Meet our Youth Advisory Group

You may have heard that we started a Youth Advisory Group recently. In our online meetings, our four members have already been sharing their ideas and helping us plan our Global Exhibition. We wanted to introduce them so you could get to know them a bit better too, and so we asked them a few questions. 

Meet our Youth Advisory Group: Jovan, Sara, Ahmad and Natasha! 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and where you’re from? 

Jovan: My name is Jovan and I am 13. I live in a small town in Serbia and my favourite subject in school is maths as I am really good at it.

Sara: My name is Sara and I’m from Australia. I am part Lithuanian with some Norwegian background as well! I’m 14 years old and going into 9th Grade. My favourite subject in school is English, but I also thoroughly enjoy Music! 

Ahmad: I am Ahmad, I originally hail from Pakistan. An ardent reader and published writer—in several renowned publications, most notably DAWN, The News International, and Paper Crane Journal, among others—my general interests include sports, books, technology, and travelling.

Natasha: My name's Natasha, I'm 16, and I'm English but live in France, and therefore invested in the different cultures I grew up in. I’m grateful to the international environment provided to me by my school, too, because it has helped me find my passion for languages and music from around the world that provides me with great comfort.

What made you want to be a part of the Youth Advisory Group and WriteUnite?

Jovan: I heard about WriteUnite from my teacher and I became really interested in it. I thought it would be fun to talk to other teenagers around the world. 

Sara: The main reason I decided I wanted to be a part of the Youth Advisory Group is because writing has always been something I have been interested in and I value spreading awareness about topics that need to be solved in the world! 

Ahmad: I primarily joined the Youth Advisory Group to become a part of a team which was actively contributing in raising the voices of young people across the globe. I believe every young person's thoughts or ideas can be of paramount importance—irrespective of their background—and therefore WriteUnite's cause in this regard really intrigued me, thereby making me feel it was imperative to join this crucial platform.

Natasha: Running a fan account on social media, I've had the opportunity to talk to others with similar interests. Thanks to these shared emotions, those I interact with and I often exchange concerns. From this, I've noticed that teens all over the world commonly struggle to voice opinions and feel validated, leading to grapples with mental health and identity. Upon finding WriteUnite's project, it felt like I had finally found a way to help the wonderful people that I have gotten to know, and so took this marvellous opportunity. 

What world problem would you like to solve? Is there a specific cause you are very passionate about?

Jovan: One thing that I cannot stand is air pollution. When I see dark gas in the air my smile goes upside down. There are lots of ways to solve this but people just do not care! 

Sara: A world problem that I have always been passionate about is equality and treating everyone fairly. I feel this is an issue that urgently needs solving and one that has been ongoing for a very long time. 

Ahmad: In an ever polarizing world, my personal inclination is to write more and more on the societal issues that are common in third-world countries. Moreover, I am also very passionate about futuristic technologies and have a research-oriented mindset, as I think it will be critically important in the coming decades.

Natasha: I feel as though picking one world problem out of the many that we’re currently facing is near impossible. Although, I can definitely say that I think giving people educated access to the internet is an essential milestone that we have to cross, because it provides free online resources that can indirectly improve other issues caused by poor mental health and discrimination.

What ways do you think the Youth Advisory Group and WriteUnite can help young people?

Jovan: My opinion is that this can help teenagers improve their English as well as communication with other people.

Sara: WriteUnite helps young people express their beliefs and thoughts on our world, and talk about issues that they would like to spread awareness about. I think this group is really important for our generation and not only allows us to talk to each other about these things, but also makes sure these thoughts are heard by others.

Ahmad: By providing a very accessible and convenient platform for young people around the globe, WriteUnite can do a lot in the coming years. Owing to how mission-driven it is, I am certain that it will be doing leaps and bounds in empowering people to think out-of-the-box in various subject matters in the near future.

Natasha: Simply by publishing the voices of young people from all over the world with different opinions can we begin to make a difference and spread awareness about inclusivity! Innovative ideas also concerning the environment and harmful societal norms can be provided by youth, and the Youth Advisory Group can both find and amplify those voices.

We’re so thrilled to welcome them all on board! We know how important it is to have young people guiding our work and shaping the future of our organisation, and we’re very excited that they are sharing their insights and ideas with us.