Image zoom Credit: Getty Images (4). As the globe grapples with multiple social, political, and ecological crises, many of today's youth are emerging prominently as leaders of these issues. Leaders like Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai have shown they don't need to be of voting age to make an impact, too. "[Young people] have learned that they don't have to wait for permission or invitations or even action from adults. They can and are taking the lead," says Jerusha Conner, Ph.D., a professor of education at Villanova University and an expert on issues of student's voices, student engagement, and youth activism.