Sophia Eugenia Hodgkinson, 16, Gender Equality Activist
What do you stand for? Gender equality, but not through bashing one of the genders. How does your campaign inspire young women and men? It makes people aware that if we want to achieve gender equality and justice throughout our society, the entirety of our society has to become invested in this project. What advice would you give to young campaigners? No matter how insignificant you feel your contribution may be, make it. Yours could be the tipping point. Do you think art and creativity are a good way to protest and send a message? Absolutely. Art is a personal and thus unique take on an issue. As well as being peaceful, it is an ideal medium through which you can convey your message.
Christabel Reed, 23, Political Lobbyist for Greenpeace and Founder of Advaya
What do you stand for? I am a meliorist, so I stand for recognizing and honoring the intrinsic interconnectedness and interdependence of all living beings on earth. Who inspires you? Satish Kumar, Naomi Klein, Patanjali, Earthlings, Gandhi, Greenpeace and If a Tree Falls. What advice would you give young campaigners? Research from independent sources. Newspapers are very uninformative in what they prioritize as newsworthy,distracting us from the real threats — ourselves and our voracious consumption. Become active in your community by doing volunteer work. Become active politically by writing to your MPs. Be physically active by going to protests.
Naomi Barrow, 20, YoungMinds
What do you stand for? Mental health and opportunities for young people. What do you want to achieve? I’d like mental illness to become as “acceptable” as physical illness. What is the one message you want to convey through your campaign? That you don’t have to be an expert to express your views and speak to people. How politically involved is your generation? A lot of people in our generation care a lot. Every day there is a new petition on social media. This is all a form of political involvement. When it comes to the next general election, however, they often struggle to understand politicians’ key messages through the tangle of discussions between parties. Politicians need to be going to places where our generation already are – social media, popular TV programs, colleges and universities.
Jack Falkingham, 21, Young Labour LGBT Officer
What do you stand for? An equal society regardless of who you are. Everyone should feel safe and accepted walking hand in hand with whoever they love, down every street, in every community. What do you want to achieve? I want my generation to be the last to ever feel alien for who they are. Who are you voting for? The Labour Party. Many of the rights LGBT people have won — from repealing Section 28, to equalizing the age of consent — have been because of the Labour Party. What do you want to convey through your campaign? Politics shapes our lives, whether we like it or not. We need to be involved.
Rhys Chapman, 25, Filmmaker
What do you stand for? I want to tackle homophobia in football. How do you intend to do it? With WONDERKID, we aim to show the detrimental effects this can have on a young person who’s fighting the desire to love and be loved while wanting to be accepted. If an institution as big as football makes this change, the effects will pave the way for much more equality.
Sai Kadirrajah, 16, YoungMinds
What do you stand for? To travel to third world countries and improve the [perception] of mental health. No one is as brave as a person affected with mental health, as they have to fight with their own mind every day. What made you begin campaigning? I suffered from mental health issues from the age of 10, and being from an Asian background made things a lot harder.
Sam Foulder-Hughes, 19, British Youth Council Trustee
What do you stand for? Young people’s participation in politics. Just over half of young people voted in the 2010 general election, as a result we’ve seen government cuts target us. What made you begin campaigning? I went to school in a really rural area, where I was the only openly gay person I knew. I thought by campaigning I’d be able to speak up and meet more people like myself.
Muna Hassan, 21, Peer Educator and Trustee at Integrate Bristol
What do you stand for? Ending female genital mutilation (FGM) and all gender-based violence. Who do you look to for inspiration when it comes to activism? Lisa Zimmermann and Leyla Hussein. If you could pick anyone in the world, who would be prime minister? Nimco Ali. She’d demand equality for all. What made you set up Integrate Bristol? When we started our FGM campaign it was simply to raise awareness about an issue that takes so much from women. We’re now one of the leading youth organizations tackling FGM, and we’ve expanded our work to include other forms of gender-based violence. What advice would you give to young campaigners? Start from your local communities and schools. That’s how our campaign started, from the classroom to Westminster!
Georgia Elander, 19, Young Greens
What do you stand for? A society in which people’s opportunities aren’t limited by background or identity. How do you intend to achieve it? We need to make politics more representative of society, by promoting women, BME people and other oppressed groups. We need to fight the culture that sees unemployment as a choice and poverty as a character flaw. What advice would you give to young campaigners? Do something. Every movement is made up of individuals!
Iona McCreath, 18, Founder of Kikoti
What do you stand for? I would like to help stop poaching by changing the materialistic perception of ivory. How do you intend to do it? I’ve created a fashion line, Kikoti. A percentage of sales goes towards the anti-poaching campaign Hands Off Our Elephants. There will also be a hand-crafted elephant made by communities living in areas with human-animal conflict. When communities are benefiting financially from the preservation of animals, they will get actively involved in anti-poaching initiatives and not feel the need to be a part of the ivory trade as a means of survival.
Daisy-May Hudson, 24, Housing Activist and Filmmaker
What do you stand for? I want to bust the bullshit on the national housing crisis and regeneration in London, hold politicians accountable and keep on fighting until everyone has a home to live in that is truly affordable. I want to show people what it feels like to lose your home, and to change the recurring narrative around homelessness by getting my film Half Way seen by as many people as possible. What is the most shocking fact about housing in the UK? If food prices had risen at the same rate as house prices, a chicken would now cost £51.33.
Ana Viktoria, 19, Human Rights Activist
What do you stand for? I stand for equality. How do you intend to achieve it? With art, as I do now. Who do you look to for inspiration when it comes to standing up for what you believe in? I look to people like Tilda Swinton and Malala for inspiration, but also my mother, especially because she’s from the 68 movement. What made you begin campaigning? My sister, but it evolved by itself. What is the one message you want to convey through your campaign? That young people care too, and that we really are all equal. It sounds so simple, but it never rules (yet). What advice would you give to young activists? Just do it.
George Toland, 19, Long Live The Southbank
What made you begin campaigning? I wanted to do anything I could to help save Southbank, as part of the LLSB team. Southbank is a culturally significant place in the skateboarding world. The idea that such a raw, interesting and creative space could have been destroyed and turned into retail units was pretty depressing! What’s the best thing about LLSB? We saved Southbank! What is the best thing about being a skater in London? Having an undercover, lit spot like Southbank right in the middle of town, also the amount of interesting street spots dotted around the city.
How are Generation Z going to change the world? Find out here.
Credits
Photography Oliver Hadlee Pearch
Styling Julia Sarr-Jamois
Hair Cyndia Harvey at Streeters
Make-up Lauren Parsons at Premier Hair and Make-up using Chanel spring/summer 15 and Body Excellence
Nail technician Michelle Humphrey at LMC
Photography assistance Tegen Williams, Michael Williams
Styling assistance Rosie Williams, Bojana Kozarevic, Justyna Radon, Rudy Betty
Hair assistance Michael Gray, Shanice Noel, Jennifer Buckley
Make-up assistance Hannah Wilson, Fiona Barry
Production Peggy Pannochia at CLM UK
Production assistance Jose Sel De Felipe at CLM UK