To encourage a new generation of human rights activists, the Youth in Action for Human Rights Awards recognize youth leadership in the defense of, advocacy for, and awareness raising/promotion of awareness about human rights in the United States. The Awards are made annually to one individual and one group in the United States whose work explicitly or implicitly reflects and promotes human rights values. For more information about the Awards, please visit: HRE USA Youth in Action Awards website (En español).
2025 YOUTH IN ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
HRE USA is proud to announce the winners of this year’s 2025 Youth In Action for Human Rights Awards:
Congratulations to Marium Zahra of El Paso, TX and Shivum Telang of Sewickley, PA—individual winners for their outstanding activism on behalf of social justice, and Vote16MD of Maryland for group achievement!
To encourage a new generation of human rights activists, the Youth in Action for Human Rights Awards recognize youth leadership in the defense of and advocacy for human rights in the United States. The Awards annually honor the work of both an individual and a group of young people of high school age. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of the impact, independence, sustainability, creativity, and relevance to human rights. This year’s winners will receive a $500 prize and be recognized at HRE USA’s national Human Rights Day Celebration on Wednesday, December 10, at 4:00 ET.
Marium Zahra: 2025 Youth in Action for Human Rights Award for Individual Achievement
Through her activism as an independent journalist, a student lawyer at the El Paso Municipal Teen Court, a sustainable agriculture fellow with the La Semilla Farm and Food Center, an Education Team Lead on the Work2BeWell Youth Advisory Council, or a national youth delegate at UNICEF USA, Marium Zahra works to uplift youth from marginalized communities by advocating for the human rights of young people, especially those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Covering topics as varied as climate issues, the harms of anti-Critical Race Theory legislation and banned books, economically fair testing requirements for students applying to college, and the importance of inclusive, and accessible libraries, her writing has reached a wide national audience. She has been featured in outlets such as The Nation, Prisim Reports, Business Insider, Yes! Magazine, the PBS NewsHour, and Learning for Justice.
For more information:
About Marium Zahra
https://muckrack.com/marium-zahra
Shivum Telang: 2025 Youth in Action for Human Rights Award for Individual Achievement
After a family health crisis made him aware of the inequalities in the American healthcare system, Shivum Telang turned his computer talents to address the problem, especially for those in rural and marginalized communities. The results was MedMatch, a custom search algorithm with a streamlined database that connects patients directly to doctors while also managing referrals and appointment scheduling. Currently working with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and connecting with Congressmen to draft a bill regarding access to healthcare, Shivum uniquely bridges the gap between technology and governance. He emphasizes that his platform is designed to “empower people to know and claim their rights,” allowing them to navigate a confusing system with dignity.
For more information:
About Shivum Telang
https://medmatchnetwork.com/about-us/#about-tab-4
Vote16MD: 2025 Youth in Action for Human Rights Award for Organizational Achievement
Vote16MD works to lower the voting age to 16 across Maryland’s municipalities, with the broader goal of empowering youth and encouraging lifelong civic engagement. Part of Vote16USA, a national youth-led movement to extend voting rights, Vote16MD works alongside lawmakers to develop and implement Vote16 policies. Already 20 Maryland cities have lowered the voting age. Led by Vanessa Li and Anya Kleinman, chapters of Vote16MD research the policies of their local townships and counties, lobby elected representatives and municipal election boards, raise community awareness about the importance of youth voting rights, and engage and empower young people to make their voices heard.
For more information:
- About Vote16MD
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/style/lower-voting-age-britain-us.html
https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/09/26/maryland-teens-lead-push-to-lower-voting-age-to-\
https://marylandmatters.org/2025/02/20/16-and-ready-to-vote-a-case-for-lowering-the-voting-age-in-maryland/
2024 YOUTH IN ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
To encourage a new generation of human rights activists, the Youth in Action for Human Rights Awards recognize youth leadership in the defense of and advocacy for human rights in the United States. The Awards annually honor the work of both an individual and a group of young people of high school age. This year’s winners will receive a $500 award and be recognized at HRE USA’s national Human Rights Day Celebration on Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Pranav Raju: 2024 Youth in Action for Human Rights Award for Individual Achievement
Experiencing firsthand the financial burden of health care and insulin for his own Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Pranav Raju was inspired to take action to achieve affordable healthcare for all, especially persons living with this health challenge. He has worked with members of Congress to cap insulin prices, advocated for an affordable healthcare bill for seniors, and contributed to the renewal of the Special Diabetes Program, which funds diabetes research.
As a Children’s Congress delegate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF, now known as Breakthrough T1D), Pranav testified before Congress, sharing his personal story and lobbying members of Congress for the successful passage of legislation to lower insulin costs. He created an Advocacy Toolkit to help others take action, share their stories, and influence policy, and he continues to work with both national and international health advocacy groups.
His work is also personal and local. At his local children’s hospital’s “Diabetes 101” trainings, he meets with newly diagnosed young people to encourage them with his personal experience and provide them with resources for their new journey. Mentoring other young people with T1D, he has encountered families unable to afford the life-saving medicine they need and having to choose between food and housing or insulin. As Pranav explains: “Seeing the financial and mental burden and suffering of these families pushed me to fight for change. No child or any human being should suffer or die because they cannot afford insulin.”
Outside Connection: 2024 Youth in Action for Human Rights Award for Organizational Achievement
Outside Connection is an online platform that connects individuals returning home from incarceration with fair-chance jobs. Its founder, Sebastian Tan, was inspired by his experience working alongside reentrant employees in his family bakery business where he learned firsthand of their difficulties in finding work opportunities. Volunteering in local reentry initiatives, he learned more about the effects of mass incarceration, with only 50% of those released finding employment and recidivism highest among those who remain unemployed.
Sebastian Tan saw a possible solution to the problem of employment by creating lists of jobs from fair-chance companies nationwide, allowing reentrants to access jobs with the highest probability of hiring them. Launched in 2022 when Tan was a sophomore in high school, Outside Connection has since assisted over 100 reentry programs nationwide and opened doors to employment for more than 10,000 reentrants. In 2023, Outside Connection was adopted into the National Reentry Resource Center, US Department of Justice’s curriculum for reentry, allowing it to reach many more reentrants. across the United States. Outside Connection also engages in advocacy to change policies and legislation that create barriers for reentrants’ employment and to alter societal perceptions about people with criminal background.
2023 YOUTH IN ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The 2023 individual awards go to two young activists, Reem Kamil Kirja, a student at Iowa City West High School in Iowa City, Iowa, and Clementine Causse, a student at Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades, California.
Before she even reached high school, Reem Kirja was an activist for equality. As a pre-teen she led an effort to include two of the holiest Muslim holidays in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) calendar. After a four-year campaign, she achieved her goal and paved the way for the inclusion of other cultural/religious holidays such as Lunar New Year and Yom Kippur. An immigrant born in Sudan, Reem’s experience of discrimination has led her to give a voice to under-represented individuals in her school community. To create an equitable access to extracurricular activities, she and a friend started the West Student Fund, A scholarship-based program that offers financial aid to students who could not otherwise afford to participate in school sports and clubs.
Clementine Causse’s human rights advocacy started during her freshman year as an active member of the Human Rights Watch Student Task Force (HRWSTF). Throughout her four years of high school she has prioritized educating and inspiring individual and communal action against various human rights issues, especially the climate crisis. She has organized protests, led school-wide letter-writing campaigns, and headed the Pali Clean Energy Task Force, which encourages her school to keep its promises regarding renewable energy, climate education, and energy efficiency. She successfully advocated for the first-ever student resolution, which committed Palisades Charter High School to 100% renewable energy, climate education, and energy efficiency. Now a senior, she hopes to continue her studies in the environment and human rights in college.
The 2023 group awards go to Kittatinny Regional High School Holocaust and Genocide Resource Center in Kittatinny, NJ. Inspired by their study of Elie Wiesel’s Night, students wanted to know more about the Holocaust and other genocides and to do something, especially to educate others in their community. The result was the Resource Center, a dedicated space adjacent to the school library. In addition to books, films, and other resources, the Center includes student-created visuals such as a world map showing where genocides have occurred, a “Wall of Hope,” where people can leave encouraging messages and quotations, and exhibits by local artists, including a Holocaust survivor. More than just a location for learning, the Resource Center serves as a place of empowerment where students come together to do the hard work of making a difference here and now. They host many fundraisers to give to the less fortunate in their community. For their immediate school population, they have developed a “Take What You Need” corner, stocked with school supplies, hygiene necessities, and food for students who may not be able to afford them.
HRE USA is proud to honor these young peoplefor their dedication to furthering human rights principles in their community.
Award videos:
HRE USA 