Emma González (18)
If you haven’t heard about Emma González, it’s time to give your head a shake. This little powerhouse has been a strong activist and advocate for gun control in America after the recent shooting at her high school in Parkland, Florida. Aside from giving an AMAZING speech at a Florida courthouse that went viral and speaking on Ellen, she and her peers have been organizing March For Our Lives, a demonstration and march for gun control in Washington, DC and across America on March 24th.
Rowan Blanchard (16)
This young Disney star is taking the world by storm. Aside from being a full-time actress, she’s also an aspiring author and is in the midst of releasing her book Still Here. This teen activist spoke at the United Nations Women and United States National Committee’s annual He for She feminist campaign conference. Blanchard is active on Twitter and publically advocates for gun control, women’s rights and human rights. Talk about using your fame for good!
Yara Shahidi (18)
Maybe you’ve seen Shahadi on Black-ish or the spin off show Grown-ish, but this teen actress is much more than that. Aside from winning numerous awards for her amazing acting skills, such as the Young Artist Award and Best Supporting Actress in Comedy, she’s also actively working towards representation of women of colour in diverse roles and media. If that’s not enough, she’s going to Harvard this fall with a little help from a recommendation letter penned by the one and only Mrs. Michelle Obama. Get it girl.
Jazz Jennings (17)
Best known for her television show I Am Jazz and her YouTube channel, Jennings has received a lot of media attention and fame as a transgender teen and activist for LGBTQ rights. She’s also a co-founder of the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation and founded Purple Rainbow Tails, which raise money for transgender youth. In 2014 she was named one of “The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014” and recognized as the youngest person ever featured on Out‘s “Out 100”. She’s not ending her fight anytime soon and plans to keep advocating, supporting and fighting for LGBTQ+ rights and sharing her story for other youth.
Janna Jahid (12)
Not yet a teen, Jahid is one of the youngest journalists in the world and the youngest journalist in Palestine. Starting when she was only 7 years old, Jahid has been documenting events and injustices in Israel from the perspective of Palestinian youth. In 2017, Jahid received the International Benevolence Award. She has also been featured in documentaries and was part of the Pals4Peach tour in South Africa. If you’re interested in learning more about Jahid’s perspective I strongly encourage you to check out this interview article.
Taylor Richardson (14)
This US high-school student and aspiring astronaut has been an advocate and representative for girls and women in science and technology, as well advocating for women of colour and diversity. In 2017, Richardson featured as one of Teen Vogue’s “21 under 21” and in Glamour’s “17 Young Women Who Created Real Change In 2017”, as well as speaking at the March for Science. Recently she raised $25000 to send 1000 female students to see A Wrinkle In Time because she felt it was a great representation of a female protagonist in science-fiction. Well known as Astronaut StarBright, Richardson’s dream is to go to Mars; shooting for the stars, literally.