Unleash the Power within YOUth: Spiritual 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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In our continued exploration of activist archetypes, today we are looking at Spiritual activism! Essentially, Spiritual activists aim to bridge the inwardly focused work of spirituality with the outwardly focused work of activism. Examples of their primary tools of change are love and kindness; presence; meditation; prayer and ceremony.

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“Spiritual activism, according to [Gloria] Anzaldúa, views self transformation as intimately linked with political and global transformation. It attempts to establish a holistic framework in which we can see social, racial, sexual, political, and cultural injustices as inherently psychical, emotional, and spiritual problems that are intimately tied to one another.” - Andres Ayala-Patlan

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Unlike forms of activism that focus solely on external changes, spiritual activism emphasises the interconnection between personal and social transformation. It sees that the systems we seek to change exist not only in institutions but also within our own consciousness, questioning the notion of a separation between the spiritual and the political. Concurrently, it helps articulate how our inner work can fuel our outer action, and how our activism can deepen our spiritual practice.

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Rev. angel Kyodo williams says "Without inner change, there can be no outer change. Without collective change, no change matters." This asks us to hold an approach of: working to transform unjust systems while simultaneously healing the ways these systems live within us.

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An example of spiritual activism is the Black Consciousness Movement, which was led by Steve Biko, in South Africa during the 1960s. The movement understood that liberation required political transformation, in addition to the spiritual and psychological emancipation from internalised oppression. Biko’s teachings were a spiritual affirmation that aimed to heal the deep wounds of racial trauma and restore a sense of divine worth in Black communities. Through this activists created sacred spaces where people could reconnect with their spirituality while developing critical consciousness about systemic oppression. This spiritual-political approach helped make clear the fact that true liberation requires healing the soul of a people while simultaneously challenging the structures of oppression which in this case was the apartheid regime.

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The social fractures and polycrises we face today require us to bring to life new ways of being and doing. Spiritual activism offers tools and practices that have the potential to help us build resilience through spiritual practice and maintain hope and vision in difficult times, creating beloved communities across differences. Through these practices, spiritual activists work to heal both personal and collective trauma while imagining and embodying new ways of being. Perhaps most importantly, these tools help sustain their work through regenerative practices that keep them grounded and effective in their pursuit of justice.

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We’re excited to share an interview with a lovely Spiritual Activist within the YouthxYouth community, Ila Malhotra Gregory. Ila has a strong commitment to care for all beings and is exploring kincentric ways of being, doing, leading and working informed by deep resonance with the values of reciprocity and relationality. Ila is also Ecosystem Weaver and Gardener at YouthxYouth where they are exploring how we might organise, in ways that are both effective and beautiful, by growing meaningful relationships with one another.

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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!