The podcast has landed!

Each episode is co-hosted by Nabila, one of the members of our brilliant Youth Awards Committee which is frantically preparing for OY’s Youth Awards celebration on October 17th. You can be a part of that too – buy your tickets here.

Check out the podcast here and Nabila’s blog exploring why activism is so core to her being…

I’m 18 now and I have been part of the activism scene from a young age. It’s something I’ve always been proud of. I’m a member of the most wonderful group of young women at Help The World Oxford – a charity/not-for-profit organisation based in Oxfordshire. Our activist group is for young people, run by young people and we are Muslim majority, women of colour.

I hold this mini-series very close to my heart as I wanted to use it as an opportunity to highlight women’s voices, provide a platform and celebrate our victories! Molly and I are unbelievably grateful to our lovely guests, Maryam and Faustine, who enabled us to zoom in on people who are a part of the activist scene. We always see the surface, the protests and campaigns, but what are the stories behind them and what drives each individual to join in? Every person involved in activism has their own identity and back-story, so these episodes are a chance to find out not only about the areas of activism our guests are involved in, but what motivated them to fight that particular fight.

Activism is radical and peaceful at the same time. The fact that I can channel my anger and upset into something so amazing is important to me. I also find the stereotypical characteristics of an activist attractive; to be loud, passionate, unafraid. And of course, the ultimate end goal of justice is so important in life. It feels refreshing to be able to use my writing and podcasting to talk about these topics, doing this benefits me in so many ways. 

Activism impacts my life in so many ways. The pride in seeing success and movement is nourishing, it motivates you. There are lows of course, and these can take you very low. In activism, it can feel as if the world is against you, it is disheartening at points, but it’s OK to phase in and out of the scene to protect yourself. As someone of intersectional identities, naturally, I gravitate towards racial injustice, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights. I absolutely will educate myself in other areas that I feel passionate about such as the climate crisis and I hope this podcast mini-series will inspire you to do the same.

Listen here, but before you dive into the first episode, here are some definitions you might find useful to have: