It was refreshing to see activism being done by young girls. I think we often think or are made to believe that we have no power or control, that we must live with the way things are. But the reality is that it only takes one person to create change. I choose to watch the Girls Connected film. It centers around five young girls across the world standing up for not just themselves but for everyone in their community, creating awareness, and regaining control over their lives. They are tackling big problems that relate to women in general and tackling stereotypes that we may all face.
Out of the five girls in the film and their campaigns Josie and Michelle are the two girls who stood out the most and whose story and campaigns are related to the most. The film follows Josie who is combating and raising awareness of young women, girls getting pregnant so early on in their lives. She is raising awareness that if youre going to have sex, make sure it is fully youre consent and that you are being safe.While all of this may sound repeating for all us. It is not the same in small minority communities. They are not given this information, they do not often have these sex ed conversations or health classes.
Growing up in a Mexican household with extremely strict parents who wanted to protect me from all the “ bad” of the world. One of the biggest things they wanted to protect me from was getting pregnant at a young age. They didn’t want me to “ruin my life” or to become a stereotype. Even without their controlling actions I knew that was not something I wanted. Hell, I’m 23 and I feel like I’m 18. Aside from that I still feel like a child, wandering around having no idea what I’m doing.But here’s the thing I grew up aware of all of this, I grew up educated and not everyone gets that same opportunity. So that is why I stand with Josie raising awareness and stand with her cause.
These young girls face so much negativity and judgment against them. They are disturbing everyone’s “normal ”. They are the ones shaking things up in their communities. While younger generations may go , educate themselves and listen to what they are fighting for. That is not the case for all. As for older generations who grew up this way, who follow tradition , well it’s basically blasphemy. The younger generation are creating this noise for a reason. Nothing must always stay the same, it must change with time, it must grow. That is the same with ideologies. But this all shows that it only takes one person to create a chain reaction. These girls are fighting back without having a lot of resources. All you need is an idea and people willing to listen. This should inspire anyone to speak up.
