Unleash the Power within YOUth: Care Activism

^{At YouthxYouth, we root our work in the belief that activism, like life itself, takes so many forms, each one necessary and vital in our journey of cultivating a just and liberated world. This year’s annual YouthxYouth crowdfunding campaign is centred around raising support to sustain the work we do at YxY by showcasing the diversity of the activism that exists within our community, from artivists to community weavers, and everything in between. This crowdfunding campaign is an invitation, an open door if you will, to sustain the work of YxY through 2025 and beyond, and to witness the power and depth of activism. Through this campaign, we’re intentionally holding up a mirror to reflect the faces of those we serve and uplift, the activists whose journeys we nurture and who nurture us in return. As part of this, we are releasing a series of blogs that explore 10 different archetypes of activism.}  

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Over the past month, we have been exploring the diversity of activism within the YxY community and understanding the activist archetypes who represent this diversity. Today, for the second last activist archetype blog, we are exploring Care activism. Care activists show up consistently for those who need their care most and create change through the radical act of nurturing, supporting, and sustaining communities. Their tools of change are often emotional labour, mutual aid networks, and the cultivation of healing spaces. 

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“Mutual aid projects let us practice meeting our own and each other’s needs, based in shared commitments to dignity, care, and justice. They let us practice coordinating our actions together with the belief that all of us matter and that we should all get to participate in the solutions to our problems. They let us realize that we know best how to address the crises we face.” - Dean Spade, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis

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The history of care activism runs deep through social movements (though it hasn't always been recognised by this name), for example, feminist movements have emphasised the political nature of care work, naming how the act of caring itself can be revolutionary within systems that often devalue such labour. Indigenous communities worldwide have traditionally centred care in their resistance movements, understanding that protecting people and land requires nurturing both physical and spiritual wellbeing. Climate justice movements are also increasingly recognising the importance of care activism, creating spaces for grief processing as activists confront the stark reality of the environmental crisis. 

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This form of activism actively rejects the notion that care work is merely private or domestic labour and recognises that providing support and nurturance is inherently political and transformative! Thus their work demonstrates that networks of support, love, and care could fill crucial gaps when institutional systems fail. Care activism recognises that people fighting for change need support and care. In a society that often values productivity over human well-being, taking time to nurture and support each other is itself a powerful form of resistance. Finally, something that is prevalent throughout these care-based interventions, and is worthy to note, is a shared understanding that revolution begins with how we treat each other! 

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“Caring is the bridge that connects us to one another.” - Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Communicating

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Despite their invaluableness though, care activists face difficulties such as burnout, sometimes the undervaluation of their work, and the constant struggle to balance caring for others while maintaining their own wellbeing. There is also the challenge of ensuring care work doesn't perpetuate existing inequities as historically, care labour has often fallen disproportionately on women, particularly women of colour. Present-day care activism must actively work to distribute this labour more equitably and ensure it's valued appropriately. 

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Notwithstanding the challenges present, care activists offer us crucial wisdom about the importance of how we show up in the world. They are a reminder of the fact that mutual aid, support and the recognition of our fundamental interconnectedness is key in all our changemaking!

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With this shared we are excited to share an interview with an incredible Care Activist within the YouthxYouth community, Olabisi Idowu. Olabisi is an entrepreneur, changemaker, and dedicated biomedical scientist who channels her passion towards safeguarding the mental health of young people as a Youth Weaver at YouthxYouth Lagos Hub and raising awareness about antimicrobial resistance in Africa. 

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Stay tuned to our social media for more inspiring conversations!

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Through these interviews, we hope to bring you closer to the lived experiences of activists within our community, hopefully offering a fuller understanding of what it means to be an activist, in its vast multiplicities.

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As we journey through the other archetypes of activism we invite you to reflect on the interconnectedness of these roles. While each archetype has its distinct facets, together they make up our YouthxYouth community and how magical is that!

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Our crowdfunding campaign is about celebrating this diversity, and by contributing, you are not only helping sustain YxY’s work but also joining a community that values and nurtures a broad spectrum of activism. We invite you to support those who dare to act, whether it's on the frontlines or behind the scenes, as we envision and work towards the more beautiful futures our hearts so deeply long for.

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Donate now!