Find uplifting stories about heroes, innovations, and solutions
23 results for "youth activism"
Twelve California high school students are attempting to set a Guinness World Record by collecting and recycling tennis and pickleballs, tackling the estimated 500 million non-biodegradable balls thrown into landfills every year. The campaign grew from their community rebuilding efforts after the devastating Palisades Fire.
In Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar, exam student Ashutosh collects wasted food from community feasts and feeds it to stray animals. His quiet act tackles India's 78 million tonnes of annual food waste, one plate at a time.
When South Sudan's capital stopped collecting garbage in 2023, young residents didn't wait for help. They built their own cleanup movement that's turning a health crisis into community power.
High schoolers in Delhi engineered a leak-proof car dustbin and gave away 500 units for free to tackle India's littering crisis. These teens aren't waiting for adults to solve the problem.
After surviving a highway rollover at age six, 14-year-old Surya Uthkarsha from Bengaluru founded The Marg Initiative to teach children road safety before they start driving. His youth-led program has reached over 50,000 people through school workshops and an educational mobile game.
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Nearly 1,000 civil society leaders gathered in Bangkok to fight democratic decline with creativity and courage. Despite authoritarian gains worldwide, youth-led movements in Kenya, South Korea, and Guatemala prove democracy's defenders aren't giving up.
Students in Golaghat, Assam are building terracotta nests and planting native trees to save birds losing homes to urban growth. Their "Bird Nest Conservation Day" has now spread to other districts across the region.
A child's simple act of removing buried alcohol bottles from snow in an Indian hill station sparked a cleanup effort that's reminding travelers everywhere about mountain responsibility. The boy couldn't play safely until the hidden trash was gone.
Millions of Bangladeshis lined up for their first real election in nearly two decades, with voters describing the experience as feeling like a festival. After 15 years of rigged elections under an autocratic regime, citizens finally got to cast ballots that actually count. ##
Over 127 million Bangladeshis cast ballots in their first free election after student protesters toppled an authoritarian regime in 2024. Five million first-time voters are helping shape their country's democratic future.
Eight months after students overthrew an authoritarian government, Bangladesh is holding open elections with multiple parties competing freely. The February 12 vote marks a dramatic shift from years of one-party dominance to genuine democratic choice.
A new collection of youth-created documentaries is showcasing real people solving problems from Texas floods to food waste. Planet Classroom's February lineup proves the next generation isn't waiting around to fix the world.
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In a crime-hit neighborhood where municipal services collapsed, young volunteers are transforming their community one project at a time. For six years, they've cleared illegal dumps, started businesses, and given hope to kids who once saw gangs as their only option.
After losing classmates to suicide, two Niagara Falls teens are connecting environmental health data to mental wellness and demanding better air quality monitoring. Their advocacy is bringing attention to how cleaner air could help their community heal.
A new online hub connects people wanting to help with bushfire relief to dozens of frontline organizations needing volunteers and donations. Created by two young Australians who felt helpless during Black Summer, the platform turns climate anxiety into meaningful action.
Young volunteers in Kota, Rajasthan, are transforming trash-filled lakes and neglected temples into clean public spaces through weekly cleanup drives. What started as one couple's evening walk has grown into a movement that's cleaned 75 sites across the city in three years.
Thirteen schools in The Gambia competed to showcase youth-designed solutions to climate change, from waste recycling to sustainable farming. The festival proved that tomorrow's environmental leaders are already here today.
A 21-year-old Australian surfer caught 7,000 waves in one month—averaging 225 per day—to raise nearly $100,000 for people experiencing homelessness. Josh Levey pushed through physical exhaustion and harsh conditions, inspired by the belief that "love is the willingness to be inconvenienced by another."
A 20-year-old country artist turned his hometown bar into a fundraising stage, bringing his community together on a freezing winter night. Despite weather challenges, the small town of Demaine raised $750 for kids in need.
Two hundred students from across Chennai spent five hours learning how to protect marine life through interactive games and activities. The workshop is the first of three aimed at reaching 1,000 young ocean advocates by March.
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