated emergency calls from 15-year-old Alexandra Macesanu, who told them she had been kidnapped and raped. They only arrived 19 hours later, after she had already been murdered. Her killer ultimately confessed to murdering another young woman, Luiza Melencu. Watching this travesty unfold, Scarlat channelled her rage into action. She helped to organise a protest and rode the wave of a long-overdue national conversation on misogyny.
At only 16, she founded Girl Up Romania, the country’s first ever gender equality organization for teenagers. It was connecting to similarly concerned teenagers that turned her into the trailblazer she is today. She now coordinates Girl Up’s team of over 130 high school students in over 50 cities, towns, and villages across Romania, studies at Stanford University, USA, and continues to speak out on gender issues.
Boyan Slat (26) Netherlands CEO of the non-profit engineering organization The Ocean Cleanup, Slat’s inspiration for the project came when he was only 16. While diving in Greece, Slat was horrified to find more plastic than sea-life in the waters. He started a high school project to further investigate ocean plastic pollution.
Today, TOC develops technologies to clean the oceans of plastic. Through a crowd-funding campaign it has so far raised €1.9 million), through 38,000 donors from 160 countries.
Aalayah Eastmond (20) USA Surviving a High School shooting in February 2018, Aalayah Eastmond began speaking out on gun violence prevention in the March For Our Lives protests which followed. Eastmond went on to co-found Concerned Citizens of DC in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, bringing together other young leaders to challenge police brutality and push for change.
Amika George (22) UK A simple article informed George of the number of British youth unable to attend school because of their inability to afford sanitary products for their periods. At 17, George started a petition to Westminster and founded the #FreePeriods organisation. She continues to campaign for the UK government to provide free sanitary products to schoolchildren.
Autumn Peltier (16) Canada
Indigenous Chief Water Protector for the Anishnabek Nation, Peltier’s connection to her cause goes back to attending water ceremonies on First Nation reserves as a child.
At the age of just 13, Peltier confronted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his record on water protection, and continues to advocate for the universal right to clean drinking water.
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