For the past 11 months (and counting) I have been part of an amazing, children/youth driven Platform called Tunza Eco-Generation. This platform gives a voice to children and youth from across borders and states to put forth current updates about the Earth at large. Be it, climate change, animal poaching or the most recent chatter #BeatPlasticPollution...Since the year 2003, Tunza Eco-Generation's countless members have been releasing reports, taking part in competitions posted by the platform an...

If you only give your opinion in this practical world, and expect that everything will change accordingly, I believe that will not happen. Until and unless you practice what you preach, no one will listen to you. We all are inspired by someone in our lives. We idealize them and try to live our life accordingly because they are an example for us. If they give any of their opinion to others, it will be valued. It will definitely be valued because that person likely implemented it when they were...

Her hands are shaking, heart is beating fast, eye pupils are expanding, and she can’t stop looking down. Well, it’s an another situation living awkwardly in fear. Every young person has been there, unable to communicate like they want to, unable to say what they feel, or need. Is it a lack of confidence? A lack of techniques? Or maybe both? Being shy is normal, but living in this awkward fear has to stop. For most people, by the time they find the courage to speak up, they already have lost man...

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we´ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”— Barack Obama. Have you ever thought of being a superhero, capable of transforming the world to make it a better place to live? A place where we can all live together without complaining and judging each other? A place where we can be comfortable with being ourselves? Personally, I have. We are not perfect, but I believe that if we all...

There are some experiences that no matter how much time passes, we simply cannot get out of our minds. It can be especially difficult to forget when that experience involves losing someone we care about. Someone like a friend that we love, trust, and share interests and laughs with. A friend with whom we could go months without speaking to, but so easily pick up where we left off. I’ve heard that when we lose someone, writing down our feelings about what happened allows us to process our grief a...

Though my main mission was to attend the Youth Connekt Africa Summit in Kigali, I had a desire to see and experience life in Rwanda, witness the progress the country has made after the horrific genocide, learn practical lessons from the process of peace-building and reconciliation and seek answers to a pool of questions that kept me curious for quite a number of years. Landing in Kigali at night gave me a glimpse of what the city was holding for me. A green, lush, clean and beautifully planned...

"Don’t settle for AVERAGE. You were made for greatness ” – Victoria Osteen“All I knew is that I never wanted to be average” – Michael JordanDon’t these quotes look absolutely wonderful on paper? Being ‘average’ is abhorred and detested. But is ‘mediocre’ or being ‘average’ really the worst thing in life?I am an average girl, nothing special, A NOBODY and am perfectly fine with it. Shocked? Since our childhood, we are psychologically conditioned to prove that we are the best. Be it getting good g...

My name is Najma Darwish, I’m 14 years old and I have many titles, writer, daughter, friend, Somali, American and most importantly, Muslim.I was born and raised in America and have seen Islamophobia first hand. Being a teenage girl in this era of America has not been easy. I’ve been called many names and wouldn’t find the time to write each and every single one of them.I go to school were I am the only girl who wears the hijab, I sometimes see this as a burden and not as being unique. I see my f...