Step 1: Find Your Passion! When I started college, I was way more interested in writing than organizing. Then, one night a close friend told me about Take Back the Night (TBTN). Take Back the Night is an annual rally and march dedicated to raising awareness about rape and sexual assualt, and seeks to provide a safe space for people to talk about their own experiences. I started going to meetings at first and a few years later, I ended up leading one of the biggest events at Rutgers University.
While organizing the April rally for TBTN, there were times when I wanted to call it quits. It would have been nice to curl up in my nice warm bed instead of putting flyers up on campus in the freezing cold. But when it came down to it, I cared about the organization and about the women who looked forward to the march every year.
You just have to find your passion, because sometimes that is the only thing that will carry you through the rough patches.
So How Do You Find Your Passion? Taking It Global, a teen activist group, recommends making a list.
Try to think of five things you would like to improve or change.
Start with things about yourself. Then about your school. Your community? Your country? The world?
After you have a master list, try to figure out the ones that are most important to you, whether it's animal rights or the school dress code.
Meet Two Teens Who Are Changing Their Community:
Theater Activist:
Sophie, age 16, is one of the directors of a theater program called the "Pickle Players" in McFarland, Wisconsin. Constantine spends hundreds of hours from November to August, writing scripts, rehearsing with the kids (from fifth to eighth grade), and eventually putting on a great performance at the end of the summer. And she does it every summer for free!
Read an interview with Sophie.
Feminist Activist:
Molly, age 17, started her own organization called the "Lucy Stoners" after the famous feminist who refused to take her husband's last name after marriage. The group is dedicated to educating others about gender equality and sexism, homophobia and other issues that affect her community of Akron, Ohio. The group meets about once a week for discussions and takes on the local park with radical cheerleading. They are planning a feminist conference and art show in the next couple of months.
Read an interview with Molly.
When I started college, I was way more interested in writing than organizing. Then, one night a close friend told me about Take Back the Night (TBTN). Take Back the Night is an annual rally and march dedicated to raising awareness about rape and sexual assualt, and seeks to provide a safe space for people to talk about their own experiences. I started going to meetings at first and a few years later, I ended up leading one of the biggest events at Rutgers University.
So How Do You Find Your Passion?
