Putting the 'Act' back in 'Activism': A Closing Letter

This one’s for the all students out there- the active, the laid back and those that lie somewhere in the middle.

As part of SDM’s ‘Putting the Act in Activism: An Awareness Campaign’, The Third Eye is putting their fingertips to the keyboard and reaching out. We are here to remind you to actualise your potential as students and members of the youth community and get active ( we need it now, more than ever!)

We reached out to previous and current members from The Third Eye team for some insightful words of encouragement to explain why we think it’s time to put the ‘act’ back in ‘activism’.

Apathy or Activism?

SDM launched this campaign to invite students to get moving again, as they have been noticing a great amount of apathy from the student body. This lack of enthusiasm has student organisations concerned about their future. More importantly- it means that many students are not standing up for what they possibly believe in.

George Grima, The Third Eye’s President for the year 2019/20 shared his views on what ‘Activism’ means:

It means standing up for what you believe in by going out of your way to do something and make a change rather than waiting for others to do it for you, or for things to change on their own.

Maya Pollacco, our current Vice President shares this view;

Taken from the word “active”, activism to me means being active in your community. Being active sets the ball rolling to implement the change you want to see.

So, if you firmly believe in something and wish to see it come to fruition- be the agent of that change. Choose activism over apathy.

Room for Growth

Change is the driving force of growth. Being an activist will not only instigate change in the world around you, but also change the vast universe that lies within.

Kayleigh Cassar, The Third Eye’s Brand Marketing Manager for 2019/20 highlights this sentiment;

To me, activism is contributing to something that’s bigger than yourself in hopes of creating a better society. I would say that my experience as a student activist with The Third Eye allowed me to grow as a person and as a professional. I came out feeling like I had made an actual difference on campus.

The experiences gained through student organisations- which are a great platform that generate activism, are quite noteworthy as George Grima told The Third Eye:

Being in a student organisation fills you with purpose, you have a goal you’re working towards together with a team. Besides the skills you gain through this teamworking process, it also gives you great satisfaction to have helped out the student body, or made a change whatever it may be.

When you grasp the power you have to make even the slightest difference, you will continuously encourage yourself to keep going and growing. Which will instigate more growth in the world around you. As you can see, it’s a wonderfully cyclical effect!

Keep on Keepin’ On!

Like all things worth fighting for, getting into activism is, was and always will be met by defiance. You will come across all sorts of hurdles, but as Maya Pollacco, Vice President of The Third Eye notes;

Never ever get discouraged. Things will not always go as planned, it is going to be challenging, but I believe that’s the beauty of activism; you keep on fighting for what you believe in and striving for what you want to achieve. No one said it’s going to be easy, but it sure is rewarding.

If you’re frustrated by the invalidation we experience as students, then activism may pave the way for us being taken more seriously. Maya carried on by saying:

Ever since I joined The Third Eye, I realised just how powerful a media organisation which is run by students, can be. Seeing changes happening in front of you fills you with a certain pride and joy that just because we are students, it doesn’t mean we can’t make a difference.