Sena Chang

Sena is a 16-year-old Japanese-Korean activist and writer based in Tokyo. As a writer for Hanabi, her school newspaper, Sena most recently covered the overturning of Roe v. Wade and interviewed women at the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war. Her creative work has been recognised by The New York Times and Sundress Publications, amongst others.

At 14, Sena founded The Global Youth Review, an international literary and arts magazine aiming to amplify youth voices. Since 2020, The Global Youth Review has garnered hundreds of submissions and a readership (both print and online) of 100,000+ in 480+ cities across 100+ countries. As a member of several advocacy groups, Sena has also presented policies shown at UNESCO headquarters and to various ministers and officials. As a result of her work, Sena was most recently named a 2022 Global Teen Leader by We Are Family Foundation and Three Dot Dash, as well as the President’s Honour Winner of the National Young Hero Award by the National Liberty Museum.

Using her platform and voice, she dreams of utilising the power of storytelling and cultivating a generation that is open and empowered to engage in open political dialogue.

One action Sena would like everyone to take:

“Stay engaged, educated, and aware of political matters. The strongest democracies in the world have crumbled under the vices of party politics and political apathy. And political leadership, in many countries, is a revolving glass door propelled by nepotism and cronyism. There is a considerable need for reform and revolution within our current system, and I firmly believe that youths are fully capable of leading this fight. Your voice at the ballot is powerful and necessary—be sure to use it.”

Follow Sena on Instagram and Twitter.