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Advocating for Your Healthcare Rights as an LGBTQ+ Youth
Advocating for yourself in a medical situation can be nerve-wracking. For young patients in the LGBTQ+ community, the situation can be even more difficult due to the decades of discriminatory practices that have unfortunately plagued the field. LGBTQ+ youth face many barriers to healthcare access, barriers that require advocacy to overcome. Too often, that burden falls on the shoulders of LGBTQ+ youth themselves as they struggle to navigate a healthcare system with a history of discrimination and ignorance of problems faced by a significant portion of the population. If you find yourself in...
Activist Emmanuel Cosmas Msoka from Tanzania is leading by example
The Giant's Causeway
As we descended upon the giant’s causeway, the sky broke into its performance; the glorious orange sun conducting the violinist clouds into melodies of white and the oboist seagulls into phrases of song; greeting us from their stage, putting on a show. Enrapturing us with the gentle crescendos and munificent songs. A new movement every minute, mesmerizing our ears, our eyes, our hearts—comparable almost to the likes of Beethoven and Mozart, the nature around us echoing the tunes of mother earth. Unexpected lilacs thrown in the middle of an orange sky, yellows carefully placed among the...
Dance in India
For centuries, India has been the beacon of culture around the world; with a divine appreciation and respect for the arts. Classical Indian Dance is an art that forms the very base of this nation, beaming with expressions of over 50 dance forms. Every evening, you see young girls in their crisply ironed white kurtas on their way to riyaaz (practice); if you pay attention, you can hear the slight jingling of ghungroos (anklet bells) peeping from their jute, mirrorwork bags. Natya means drama. It means emotions and expression and feelings. The scowling of our brows when we’re upset is Natya; a...
Culture for kids? No way!
In some countries, cultural events aren't for all age and gender groups. This might be considered a "normal action" but it's not. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that everybody has the right to freely take part in local culture, however, this seems an underestimate article. Children, all over the World, are being privatized of attending to concerts, shows, and other cultural events, whether it's because of their age or gender. It's more than proved that to these aren't excuses to exclude minors of local culture. In Portugal, where I live, most concerts are only...
A BOY HE IS
A BOY HE IS By: Syed Muhammad Yaseen Laughters, wishes and joy A boy is born Eyes opened, parents surrounded He will lead, they whisper Of eight he is Protecting sisters he is Time passes, parents get old Sisters looking for his support The tyrant world stares at sisters With the lion's roar, he counters Wedding the sister demands Working day and night he is Parents unable to stand Support like a stick he is Weds a girl, devoid of parents Loving her like the queen he is Parents, siblings, and love Attached to them he is A boy he is A boy he is
Telling parents what's on our minds
Struggling with your mental health is always hard, particularly opening up about it and trying to put it all into words. For me it was the hardest part to try and talk to people close to me. Trying to explain what I had yet to understand and process was very infuriating. I was scared of being misunderstood and judged. Thankfully my friends were supportive and my parents, although worried, did their best to create a safe space for me. I know it was hard for them too, I would at times need more of their attention and then most of the time I would want them to let me handle it on my own. I have...
The Complexities of Discussing Adolescent Mental Health on Social Media During the Pandemic
Note from the editor: this blogs includes references to sensitive topics that some people might find upsetting, like eating disorders. While the blog touches on key points that can help raise awareness and break the stigma about mental health, some elements may remind you of difficult times you may have experienced in the past. In the past decade, the issue of mental health has moved from a medical discussion reserved for clinical settings, to a more widely discussed societal issue, opening doors to de-stigmatization, increased visibility, and new prevention and treatment options. Mental...
Why I don’t always share what’s on my mind with my parents and what they can do to find out
A Parent’s Guide to Addressing Teen Mental Health
Confronting rape culture
On the 11th of September, 2021, a group of Zambians, numbering in the hundreds, gathered at the Lusaka global Platform, great east road in Lusaka, Zambia. The group, comprising mostly of youths, male and female, were to attend a march organized by the NGO Sistah Sistah Foundation, dubbed “The March against Sexual Violence”. The goal was clear and the message succinct; End rape culture. Emphasis; not simply “End Rape” but, “End Rape Culture” close. The group marched from the Lusaka global platform to the Munali Bridge and back. As all this was happening, another group, a “Sistah” group if you...
Together We Can OVERCOME Covid-19
*To prevent the spread of COVID-19: #Maintain a safe distance from others, even if they don’t appear to be sick. #Wear a mask in public, especially indoors or when physical distancing is not possible. #Choose open, well-ventilated spaces over closed ones. Open a window if indoors. #Clean your hands often. Use soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand rub. #Get vaccinated when it’s your turn. Follow local guidance about vaccination. #Cover your nose and mouth with your bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. #Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty...
United Nations Day: A Day Of The World! 🌍
Happy UN Day! This is a day that marks the historic establishment of the United Nations, an organization that keeps hundreds of countries in harmony. This day is important as it celebrates global euphoria and everyone can represent their cultures and traditions, make agreements, meet with other countries and more! I am proud of the United Nations for all they are accomplishing and trying to accomplish. They are giving youths (like myself) a chance to raise our voices against the innumerable injustices that plague the globe today, such as climate change, gender inequality, poverty, education...
ADOLESCENCE: THE PIVOTAL STAGE OF LIFE.
Adolescence implies the development period of transition from childhood to adulthood, a time of rapid growing independence, a period when young people can be both admirable and difficult to live with. They are admirable because of their courage, tenacity, their boundless curiosity concerning both about themselves and the world at large, their insistence upon using their mind to correlate what they feel with what they do, their relentless questioning of almost everything that enters their range of vision and their equally relentless demand that their questions be answered. They are impatient...
The World: Our Museum
We have come to a time in our society where history is under respected and not honored nearly as much as it should be. This is likely connected to the current culture of trying to rid all knowledge of the wrongs of our nations in the past. But we cannot censor our history for our history is the stories of the past that built the present. History is a learning tool. If we do not like a part of our history, that is good, because we will then make every effort to ensure something like that part is not repeated in the future. But to the point, we still mustn't forget that part of our history. Just...
World Children's Day 2021- An Open Letter Regarding The Youth Perspective
The day is November 20th, otherwise known as World Children's Day. A day celebrated to promote international unity, self-awareness among youth, and make known the need for improving children's welfare around the world. It was on this day a few decades ago that world leaders came together to adopt the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Much of this document is intended to declare the need for children to have a safe environment where they can grow physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. Today, youth are becoming more and more aware of their environment. From physical environment...
Stress and how to deal with it
Stress is always one of the biggest enemies for young people at any age. It can be stress before exam, stress before meeting somebody for the first time or other. Especially at this time, when COVID-19 pandemic is still actual, young people suffer from a large amount of stress. In today's blog, I will explain to you more about stress. I will also give you tips on how to reduce it. So first, let's see the definition of stress: Stress is the feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressure. What are signs of stress? - anxious - angry - agressive - sad - frustrated...
I am Black without apology
You're beautiful put the bleaching cream down, you don't need it Stop allowing society to convince you that you're too dark Stop feeling discouraged everytime a guy says ''I like light-skinned girls only" or ''You're pretty for a BLACK GIRL'' You're beautiful On a Saturday night you're laying down with your feet kicked up scrolling through Instagram admiring your favorite celebrity wishing you were ''that girl'' Truth be told, you are THAT GIRL When I tell you are dripping melanin and honey you wouldn't believe it because you run to society for validation ''Am I light enough?'' ''Is my smile...