Teen Activists: Overcoming Obstacles

The dictionary defines the word inspire as “...fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something.” That is exactly what teen activists do. They inspire people and teens and kids all around the world. Especially when they are physically or mentally abused through their protests, but keep speaking out for what they believe is right. They may face obstacles, but they keep going. They might even be threatened, but they keep going. Some even risk everything to stand up for what is right, sometimes even standing in the face of danger. Ils inspired. Sie inspirieren. Ellos inspirar. They INSPIRE. But what ARE teen activists? Teen activists are teens who see an injustice and stand up for it. They may start funds and/or organizations for

One teen activists who can show this is Alex Lin. As stated in, “Alex Lin Helps Reduce E-Waste | TakePart TV” by “TakePart”, he tried to pass a law in Rhode Island that makes it illegal to dump e-waste there. E-waste is a shorter name for electronic waste. The law was denied. This shows that the lawmakers were a group that tried to stop him. This also shows that it’s not just groups of BAD people that try to stop teen activists. Another example of groups trying to stop teen activists is Malala. In the video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGL6YY6oM, we learned about the heroic actions of Malala even when people tried to stop her. A bad group called the Taliban attempted using violence to make her stop protesting against the bad things they were doing, like taking away girls’ education. The Taliban used violence to get what they want. She was even exiled from her homeland because it was not secure and protected there for her anymore because of the violent ways the Taliban used to try to stop her. This did not stop her though. She kept fighting for her cause, even in her new home in England. Teen activists face challenges and obstacles, even when groups are trying to stop them and muffle their

Sometimes they are physically or mentally abused because of their protests, but they keep fighting. Malala, Alex Libby, and Iqubal are all people who were attacked because of their protests. Malala was shot by the Taliban when she was only 15 years old. The Taliban are a group of people who invaded Pakistan, where Malala lives, and took control of the government. They have an extreme interpretation of their religion and they use violence against anyone who tries to stand up to them to say that what they are doing is wrong. Before this happened, she was given threatening notes to stop protesting, but she trusted and believed that she needed to keep going. She was shot in the head on her way home from school. According to the article, “Malala The Powerful”, two gunmen open fired. One bullet penetrated Malala’s head but did not enter her brain, and two of her friends were shot in the arm. This happened because of her protests against what the Taliban were doing, even though it really was wrong. Another teen activist who was hurt because of his protests was Alex Libby. He stood up against bullies, who threatened him and hurt him. They threatened him and verbally abused him. But he kept fighting, and is now surrounded by supportive friends. Iqubal is also a teen activist who can show that some teen activists are abused because of their protests. Like Malala, Iqbal was shot. Except