Photo by Sora Shimazaki
Raising influential young leaders is necessary in a world where violence and injustice are rampant. Please get to know these six beacons of hope that, despite their youth, fought for change in this world.
No one could’ve imagined that young people would eventually lead the way and become the influential leaders we see today. Back then, a leader was typically pictured as a powerful and wealthy adult male. Women in leadership took a while to happen, and it also opened doors for women to have a shot at being leaders in their own right.
But young people? Leadership in their stature was once seen as absurd, given that society assumes they know nothing. It has been a short time since they were brought up to become leaders in their respective communities. These youngsters are trailblazers, acting with total bravery and a sense of purpose to try and make a change. Major organizations and governments have begun to recognize their outstanding skills and impact, contributing to the agenda of raising next-generation leaders for the future.
A book for our future young leaders by Alfred H Kurland
As the world changes rapidly, we see more young people brought up to lead the way. The book The Soul of Adolescence Aligns with the Heart of Democracy by Alfred H Kurland highlights the significance of youth participation in every socio-political affair. Our young generation today is the core of our future, and we are responsible for creating opportunities where they can make changes in society.
Now, a growing number of young people are out there doing what they can. Our children can look up to these people because their contributions produce a domino effect that would include many more lives and futures.
Here are some of the influential young leaders of today
Now that the socio-political landscape has dramatically changed for the youth, more have risen to take a stand and show the world their leadership capabilities. Here are six influential young leaders recognized for their efforts:
Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg made headlines worldwide over the years, not just in social media but also among world leaders. She’s one of the prominent voices supporting climate change and how it affects the future of our planet.
However, it was a challenging sailing journey for her before she got to where she is now. Before Greta got acknowledged by the world, she wasn’t taken seriously at first. Journalists and social media users mocked her demeanor and undermined her role in aggressively calling out irresponsible people that caused the decay of our planet.
Greta led the initiative of traveling the world through eco-friendly transportation rather than by plane. At 17 years old, Greta already stood before world leaders from the United Nations during the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019.
Desmond Napoles
Desmond Napoles, or Desmond for short, is an LGBTQ+ activist and a young drag performer in New York City. Desmond has a different way of exercising youth leadership because they lead by example rather than marching toward world leaders and critical figures in social sectors.
Desmond is a well-known performer in the child drag community, inspiring queer children to be true to themselves and live freely. Because of Desmond, several queer youths were given opportunities for self-expression. Their flaunting their personality is a way of positively influencing others to do the same. By not compromising who they are while speaking out on issues that matter, queer youth can move forward with their passions in life.
Gitanjali Rao
A brilliant scientist in a child’s body, Gitanjali Rao took the STEM world by storm. She created various practical inventions, particularly a device that dealt with the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The device would measure the amount of lead in the water so they can immediately remove the contamination. Her tremendous record didn’t stop there.
She commendably made several improvements to Bluetooth devices that significantly improved technology. Her impact on the STEM field paved the way for marginalized youth, breaking barriers for young inventors to thrive in their respective fields.
Emma Gonzalez
The prevalent mass shootings in the United States raised grave concerns for the safety of school children. An example is survivor Emma Gonzalez, who barely got out alive after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. That day was recorded as the deadliest school shooting in US history. Emma then became an outspoken young girl pushing for gun reforms, directly speaking with US politicians. Gonzalez used her traumatic experience as a testimony to shed more light on gun safety issues and how it can cause more harm than good.
Various communities have become more receptive to the youth’s presence in socio-political affairs. They are meant to be taken seriously and not looked down upon just because of their age. Young people are using their voices more than ever, and it’s high time for us adults to hear them out and create a brighter and better future for them.
