United Nations designated August 12 as International Youth Day with the aim to draw attention to the issues surrounding youth. For over two decades, IYD is observed across the globe.
International Youth day presents as an opportunity to celebrate young people and their meaningful engagement with local and global communities. Fight against systematic injustice is now being heralded by the youth.
Be it over global heating and the climate crisis or the Black Lives Matter protest that ensued killing of George Floyd by policemen. Activists like Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg and other over the last decade have become faces of important causes at a very young age.
Here are four Indian youths who are championing causes ranging from environment to peace.
Ananya Kamboj
Ananya Kamboj, an ambassador of football, peace and youth empowerment, is Indian representative at Global Football for Friendhsip social programme. Kamboj has been advocating gender equality and women's empowerment.
Ananya's initiative called 'Sports to Lead' that aims to educate women and girls in sports field about their rights and help eliminate gender injustice.
Garvita Gulhati
Gulhati, who is reportedly dubbed as 'Water Girl of India', is co-founder of Why Waste an organisation that has saved over 6 million litres of water. She started the organisation after learning that restaurants asted nearly 14 million litres of water.
Since its launch in 2015, the organisation's work has reached 10 million people and more than 500,000 restaurants, and has helped save 6 million liters of water. She was awarded with coveted Diana Award.
Archana Soreng
Soreng, belong to indigenious Kharia tribe of Odisha, is an environmental activist who has been selected as one of the seven members of Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change established by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Presently, she's working as a research officer at Vasundhara, an action research and policy advocacy organisation, in Bhubaneswar working on natural resource governance, tribal rights, and climate justice.
Sofia Ashraf
Ashraf shot to fame when her video 'Kodaikanal Won't' went viral. The video talks about Hindustan Unilever's manufacturing units dumping toxic mercury in Kodaikanal and poisoning workers and the forest.
The rapper who was content creator has made other videos where she is rapping about important issues that affect people in India.