Ayla

After the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man at the hands of police officers, Ayla (fifteen at the time) saw directly how many people wanted to make a change. She partnered with another young changemaker to create STAND, an organization working to mobilize her peers to get their voices heard in the world of U.S. politics. It accomplishes this by collaborating with legislative officials and educating young people about how to create petitions that can truly be tangible and effective in legislative change.

STAND originally targeted high school students in Los Angeles but has since expanded to include additional branches at other schools in California, Nevada, and Turkey. Ayla plans to continue to expand her organization and work towards the goal of equity, justice, and peace.