Introduction
While solving long-lasting systemic issues as a small group is impossible, spreading awareness, highlighting the problematic areas, or doing small targeted projects may help. Organizing an event like this takes a lot of thought and knowledge to ensure that participants also acquire an understanding of the addressed problem and feel the impact of their personal input. They should be engaging and allow free communication between the members (Russell et al., 2012). Therefore, the two specific youth activities that instantly come to mind are collaborative art projects and community service initiatives.
Youth Activities Recommended to Resolve Social Issues
Collaborative Art Projects
An art project with creators of different backgrounds is a perfect opportunity to introduce a group to several cultures. Similar activities are presented among Afterschool Alliance’s (n.d.) programs, but they are focused on systematic educational meetings that feature sporadic creative projects. For example, educational establishments or a class may work as a group to produce a poster that includes students’ national elements and allows them to exchange their experiences. This way, the participants will be exposed to various cultures, color palettes, and ornaments used in other backgrounds. It will also serve as a team-building exercise as the students learn to mix their elements. Thus, a fun and engaging 60–90-minute creativity session is perfect for introducing different cultures and learning cooperation.
Community Service Initiatives
The other idea is a community service initiative that involves a more direct approach to solving the issues of social injustice. In theory, this project will focus the students’ attention on the problems that people of oppressed communities face. Specifically, the participants will be offered to organize a food drive for people in need, which is an excellent introduction to volunteering (Afterschool Alliance, n.d.). This is a great opportunity to help the less lucky members of society directly and presents a chance to learn more about the effects of socio-economic status. An engaging and impactful project like this spreads awareness while gathering resources and searching for volunteers (Russell et al., 2012). Therefore, this idea will be perfect for the people concerned about social disparities and the factors that produce them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, including socially responsible activities in curricular or extracurricular activities is crucial for improving the situation. Students and teachers have the power to eliminate disparities and address the issues one step at a time. While this may not be effective in solving the entire problem, targeted action is perfect to decrease the harmful effects of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination. Thus, social activities bring people who are ready to help and people who need it together.
References
Afterschool Alliance. (n.d.). STEM In Your Program. Web.
Russell, L., Deich, S., Padgette, H. C., & Cox, A. (2012). City strategies to engage older youth in afterschool programs. Strategy guide. National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education and Families. Web.