Each month young people around the world contribute their stories, successes, and challenges in activism in their countries to our International Youth Activist Newsletter.  This month, Ephram, the leader of the Talent Youth Association (TaYa) in Ethiopia, discusses how he became an activist:

Over ten years ago, I lost my father due to an AIDS-related illness.... Having seen the prevailing stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, I have had a hard time accepting the fact that this could affect me and my family. I’ve witnessed how painful the illness is. .....My father’s life gave me the courage to do something and devote my life to reducing new HIV infections in my community and among my peers.

And Alphonso, the leader of a youth development organization in Liberia, describes International Youth Day in that country and youth dialogue with policy makers around their health. 

...A coherent approach to youth issues should be a priority, because they are the ones who feel alienated, frustrated and most vulnerable.

By Amplify columnist Jaclyn Friedman

Quick: what do Kourtney Kardashian and President Obama have in common? It's not just their questionable fashion sense. No, both of them have recently been pressured out of choosing abortion before they could even properly consider it.

You may have heard that the young reality star is unexpectedly pregnant. But did you know why she's decide to have the baby? "My doctor told me there is nothing you will ever regret about having the baby, but he was like, 'You may regret not having the baby.'" reported Kardashian to People magazine. Because who ever regrets becoming responsible for an entire person when a) they had in no way been planning on it and b) they could have had a routine surgical procedure instead? And while Kourtney's doc may have been working overtime on the Guilt Train, her boyfriend had already laid enough groundwork ahead of time that he didn't have to lift a finger. Says Kourtney: "I think if I had said I'm not going to keep it, I really think he would have pushed me into keeping it." What every girl wants -- a partner who so obviously doesn't respect her bodily autonomy, he doesn't even have to bother saying so.

By Amplify columnist Jaclyn Friedman

Dear Miley-

We don't know each other, and it's probably none of my business, but I can't help wondering how confused you must feel right now. For the third time in a little over a year, half the world is treating you like you killed a puppy on live television, and the other half is defending your honor like you are their personal saint. I suspect you and I both know that neither perspective is particularly tethered to reality.

You're 16. It's a confusing age for all of us. Sexuality seems like the most thrilling and shiny new toy you've ever been given. Like you've discovered a secret world no adults could possibly understand. And they don't seem to, do they?

Sure, sexuality can feel a little scary, like you're driving a car and you've never had lessons. But it can be hard to let on that you're scared, because hey - you're driving a car. And it's FUN.

By Eric Jost, Amplify columnist

Like millions of others last week, I saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opening day (not the midnight showing, mind you).

Although I regretfully partake in the Twilight series fandom, I legitimately like Harry Potter. To use a term coined by my best friend, Alice, I am a Dumbledork. I’ve read every book at least three times and have seen each film opening day. I may not dress up and wait in line for each new book or movie, but I have spent countless hours discussing the series’ mythology and debating with friends over which book is the best.

As the sixth film came to a close, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between Harry Potter and the inferior Twilight. Going into the film (based off one of my favorite books in the saga), I had read critics praising the film for its focus on relationships and sexual chemistry. And although I’m aware of the lack of sex in JK Rowling’s series, I hoped that perhaps director David Yates would emphasize teenage hormones a bit more explicitly than Rowling had originally envisioned. But sadly, no.

Parallels between Potter and Twilight caught my attention as I began to notice the noticeable lack of sex coupled with graphic levels of violence in each of the series. And while each author (Rowling and Meyer) has been berated by the conservative right for their use of magic and mysticism, rarely does either series get called out on the amount of violence that is abundant in these books largely targeted at young adult readers.