Hi, my name is Yara! My pronouns are she/her/hers, and I'm a global health advocate in school. I'm excited to guest blog with Janvi, and she was generous to write a post on my blog Thrill-seeking for Nerds(who want to change the world).
I first got involved in advocacy as a little kid, when my mom became a volunteer for RESULTS doing nonpartisan grassroots work to end global poverty. She brought me to meetings and gave me age-appropriate activities to learn about poverty and its various solutions. I was happy to help, but it was hard to wrap my head around the systemic oppression that made these issues a reality.
Then, in 7th grade, my social studies teacher dedicated a month of classes to climate change, with the goal of making us better global citizens. His slideshows were always truthful and evidence-based, but they were intense, and I'd feel sick to my stomach knowing what was coming and that politicians in both parties were doing nothing.
I've lost many hours of sleep worrying - I knew people were dying from pandemics and climate disasters. Now, I know I have the power to do something about those issues.
Using political advocacy to help others and my own state of mind is something I learned while adjusting to new schools as a kid, but lately I've been thinking back to that lesson a lot. Staying positive and clear-headed is a challenge for all of us, with new dangers like COVID-19 and its accompanying economic and societal issues.
I hoped that around this time, I'd be posting about my experiences at the Global Health and Leadership Conference at Johns Hopkins University. That's actually how I met Janvi! We were both added to a group chat of accepted students... and then it was canceled because of COVID-19.
Within a month, everything changed. My school, my interactions with my friends and family, my activities for fun. I have the privilege of living in a house with my family, and my dad is still able to work, so I'm lucky to experience some silver linings like Janvi pointed out and discussed in the comments for "The Science of Well-Being". I also got to spend some quality time with the Christmas cactus in my room, my only classmate for distance learning!
But, let's get back to advocacy. Momentum for political movements is grinding to a halt. Is anyone paying attention to the presidential election anymore? Is there a Plan B for the Earth Day climate strikes?
Many people are using this time to reassess what is important in their lives, so I understand that "politics" is one of the first things to get jettisoned. Yet, as I mentioned earlier, taking action for what you believe in can be a very rewarding and empowering experience! In fact, I recently called my governor's office for the very first time to ask for a statewide shelter-in-place order. I've lobbied federal government officials for years, but I'm still trying new things, and that's exciting! It doesn't have to be partisan and divisive. In fact, building bridges is usually more effective.
In 2017, after years of letter-writing campaigns and meetings with members of Congress, the READ Act became law. This strengthened global education programs, especially for girls and refugee children. And last October, grassroots advocacy played a major role in a successful replenishment for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. World leaders collectively pledged a historic amount of funding! American leadership was instrumental, and that came from leaders in Congress who were encouraged by their everyday constituents.
Not only does advocacy work, but I also believe we have a moral obligation to take on an advocacy journey for others. If we are safe and healthy, many are not. No one needs to be a "voice for the voiceless" since health workers and patients do indeed have powerful voices. In these times, though, we need as many people as possible to get policy-makers' attention and make them aware of the issues everyday people are facing.
So if you are ready to get started, we need all the help we can get! Check out my blog for some ideas or comments on this post; I'm always down to help answer questions. Thanks for reading!
I first got involved in advocacy as a little kid, when my mom became a volunteer for RESULTS doing nonpartisan grassroots work to end global poverty. She brought me to meetings and gave me age-appropriate activities to learn about poverty and its various solutions. I was happy to help, but it was hard to wrap my head around the systemic oppression that made these issues a reality.
Then, in 7th grade, my social studies teacher dedicated a month of classes to climate change, with the goal of making us better global citizens. His slideshows were always truthful and evidence-based, but they were intense, and I'd feel sick to my stomach knowing what was coming and that politicians in both parties were doing nothing.
I've lost many hours of sleep worrying - I knew people were dying from pandemics and climate disasters. Now, I know I have the power to do something about those issues.
Using political advocacy to help others and my own state of mind is something I learned while adjusting to new schools as a kid, but lately I've been thinking back to that lesson a lot. Staying positive and clear-headed is a challenge for all of us, with new dangers like COVID-19 and its accompanying economic and societal issues.
I hoped that around this time, I'd be posting about my experiences at the Global Health and Leadership Conference at Johns Hopkins University. That's actually how I met Janvi! We were both added to a group chat of accepted students... and then it was canceled because of COVID-19.
Within a month, everything changed. My school, my interactions with my friends and family, my activities for fun. I have the privilege of living in a house with my family, and my dad is still able to work, so I'm lucky to experience some silver linings like Janvi pointed out and discussed in the comments for "The Science of Well-Being". I also got to spend some quality time with the Christmas cactus in my room, my only classmate for distance learning!
Genus name: Schlumbergera!
Many people are using this time to reassess what is important in their lives, so I understand that "politics" is one of the first things to get jettisoned. Yet, as I mentioned earlier, taking action for what you believe in can be a very rewarding and empowering experience! In fact, I recently called my governor's office for the very first time to ask for a statewide shelter-in-place order. I've lobbied federal government officials for years, but I'm still trying new things, and that's exciting! It doesn't have to be partisan and divisive. In fact, building bridges is usually more effective.
An in-person visit to my Congresswoman's office when I was a fifth-grader
Not only does advocacy work, but I also believe we have a moral obligation to take on an advocacy journey for others. If we are safe and healthy, many are not. No one needs to be a "voice for the voiceless" since health workers and patients do indeed have powerful voices. In these times, though, we need as many people as possible to get policy-makers' attention and make them aware of the issues everyday people are facing.
So if you are ready to get started, we need all the help we can get! Check out my blog for some ideas or comments on this post; I'm always down to help answer questions. Thanks for reading!
Yara
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