In the last six years of One Billion Rising, youth from all over the world – rose in the streets, in schools, in communities, on stages, creating some of the most creative and radical artistic risings, including a huge escalating creative resistance presence on social media – utilized for outreach, mobilization and engagement. For OBR 2018, the energy continuing to emerge from the youth sector is bold, inspired and audacious.
2018 Youth Rising actions included:
– Rising to end rape and sexual assault on campuses
– Rising to end objectification and stereotyping of women and girls
– Rising to end domestic violence and parental neglect and abuse
– Rising for the right to education
– Rising to end commercialization of education
– Rising to end slut shaming, bullying and sexism
– Rising to end misogyny
– Rising to end sexual harassment in public and at schools
– Rising to end sex trafficking
– Rising to end forced prostitution for education
– Rising for women’s reproductive healthcare and rights
– Rising for LGBTQIA+ rights
– Rising to end poverty that enables exploitation of girls
– Rising for the conservation and protection of the environment and the insurance of their future
– Rising for jobs for new graduates
– Rising for the defense and recognition of human rights
– Rising for refugees
– Rising to end fascism and tyranny
– Rising to defend women human rights defenders
– Rising to end economic, sexual and political exploitation
– Rising to demand women’s access to open spaces without fear
– Rising to shift consciousness among men and boys and on equality
We saw youth defiantly demanding an end to all forms of physical and sexual violence, and fearlessly claiming their right to have young women’s voices heard. Through OBR we saw young people all over the world boldly proclaiming their right to a future free of violence, discrimination and inequality. Youth Risings around the world saw youth much more actively engaged in community organizing – and OBR 2018 gave young people opportunities to focus their Risings on specific youth related issues affecting their daily lives. While many Risings centered around physical and sexual violence on campuses and the right to education in past years, these past few years have seen youth Risings also going deeper into the issues of economic exploitation, poverty and capitalism, gender, race and class inequality and discrimination, xenophobia, misogyny, fascism, state repression and brutality, wars and refugee rights, climate change and the protection of the environment.
Youth Risings mobilized and organized youth organizations and schools and a larger number of youth activists this year than we have seen in past years, to advocate for the political and economic rights of girls and their interests. The Risings – led, organized and determined by the youth – also dynamically expressed the realization of the role of the youth as powerful voices and hope for the future, young women and men who are decisively taking part in the struggle to end violence against women and girls and LGBTQIA+ youth. Their vigor showcased their stand as a truly powerful force for social change. It broke the perception and assumption that the youth are passive, removed and apathetic. The Youth Risings – with their imaginative, energetic and dynamic fusion of creativity, politics and social media – highlighted youth’s demand for an alternative politics of change. And like the Workers Risings and Community Risings, youth highlighted that only through collective rising and solidarity can the equitable, democratic, dignified rights of women and girls be achieved. Now, more than ever, we are seeing youth also take a radical stand against the dominant politics and unjust systems that favors the ruling elite, against governments, against corporations that they see as major obstructions to their rights and future. The youth Risings saw a bigger demand for social and political changes that favor the majority, and for social changes that have direct impact on their future.
OBR 2018 also saw the creative disruptive rebellion of youth as they expressed, with the fearless and fiercest persistence and incredible bravery, their vision for their future – a future where girls can thrive, have choices and fulfill all their aspirations to the full. We saw a self-organized outpouring of artistic expressions – poetry, dances, songs, theatre, spoken word, music – created by young people all over the world as they rose to demand revolutionary changes within their cultures and societies, and their right to grow up free of violence.
The youth Risings were wildly and creatively diverse, as they were radical. The OBR Youth Revolution is an artistic political movement onto itself – determined and led by young women – outspoken, courageous, unafraid, political, creative, tech savvy, current and forward thinking, bringing an exciting layer of One Billion Rising boldly into the future.
Gallery of Youth Rising 2018 Snapshots:
