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2920 days of service
I was struggling to find my place. Since elementary school, I have loved to try new things. Despite this, I had trouble finding a niche group that I fell into. I was tired of waiting for the perfect “box” for me. I decided to create my own. I remember feeling immense anxiety when I learned that I would have to move schools in seventh grade. Looking back, the timing of this life transition couldn’t have come at a better time. I finally had the opportunity that I was dreaming of to discover my place and write my own destiny. At this newly constructed school, I was surrounded by educators and...
The definition of Feminism
Feminism. The word itself has adopted a graphic image of marching angry women trying to over power men and take what's theirs. Well at least in most countries does this stand true. I think it's time to travel back to the Oxford language definition of feminism; "the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes." To say so, simply; we are just people, fighting to for equal power and taking what rightfully belongs to us, just as much as it belong to everyone else. Speaking from a Sri Lankan standpoint, this starts from every minute detail. From forcing women into marriage...
If Not Today Then Tomorrow
Trigger Warning: mentions of sexual abuse and domestic violence Violation burned on every inch of her skin, scathing the very hands she used to paint with, scathing the feet she used to run with reckless abandon, scathing her innocent soul that did not deserve to be scathed. Not because she was “too young” because she was a human. A human entitled to safety, justice, a sense of comfort in her own home but she did not have that privilege. But neither did the 22,000 women in Pakistan that were subjected to sexual abuse over the past six years. It almost seems as if the more the cases are...
Women in Society
Everyone knows that all over the world, women are still not treated as equals. My drawing shows girls being controlled by toxic masculinity, misogyny, and gender stereotypes in modern society. It also shows some things most, if not all girls were told at a young age that actually promotes misogyny and sexism. You can find that misogyny is rooted in almost everything, from casual sayings to human safety. For example, dummies that are used for crash tests in cars are built like men, which increases the risk of women getting more hurt than men in car accidents. Right now, the world is built for a...
The Second Sex
Being always interested in feminist literature & to wholly understand the soul of feminism I picked up French philosopher, feminist, writer Simone De Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, a book published in 1949 that has always stirred controversy among the masses. The Second Sex's critique of patriarchy continues to challenge social, political, and religious categories used to justify women's inferior status. When I sat down to read The Second Sex it allowed me to compose my genealogical tree, for The Second Sex is a book about my mother and the mother of my mother and the mother of my grandmother and...
Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights| A Human Rights & Global Development Priority in India
The pandemic has exacerbated various problems for the adolescents and youth population in India. However, there is still a lot that is not being talked about enough. The influence of COVID-19 isn't limited to death tolls or infection rates. The pandemic and lockdowns disrupted education, Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services, mental health care, livelihood, and dignity for India's 365 million adolescents and young people. Economic and social inequity, as well as the systemic prioritisation of objects over people, have worsened the pandemic's predicament. In India, often situations like...
Our Brave Community
Voices of Youth is not just a platform that embodies a network of fervent individuals; it is a platform that creates a brave community of youth changemakers who represent the unnoticed faces, overlooked perspectives and untold stories. Of awakened voices and potent action, as a community, we achieve the success that gives many hope, some pride and others the ability to aspire for more. Our brave community personifies a future that chooses humanity over nationality and unity in diversity. We carry our scars, a reminder of our past, and heal them with the creativity and passion that paves the...
Only Humans
only humans can take their home and destroy its health instead they put above their own efficiency and wealth they take what was given to them filled with beauty and destroy it without a grain of integrity now they pay for as it dies so will they no place to call home, nowhere to stay their one chance taken and gone only they are selfish enough to drag others along only humans can define one by their birth traits their gender or race shall now set their life in place their genes given at birth represent their rights for not being a man makes life an endless fight and don’t forget the unequal...
Why should youth be allowed to influence our government?
Nowadays, it’s hard for youth to even be taken seriously in a conversation with someone older than them due to their age. However, us youths haven’t let this stop us as many are starting nonprofits, blogs, sending letters to their local, state, and federal governments on unjust laws, holding protests, and speaking up about equality. It didn’t take long before many states started including youth councils, but still, youths don’t have much representation in their government. This may be due to the fact that we haven’t fully matured yet so people may not trust our decisions and believe they are...
Why often do we not?
Why often do we not speak? Is it because of the cameras devoid of our faces, or is it that we belong that way? Why often do we not speak? When we create a shame out of the innocent.. while the own's intentions were never decent? Why often do we not speak? Inspite of vast literacy we carry, still the shades of our skins vary? Why often do we not speak? Witnessing money assuring its way while sincere approaches assumed delay? Why often do we not speak? On attempting our better version ends twisted into an 'unfortunate burden'? Why often do we not speak ? When the diamond faces and brutal hearts...
Dear women who say they don´t need feminism
Dear women, who say they don´t need feminism: The world does not revolve around you. It´s International Women´s Day. I, as a young girl who grew up in rather privileged conditions celebrate this day in honour of all women around the world. I celebrate this day in the name of all the oppressed, the unseen, the unheard. Yet I don´t need feminism. Not me, specifically. Sure I´ve been in a bunch of situations before, where I have cursed being a girl. I have dreamed about all the crazy stuff I could do that would be accepted by society if I wasn´t a girl. But I don´t need feminism, not as much as...
Today a dove knocked on my window
Today a dove knocked on my window and sing, with the language of clouds A song about freedom. Some say birds have memories in their blood To guide them, when the sky carries silhouette of terrors But they know not the song of those in cages And so they are free. Decades ago, my people fight under a sky that was changing in season And saw warm hearts beating on top of arrowslit, soon to be stopped Green shadows with lunge mines charging into roaring beatles Their retina, a calm lake, reflected a single face We saw our hope melted into green leaves around Sai Gon The hope of coming home But the...
Right To education- You better have your X swapped with a Y
Sexism is still rife, My future is destined to be an ideal wife, Education is the only thing for which I yearn, Like my brother I too want to read and learn, I feel like a caged bird whose wings are cut, Just because my Father chose to give me an X instead of Y.
Inequalities in the Society
There have always been inequalities in the society regarding the topic of gender, or gender treatment. Females are to be staying at home doing chores and raising children; males are to be working outside in order to maintain the family’s living. From ancient times, the characteristics of a “good” female should contain obeying father or husband, well at housekeeping and managing house matters, and can give birth to a male. Nevertheless, the characteristics of a “good” male is based on their position in the society and their wealth. There are inequalities among the expectation of male and female...
Stop Marginalizing, Start Associating
Marginalizing even when Supporting With the ongoing pride movement and several debates over equal right to privacy, expression, against discrimination, etc. to every section and individual of the society, mention of the term 'LGBTQ+ Community' has been done endless times. This made me raise a question that why are we even giving them a term as a single separate LGBTQ+ community, even after they being so diverse? This world has forced them to call themselves as an underprivileged community other than the majority males, females, heterosexuals. And this is what also leads to the very wrong way...
The different shades of us.
What would you say when I ask you what your favorite color is? Blue, green, purple, or black, right? Out of these, we can say royal blue, and crimson red to name a few specific ones. I am pretty sure that we all have favorites in colors, but why should we have favorites for skin color? Why is it that people do not like certain shades of brown? Many people know about the difference between racial groups, but they don’t generally understand that there are differences in the way individuals are treated based on skin color. Colorism is the discrimination against people with a dark skin tone. This...
Sharing the dreams of refugees with the world through photography
Migration Policies – A Necessity
Transparent, apprehensible and sustainable – this is the epitome of a good policy. Our world has witnessed a steep rise in refugees over the last few decades, especially due to geopolitical and economic instability and conflict; thus arises the need to create legal pathways to welcome, integrate and safeguard them. A good immigration policy must answer who should come, from where, for how long and how many. The solutions to these questions are based on the factors that influence the formation of the policies. The most important factor, in my opinion, are the values the country stands for...