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Generation Z and Student Activism at Bella Vista

2020 has been a gigantic learning experience for most people for being educated about the issues in our world and how we act on it in the digital age. Not only is 2020 an election year, but 2020 has also had a myriad of issues that have developed each month. From police brutality and systemic racism, to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Climate Change, Generation Z has had a lot to think about these past months, and what their future may look like. With the power of today’s technology and the way teenagers interact online, high school students all around the country have been able to spread the word about issues.


Bella Vista High School is no exception. For example, along with practically every high school in the country, Bella Vista participated in The National School Walkout in the Spring of 2018. The National School Walkout was a national protest held by students in response to the recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas mass shooting. Bella Vista stood together, with students creating signs, holding moments of silence, and creating a banner with the names of people who have lost their lives to school shootings. While no event has had such support on campus since, it is an important highlight regarding the potential students at BV have and what they can do with it. Although, you argue that if we were still in school during the initial May 2020 resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, students would have likely planned an event on campus. As for the present and future at BV, we find a lot of our support for issues in clubs run by students. The Bella Vista Black Student Union, and the newly formed Amnesty club bring lots of light to students on campus, and give a chance for students to be vocal about issues. The Amnesty International Organization is an organization focused on human rights that has millions of supporters around the world. Sophomore Kezia Harryanto, founder and the current leader of BV’s Amnesty Club, had this to say about why she wanted to bring the movement as a club for our school.

I was always interested in making a club at BV but I wasn’t sure what it would be about, so I started researching about different clubs and I came across Amnesty International. There weren’t any clubs at BV about human rights and activism so I decided that making an amnesty club would be the best option and it aligns with many of my beliefs and things that I’m passionate about.”


With the many social issues students face in today’s world, some are left asking what is the best way they can help. BV Senior Samantha Cinelli, an educated voice in the community, helps answer the question of what the majority of people can do to help.

“The most effective way the majority of people can help would probably be simply to educate themselves. Signing petitions, posting infographics, attending protests are all wonderful ways to participate in the movement but at the end of the day if you don’t truly know what you’re you believe in what you stand for, you won’t know how to navigate a situation that tests your fundamentals.”

Obviously, social media is a huge way of spreading awareness. For teenagers, Instagram seems to be the biggest platform for sharing news and staying educated. Both Kezia and Samantha agreed that when the topic on how helpful social media is, both agreed that social media is a great method of sharing issues, but there should be more research and development on our parts when it comes to one's opinions on issues and arguments a person would want to put forward. Cinelli elaborates more on the idea: “...simply getting your information from infographics, things your friends post on their story you know trusting through just posts that are made by people who don’t necessarily know what they’re talking about is quite infuriating… social media can be a great jumping off point for some people and they can really get you interested in the topic; but by no means whatsoever should it be the end-all be-all where you get every piece of your argument from where you shape your opinion from, because that’s relying on misinformation and relying on people who don’t necessarily have the most credentials to discuss what they’re discussing.” Cinelli talks about the recent California bill, which fixed a discriminatory issue in the case of LGBTQ+ statutory rape cases. On Instagram, through misinformation and poor infographics, this story materialized as the state of California legalizing pedophilia, which was false. Misinformation is a recurring obstacle on social media, and the best way to spread the word more effectively is to make sure you’re able to get the right information on the subject.


Bella Vista High School is home to a vocal and passionate group of students, those of which can make a huge impact on our community online and in real life. We’re scheduled to come back January 5th, and who knows what will happen next? Hopefully, we won’t find as many issues as we did in 2020, but whatever issues we may face, students will be able to have a voice and be able to make change to their future.

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