‘It’s important to educate young people, and also have them as educators’: Nasra Ayub

In an inspiring TEDx talk, Nasra Ayub opened up about an incident that shaped her worldview. “When I was 5 years old, I first experienced racism. I was born in Finland, my dad used to take us to school, and outside a homeless man would sit. He used to call us racial slurs. My dad explained to us, that it was because we were black,” she said. 
“It’s so important to educate young people, but also the importance of young people as educators,” she added. She then revealed that when she was 24, she spoke at a Black Lives Matter protest in Brol. “These experiences that I had reminded me not only how important young people are but also that they also don’t have the resources to make a change. This is why I believe the power needs to shift from traditional funders to young people,” Ayub said.

“Envision a society where young people are valued for who they are now, not for their future value,” she continued. “Young people can also help with analysing the impact that funding organisations are having. Are they helping communities build capacity and thrive?” 
Next, she talked about the young people to who she has spoken to. Ayub revealed that they had some say in the way organisations work and they told her that the experiences have further shown them how to help their own communities. 
“We need to start viewing young people as experts. I want you all to think about your own paths, your own journeys, and your own experiences, and think about how this can contribute to a better future. Because for every young person that cares, they deserve to have their voices heard,” she concluded.
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