The Creative Righters Journal
Editorial
Alison N., Age 9: The Birth of Civilization
Chapter 2: The Wheel is Invented
Chapter 4: Writing Makes History
Chapter 5: The Successful Nile
Chapter 6: The Iron Age Begins
Kids Work to Solve Homelessness
By: Aaron G., Age 12
Introduction
Life can be very, very difficult. You might think your life is difficult right now, and it probably is. But most of the time, it could be worse. Most of the people in the world live in a house, with different rooms, and running water, with devices like phones or iPads. But 650,000 people in America right now don’t have those things. They live in the streets with little food, water, and money. And in this piece of writing I will be addressing people who help homeless people in all ways, whether it is charity to help them find necessities like food, water, and shelter, or whether it is youth activists helping homelessness in front of a jury in Washington, DC.
Youth Activists
There are a bunch of problems in the world - like pollution, overpopulation, child labor, and homelessness. There are activists who are trying to help solve these problems, but I bet you didn’t think that some of these activists could be children! There are so many things that happen to you if you are a youth activist. So in this chapter, I will talk about the upsides of being a youth activist. But first, there is one thing that is troubling about being a youth activist. The last few paragraphs will talk about how different youth activists broadcast their ideas differently, and this can connect to the upsides of being a youth activist.
This paragraph will talk about the biggest downsides of being a youth activist. Then we will talk about the upsides. One of the downsides we will talk about are being trivialized by adults or the people who you are speaking to. This is because when adults (and sometimes kids) see that the person addressing a big topic is a child, some people will automatically assume that you are underqualified because your brain could still be developing. This is because a human brain will fully develop around the mid-20’s. So adults assume that you are not capable of more advanced thoughts, which may be untrue.
Youth activists, just like adult activists, work their entire life to get what they want. But different youth activists have different ways of getting what they want. Youth activists can speak to the people in power to try and convince them what they want is right. Others do what they can by speaking to locals near them. And some youth activists broadcast their ideas on tv, or by getting interviewed.
One way youth activists make their ideas known is they speak to officials. An example of this is Xiuhtezcatl Martinez. He is a youth activist who recently sued the government. But he couldn’t have done this alone, so he had help from others who also believed what he believed. Together, they sued the government for the over use, encouragement, and production of fossil fuels. They won their case and now continue to fight climate change.
Another way youth activists are able to spread their message is through speaking locally to people. There are many examples of this, but the example I am going to use is Max Davis - a teenager who is currently fighting to help the homeless. In his battles, he eventually won the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam award along with $36,000 which came with it. He not only spoke locally within his town, but he also went to the state house to speak! He went there to try and pass a bill about helping homelessness. Finally, it became a law that requires Missouri to supply unaccompanied homeless youth with shelter and supportive services. He is now pushing for $2 million in funds for helping homeless youth.
Finally, we will talk about the upsides of being a youth activist. There are several helpful psychological upsides to being activists, such as: developing a sense of mastery and displaying higher levels of subjective vitality (Klar and Kasser, 2009), developing resilience, social connections, and skills (Doron and Wehr, 1998), and gaining efficacy and integrity (Harri, Tepacac and Bullen, 2009).
Homeless Getting Denied Jobs
“If employers saw the address of a [homeless] shelter, they would say I am on drugs or have a mental illness,” he said. “A lot of people look down at people like myself. So I gave up hope.” This quote is from a homeless person whose name is Jeff Johnson. Jeff Johnson served in the military in Washington for six years in the construction industry. Unfortunately though, he suffered many major injuries in a robbery, so he lost his job. His predicament is not uncommon however, and he is just one example of the homeless population getting denied jobs, so we are going to further explore this topic by exploring one of the ways that people could become homeless, which is being a war veteran.
The first situation that could make people homeless is being in the military/being a war veteran. Currently there are about 110,000 homeless war veterans around the world. This is because of a lack of affordable housing, poverty, job or income loss, mental illness, substance abuse, and health problems. There are businesses that help retired soldiers like Veterans Inc, USAA, DAV, and Air Force Aid Society, but those places require you to have served the U.S for a long time. However, some people cannot collect benefits of these services because they did not serve the military long enough. This could be because they got severely injured, or they got kicked out for something - like Jeff Johnson who was mentioned earlier. And many of these veterans also experience PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
But, some homeless people might come from a poor family or be immigrants with little money left over, and that is why they are homeless. But even lower-class jobs won’t hire them because they are homeless. This is because of the assumptions people assume about homeless people when they see them. People think they are on drugs, or have a mental disorder (some do). One example is the quote with Jeff Johnson I said earlier, “If employers saw the address of a [homeless] shelter, they would say I am on drugs or have a mental illness,” he said. “A lot of people look down at people like myself. So I gave up hope.” This could also be contributing to the homeless epidemic in the U.S.
How Can Homeless People Get Back to a Normal Life?
Imagine you are homeless, with a small amount (if any) money, barely getting through with little food and little water. This is what it is like for most homeless people. It could ruin your life. You are vulnerable to the elements, and your life might feel bleak. If you were in this situation you probably would think that you could never get back to a normal life, but in this chapter, I will tell you how to get back on your feet, and live life normally again.
There are many ways that homeless people can get back on their feet. Although it may be hard, one of the most important things is a good mindset. You should be thinking it will get better. But the first step should be to contact your friends and family to see if they will take you in. Most people hate admitting they need help but put your ego aside and ask. If someone can take you in, work out the details with them and make sure that your presence in their house or apartment isn’t a detriment to them. If a friend or family can’t take you in, you’ll want to see if you can get into a homeless shelter. Some of the options are:
Covenant house
Homeless shelter Directory
The Salvation Army
The United Way
You can also visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website to get more information about finding shelter.
If you can get into one of these shelters, one of the first things to do is ask how long you can stay. Many of these shelters are not permanent. Instead, they are either short-term housing, which will let you stay from 1 month to 3 months, or transitional housing, which will let you stay for up to 24 months, so you don’t have much time to rest before working on getting back on your feet. Once you have shelter, you’ll want to make sure you have food. You should apply for SNAP benefits, formerly called food stamps, as soon as possible. However, you’ll also want to look into what food pantries are available.
The Salvation Army provides a food pantry, but these other organizations around Rochester also offer assistance:
The many companies that are mentioned in this piece of writing are all helping the homeless population get back on their feet, but there are also very impressive youth activists who are helping too! They are fighting for what they believe in, and the one I will talk about next is helping decline the homeless population.
In the modern world, money is a necessity and the best way to get money is getting a job. But if you are homeless, you might not have money, but also it will be hard for you to get a job. But there are services that could help homeless people get a job. For example a way that you could actually get a job if you are homeless is to contact the local homelessness coalition to find other programs that may be locally available, such as Goodwill, Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and services from other religious or poverty organizations that may offer employment services.
Max Davis
If you are trying to help homeless youth, you might donate, or go to give food and water to them at homeless shelters. But I’m about to introduce you to someone who goes above and beyond to help homeless youth, and his name is Max Davis. He is a 14-year-old boy who just won an award and $36,000 for helping unaccompanied homeless youth. He started his campaign because of a heartbreaking story about a war veteran, but he was homeless because when he was on the battlefield. He collapsed because of a brain disease. But because he didn’t serve in the military enough, he couldn’t collect benefits and was left homeless.
“That is what pushed me over the edge.” - Max Davis. Then, Max Davis won the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award because of a bill he wanted to pass into a law. The bill basically said that the state of Massachusetts will put $2 million dollars into giving unaccompanied homeless youth necessities such as food, water, and shelter. But of course he couldn’t have done this alone, and of course he knew that so that is why he started an advocacy group for kids called legislators. And his efforts have paid off but he is still fighting for his cause by regularly speaking in front of senate majority leaders.
Before Max Davis started his campaign for helping unaccompanied homeless youth, there were about 22,000 homeless people in Massachusetts in 2012 when he started his campaign (he was 13 when he started to advocate for unaccompanied homeless youth). In comparison, 10 years later, in Massachusetts, there are only around 17,500 homeless people. But to help you further understand the amazing impact that Max Davis has had on Massachusetts, I found a chart from National Security.org that is showing the number of homeless people by the 500s. (Keep in mind that Max Davis started to campaign in 2012.) (There is a chart and more words at the bottom, just scroll down.)
As you can clearly see, the effect that Max Davis has had on Massachusetts has helped it dramatically, and hopefully in the future, Max Davis can help not just Massachusetts, but the world.
The Hobbit Essay: Greed
By: Greyson L., Age 12
“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.”
In the fantasy novel, “The Hobbit,” by J.R.R Tolkien, greed is a highlighting character of Thorin Oakensheild. At the end of the book, Thorin Oakenshield descends into madness, but after losing everything, seeks forgiveness from Bilbo, showing his return to sanity and understanding of what truly matters, shedding his greed and acknowledging his wrongdoings. This shows that greed is a quality Thorin portrays throughout the book, eventually understanding the value of forgiveness and friendship, highlighting one of the central morals in The Hobbit.
At first, Thorin was hungry for revenge against Smaug for what he did to his homeland and father. He created a team to kill Smaug, made up of his family members, elite fighters, and dwarfs, that, like him, had a fire in their hearts, ready to go through any hardships and challenges to get their kingdom under the mountain back from Smaug the dreadful. Then, though, when Throin saw riches under the hill in his kingdom, Throin was infected with dragon-sickness, sickness dwarfs are very vulnerable to, creates an unearthly greed for power and riches, but one gem in particular, the king’s jewel, the Arkenstone. Initially, he just wanted the gold of his gems of his fathers, amazed at the mere view of it. This is shown when Tolkien writes, “His heart was filled and pierced with enchantment and with the desire of dwarves; and he gazed motionless, almost forgetting the frightful guardian, at the gold beyond price and count.”
This quote shows Thorin's growing obsession with the wealth of Erebor, which begins to cloud his judgment, forgetting that Smaug was even there, protecting the stolen gold. There was one main thing, though, that Smaug protected more than most, the Arkenstone. The Arkenstone was the heart of the Lonely Mountain, found long ago. As Thorin became more and more infected with dragon-sickness, he started, as the legend goes, to value the Arkenstone more than anything, terminating anything in his way, even his team. In the movie, he took it one step further and demanded that the dwarves must search the caves for treasure day and night, week after week until they found it. Thus, when the company talks about what they are going to do with the treasure after Smaug is dead, Thorin suddenly exclaims, “ The Arkenstone! The Arkenstone! murmured Thorin in the dark, half dreaming with his chin upon his knees, “It was like a globe with a thousand facets; it shone like silver in the firelight, like water in the sun, like snow under the stars, like rain upon the Moon!”(Pg. 239, digital copy.) The Arkenstone becomes the focal point of Thorin's obsession, symbolizing his madness as he loses touch with his earlier noble characteristics, leaving sanity behind, and following his father’s footsteps into the abyss where you never come back. These quotes all symbolize Throin’s greed, increasing day by day in the halls of his fathers, showing that Thorin embodies greed.
It was a deafening destruction. The men of Lake-Town, or Esgaroth tried to defend their homes from the mighty Smaug. The battle resulted in a burning island, people fighting for their lives, and the carcass of the once mighty dragon. Bard, a descendant of the Lord of Dale, Giriomn, did what his ancestor failed to do, shoot the dragon at the loose scale on his torso, and kill him. So, after this death, Lake-Town asked for help to rebuild their city and match to the Lonely Mountain to get their fair share of gold: 1) because they saved Erebor from the dragon, Throin’s quest: 2) it was Thorin and Co.’s fault that their town got destroyed. Thus, they deserved a good amount of money to rebuild.
When they got there, Thorin announced, over a wall, “I will not parley, as I have said, with armed men at my gate. Nor at all with the people of Elrond and the Elf-king, unless there is some profit in it. But I will bargain no more. I have offered as much as I am willing.” This reflects Thorin's growing obstinacy and greed as he refuses to negotiate or share the treasure, even with those who died for him, worked for him, and suffered for him. Thorin was just sitting on his throne while, not far away, people were dying, and now he will give them NOTHING! Bilbo being the honest hobbit he is, realized this, so, one night, he successfully escaped the mountain and went to the Lake-Town and Elven camp.
There, he told them of Dain coming to form an army and to give Bard the Arkenstone to bargain with Thorin for money. That morning, when the elves and lake men arrived at the gate and Bilbo admitted that he got the Arkenstone as his share, Thorin strangled him and yelled, “YOU MISERABLE HOBBIT! YOU UNDERSIZED BURGLAR!”(Pg. 283, digital copy.) His greed consumes him and he becomes arrogant, refusing to share the treasure with his allies who helped him reclaim it. Bilbo was a big part of his success in getting his treasure back but Thorin was blinded by his greed. All these quotes, again, show that Thorin is the greedy aspect of the Hobbit.
It was a battle forged into history forever. The Battle of 5 Armies was a battle of the elves, dwarfs, eagles, and Lake-Men against the wargs, goblins, and orcs. The people of Lake Town were slaughtered with nothing to defend themselves with. The dwarfs were fighting for their homeland. The elves were fighting to end the darkness. Together, all this courage made them able to win the battle.
In the middle of the fight, Bilbo is knocked out with his ring on. When he awoke, he saw a battlefield of death, no alive goblins, and elves climbing on rocks to find him to bring him back to Thorin’s tent. Throin weakly says, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now.” He then goes on to say, “Farewell, good thief. I go now to the halls of waiting to sit beside my fathers until the world is renewed. Since I leave now all gold and silver, and go where it is of little worth, I wish to part in friendship from you, and I would take back my words and deeds at the Gate." In these quotes, Thorin shows his newfound understanding of the true values of life, evaporating his old feelings of madness and gold. This also shows how Thorin seeks forgiveness from Bilbo, returning to his former and noble self and his relation to the importance of friendship over wealth, after losing everything. To conclude, these quotes show that, in the end, Thorin reflected and realized his wrongdoings and let his madness go.
Thorin Oakenshield went through obsession and greed, paranoia and mistrust, recognition of mistakes, apology, and reconciliation. All these quotes encapsulate the dramatic change in Thorin's character from greed-induced madness to a poignant recognition of what truly matters, highlighting one of the central moral lessons of The Hobbit. I think we can learn from this book’s circumstances as a moral to be grateful and, instead of madness and greed.
Youth Activists Challenge School Shootings
By: Claire Y.T., Age 12
Chapter One: Why Youth Activists Are Important
Youth activists are activists who are typically under the age of 21. They don’t wait until reaching adulthood to start their activism and push for change.
Youth activists are very important because they have the youthful energy and idealism to change the world and many already have. I believe that this generation, my generation, will change the world because we are not afraid of change like the older generations are.
Youth activists have the moral high ground in almost every scenario. They don’t have ulterior motives or hidden agendas because they didn’t create or have a stake in the existing systems of oppression.
Youth activists have already made a big impact. For example, the Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters stood up even at the risk of their lives, trying to preserve nature, making news and bringing attention to this cause, and gaining support from the media. They even published books about this cause (link: https://www.amazon.com/Are-Water-Protectors-Carole-Lindstrom/dp/1250203554).
In this project, we will examine youth activism in the context of school shootings.
Chapter Two: School Shootings:
School shootings are a big problem. But how big is the problem really? According to Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization, since the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, more than 338,000 students in the U.S. have experienced gun violence at school. In particular, students of color are far more likely to experience campus gun violence: Hispanic students experience twice as much gun violence, and Black students experience three times more.
How do we prevent school shootings?
Your first thought would probably be “we should put limits on guns”. This could include raising the age requirement and requiring an ID to purchase a gun. However, according to Sandy Hook Promise, an estimed 4.6 million American children live in a home where at least one gun is kept loaded and unlocked, and nearly half of all parents with a weapon in the home wrongly believe their children don’t know where the gun is stored. This contributes to deaths by school shootings, as well as deaths of family members and suicides at home. For families that already own guns, safely storing them is vital to preventing tragedies.
Secondly, since most school shooters display warning signs prior to attacking, we need to be aware of these warning signs to prevent school shootings. For example, sharing threatening or concerning messages or images. Furthermore, the Secret Service and Department of Education found that 93% of school shooters had planned out the attack before striking, and in 4 out of 5 school shootings, at least one other person had knowledge of the attacker’s plan but failed to report it.
According to Sandy Hook Promise, the ten major warning signs for school shooters are:
1. Suddenly withdrawing from friends, family and activities (including online or via social media);
2. Bullying, especially if targeted towards differences in race, religion, gender or sexual orientation;
3. Excessive irritability, lack of patience, or becoming angry quickly;
4. Experiencing chronic loneliness or social isolation;
5. Expressing persistent thoughts of harming themselves or someone else;
6. Making direct threats toward a place, another person, or themselves;
7. Bragging about access to guns or weapons;
8. Recruiting accomplices or audiences for an attack;
9. Directly expressing a threat as a plan;
10. Cruelty to animals.
Chapter Three: Naomi Wadler
At the age of 11, Naomi Wadler, a Black Jewish girl, stood up for colored women that were targets of shooters because of the color of their skin. She was fed up with the fact that colored victims of shootings never made the news, and were always just statistics in a news article. So when a march organizer asked her if she wanted to speak at the March For Our Lives rally, she accepted immediately.
Her speech, which was given in front of hundreds of people, was focused on how race plays into shootings. She voiced her thoughts on how unfair it was that colored victims of school shootings didn’t make the headlines as often as white victims.
“For far too long, these names, these black girls and women have just been numbers.”, she said.
Many of the young speakers in the rally had personal connections to school shootings. Some were shooting survivors and some had lost loved ones to shootings. Naomi had a connection too. Her mother’s high school friend, Fred Guttenberg, lost his daughter Jamie in the Parkland shooting.
On March the 15th, 2018, Naomi organized a walkout in her elementary school, George Mason Elementary. It lasted 18 minutes: 17 minutes for the Parkland school shooting victims, and one extra minute for Courtlin Arrington, a 17 year old black girl who was shot dead on March 7th in her high school. That shooting, which took place three weeks after Parkland, attracted far less attention.
Chapter Four: X Gonzales
X Gonzalez is a nonbinary student of Cuban descent. They are a survivor of the Parkland High School shooting and a gun control activist.
On February 14, 2018, a student opened fire at Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 students and injuring 17 more. This deadly school shooting, later known as the Parkland High School shooting, was the fifth deadliest school shooting in the U.S. X Gonzales was a survivor of this mass shooting, and a few weeks later, they stepped up as a gun control activist. According to Iowa State University, in the days following the shooting, they and other Stoneman Douglas students founded the gun-control advocacy group Never Again MSD.
Today, X is a 24-year-old college graduate, and still an unapologetically outspoken social justice activist.
How Screen Time Can Affect Your Health
By: Kaia A., 11
Do you ever wonder if screen time is as bad as everyone thinks? Or do you agree with some recent studies that show how screen time can be beneficial? Screen time is a very controversial topic that people have long debated about. There are two distinct sides to this issue– one says that screen time damages your health, and another says screen time is beneficial to your well-being.
Based on my research, I have found that screen time is very hazardous to children's health. For example, did you know that not being on social media causes the fear of missing out in 34% of young adults (CBS)? To add on, checking social media while driving happens to 55% of drivers (Shop Owner Mag). Also, a massive 43% of teenagers feel bad if no one likes their posts (Statista). Finally, 71% of all Americans log in to check their Facebook daily (Pew Research Center). All of this shows that screen time is very hazardous to children's health because it can negatively impact children's mental and physical health, along with damaging their social relationships.
One reason screen time can negatively impact your health is that screen time can lead to mental health problems. One example of this is children are always easily attached to technology and it can lead to addictions. Just like drug and alcohol use, screen time could become an addiction that can damage your health and your relationships if it’s not kept in check. “Screen addiction is a group of behaviors that are negative, some negative outcomes, that can happen when we use too much technology during our day,” says Kathryn Lorenz, MD. This makes me realize that there are many negative outcomes that screen time can cause. “Prolonged use of watching TV, video games, scrolling through social media – all of that use acts like a digital drug for our brain.” The important thing about this is that many studies have shown that screen time is no different than many drugs. Screens release a chemical called dopamine in your brain, which can damage your impulse control. Dr. Lorenz says studies have shown screen time affects the
brain. Like drugs, screen time sets off a pleasure->reward cycle that can harm your life.
Another example of why screen time can negatively affect your health is children can't always be monitored. They can be exposed to inappropriate websites and products. Additionally, screen time can damage your mental health by playing violent video games and it increase aggression. Multiple studies have found that playing violent video games can increase aggressive thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. Violent video games can also make people less likely to show compassion, such as helping another person and feeling empathy. The longer that a person is exposed to violent video games the more likely they are to show aggressive behaviors. These effects have been seen in studies all around the world. Although boys spend more time than girls playing video games, violent video game exposure can increase aggression in both genders. This prove that screen time can affect children's mental health.
Another reason that screen time can damage children's health and relationships is that it can create physical health problems. For instance, The blue light from our devices affect cells which could disrupt our body clock. The findings can help clarify why prolonged exposure to light, especially blue light emitted from our phones, changes a person’s body clock. A study shows that long exposure to screens make the body out of sync with its natural internal clock or circadian rhythm. This disrupts sleep and damages health. Another reason that screen time can damage your physical health is that it can lead to insomnia. In fact, according to a Sleep Medicine study, "57% of teens who spend more than 4 hours on a mobile device suffer from insomnia." Also, according to University of Gothenburg psychologist Sara Thomée, a study's lead researcher," The blue light from digital devices suppresses the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, keeping us from having restful sleep." This shows that the blue light emitted from screens can disrupt your sleep. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also said, "Kids spend an average of 7.5 hours per day in front of a screen. This equates to 52 hours per week. For most families, that’s more than the time spent with parents." In other words, screen time has taken over family time. Many kids watch a screen when getting ready for school, when eating, between meals, and before bed. To add to this, children who spend more than 2 hours daily are linked with increased rates of obesity, and studies show that kids ages 8-18 who spend 5+ hours watching TV are about five times more likely to become overweight. According to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, "Extensive research proves a connection between TV watching and obesity among children and adults all around the world." Studies show that excess TV viewing in childhood predicts the risk for obesity well into adulthood. For example, kids who have TV sets in their rooms are more likely to gain excess weight when compared to those who don’t have TVs. Furthermore, the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages also contributes to obesity. This proves that screen time can lead to many physical health problems.
My final reason is that screen time can damage your social relationships. One example is that screen time and social anxiety are sort of like a chicken or egg question. So, does excessive screen time cause social anxiety, or does social anxiety lead to increased screen time? According to a study conducted in 2009, it’s both. Children who already experience some form of social anxiety turn to screens to cope. According to Dr. Jeremy Bidwell, “Screen time can reduce person-to-person interactions and limit social skills. It is becoming rarer to see children using their imaginations or playing outside. Instead, it is becoming much more common to see a group of children engrossed in their tablets." This loss of social skills is perhaps the negative issue that bothers people the most. Also, screen time can affect children's emotional development. A recent spike in children's time on screens has raised concerns that screen time may replace human interaction. Therefore, children's development of emotional understanding has immensely decreased. This community study of 960 Norwegian 4-year-olds, followed up at ages 6 and 8, showed the link between the relationship between screen use and emotional understanding. Results revealed that more screen time at age 4 predicted lower levels of emotional understanding at age 6. In addition, advice such as a television, iPad, or mobile phone in a child's bedroom at age 6 predicted lower levels of emotional understanding at age 8. This is important because it shows that children's screen activities slow the development of social-emotional growth and development. For those reasons, I hope you understand that screen time can hurt your emotional understanding and social relationships.
Remember that screen time can damage your physical, mental, social, and emotional health. I also hope you can understand the importance of these reasons because not acknowledging these facts could lead to extremely hazardous consequences. Even though some people may say, “Some forms of screen time can be beneficial to your social development." I have found that the negative impacts outweigh the positives. In fact, after writing this essay, I have found myself spending less and less time on screens. In addition to that, I have realized what harm screen time does to your brain and your health. So now tell me, which side do you stand on? Is screen time positive or negative?
Youth Activists Against Child Labor
By: Jane E., 12
Everyday, over 160 million kids around the world are forced to work as slaves. In the poorest countries, 1 out of every 5 children are forced to work. How can we stop child labor? What can you do to help? Kids around the world are relying on your answer.
Youth Activists and Their Qualities:
Many young people want to stand up for what they believe in. But, only a few have their voices heard. Why? Well, all youth activists need three main qualities to make a difference in the world. These qualities are persistence, leadership, and strength.
Persistence is a very important quality to have as a youth activist. All youth activists face many challenges, and without persistence they wouldn’t be able to stand back up. An example of persistence in youth activism is Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani female education activist who won a Nobel Peace prize at age seventeen. According to womenshistory. org, “[e]ven after being shot by the Taliban, she continued her activism and founded the Malala Fund with her father. ”
Another important quality youth activists need is leadership. Without leadership, youth activists would look uncertain of themselves and no one would listen to them. An example of leadership is Sameer Jha who fought for LGBTQ+ rights at the age of 14. Sameer says, “I decided to start an organization, the Empathy Alliance, with the mission to make schools safer and more inclusive for LGBTQ+ youth.
Finally, strength is a quality that all youth activists need. Strength is what pulls a youth activist together. No matter how many times the activist is put down or threatened, strength is what keeps them from stopping. An example of strength is 5th grader Naomi Wadler. She was told she was only in the 5th grade and wouldn’t be able to present in front of 1,000s of people in Washington DC. But, she proved those people wrong and said, “my friends and I might still be 11 and we might still be in elementary school, but we know. We know life isn’t equal for everyone and we know what is right and wrong. We also know that we stand in the shadow of the Capital and we know that we have seven short years until we too have the right to vote.”
No matter how many times a youth activist will fall, be threatened, or is questioned they will always stay strong and keep going. It's with the qualities of persistence, leadership, and strength that they are able to fight, even when times are hard. Each person has their own voice with its own opinion. But, it's up to that person to stand up for what they think is right.
Child Labor Conditions:
Child labor has been around for hundreds of years and is still around today. It is a form of slavery that takes away children's right to be kids. Learning, eating, sleeping - all these necessities are taken away from kids in child labor.
Little 4 year old Iqbal Masih was sold into bondage to pay off his family’s debt. He was sold for only 7 dollars. Iqbal lost his freedom and childhood that day. Masih worked in a carpet factory until his parents had no debt. But, freedom became merely a dream, for the family's debt kept growing. Iqbal’s treatment was inhumane, and he worked over twelve hours a day with no breaks or weekends.
Iqbal may have been small, but his story made a big impact. Most times, we look to adults to solve these types of problems, including the issue of child labor. But sometimes, we have to rely on our fellow children to help us. When 12 year old Craig Keilberger, a youth activist, found out about this, he brought Iqbal’s story to attention around the world. What would life be like to work all day and night? What was it like for Iqbal when he was under the control of the abusive carpet factory?
The conditions for child labor are inhumane. Kids are put into harsh conditions and are often physically and mentally abused. An example of these harsh conditions is Alejandra, a young girl forced into child labor. The International Labour Office states, “Twelve-year-old Alejandra is woken up at four in the morning by her father, Don José. She does not go to school, but goes to collect curiles, small molluscs in the mangrove swamps on the island of Espiritu Santo in Usulutan, El Salvador. She earns very little. If she is lucky, in one day Alejandra manages to collect two baskets of curiles (150 shells), worth little more than 12 colones, or $1.40. Alejandra, who has seven younger brothers and sisters, has no time to go to school or play with other children. Anyway, she prefers not to play with other children because they say she smells bad and exclude her from their games for being a curiles worker.” Child labor is what strips kids of their freedom.
Child Labor Youth Activists:
Every youth activist has their own approach to solving the worldwide problems that they care about. Some youth activists solve their problems by broadcasting, protesting, or rioting. Others write books to alert the world about these problems. But, how do youth activists tackle the problem of child labor?
Kailash Satyarthi:
India (1954): Kailash Satyarthi was just walking out of school when he saw a cobbler and his young son working to the bone. This affected Kailash's emotions. According to Robert F. Kennedy, “ [Satyarthi] was deeply affected by the fact that many children were unable to be educated because their families couldn’t afford it. When Satyarthi was only 11 years old, he took his first step toward trying to make a difference in his community. At the time, elementary education in India was not free, so he organized a soccer club with several friends and used the membership dues to pay the tuition of disadvantaged children. He later discovered that many of the students he’d helped had dropped out because they couldn’t afford books. Satyarthi went from house to house asking for parents to donate their children’s used books so that he could give them to students in need for the next school year.” Kailash got his community involved to help raise donations to help kids stay in school and avoid child labor.
Iqbal Masih:
Another youth activist who made a huge impact on our world today is Iqbal Masih. At four, Iqbal was put into bondage to pay for his older brother's wedding. After escaping at age eleven, he fought and saved 100s of kids' lives. According to Linkedin, “after being freed from bonded labor, Iqbal Masih became a prominent activist and advocate against child labor and slavery. He embarked on international speaking tours, sharing his story and raising awareness about the issue. His courage, and passion for activism inspired audiences around the world and helped to bring attention to the issue of child labor and slavery. During his speaking tours, Iqbal spoke at conferences, schools, and community events, using his voice to inspire people to take action against these forms of exploitation. He also worked with international human rights organizations to promote policies and initiatives aimed at ending child labor and slavery.” Iqbal protested and traveled around the world to spread his message. His public speaking helped make a better world for kids in child labor.
Craig Keilberger :
Youth activist Craig Keilberger walked up to the stage, his eyes squinting from the bright lights. There, he spread his important message to stop child labor. According to Yes Magazine, “A member of the OFL briefly grabbed the microphone to announce that the organization would be granting a surprise donation of $5,000 to Kielburger’s organization, Free the Children, for the purpose of building a rehabilitation center for child laborers in India. That gesture was soon matched by many of the other organizations present. At the end of the evening – an evening in which Free the Children had merely intended to raise awareness that child labor did indeed exist—Kielburger had raised $150,000 for the cause.” By using his voice to inform people around the world about child labor companies, Craig was able to make a big difference in stopping it.
These youth activists all used their voices to make their communities aware of this problem. By working together with their communities, these activists could help end child Labor. Iqbal and Keilburger ended up raising huge donations, but it was the small contributions that had a huge impact. During Keilbuger’s speech, everyone's small donations added up to $150,000 dollars for the cause. One small donation, when added up, creates a huge impact. That’s why it's so important to make your community aware and work together.
Child Labor Youth Activist Iqbal Masih:
The last thing Iqbal Masih would ever hear was the sound of guns and the screams of his friends. He was killed at the age of 12.Masih changed hundreds of kids' lives who were enslaved by child labor. He put his life on the line for what he believed in. His bravery challenged the evil and ruthless.
Iqbal’s Family Life:
Iqbal was born in Muridke, a small rural village outside Lahore in Pakistan. His father had abandoned the family. His mother worked as a housecleaner but found it almost impossible to pay for food on the table. Iqbal was too young to understand the hardships of his family. So, he played all day in the field of his two room house. But, at four years old, Iqbal's life drastically changed.
A Childhood Cut Short:
In 1986, Iqbal’s older brother’s wedding puts the family in grave debt.According to Thoughtco, “ For a very poor family in Pakistan, the only way to borrow money is to ask a local employer. These employers specialize in this kind of barter, where the employer loans family money in exchange for the bonded labor of a small child.” That was only the beginning of his life in child labor.
Life in Child Labor:
Iqbal worked six days a week for twelve hours. Every meal he ate added to the family debt. It was impossible to pay it off. Whenever Iqbal made a mistake, he would be beaten with metal tools until he bled. Thoughtco states, “Iqbal's six years as a bonded child had affected him physically as well as mentally. The most noticeable thing about Iqbal was that he was an extremely small child, about half the size he should have been at his age. At age ten, he was less than four feet tall and weighed a mere 60 pounds. His body had stopped growing, which one doctor described as psychological dwarfism. Iqbal also suffered from kidney problems, a curved spine, bronchial infections, and arthritis. Many say that he shuffled his feet when he walked because of pain.” Iqbal’s life in the carpet factory caused trauma physically and mentally.
Finally Free:
At age ten, Iqbal finally escaped the tyranny of the carpet factory. He went to school and fought against child labor. According to the US Department of Labor, “Iqbal… became an outspoken public advocate against child exploitation.”
Stand Up for What's Right:
Iqbal Masih became a world inspiring youth activist. He freed hundreds of kids from child labor and underwent many missions to find information on organizations using child labor. According to Life on the Job, “He repeatedly took risks, pretending to be a factory worker so he could get information from the children working there. He helped free 3000 children from bondage in textile and brick factories, tanneries, and steelworks.” Iqbal’s work was getting on the nerves of these organizations. Masih had taken away their child laborers and they had no free work. Iqbal was threatened many times by child labor users. How long would Iqbal be able to survive living a life so dangerous?
A Short Life:
At twelve years old, Iqbal Masih came back to Pakistan to visit his family for Easter. He went to visit his uncle and played without a care in the world. But, according to Pharis Harvey, an Independent Human Rights Professional, “[h]e was killed in the dark of night on Easter Sunday by a single shot from a 12-gauge shotgun on the outskirts of an obscure village of mud huts a few miles from Lahore, Pakistan. Iqbal and two cousins were taking supper to a relative working in a nearby field when it happened. A perfunctory one-paragraph police report issued the following day said the boys had surprised a local farmworker named Muhammed Ashraf…took out a 12 bore gun and fired straight at Iqbal Masih.’ ”
Iqbal’s impact spread beyond his abusive life and innocent death. Although his life as an activist was short, his impact through his life inspired youth activists around the world.
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas, is a classic novel filled with adventure. It tells the story of Edmund Dantes’ quest for revenge after being wrongly imprisoned for 14 years, and contains valuable lessons about hope and kindness. Edmund Dantes loses everything, including his own freedom. But Dantes uses his time in prison to become a better man. Although he spends years plotting against the villains who had wrongly imprisoned him, in the end, Dantes forgives them. Dumas tells readers never to give up, no matter how bad the circumstances are and to forgive those who have wronged you. Dumas ends the thrilling novel by writing, “All human wisdom is contained in these two words - Wait and Hope.” These are important lessons kids can learn every single day - to persevere and be kind to those around you. Dumas’ novel is a wonderful book to add to your reading list this year.
The Count of Monte Cristo Review
By: A. Dumas Fan, Age 10
The creation of bronze metal (tin added to copper), at around 3500 BCE, allowed people during the Bronze Age to create important weapons and tools. An important bronze invention was an Ax Handle. Not only was the Ax useful but it was also beautiful. A second important product was a bronze sword. A bronze sword could kill enemies easily and was a weapon for war. A final useful item was bronze jewelry which was a status symbol. Bronze could only be worn by the rich and powerful because it was rare and expensive at the time. Bronze allowed us humans to start trade and create the foundation of a powerful civilization.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 1: The Bronze Age
By: Alison N., Age 9
The wheel helped move and transfer hefty objects and is one of the most helpful inventions created by humans. One reason the wheel was very useful was because it made carrying heavy objects easier. The wheel was also important because of the invention of the water wheel. The water wheel was partially dipped in a lake and would take the motion energy from the water to spin gears that would crush grain into flour. Finally, the wheel was popular because it made pottery toys on wheels. The wheel is an invention that helped start our civilization and made us become dominant.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 2: The Wheel is Invented
By: Alison N., Age 9
The first cities allowed people to bond and trade easily, similarly with the first towns. One reason the first cities made bonding and trading easier was because it had rulers, and the leaders made rules in trade for everyone to follow. The second one is that there were a lot of trades with many people working together. The final one is trading with other cities, towns, and groups. Trading with other groups of people was good for the health of the city and bonding. Cities are another way we form our civilization.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 3: The First Cities
By: Alison N., Age 9
Without writing, we might have never been able to create books and tell our descendents' history. Writing is one of the most significant inventions of Human History. One reason writing is important is because it can help keep record of things. For example, if you had to pay tax, property, and debts, you could keep track of it all on stone or paper so that you wouldn’t forget. Another reason writing is important is because without writing we would not have discovered many things in history. A final major reason is that writing expresses ideas. Writing enables many people to speak for themselves instead of saying it. Writing again is an important reason why humans have been able to develop their civilization to what it is today.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 4: Writing Makes History
By: Alison N., Age 9
The Nile River helped Egypt become one of the most successful civilizations in the world. Egypt became triumphant because the river supplied them with fertile land to grow crops. The fertile land allowed them to grow so many crops, that there were enough resources to sell and trade. Finally, the river gave the Egyptians more free time to learn new methods of farming, such as plowing. Egypt made a successful civilization that we still learn from today.
Egyptian culture was very interesting, as they were the first to believe their rulers were god kings. One way their religion was fascinating was because they believed their rulers were god-like creatures who kept the earth in balance, even when they died. Another reason is the way they set the dead body. First they would clean the corpse, then take out all the organs except the heart, and finally they would dry and stuff the dead body. Finally, they would place the pharaoh into a gold coffin called a sarcophagi. Although we modern humans don’t bury our people the same way, the way the Egyptians buried their people gave modern people a glimpse of history.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 5: The Successful Nile/ The Ruling Pharaohs
By: Alison N., Age 9
Iron is another tool that allowed us to advance in our techniques with metal and other materials. One way it allowed us to advance is by making stronger weapons to fight in wars. Another reason is that iron made stronger tools such as picks,pincers,hammers,chisels, and saws. Iron is again a tool that allowed us to advance in our civilization and become the people we are today.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 6: The Iron Age Begins
By: Alison N., Age 9
The invention of money made trading increasingly popular and easy. Money was a useful invention because small coins and paper would be easier to carry than carrying animals or vegetables. Another reason money was a very important tool was because it was rare and desirable, so it allowed people to hold their wealth in smaller items. People could trade rare gold coins easily for crops and animals because the glint of gold is irresistible. This allowed people to specialize in certain skills, instead of having to grow their own crops or raise their own animals. Without money, people would not have free time to focus on their specific jobs. Finally, money was interchangeable. Money could be traded from one person to the next, and they would all have a similar looking type of money. For example, A gold coin looks like a gold coin, a 1 dollar looks like a 1 dollar. Most importantly, money had to be a good store of value. A bar of gold would be worth 10 chickens now, and still be worth the same in 5 years. That is the key to making a strong money. Money was an important invention that helped us improve civilization, similarly with bronze,iron, and the wheel.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 7: Making Money
By: Alison N., Age 9
Democracy, which was created in Athens more than 2,500 years ago, enabled the people to speak freely and made life more comfortable and fair in many ways. One way it made life more fair and easy was that everyone had a chance to speak. Usually, in the times of a monarchy system, people would be passive and obey a ruler with fierce rules and demands. But with a democratic system, people had the right to speak up if they didn’t agree with their leaders. Another reason that democracy improved lives was that all people had the same rights, even if they were poor. Finally, with a monarchy, the people didn’t matter most of the time. It was usually the king and royal court who had the right to do or say anything. But, in a democracy, the rulers are the people, and the people get to vote on what laws everyone should follow. The government would not rule over you like in a monarchy. You could vote for anything or anyone. Democracy was a step towards a better civilization and a more fair future for humans.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 8: Democracy is Born
By: Alison N., Age 9
The Silk Road, a trading center, linked the East with the West, creating an important bond with the Dynasties of China and Rome. The Silk Road traded many items such as fabric, china, and jade sculptures. But, the Road did not just trade fabrics and luxury items. It also carried religions of all sorts. Finally, the Silk Road also shared ideas between civilizations, such as astronomy, medicine, and philosophy. The Silk Road allowed other cultures to share new ideas between each other. This allowed them to develop even further.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 9: The Silk Road
By: Alison N., Age 9
Buddhism, created around three hundred BC in India, became very popular, traveling from India and beyond. As Buddhism spread, it shared ideas and took many forms. Buddhism did not just share its religion. It also shared ideas on how to live a good life. Like the Silk Road, Buddhism was shared around the world and people adapted it to fit different ideas and lifestyles.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 10: Buddhism Spreads Across Asia
By: Alison N., Age 9
The Romans, two thousand years ago, created one of the most successful and powerful civilizations in history. Their civilization was able to thrive and become powerful for many reasons. First, they had a very strong and clever army that brought enemies to their knees. But, to conquer another civilization, you had to travel far and wide. That is why the Roman empire built roads across all their lands, and made “all roads lead to Rome.“ Finally, Rome became powerful through their advanced technology, such as the aqueduct. Aqueducts could carry water from clean river sources such as far away rivers. This allowed life in Rome to be more convenient and better situated because without water we would die of thirst. Rome helped step ourselves to a better situation in life, with technology, strategies, and more. With new ideas comes a better world.
The Birth of our Civilization
Chapter 11: The Romans Build an Empire
By: Alison N., Age 9
