Exclusive – Gen Zer Brian Femminella is in the vanguard of social impact
Fuelled by a dedication to serve others, Gen Z entrepreneur Brian Femminella founded SoundMind, a company combining the power of music therapy with technology to help those suffering from trauma, anxiety, and depression. ‘My niche seems to be doing something that immediately assists the public in one way or another,’...
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Exclusive – Discussing the ‘gender play gap’ with Stefani Nurding
The skateboarder is shaking up the outdated preconceptions of an inherently male-dominated sport. We spoke with her on the importance of reclaiming femininity in skating, working towards a more inclusive athletic community, and improving the visibility of women who choose to compete. Nowadays, though female athletes are undeniably more visible...
Five Gen Z plastic activists you should know about
These young people are all leading by example to eliminate single-use plastics. Here’s why you should follow them to start your plastic-free journey. It’s only when you start trying to get away from plastic that you realise it’s literally everywhere. Plastic in your fridge, plastic in your bathroom cabinet, plastic upon...
Exclusive – Chatting to Gen Z activists Jeremy and Michelle
Michelle and Jeremy are siblings from Western Kenya who describe themselves as energetic environmentalists. Their dream is to improve the cleanliness of our oceans and build better habitats for aquatic life. They built an app to do just that. Michelle, a 16-year-old final year student from White Oaks School, Kisumu,...
Exclusive — Meeting deaf YouTuber Jazzy Whipps
Jazzy Whipps, 22, was born profoundly deaf in both ears. After years of not being represented in British media, she took to YouTube herself and started a platform dedicated to deaf UK culture. It’s midday and Jazzy Whipps pops up on the Zoom screen. She waves at me with a...
Exclusive – Lana Weidgenant on food systems and climate action
I spoke with Gen Z environmental activist Lana Weidgenant about the importance of pushing for sustainable consumption habits to nourish humanity without destroying the planet. In May, animal-rights group Mercy for Animals debuted For Nature, a hard-hitting short film conceptualised and scripted by Greta Thunberg. Filled with images of environmental destruction,...
Exclusive – Impactr, the app turning social media into social change
Thred has been given an exclusive, pre-launch peek at new app Impactr, the self-proclaimed ‘anti-Amazon’ about to revolutionise online interaction. What’s next in social media? It’s a question people have asked themselves since David Fincher’s The Social Network premiered in 2010, seemingly the swan song of a digital juggernaut that was fast losing its novel sheen and youth-centric flavour. Throughout the 2010s, we’ve gone through various incarnations of the connected media...
Exclusive – Melati Wijsen on the power of today’s changemaking youth
The self-proclaimed ‘full-time changemaker’ is part of a growing phalanx of Gen Zers determined to shape our planet’s future. I sat down with this pioneering environmental activist to discuss the importance of empowering young people to step up, rather than shut down, against the climate crisis. ‘Us kids may only be 25% of the population, but we are 100% of the future.’ These are the words of Melati Wijsen, an...
Exclusive – Kailand Morris is showing the world what it means to be a modern creative
The Gen Z fashion designer, artist, and influencer discusses how giving back has granted him a new outlook on life, why the fashion industry needs to do better, and his perspective on BLM. Forging an independent path may seem like a challenge when born to parents whose names exude fame, but Kailand Morris - son of legendary musician Stevie Wonder and designer Kai Milla - is certainly making a name...
Exclusive – Meet Nyome, the model who changed Instagram’s nudity policy
The social media platform has pledged to do better when it comes to censoring plus-size Black women's bodies, following a campaign from model Nyome Nicholas-Williams. ‘If thin, white models can post nearly-naked photos on Instagram, why can’t I,’ asked plus-size model Nyome Nicholas-Williams (who uses the handle @CurvyNyome) in response to Instagram repeatedly removing semi-nude photographs from her profile. ‘Millions of pictures of very naked, skinny white women can be...
