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How to Become a Youth Activist: Q&A With Matthew Tikhonovsky
If you are like me, you want to get involved with activism and fight for causes you believe in. Like me, you might be passionate about a particular issue or movement, ranging from climate change to racial injustice, but you don’t know where to start or how to get involved. Luckily, I’m here to help. For the next month, I’ll be interviewing youth activists who have made a positive change in their communities and sharing their secrets and insights. For the first interview, I chatted with Matthew Tikhonovsky, an American youth activist who is passionate about refugee advocacy. He is the founder...
Close Yet Far Away; A Poem in Times of Social Distancing
You see the ray of sunshine. You hear the birds chirping. You feel your heart beating. You watch your limbs shifting. You want to go and feel the breeze, But you can not even do what your soul may please.
Mental Health & Isolation: How we can address mental health during the coronavirus pandemic
The year 2020 started off in panic. There was talk of a possible 3rd World War, then there was an outbreak of coronavirus in China. I never thought it’d reach America, but I was wrong. In fact, the United States is one of the nations most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our economy is in free fall, people are in isolation waiting for government aid; all while cases of Covid-19 rise. Despite this, there’s another casualty of this pandemic – our mental health. There’s no doubt that uncertainty breeds paranoia, especially in adolescents. I personally started to feel different after my local...
The 3C Campaign to cheer our Frontliners
Hello Everyone! My name is Ayush and I’m in 7th grade. We all know that they are so many people out there on our frontlines trying to help combat COVID-19! These frontliners include doctors, nurses, hospital workers, police, firefighters, EMTs, first responders, restaurant workers, and so many more. Every second that they take to make our lives easier, means that they have one more second to get a risk of getting infected. Many of them go home to an empty house, afraid, and not able to see their family for weeks at a time. Many of our frontliners are at a high risk of getting depression. So...
A New Reality
Coronavirus. COVID-19. A global pandemic. A crisis that goes by countless names, from city to city, state to state, nation to nation. Plaguing the weak and targeting all with no remorse. No one saw this coming for two reasons, one we simply cannot predict the future, and two… we made a joke out of it. For weeks, months even, coronavirus was simply a subject on social media where memes were being made and a joke was made out of suffering. People were desensitized, people began to feel untouchable, that was of course until they were touched. Coronavirus does not discriminate. Being a high school...
Do Your Part
Making do by making art. We are not alone in this. Love each other from afar, pray for those who are sick and on the front lines, and continue to do your part. The best way I process my emotions is through making art, and I also wanted to share this piece to spread awareness and inspiration during these difficult times. Hope you enjoy!
Asian ≠ Coronavirus
"I don't want to sit next to him, he probably has the coronavirus"..."Bro did he just cough, corona time"... Before the outbreak in America, words like this causally spread in school, I mean, words kinda hurt... It's pathetic and embarrassing when coronavirus doesn't even discriminate but a human does. Not only in school - outside the school people also gave me "looks". I forgot to mention something, I'm from Wuhan, you already know that gave those racist a good chance to discriminate. Two weeks later the school called time out, they said we are out of the school for 3 days, but I already knew...
Here's why racism is unhealthy.
The United States of America was founded on principles of equality, justice, and freedom on July 4th, 1776. However, it was also founded by white slave-owners who intentionally created a government with discriminatory laws and practices to ensure that they could continue to maintain racial superiority. After amendments to the U.S. constitution and centuries of struggle, which included a bloody civil war and a powerful civil rights movement, the effects of the institutional racism this country was founded upon are still very apparent in modern-day America. With the country in the middle of the...
The Walls - a COVID-19 Inspired Poem
Looking around I see these walls, These dull brown walls, These four sharp walls, These lonely but united walls. So constricting yet so welcoming They will hold you tight, As long as you’re alright, They will keep you warm, Helping you mourn. The holes in the wall let me see, That very tree. It reminds me. It reminds me of those days, Where nothing went my way, Where I skipped through the grass And wasn’t looking through stained glass. It reminds me of the times I didn’t spend alone, Before any of this was known. Before the drama and the trauma, Before the pain and the rain. Before the deaths...
The Importance Of Budgeting During College
College is an incredible experience — even if it does have a “double-edged sword” vibe. Learning something you’re passionate about, completing a degree, and beginning your career in the best position possible are all well worth a good old four-year collegiate effort. However, those aforementioned pros come with some cons as well. For instance, college is known for hefty workloads, late nights spent studying, and unstable finances. Between the overwhelming costs of tuition and the lack of sustainable income, college can be a financial nightmare. While it’s difficult to find a way to completely...
Covid-19 poem
Covid-19 isn’t any kind of flu It’s taking over our 2020 Social Media and all of our foes Are telling lies, they’re all just a hoax People take this as a joke But the worldwide death rate is 333,001 We are all struggling through this time The people believe this is a war People overreacting and acting like fools Fake lies like labs and other tools I just hope we have vaccinations No one knows why this is happening This is no one's fault, they say But every day there’s someone at the park It’s dark we just need the light We have seen some things we’ve seen that we all have sight Now...
Let's Talk Politics
Politics. Many kids hear the word politics or something that has to do with the political sphere and do either one of two things - instantly stop listening or become overly defensive. Now I’m not writing this to change your opinions or values, and I’m definitely not writing this to change your political affiliation. Instead, I’m writing this because I find it very important that the world’s future generations learn to shape their own beliefs and values and learn to listen to those that disagree. Kids look to their parents, friends, and peers as examples of how to behave. However, they also...
Right Way during COVID -19
What is right in your mind and heart makes us do the right thing! During this time we should: - Maintain social distancing - must wear a mask - protect yourself
International Day of the Girl: A letter to my 14-year-old self
Girls everywhere are already changing the world. This Day Of The Girl (Oct 11) join us by giving a shout out or writing a letter to a girl who inspires you: a young leader, a family member, an influencer, your best friend or even yourself as a teen, like Alexandra did! "To my 14-year-old self, You just turned 24 and wow, where has the time gone. Soon you’ll be 30, 50, then 75. What will you achieve? Where will life lead you to? When will you know that you did enough? Who will you become? Why should you believe in yourself? How did you change the world around you? As you may know, ten years ago...
Be Someone's Fred: A Story About the Power of Kindness
Have you ever had one of those moments that completely change your perspective on life? One of those moments that make you yearn to be a different, improved version of yourself? Well, let me tell you about one of mine. Regular day. Freshman year. A couple of my friends, let’s call them Fred and Christopher, and I were walking together in the hallway, as we did every day after class, same as always. Well, I should probably preface this with a brief introduction of my freshman-year self. What you need to know is that I was a very slow walker (trust me, it’s important to the story). And before...
Feeling anxious or overwhelmed? You are not alone
Apprehending Apprehension
Anxiety Is nothing to be ashamed of. Why do humans feel we have to hide our panic attacks just for fear of someone making fun of you? When I feel anxious I hide behind my phone. If I’m sad I hide under my sheets. Sadness is normal and emotion is inevitable. When I step outside into the world, one million thoughts of “what if” fill my head. Suddenly I feel pain in my stomach, which over the years, has gained the name “in the way” In the way of being able to go to restaurants. In the way of being able to sleep over at a friends’ house. In the way of being able to live life like a normal teenager...
The Mental Health of Being Yourself: My Musical Journey to Authenticity
When I was 13 dreamed of being a famous singer like Hannah Montana. I liked writing songs. I was in the midst of puberty, and confused and ashamed about why I felt sad and angry all the time. None of my other friends seemed sad or angry. I went to a school where everyone dressed the same-- Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, and Juicy sweatsuits. I spent my childhood wearing my brother’s hand me downs and clothes from the boys section of Mervyn’s. I hated the way I felt. I hated the way I dressed. No one else felt like me, no one else dressed like me. When I was 16 I started recording my songs for...
Problems with standardized testing
While taking the PSAT for the third year in a row, I began to think about "standardized testing" in a more in-depth way. In recent years, I have taken ISTEPs (my state's standardized testing), PSATs, an ACT, and an SAT. I have listened to countless universities say that they take a holistic approach to the college application reviewing process. I have studied for the many different standardized tests, but for what? What do standardized test scores represent? What is a number score worth in terms of academic success? I personally believe that there is an extreme need for a standard method for...