how academics E n h a n c e A c t i v i s m

When it comes to activism, there are many impactful ways to get your message across. One of the highly effective ways to promote a message is through the wide world of academics. Academia plays a bigger role in activism than one would assume, especially in our current academic circle as high school students. It is one of the most influential and motivating ways to learn and educate others about issues we, as a community of youth, find essential, ranging from climate change to voting, to equality and beyond. Academics not only tend to include activism in their curriculum but also act as an influence.

Academics, school, and activism come hand in hand and are seen more together in the classroom as the years pass The school curriculum is continuously progressing by instating topics of activism, most often seen in our English classes. From personal experience, as a 10th grader at San Diego High School, my schoolmates and I were given a project in an English class to research and present Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs), which are goals created by the United Nations to improve our world. These SDGs are designed to become an outlet for spreading awareness about 17 different global humanitarian issues, ranging from topics about inequality to health, and to global warming. Spreading awareness on worldwide issues is one of the most important actions of seeking change that an activist can contribute to. While this is already a great step forward, the activism-related discussions in schools do not stop there: science classes can also be included. Science classes often incorporate a unit on climate change, since it is such an essential and prevalent topic. Such courses include biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, and beyond.

This is a great improvement to see in classrooms. Adding activist topics to the curriculum informs general youth about global issues, which is crucial since the students of today are the leaders and decision-makers of tomorrow. Young individuals need this kind of education as it is what truly prepares us for our future real-world interactions.

Classroom activism, or as I like to call it, is igniting discussions about inequality, health, rights, and so much more; topics which we see every day, and will continue to come up for the rest of our lives.

Academic influence on activism is not only present in educational lessons. The influence carries outside of school as well, with the student-based foundations that students participate in, like activism clubs (Climate Club, Caesar Chavez Club, etc.) and student unions (Jewish, Latin, Asian/Pacific Islander, Gender & Sexuality Alliance, etc.). Not only are these extracurriculars excellent opportunities to spread the word, but they are active displays of activism at work. The global climate walkout earlier this year is an example of direct activism where so many students across the globe, including here in San Diego, participated!

These academics are a major way in which youth discover and discuss their surrounding world, targeting young adults to begin striving for what they believe in. Academics are such a large part of our lives right now as students, so it is extremely important, especially in an ever-changing society like ours, to learn all about activism and how to voice our knowledge and our powerful opinions.