Identity & Community feature pieces detailing youth gaining an understanding of identities like race, gender, and sexuality and finding community through them.
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Category: Identity & Community
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Editor’s Note
By Leyden
Many people find their passion for activism from their experiences and what they witness within their communities. Although our personal experiences of oppression do not ultimately define our passions, they can be a good starting point for finding ways to make a difference. Identity can be a uniting force within activism. It can begin with any aspect of your identity, whether it’s your age group, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, gender, and anything else you feel is essential to how you identify. You can use your identity to connect with others and form activism groups based on shared experiences. Many community-based organizations offer support groups and service opportunities, known as mutual aid, where you can participate in uplifting your community. These organizations also provide opportunities for hands-on activism, where you can witness the direct impact of your efforts. They are essential forms of activism.
Connecting with your community is a good way to reach out to people and inform them community spaces often hold empathetic audiences who have similar backgrounds. When I connected with my own community, I discovered I had acquaintances who wanted to speak with me about their experiences. Listening to someone talk about their passions can help others figure out what they are passionate about and want to advocate for.
My involvement in advocacy is a necessary coping method to deal with aspects of our world that feel uncontrollable. It’s helpful to begin exploring advocacy in youth, so you have more time to discover your advocacy interests. Advocating for things that personally affected me was a good way to discover my passions. It led me to use advocacy as a way to support others outside of my identity. I hope my story provides an example of how individuals use their identity and community to expand their involvement in activism. I also encourage you to consider utilizing your identity in your activism.
In this section, young people are discussing their identity and how it impacts the way they navigate their communities.