Thrill-Seeking for Nerds (who want to change the world)

Shana Tova if this is your new year!  Since we found out that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away , it's been an emotional and scary time for many. RBG,  as she was known to my generation, inspired millions of people as a famous feminist. She wasn't perfect, as I've been learning about recently, including her complicated record on tribal issues . We have to acknowledge the shortcomings of political "legends." What really matters for our actions going forward isn't an individual person-- it's the movement. I still greatly respect RBG for what she was able to do for LGBTQ+ equality and women's rights, and I'm very worried about who will take her place on the Supreme Court. via @itstheglucoseguardian I wish I had time to process this privately, especially while I'm observing the Jewish High Holy Days.  May her memory be a blessing; I wish Americans could come together to mourn her and honor her legacy and have those much-nee...

It's frustrating to feel like you're too young to even be a "young" advocate. Yet, that's what so many elementary school advocates face. College-age activists are the "younger generation" and so are high school students. Middle schoolers are rare, and then it seems like people don't even consider kids 5th grade and younger to be real advocates at all. This blog is written by a teenager, mostly for teenagers, but the whole point is that there's no minimum age to speak out and influence policy. Yes, the methods and challenges are different depending on your age, but you can still do it. In fact, younger kids have even more of an advantage sometimes because people are interested in what you have to say! Your age makes you stand out.  Elementary school students actually can understand how the legislative sausage gets made, metaphorically speaking, just as well as any adult if you take the time to engage them in that process. My mom did that for my si...