Gen Z: Meet 9 inspiring young activists

"I wanted to be the person I needed when I was ill." Sophia is an award-winning mental health advocate. She developed an eating disorder after feeling the pressure to ‘maintain an image as a perfect child’ despite struggling at school. After being admitted to hospital and receiving treatment, she realised her story could help others going through the same experience. Now, she’s committed to raising awareness, campaigning on social media and running school workshops to promote self-care.

“We just thought, if we don’t do something about it, who’s to say someone else will? So we did something.” When sisters Amy and Ella started learning about sustainability at the ages of 10 and 12, they decided they needed to do something. They founded ‘Kids Against Plastic’ with the aim to pick up 100,000 pieces of plastic from the streets. Now, they’re speaking out about the impact of plastic and educating others.

"It’s easy to convince yourself your little contribution doesn’t count, but it’s not true. We all count." Ella founded ‘Kids Against Plastic’ with her sister Amy, after they heard the UN’s Global Goals for sustainable development. For the girls, empowerment comes from addressing the issue at the source, raising awareness of plastic pollution and encouraging schools and local businesses to be #PlasticClever.

“By listening to the deaf community and helping them get heard, I found my voice, too.” Sophie’s a member of the Welsh Youth Parliament and advocate for the deaf community. She was bullied throughout school which really impacted her self-esteem and confidence – and that’s just one of the reasons she’s using her position to make a difference. By listening to other people who feel isolated by disability she works to amplify their voices and improve access to mental health support.

"We’re not taught to be leaders. I wanted to change that." Kim is an advocate for Swansea Youth Entrepreneurs’ network and part of the Centre for African Entrepreneurship. She’s passionate about debunking the harmful stereotypes society places on women and girls. She now works to educate and empower women and girls of colour to believe in themselves and achieve their dreams.

"Every single one of us has personal power." Dominique is a passionate climate change activist. After attending her first climate strike, she was inspired to join the movement and connect with a community who are fighting for the same thing. Now, as a member of Extinction Rebellion Youth, the UK Student Climate Network and Fridays for Futures, she’s focusing on influencing leaders and building confidence in young people so that they can inspire others to take action, too.

"It’s okay to not feel 100% confident about your body all the time." Victoria is a junior doctor, Girl Guiding Associate and the founder of The Real People Project. One day, Victoria decided she was ‘done’ with seeing ‘body transformations’ on her timeline and decided she needed to change the rhetoric. That’s why she founded The Real People Project – an Instagram initiative all about empowering women, girls and female-identifying individuals. By encouraging women to share their insecurities and overcome them, she’s made it her mission to build a body-positive community and empower others.

"I’m no longer afraid of saying what’s in my heart." At the age of 14, Sandy moved from Cyprus to the UK in the hope of a new life. When she landed, her experience was far from what she expected. After being held at the airport for an entire day and being discriminated against, she decided to speak out about the lack of support for asylum seekers and refugees. As a member of the Welsh Youth Parliament, she uses her knowledge of multiple languages to help others and advocate for better access to mental health support.

"People appreciate you when you speak up. Which helps you appreciate yourself." Molly is the founder of Love Your Period – an Instagram page that encourages teens to fight against period poverty, stigma and plastic-use. She started the account after her debate team’s subject of choice was deemed 'inappropriate’. Now, she's a source of inspiration for young women, campaigning for better access, better understanding and less stigma around periods.