It is always encouraging to see a youth-led initiative that works towards social or political change in any respect, be it activism, plain old chronicling or a combination of both. International Political Forum is one such platform that represents the vibrancy of a motivated youth using the Web to supersede all given territorial and cultural boundaries to unite for causes that also transcend such borders.
Started in April last year, this literally nascent website is already rallying with information as reporters, articles, op-eds, photo-essays, videos and more by over 100 writers stationed in over 25 countries pour in. The mission, as they proclaim on the website is to “highlight challenges facing young people, train the next generation of citizen journalists, create community videos and podcast series, and share the work of inspirational young social entrepreneurs.” With this goal in mind, they’ve ensured that all their contributors remain under the age of 30.
The website provides in-depth, if currently sporadic, coverage issues related to politics, economics, human rights, education and pollution
The website provides in-depth, if currently sporadic, coverage issues related to politics, economics, human rights, education and pollution. You can find some expertly written articles such as “The Land of G(l)ory” which looks at the treatment of women in Afghanistan; an emotion-seeped piece on climate change “When Did We Stop Caring?”; and some heart-rending photo essays that look at the Sahrawi tribe’s fight for independence in Western Sahara and the impoverished community of Ulingan in the Philippines that survives on the fringes of the charcoal industry.
But the highlights of the website remain its sections on ‘Sport’ and ‘Humour’ — while the former looks at how international sport is a tool of diplomacy and more, the latter contains cartoons and puns on events of global importance that depict subjective humour of different cultures.