OUR STORY

Today, six corporations monopolize about 90% of American media. When a variety of viewpoints across the political spectrum vanish to only showcase a more extreme few, polarization in the news inevitably increases. The problem gets worse, and today’s students are not equipped with the tools we need to tackle it. Our school system fails to prioritize news literacy, so much so that teenagers often cannot recognize bias, misleading news, and outright misinformation – especially when re-sharing posts on social media. The danger peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, when global campaigns with noble causes — such as Black Lives Matter in the United States and justice for caste-motivated violence against women in India — unfortunately incited much performative activism. Instead of championing lasting change through persistent action, supporters posted black squares on Instagram and called it a day. Human rights issues became tied up in the everlasting tug-of-war that is politics, with both sides weaponizing public outrage in order to gain power.

Then thirteen-year-old Anya Pinto went through her own Instagram activism phase, but when she realized the futility of her reposts, she started ActionPAKT. The organization became an outlet for youth not only to express their frustration and anger about bad news, but most importantly, it inspired us never to retire into helplessness.

Next, Americans are increasingly closed off to international issues, often so blinded by ignorance that we fail to understand our privilege. These issues feel too far away to affect us, and so we tend to care less. Not knowing means not caring, and vice versa, throwing us into a dangerous cycle of ignorance and complacency.

Anya moved from India to South Florida a few months prior to starting ActionPAKT, and she saw the contrast firsthand. Many American students, parents, teachers, and citizens in general lacked basic knowledge of life and the issues pertaining to those outside their “bubble.” In starting ActionPAKT, she hoped to combat willful ignorance with education, helping American students acknowledge their privilege and use it to uplift people and stories from outside their daily community.