From classrooms to climate marches, these young leaders aren’t just part of the future they’re building it
If anyone still believes Gen Z is “too young to change the world,” these ten young women are here to smash that myth beautifully, boldly, and unapologetically. They are not waiting for permission. They are not following the playbook. They are writing it. From climate activism to storytelling, neurodiversity advocacy to education reform, these young powerhouses are shaking systems and inspiring millions.
1. Eniola “Korty EO” Olanrewaju (Nigeria) Age: 27yrs
Korty EO is a razor-sharp filmmaker and YouTuber whose documentary style vlogs bring raw Nigerian youth culture into vivid focus. She’s collaborated with global brands like Spotify and Fenty, yet her greatest power lies in her ability to spotlight everyday lives through an unfiltered authentic lens. Her videos capture the textures of Lagos, the laughter, the fashion, the ambition, and convert them into a broader narrative of Black joy and innovation.
In a media landscape dominated by narrow portrayals, Korty’s work amplifies diverse Black African experiences from the inside out. She isn’t just creating content; she’s building cultural archives that challenge stereotypes and reclaim authenticity.
2. Xiye Bastida (Mexico/ USA) Age: 23yrs
Born in San Pedro Tultepec with Otomi and Toltec heritage, Xiye Bastida blends ancestral wisdom with present day urgency. As co-founder of the Re-Earth Initiative and a key figure in New York’s Fridays for Future, she demands that climate justice uplift communities at the front lines. Her speeches echo indigenous values before international protocols, calling out the gap between rhetoric and reality.
Xiye reconfigures environmentalism, rooting it in equity and preserving lifeways, not just ecosystems. Her activism deconstructs the false binary between tradition and modern solutions.
3. Licypriya Kangujam (India) Age: 13yrs
Licypriya doesn’t just join protests, she leads them with a megaphone made of conviction. Since age seven, she’s been delivering speeches, staging strikes, and founding The Child Movement to demand climate policy reform. Her presence at global forums like the UN forces policymakers to listen, and act.
Licypriya redefines leadership and urgency. She reminds us that age is not a limit, and youth voices are integral to decision-making about their own future.
4. Marley Dias ( USA) Age: 20yrs
When Marley questioned why her school’s bookshelves lacked Black girls as main characters, she sparked the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign at 11. Thousands of books later, she’s a Harvard student, author, and speaker, continuing to shift literary norms and champion authentic representation.
Representation isn’t window dressing, it’s a revolution. Marley’s activism empowers the next generation to see themselves as protagonists, not extras.
5. Amanda S. C. Gorman (USA) Age: 27yrs
Amanda’s poem “The Hill We Climb” became a national anthem when she delivered it at the U.S. presidential inauguration. The youngest inaugural poet in American history, she continues to wield verse as a catalyst for unity, empathy, and progress.
Poetry is often dismissed as niche or academic, but Amanda proved it has the power to define moments, shift consciousness, and inspire collective change.
6. Taylor Cassidy (USA) Age: 22yrs
Taylor turned TikTok into a cultural classroom with “Fast Black History”, snappy videos spotlighting figures and events that mainstream media often ignore. She’s not just going viral—she’s imprinting purpose and pride into the scroll.
Taylor transforms education into empowerment. Every clip reminds Gen Z that their heritage is not just history, it’s alive, urgent, and theirs.
7. Mya-Rose Craig “Birdgirl” (UK) Age: 23yrs
Mya-Rose has watched birds across seven continents and become the youngest Briton with such a record. Her charity, Black2Nature, combines conservation with inclusivity, inviting minority ethnic communities into environmental spaces too often whitewashed.
Nature belongs to everyone, but access isn’t equal. Mya-Rose is rewriting that narrative, making environmentalism not just about survival, but belonging.
8. Howey Ou (Ou Hongyi) (China) Age: 22yrs
At 16, Howey staged China’s first school climate strike. She was expelled and monitored, yet she persists, hosting grassroots events, creating tattoos, planting trees in quiet protest, and refusing to fade into the background.
Howey’s activism is subversive grace, quiet, relentless rebellion against enforced silence. Her courage speaks for many without a voice.
9. Hadiqa Bashir (Pakistan) Age: 22yrs
A child marriage survivor turned rights advocate, Hadiqa founded Girls United for Human Rights in Swat Valley. She works with families and schools to end child marriage and educate girls, lighting pathways in places others might ignore.
Hadiqa doesn’t just teach empowerment, she demonstrates it. She is proof that rewriting traditions can start with one brave girl daring to demand better.
10. Chloé Sarah Hayden (Australia) Age: 28yrs
Chloé’s role in Netflix’s Heartbreak High helped shatter stereotypes by portraying an autistic teenager with depth and nuance. Her memoir “Different, Not Less” and podcast “Boldly Me” spotlight neurodiverse voices, reframing visibility as liberation.
Chloé doesn’t just represent autism, she celebrates it. Her work disrupts narratives that silence difference and puts identity front-and-center in the mainstream.
These women don’t wait for validation, they demand change. Their fields vary, film, protest, literature, conservation, but their courageis shared: disruption through authenticity, innovation through inclusivity.
