SENA CHANG
SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN, & UNITED STATES, 16
She/Her
Project: The Global Youth Review
Sena values the rich history of her Japanese-Korean identity. Her family instilled in her the importance of open dialogue and cross-political and cultural dialogue. During COVID-19, she was profoundly and personally affected by frequent media coverage of race-based hate crimes taking place worldwide. In response to these widespread hegemonic narratives, Sena founded the Global Youth Review in July 2020 – an international literary and arts magazine dedicated to amplifying the voices of the marginalized youth, spreading cultural awareness, and bridging cultures, people and ideas. The Global Youth Review features all mediums of art – visual, spoken and written – and every issue centers around a specific social issue. They also lead panels to engage young people in cross-political and cross-cultural conversations. Since 2020, The Global Youth Review has garnered hundreds of submissions and 70,000+ readers in 480+ cities across 100+ countries. In March 2022, Sena was invited to represent the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs at the UN’s Virtual 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and in April, served as a youth delegate and speaker at the 11th UN ECOSOC Youth Forum. Sena is currently working to partner with the Japanese Ministry of Education and school districts to integrate a curriculum based on the core values of the platform, and thus, promote open political dialogue amongst Japanese youth.