National Speak Up For Service Day 2023: FAQs, Dates, History, Activities, and Facts About young people who speak out

National Speak Up For Service Day 2023: National Speak Up For Service Day, observed annually on October 30, is a commemorative occasion designed to honor the youth’s dedication to community service. Additionally, this day acknowledges the necessity of educating others about the significance of adolescent participation in a variety of causes. We recognize and acknowledge the significant impact that youth have on our surroundings.

National Speak Up For Service Day History

Participation of young people in society has become increasingly significant in recent decades. Advocacy for one’s views was not consistently regarded as “good behavior.” Good children, as they were historically known, did not always voice out. This perception is gradually shifting on a global and national scale.

The age range of 15–24 remains the prevailing standard, although the precise definition and boundaries of youth vary according to the cultural context and regulations of each country. Youth have been vocal regarding issues that are significant to them for some time. Much of the public believes that Asmaa Mahfouz’s vlog contributed to the initiation of the Egyptian Arab Spring revolution in 2011. In 2015, Sophie Cruz, who was five years old at the time, penned a letter to the Pope pleading with him to prevent the deportation of her parents from the United States. Presently, she remains an advocate for increased tolerance and acceptance of immigrants and refugees.

From the mid- to late nineteenth century, as young people organized labor strikes to protest wages, working conditions, and hours, such incidents became more prevalent throughout the United States. As society began to distinguish the concerns of young people from those of elder individuals during the 1930s, the American Youth Congress introduced a “Bill of Youth Rights” to the United States Congress. Since then, youth participation in all aspects of reform has increased, including the Civil Rights Movement, the Occupy Movement, and others. Indeed, Martin Luther King Jr. mobilized young activists in Birmingham, Alabama, to agitate against racist practices within law enforcement. Young people of today are expanding upon the efforts of youth speakers and activists of the past, with social media playing a significant role in this. They can petition for causes and promptly access, sift, and utilize data using such platforms.

The Mandan Lions Club, a community service organization, established National Speak Up For Service Day in 2014, but its origins date back much further. The Fargo Lions Club and Laura Christensen Espejo’s acquaintances collaborated to organize a public speaking competition for high school students in the vicinity, in her honor. They sought to devise a significant method of recognizing Laura’s labor and service. This annual event is referred to as the Student Speakers Contest, and it takes place in March. As District Governor from 2010 to 2011, Robert Littlefield of Lions Club International (the parent community service organization of Fargo Lions Club) assumed the mantle and launched the contest as a statewide initiative.

The inaugural Lions Speak Up For Service public speaking competition was organized by the Lions Club itself in 2010, during the North Dakota State Lions Convention in Grand Forks. The award was presented that year to Brent Johnson, a senior in high school; each participant also received a scholarship in recognition of their effort. With each passing year, an increasing number of young people advocate for service.

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FAQs for National Speak Up for Service Day

Why is speaking up so terrifying?

People frequently refrain from speaking out of dread. Fear of estranging oneself from others, apprehension toward disclosing a challenging reality, and additional concerns.

How do I overcome my fear of speaking?

Develop the ability to speak credibly and openly, muster the fortitude to stand up for your beliefs, and possess unwavering conviction in your cause.

What occurs when one remains silent?

Although problems are repressed by that which refuses to speak up, they remain. You will continue to harbor these sentiments beneath the surface, but no one will know or comprehend them, which will only exacerbate the psychological distress.

Does age confer the authority to speak?

It is not age, but rather the universal human right to express one’s opinion, which empowers individuals to advocate for diverse causes.

Commemorating National Speak Up for Service Day: A Guide

Advocate for service-oriented initiatives

Advocate for youth and demonstrate that a single voice can have a significant impact. Speak up and inform others about the community service initiatives that are taking place.

Acknowledge those who speak out.

Promote their endeavors through both offline and online celebrations. Discuss the possibility of hosting special events to highlight these public speakers and their causes with community leaders and local officials. One may also organize recurring group sessions wherein fresh perspectives are solicited from attendees.

Become engaged

A multitude of organizations facilitate avenues for adolescent participation. Advise them and offer your services voluntarily. In addition to the youth you know, share this information with your family and friends.

Five essential facts about young people who speak out

Malala Yousafzai managed to recover from a cranium wound sustained in combat.

By the age of 16, this Pakistani activist made headlines for establishing a non-profit organization for the cause of female education, establishing a non-profit organization despite Taliban threats and a gunshot wound, and obtaining the Nobel Peace Prize for her endeavors.

Greta Thunberg organized global demonstrations.

Climate change activism is closely associated with the 2019 Time Magazine Person of the Year, who motivates young individuals in more than one hundred nations to adopt a stance and compels their respective governments to adopt sustainable practices.

Jennings Jazz established a transgender foundation.

Through her Purple Rainbow Foundation, this young LGBTQ advocate raises awareness about transgender children and adolescents and provides assistance to destitute transgender youth.

Marley Dias has made a substantial book donation of several thousand.

As a pre-teen, she initiated a Twitter campaign titled “1000 Black Girl Books” with the objective of gathering and donating books that highlight cultural diversity. To date, she has successfully donated over 9,000 books through this initiative.

Jaylen Arnold established a foundation to combat bullying.

Jaylen, who was himself a victim of bullying, established the Jaylen’s Challenge Foundation with the mission of educating children across the United States about effective anti-bullying strategies.