Creating positive change

Domina

Really trust your gut. 

If something doesn't feel right, if something doesn't look right, if even... like, I know, experiences culturally, everything, kind of, I can feel it in my gut, and I'm thinking, 'This doesn't feel right. Is this OK? Why is it normalised? Why is no one reacting the way that I think they should be reacting?'

To young people, trust that feeling, you know. 

Trust it and run with it.

And there are people out there who also feel the same way, and will want to make that kind of change.

Nathan

I think we're starting to see a little bit of it, by flipping gender norms.

I think that's kind of one way.

You know, women can do whatever men can do, and men can do whatever women can do.

Yeah, I think we start thinking that way. Just be positive.

Aroha

I think there's more safer spaces now for people of all different backgrounds. 

And I feel like even though we're just beginning, there needs to be more, especially now with all the movements that are happening around us, like Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ+ community.

Angelica

We collectively need to be able to support one another.

The mobilisation of youth is crazy.

Every time I'm a part of it, I get excited, because there's that genuine energy for we know that this is going to benefit our future and our ability to thrive in the different areas and pathways that we're going to go through in life.

And that's what we all want.

Cosmin

You're the future generation after all, you know.

Forty years from now, you guys will be setting the mean for what society looks like.

You guys will be setting the standard for how we treat other people.

And if you do want to live in a better, nicer world, well, it starts with you.

You've got to be a good role model.

Use your superpower.

Cosmin

Being a good ally, making sure that you are hearing about what's going on and making sure that you're actively doing your part, not only to change your behaviour, if your behaviour, you know, has been seen, or if your behaviour isn't something that's right, but also to call out wrong behaviour in others as well, and not to be afraid of doing that if it's your friends.

Shahida

Because it starts from one person, two, three, and that's how it gets wider and more people hopefully can hear it. 

More people can understand, and more people get inspired and empowered to join that, I guess, chain of movement.

Abdallah

I think it's important to be aware of your own privilege.

You might not be part of the issue, but you should definitely be part of the solution.

You should utilise that privilege to find a suitable solution for whatever the issue is.

As Cosmin mentioned, you should speak up if you see something wrong and you can do something about it, you should speak up. 

You should try to change it. 

If it doesn't impact you, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't do anything about it.

Georges

I think educating the young people, educating them on how to stand up, that's really important.

How do you do that?

It's not just standing up and saying, 'No, stop this.'

There are ways to manage the situation.

And I think that's really important, teaching young people how to stand up for themselves.

Shailja

Yeah, stand up for each other. Stand up for themselves. 

Being able to call out things if they see it, say online, for example. 

Or maybe if they see it happening in their workplace, being able to say, 'Look, this is something that really does have an effect.' 

'You're being racist', 'You're being sexist', 'You're being homophobic'. 

'You need to change your behaviour', 'Here's some resources to help you out', 'Here's how you can improve what you're doing right now'.

'We don't hate you. It's not that we're attacking you. It's that we just noticed something that you're doing that is hurtful to other people, so how can we combat that? How can we work together to make this safer for everyone?'

Georges

And standing up for each other doesn't necessarily mean going to the person who's committing the act.

It also means going to the person who is the victim of the act, and talking to them, trying to see if they're OK, because that's also standing up.