Give in to Hope Day 12: Vanessa Nakate
Like many of us, Vanessa Nakate was inspired by the powerful young activist Greta Thunberg, and started her own weekly climate strike in Uganda, first for many weeks alone, and then with other young people who were inspired by her and joined her. Her focus on climate justice is inspired by her county’s agricultural backbone–climate change is terrible for people trying to grow crops, and crops provide food for the country, but also their major source of income through trade. In addition, she talks about climate change as a young, African woman, adding a new voice to the conversation, and ensuring that people do not forget about how climate change can even more negatively affect women, people of color, people in developing nations, and people in poverty. Raising her voice alongside other climate activists, she wants to be sure that Africa is part of the worldwide changes that must be made to solve our climate crisis.
To learn more about Vanessa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFEY9lqIP7E
How do you think Vanessa felt, when she was protesting all alone every week? What do you think helped her stay committed to her goal? Why do you think people were inspired to join her?
Closing prayer: Dear God, help us make sure that no one has to stand up for injustices alone. Amen.
When thinking of young people who changed the world, Greta Thunberg is a name that comes immediately to mind for many of us. At only 15, Greta began one-person weekly sit-ins outside of Swedish parliament, gaining attention and using the opportunity to spread the word about the need for more world leaders to take stronger actions to prevent climate change. Many other young people saw her passion and commitment and began youth-led climate strikes of their own, called Fridays for Future, with young people doing sit-ins weekly in nearly every country in the world. Greta is fearless when talking to world leaders about climate change, and passionate about ensuring that the responsibility for improving the world does not only fall on the young, but that the adults who currently are in power have a great responsibility to future generations. Even during COVID, when speeches, protests and gatherings had to go virtual, Thunberg continued to get the word out, reminding people that as we see the benefits of science and listen to scientists who are talking about and working on cures for COVID, so too should we listen to scientists who are researching climate change and offering suggestions on how to take better care of our planet.
As a child with both an auditory processing disorder and a speech impediment, Amanda Gorman focused attention on reading and writing–she figured out a way to harness the power of words, instead of letting them control her. Poetry and writing helped her paint a picture of the world around her, and she uses this gift to tell stories of what it means to be a human in very exciting ways. After being inspired by Malala Yousafzai, Gorman became a youth delegate to the United Nations, and then became the first-ever Youth Poet Laureate (the Poet Laureate is considered “the official poet of the United States” for a specific period of time, with a goal of helping increase appreciation of, access to, and creation of writing and poetry). While performing one of her poems at an event, Dr. Jill Biden heard her, and was deeply inspired. When it came time for the Biden/Harris Inaugeration, Dr. Biden selected Gorman to write and read a poem for the event. The poem, The Hill We Climb, was completed by Gorman the morning of the Inaugeration, and both poem and poet inspired millions of people around the world; her words giving hope to, but also expecting work from, all of us to help create the democracy we want to be a part of.
Like yesterday’s hero Yash and his glasses, Nick Lowinger also had something many of us take for granted–lots of pairs of shoes. One day, young Nick visited a homeless shelter and saw how many of the children and teens there did not have shoes that fit or were practical for running, playing and going to school. The image of kids without shoes stayed with Nick and he did a shoe drive as part of his bar mitzvah (a ceremony that Jewish 12 and 13 year olds go through as part of their faith journey, like when our 8th graders do confirmation) that turned into a non-profit dedicated to providing as many pairs of shoes to homeless youth as possible. Nick’s non-profit is still running, and now has 2 partner programs–one providing shoes to veterans (people who served in the U.S. military) and another specifically providing athletic shoes so that kids can participate in sports.
Like so many kids, Yash Gupta wears glasses. One day, his glasses broke, and he had to go to school without them. He realized that it was impossible for him to learn without being able to see, and he wondered how many kids around the world were struggling to learn because they didn’t have access to glasses. Rather than just keep wondering, he decided to start collecting glasses and connecting these glasses with kids who needed them. His small project turned into a big deal, helping over 20,000 kids in 5 countries see better and find more success in school!
When she was only 10, budding scientist Gitanjali Rao heard about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, where the entire city’s water supply was so contaminated with lead that none of it was safe to drink or cook with. Even though Gitanjali does not live in Flint and was not directly affected by this, she knows that water is a requirement for life, and she wanted to help. Already quite accomplished in different areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Gitanjali was able to develop a tool that could measure lead levels in water and communicate that to people via Bluetooth, letting not only individuals, but entire communities know whether their water was safe to drink. Gitanjali was able to work with 3M to produce this product on a large scale, and because of her work, was named Time Magazine’s first ever Kid of the Year. Gitanjali has also created an app that can detect and warn parents and teachers of early stages of cyberbullying that their kids may be engaging in or victims of. Gitanjali is using her skills and talents to impact change in multiple ways!
Now 20, Xiutezcatl (pronounced Shoe-TEZ-cat) has been passionate about protecting the environment since he was just 6 years old! With the encouragement of his activist mother, he gave talks in his home state of Colorado, before moving on to speaking to young people across the country and the globe about the dangers of climate change, and the role of young people in making the world cleaner and greener. Xiutezcatl also spreads his message as the leader of an environmental non-profit Earth Guardians, and writes and performs hip hop with a social justice theme!