The Youth is considered as a generation of change. We see social media becoming a place where the youth of the world calls out every social injustice that happens. Be it Black Lives Matter movement or simply an election awareness movement, our young generation is becoming educated and is also seen educating the people of the world as well. In this article we will see how younger generation of people can engage in activism to eradicate social injustices of the world.
1.Educate Yourself and Others
Before stepping into anything it is highly important to get yourself educated about the topic. As a younger generation, or as called millennium, we are provided things on the palate where we do not know of it’s history. Before getting into activism it is vital that you read about the past struggles. Read and educate yourself of the social injustice that were there in world but got eradicated or is in a process of eradication. For example, read about Civil Rights movement of your country. It will tell you where your country is coming from and what potential it has to move forward. Use your social media platforms to share informed opinions that you have formed. Educate your fellow friends. Generally, a younger person would want to get educated from a person similar in age. Explore your thoughts, read and share them with your peers in a healthy discussion.
2.Run for a Position
To start your journey in eradicating social injustices, you need to get into the system. In your school and colleges, take a part in your committees, run for positions in your departments and then advocate for the change.See and get a first-hand experience of how the system works, then you can see what can be done to bring a healthy change. Joining Peer groups and other such organizations can also help you towards your goal. These groups or the position will help you understand how the government works, what all you would need to bring a change, what all is required/ is a pressing matter and what is your peers/ other students expecting from you. Collate your thoughts and your learnings to start advocating the best for the people/students. This will help you in future as well.
3.Create Public Awareness Using Social Media
You don’t need to be an adult to start creating awareness in the society. Use your skills and use the social media platforms to raise your voice again social injustices. A simple well curated post could be a video, a photograph of slogans and posters. In recent years we have seen a rise in use of social media to create awareness about anything to everything. Use Instagram and other platform to post about an issue. Popular content, we see in these posts are in form of videos, memes, online petitions etc. Your content just needs to be eye-catchy and it will for sure go viral.
4.Surveys
If you are specifically concerned about a particular issue. Research about it and create surveys. This will help you get a broader understanding about the issue. Getting a public opinion about the issue will help you formulate a stronger opinion, get your facts right and help you understand what does people want. You can easily create and circulate the surveys amongst your friends and family. Sharing the results of your survey on your social media platforms will help you strengthen your argument. This will help you build critical thinking and organize your thoughts along with public responses about the concerned issue better.
5.Engage in Community Service
Along with advocating what you believe in, you should also help the concerned section. For example, it is good that you go to demonstrations, protest, and write about an issue such as, violence directed at homeless people, but it is equally important to do something that will help them now. One thing you can do is to help in community service. You can cook food and distribute them to homeless people, run a drive to gather warm and cozy clothes that you can share with them. Serving people who are directly impacted by a social injustice gives you a first-hand experience of the gravity of the situation.
Final Thoughts
We hope these points help all the young and upcoming activist to gain knowledge about how to start young.