IHRAF Youth Fellows
2023
The IHRAF Youth Fellow program identifies an outstanding youth creative activist somewhere in the world, and works with them over the course of a year to highlight their work. They write essays about human rights and justice issues—keeping in mind our governing philosophy of beauty, sincerity, vulnerability and engagement. Additionally, we encourage the Youth Fellow to develop one program to highlight the passion, commitment and talent of youth voices. Any creative ideas for digital platforms are welcomed. Youth Fellows must be 21 or younger.
Ariana Lee
Texas, USA
IHRAM Youth Fellow 2023
Ariana will create a multimedia anthology that highlights international solidarity and allyship. As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and watches Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with trepidation and distress, we need, more than ever, art that emphasizes unity. We have separate lived experiences and identities, but we share our humanity. She will curate an online gallery of videos, essays, poems, musical compositions, visual art, sculpture, etc. according to the theme “Unique and United.” This project will be an open call for all creators under the age of 25..
Ariana Lee (she/her/她) is currently a high school senior from Houston, Texas. She serves as the Houston Youth Poet Laureate and is a member of Meta-Four Houston, the city’s official youth slam poetry team. She has been recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation and is an alum of The Adroit Journal and Kenyon Review young writers programs. Her work centers around identity and social justice. When not writing, she dances, fences, and works within her school community as an editor-in-chief of the literary magazine Imagination and as a president of the East Asian Affinity Group. Find her on Instagram (@ari.purplecrayon) or Twitter (@aripurplecrayon).
Gaudia Aghanenu
England/Nigeria
IHRAM Youth Fellow 2023
Gaudia will produce Home Away from Home. Birmingham, her home city, is one of the most ethnically diverse cities globally. To honour this, her project proposal is based on highlighting and celebrating ways in which people connect with their native countries while living in another. For many, including myself, this includes the vibrancy of music, art, food, and languages. She will create a documentary including interviews, personal statements, and productions of clothes, food, and art that scream international beauty and authenticity. It's also important to highlight the challenges people face being away from their native country.
Gaudia is a sixth form student in Birmingham studying Biology, Chemistry, and History. She began her journey of creative writing during the lockdown of 2020. She found that writing helped her capture her thoughts and observations, bringing clarity to them in an engaging way. Studying poetry in school gave her an appreciation for the subtle techniques that make literature so beautiful and effective and she has tried to emulate various writing methods and morph them into her own unique style. Some of her competition successes include published pieces for IHRAM’s Art of Unity Creative Award 2021, a Commendation for a historical fiction piece, and two printed poetry anthologies in England. Some of her other hobbies include reading, painting, team sports, and the piano.