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 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.
In this first blog, we are looking at Frontline Activism which we begin with because it’s often the first flash of resistance that comes to mind when we think of activism. However, it is more than the generalisation it has come to be. Essentially, frontline activists use direct action and collective mobilisation as a way to create change. This is done through tools of change such as protests, sit-ins, and strikes.
For example, some of the earliest forms of frontline activism were resistance efforts led by Indigenous peoples against colonial regimes, often resisting oppression and under severe risk to their lives. In the 19th century, as industrialization expanded, labour movements emerged, with workers advocating for better conditions. From this, various strikes and boycotts emerged that fundamentally shaped labour rights. By the mid 1900s, frontline activism was central to many movements such as the Civil Rights, Anti-colonial, Feminist, and LGBTQIA+ movements.
The Chipko Movement in Uttarakhand, India, was a powerful example of frontline activism where local women literally embraced trees to prevent their felling by commercial logging companies.
A recent example of frontline activism and its impact is the student-led Palestinian solidarity movement, where students have protested the genocide happening in Gaza, Palestine and built solidarity encampments on school campuses worldwide:
Knowing this history, it is clear that activists have historically fought against a plethora of injustices, putting their bodies on the line to protect lands, ecosystems, rights, peoples, and cultures.
Frontline activism is deeply contextual and attuned to its landscape, to histories of power, and to the bodies that hold it. It’s a living response to specific conditions, shaped by political and social pressures, grounded in both the urgency and the risk.
The reality is that resistance looks very different in every place and body, that the judicial cost of standing up can be vastly different in the Global South than in the Global North, and the harsh truth that under existing systems, certain bodies are more susceptible to harsh legal punishments which even further highlights injustice. And so, frontline activism is complex and layered as it demands a deep understanding of who is called to act, of when and how the stakes rise, and of the risks that ripple through lives and communities.
This type of activism operates through a diverse front made up of all kinds of bodies willing to show up, metaphorically and literally. These activists choose to step into direct confrontation with structures and systems that perpetuate harm, challenging power but also inspiring others to reflect on the ways they might resist or advocate for change within their own capacities. While frontline activism is highly visible, it is also important to note that this form of activism is communal. These activists rarely stand alone as they are part of deep networks that provide logistical, legal, and community support. Behind every protester in the streets are many others contributing in their own ways through organising resources, sharing information, amplifying voices, and offering safe spaces for healing and rest. This interconnected mycelial web sustains the action necessary to materialise the change we seek.
In honouring these activists, we’re sharing an interview with a wonderful Frontline Activist within the YouthxYouth community, Wilson Oding. Wilson is a painter, writer and poet born in the floodplains of Kano Settlement scheme in Nyanza Kenya and later moved to Rusinga Island of Lake Victoria. He is an activist who photographs and writes about environmental conservation, education and youth leadership. He is passionate about education and is currently weaving communities to co-create and co-elevate by radically reimagining systems in education as a YxY activist.
Take a look at the interview here and stay tuned to our social media for more conversations like this one!
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.
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!
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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YouthxYouth
We are a global community of youth activists and adult allies dedicated to the reimagination and transformation of education for collective liberation. Our goal is to accelerate the process of young people influencing, designing, and transforming their learning experiences and education systems.
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