Students take action to better their world
March 27, 2018
Teens are the future.
They are your future doctors, architects, and politicians. And these students want to take a stand in their communities—and finally be taken seriously.
When it comes to global issues, organizations and resources, young adults want to be involved.
So, it is imperative that we listen to what they have to say.
In Seattle this past Saturday, The Bill and Melinda Gates Discovery Center hosted an event to get students together to “take action on local and global issues,” called the Teen Action Fair.
The gathering was free and open to all, in hopes of endorsing students and even adults to get informed on how to take action in their area. Even though it was a coincidence that it happened to be on the same day as the gun regulation march in Seattle, its purpose still remained intact.
Several organizations attended, including The Ruby Room, 14/48:HS, Seattle Art Museum Teens, CryOut! PERIOD Inc., Drop Foundation, Cofia, Water1st International, and many others.
Our Arrow staff reporters interviewed “CryOut!” at the fair, gaining valuable information about their program. Their mission is to “use music and the arts to empower youth and encourage them to pursue justice for themselves and others.” We also learned about their workshops that help to inform and give opportunities to young people. They are located right near Renton High School in the same building as Harambee, so students are easily able to access their services.
PERIOD, the Menstrual movement, works to help homeless women in need by providing them with essential period products using period packs. After speaking with them, we had the chance to learn more in depth about the program.
“We advocate for menstrual equity, awareness and health—breaking the stigma against the menstrual cycle,” PERIOD members explained.
They had brown paper bags available for people to help put packages together and a list of instructions were pasted on the table. This interactive component helped people really understand what it would be like to volunteer with PERIOD, the Menstrual Movement.
The organization Drop was founded by Isabella Todaro, who advocates for clean water in Uganda by providing at least one well per year. She started it up in first grade when her teacher was telling the class water disparity and lack of water in Africa.
“My sister-in-law is from Uganda, and her mom has a really big philanthropic presence there, and she thought it would be great if my interests could translate over to Uganda,” explained Todaro.
From the start, Todaro went to different schools to create awareness and gain interest from students, like herself, to get involved in the program.
“We mostly fundraise through donations, just because we’ve expanded and a lot of people donate annually, but there’s also a month where Microsoft matches the donations that all their employees make,” Todaro shared.
This summer, she plans to visit Uganda with her parents and go to the sites of the different wells and connect with the people there. She is planning on bringing over clothes, books, and the notes that anybody who attended the Teen Action fair had the chance to write for the kids.
Many of these youth organizations have been doing a myriad of work to help advocate for the causes close to their hearts.
One of the groups called the Washington State Legislative Youth Council was actually involved in the creation of new laws that are implemented in Washington. They are able to contribute input and give their opinions in how to benefit youth the best. They are legally allowed to input ideas for any bill being passed that involve youth. They specifically focus on youth health, youth justice, and educational reform. Anyone is allowed to apply to be a part of this team of people involved in making these decisions. They have already created and passed many bills including ones concerning homelessness, sex trafficking, access to juvenile records, and more.
The fair offered hands-on activities, powerful performances and important exhibits with many youth-driven organizations set on making a difference. It was an important event, giving deserving programs the chance to express different ideas and engage in helpful conversations.
Now, more than ever, we need teens to take action, to implement change and effect their world for the better.
If you want to get involved with the Washington State Legislative Youth Council:
http://walyac.weebly.com/join-lyac.html
Want to get involved? Submit a letter to us at:
https://rhshawkeye.com/sumbit-a-letter/
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