By Flora Gonska:
Young people in 2020 are leveraging the internet, social networks, and a global understanding to create huge change! Resistance of Our Generation is run by three teenagers in India—Anishka, Sana, and Sonia—who are passionate about spreading awareness about various social issues and wish to do their bit to achieve social justice and make the world a safer place for marginalized communities.
FG: Tell us all about you and your organization!
Resistance of our Generation, or ResofourGen, is an organization based in Delhi, India. Our mission is to focus on spreading awareness of various issues with an emphasis on gender and uplifting women and non-binary folk, especially from marginalized communities. We set it up with the aim to educate those around us and across the globe about various crucial problems that come up in daily life, with a specific importance to how various genders are affected by it. We grew up with our learning restricted to societal norms, but ResofourGen hopes to make people unlearn these values instilled because of years of patriarchy and educate about what society really is and how it can be better. At the moment, we are focusing on establishing ourselves and spreading awareness but have some projects and events on the way that will be (hopefully) more impactful.
FG: Why do you think it’s important for your generation to let their voices be heard?
We think everyone deserves a voice, be it our generation or the generations before us. According to us, your voice can take you anywhere, and we encourage and hope that everyone uses their voice to talk about their story or something that can bring a change. The reason we are focusing on our generation is because a few years back three of us wanted a voice and wanted to change something but were not sure how. We know a lot of people in our generation who want to right the wrongs that have been done in the past. Many a time our generation has been ridiculed and asked to keep quiet as we don’t know enough, but time and time again our generation delivers.
FG: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
If one would’ve asked us this a few years back, we might’ve said pessimistic. With global warming at an all-time high and everything around us giving a feeling of hopelessness, pessimistic sounded like the right answer. But after starting ResofourGen, we have been exposed to so many new organizations and like-minded people who will not let the future be compromised. There are people looking to make a change in all aspects of society. All of us do not see the change as a want but as a need. Even though we are constantly ridiculed, told to keep quiet, and have been accused of Armchair Activism (the internet being the most powerful tool and bringing awareness being the first step to change, we do not think it holds true), we keep going. The people around us have forced us to believe that the future, though tough, is going to be an optimistic one.
FG: What are the most important issues facing our world right now? And in the future?
It would be unfair and wrong to say there are a set number of important issues that are being faced by us as of now. We feel there can be a set number of issues that are important to one person but not a set number of issues; with so much going on in the world there is so much we are unaware of. There are some issues that are present globally, but there are issues being faced by each country individually as well, which we cannot say are any less important. In India, in December, an anti-secular law was passed that went unfairly against the Muslims in our country. There were nationwide protests and extreme cases of police brutality. This is just an example of how issues of an individual country may not be picked up by mainstream media but does not make them any less important.
Intersectionality is a key focus of Resistance of our Generation. Understanding the ways in which various identities interact and sometimes conflict is crucial to the modern social justice movement.
FG: What does your organization offer that helps the world be a better place?
There is a lot going on around the world at the moment, and not everything is in our hands; but we can try in the hope that as our generation speaks up against all the atrocities and as we continue to fight and resist, we can make the world a better place. That's what ResofourGen wishes to achieve. To teach and change those bigoted minds and reduce prejudicial views of those who are still following the norms of the 1800s. To educate them that the world has moved and we're trying to make it a more acceptable, safer place for all. Spreading awareness, learning, etc. are all the first steps to create a better environment.
FG: Please tell us all about your current campaigns, projects, and endeavors. Tell everyone where to find you online and on social platforms.
We are going to be focusing on Pride during the month of July, which is also a continuation of our June theme where we talked about the Stonewall riots, Juneteenth, Pride x BLM as well as a suggestion of some LGBTQ+ films and movies. Unfortunately, we were not able to cover a lot of topics and thus are continuing with the same theme for July too. We have an upcoming project, a fundraiser, for which we have started planning and will soon be announced to our viewers too!
FG: If there is anything else you would like to say, please do!
Feel free to message/find us on our Instagram handle @resofourgen and our TikTok account @resistanceofourgen. We would love to hear your views about various topics; you can send us your submissions to our website by emailing us at resistanceofourgen@gmail.com.
A Cleveland, OH, native, Flora Gonska is a non-binary trans woman from a big family. She's a writer, video producer/editor, and artist. An avid supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and equality movement, she has lived in Los Angeles for three years, and she's involved in and enjoys writing on politics, the LGBTQ+ community, and life in the U.S.