Note From the Editor:

In the spirit of female empowerment, our team wanted to highlight female-led organizations that contribute to expanding contemporary womanhood across various realms (e.g., literature, art, etc.). Because of this, we felt Stick to Change deserved center stage. The non-profit organization not only embraces and celebrates non-traditional identities and cultures, but it is staffed by majority female youth, who use their collective and individual platforms to advocate for social justice. So below, we bring rightful attention to Stick to Change founder, Pat Sevikul, and her story.

- Brooke Shannon, Assistant Editor

Let me tell you a story.

In the province of Surat Thani, Thailand, there once was a girl in poverty. The eldest daughter of seven, she left school in the fourth grade and began to work at the age of 10 to support her family. In a time of grave circumstances, where the world did not provide her with opportunities, she created her own.

With age, her sacrifice and dedication taught her resilience and patience. With time, the success of her business grew, along with the love she imparts for her family. Today, at age 82, her mission remains the same: to protect, provide, and care for her loved ones. She continues to work tirelessly in order to gift her family what life did not offer her. Her four children and grandchildren were able to study abroad and fulfill their dreams. Her mother, age 102, is now able to live comfortably. Most importantly, her accomplishments flourished from her devotion to what she knows best: love. This is the story of my grandmother, an inspiring and empowering female narrative that exists among millions of others. Because of her, I’m compelled to seek out the insightful narratives of those around me. She instilled in me an incentive to spread compassion and consideration to others.

In founding Stick to Change, I wanted to provide a platform for voices that remain unheard and stories that are often untold. The profound life experiences of my friends and family inspire the way I want to live mine. My grandmother taught me selflessness. My mother, gratitude. My friends, kindness. Attending all-girl schools my whole life, I was constantly surrounded by girls and women, all expressing different and individual goals, morals, motives, personalities, and perspectives. Our narratives shape our identity, equally displaying our distinct potentials and the different paths that lay ahead of us.

Stick to Change shares the myriad of these narratives, whilst acknowledging intersectionality and the barriers that attempt to diminish us. We work with the notion that the significance of our representation expands the diversity and understanding of the multitude of unique obstacles each of us face. It allows people to be seen and heard for who they are instead of the conception people expect to see. The inclusivity of the contributions of women inhabiting different lives is how we establish contemporary womanhood.

On our platform, we make it our mission to interview girls from all different backgrounds. In the Women of Our Future Series, we shared the stories of girls from seven countries whose passions lie in literature, STEM, politics, business, sports, and arts, to ask them about their experiences and views on the role that they partake in their respective industries. On World Day of Social Justice, we discussed the societal issues and the opinions and stories of our female interviewees regarding the femicides occuring in Mexico, racism and police brutality in South Africa, and the intersectionality of identities. Moreover, the majority of our team members are girls who all participate in the writing, editing, designing, and organizing of our content and projects. Each publication displays our commitment to using our abilities to speak up about issues important to us and amplify the voices that are meaningful and impactful.

We are the generation committed to genuinely addressing and tackling social injustices. Bringing to light the necessity of female narratives on our platform is how we make our mark.

About Stick to Change | sticktochange.org/

Stick To Change is a non-profit youth led organization advocating for social justice, empowerment and equal representation among minorities. They aim to address and raise awareness on the social injustices and systemic racism faced by minorities around the world by providing a platform for those to speak up about their stories and opinions and amplify the voices of those who have been disadvantaged by the system. They strive to become a platform of empowerment for minorities, becoming a place for people of color to embrace and celebrate their cultural identities. Alongside this, they curate products where all profits will be donated to various organizations and charities in support of the cause.

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