The youth isn’t often celebrated as most people think all they do is spend too much time on their phones, or complain way too much.

Luckily, once a year on June 16, South Africans remember the youth of 1976, who took part in the Soweto Uprising which played an important role in the country gaining its liberation from the apartheid regime.

Even though some people think the youth of today cannot be compared to that of 1976, there are young people around the world who are doing amazing things and inspiring their counterparts to make the world a better place.

Photo by fauxels from Pexels

Here are 5 young people to follow for some inspiration.

Rishab Jain

Named America’s Top Young Scientist for his award-winning tool which harnesses artificial intelligence to improve radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer patients in 2018, Rishab Jain is a force to be reckoned with.

Currently in high school, Jain has a YouTube channel he uses to share his latest tech inventions.

Thuso Mbedu

Born in Pitermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal, Thuso Mbedu has gone to make her mark in the television industry overseas.

The 29-year-old is proof that hard work and determination really will get you far in life. Most people know her from the teen drama Is’Thunzi but it has been her role in The Underground Railroad that has cemented her place as a rising global star.

Following her blossoming career is going to be inspirational for all young South Africans.

Thuso Mbedu. Picture: Instagram

Melati and Isabel Wijsen

The duo behind the Bye Bye Plastics campaign, Melati and Isabel Wijsen were only 12 and 10 years old when they realized that their home, Bali, had a serious plastic pollution issue.

The dynamic sister duo then worked towards finding a solution, staging a hunger strike to bring more awareness to the issue.

It worked, because they secured a meeting with the governor of Bali at the time and eventually they got him to sign an order to ban styrofoam, plastic bags and straws from the island starting from 2018.

Nowadays the girls are still working towards preserving the ocean by having regular beach clean-ups and getting more young people involved.

Haile Thomas

Author, mental health activist and food influencer Haile Thomas is a big part of the therapeutic side of Instagram.

The Jamaican-American is also a motivational speaker as well as the youngest Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach in the United States.

Her talents know no bounds, and she shares her knowledge with her over 100,000 followers on Instagram.

Haile Thomas. Picture: Instagram

She runs the non-profit organization HAPPY, which stands for Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth. Following her will definently help you live a happier, intentional life.

Vanessa Nakate

Vanessa Nakate did not let being cropped out of a photo she took with fellow climate activists at the World Economic Forum stop her from fighting to save the environment.

She had taken the picture at a news conference with four white activists, but when the picture was released, Nakate was cropped out.

This put racism within the global environment movement in the spotlight, but did not deter Nakate from the bigger picture.

The 24-year-old Ugandan is reportedly releasing a book later this year.

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