The following guest blog post was written by Lexis De Meyer. Lexis made national headlines when the story broke that her Grade 12 art activism project was censored by her high school. CHASI reached out to Lexis and invited her to share her advice for other student activists looking to make an impact in our communities.
#1 Making change: It’s hard, and putting yourself out there is taxing, but you have to know that living in a world that is wrong is even worse.
#2 Research: Know what your end goal is, what changes you want to have made. In my case, that was researching the accessibility handbook to find the exact areas that failed to meet a specific standard. Listen to experts and others in the area of activism that your trying to achieve. They have been fighting much longer and will help guide your efforts.
#3 Don’t be intimidated: There are people who will try to dismiss and belittle you and what you’re doing. Look beyond them and hold onto what you’re trying to do.
#4 Don’t feel bad for feeling intimidated: Trying to achieve something — especially for the first time — is terrifying, and talking to people in positions of power in daunting. The first meeting I had left me shaking in my boots and mad at myself for not speaking up more about the falsehoods that were said. Nerves happen, what mattered the most is how I went and researched what came up in the meeting and sent back a fully researched rebuttal.
#5 They will try and lie: They don’t want to make change or it would have already have been done. Factcheck every word they tell you is true. They will lie and cheat and steal in hopes of silencing you. Don’t let them.
#6 Pick your battles: You can’t win every fight and you don’t have enough energy to fight them all. Know what you’re trying to do and if it’s achievable.
#7 Believe in your self: Even when everyone is telling you it’s easier to give up or that you’re wrong. Do not give up. Change takes persistence.
#8 Don’t assume someone else is going to do something: Change takes one person to start and get the ball rolling. Don’t stand outside looking at a house fire saying what a shame it is as it burns down when you could be calling the firefighters to put it out. Nominate yourself and take charge of progress. Take the first step.
#9 Have support: Whether it’s a teacher, parent, best friend, or partner. Have someone in your corner to give you support, listen to you, and help you when it seems like all is falling on deaf ears. They can help you make the posters for your cause.
#10 Self-care: After taxing events, like telling your story, you will feel emotionally drained. So it’s important to take care of yourself. Take a nice shower, have a nap, read a book, and take time to patch yourself back together before throwing yourself back in.