A new book profiles young people who are making a difference in the world. asap's MEGAN SCOTT offers a look at five of them.
Vimlendu Jha. (AP Photo/HO/Courtesy of International Youth Foundation)
Maria D'Ovidio. (AP Photo/HO/Courtesy of International Youth Foundation)
Julia Parshina. (AP Photo/HO/Courtesy of International Youth Foundation)
Harjant Gill. (AP Photo/HO/Courtesy of International Youth Foundation)
Stella Amojong. (AP Photo/HO/Courtesy of International Youth Foundation)
Whether the issue is poverty, racism or environmental destruction, the young people featured in a new book "Our Time is Now: Young People Changing the World" are taking a stand.
They have started organizations to clean up rivers, prevent teen pregnancy, promote gender equity, help the child victims of a nuclear war. They are young leaders who are confronting international challenges head-on.
"These are young people who saw problems in their communities, and instead of looking the other way or thinking the problems were too great for them to overcome, they decided to take action," says Shelia Kinkade, co-author of "Our Time is Now." Kinkade works for the International Youth Foundation, which produced the book.
"Our Time is Now," released earlier this month, profiles more than 30 young people from around the world and includes a foreword from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and quotes from Muhammad Ali and Ricky Martin.
"We're hoping educators bring this book into the classroom and use it as a tool to inspire young people to get involved," says Kinkade. "The book includes a lot of tips and tools for young people to initiate change themselves."
"Our Time is Now: Young People Changing the World" is available at http://www.amazon.com . Proceeds will support the work of people like those profiled in the book.
Here's a look at five of the world-changers.
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Name: Vimlendu Jha
Age: 25
Country: India
Global challenge: Organizing cleanups to save the Yamuna River, which collects more than 2 billion liters of chemical waste and untreated sewage a day.
What sparked his interest: "When I was a university student, I used to feel sick crossing that river," Jha says in the book. "A river which was the source of life and livelihood for millions of people was now a neglected piece of existence."
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Name: Maria D'Ovidio
Age: 27
Country: Argentina
What she does: D'Ovidio helps low-income families launch businesses.
What she says in the book: "I love what I do -- giving opportunities and skills to other people, impacting their lives, and providing them with income. My whole purpose is to give them a chance to get to know themselves, and also become independent, and to change the way they see their roles in society."
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Name: Julia Parshina
Age: 21
Country: Russia
What she's done: Reached out to children who were victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
What sparked her interest: In 2003, when Parshina was a 19-year-old college student, she saw a TV program describing the lives of children who were growing up physically and mentally disabled as a result of the 1986 accident. "The stories about their lives touched my heart," Parshina says in the book, "and I decided my friends and I should help them somehow and change their lives for the better."
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Name: Harjant Gill
Age: 23
Country: United States
What he does: "I make documentary films that help raise the self-esteem of the gay community because we're so bombarded with messages that we're a minority and being gay is wrong," he says in the book.
What he says about his work: "When I screen my films and people tell me that they were able to connect with a character, or were able to relate to him or her, or saw themselves reflected in that person, that to me is most critical."
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Name: Stella Amojong
Age: 29
Country: Kenya
Social Issue: Working to prevent teen pregnancy.
What she says in the book: "I dream of an organization whose social message will have permeated all sectors of society in offering solutions to the many problems facing young people."
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