As students speak out against book bans in Missouri, Matthew Diemer shares context of youth activism with the Christian Science Monitor 

In opposition to book bans in their local school district, youth activists in Nixa, Missouri have formed a grassroots organization called Nixa Students Against Book Restrictions to keep their school library intact, reports the Christian Science Monitor.

Throughout the history of the United States, youth activism has injected energy, exuberance, and optimism into social movements, which have helped sustain and keep them going, Matthew Diemer tells the Christian Science Monitor. He sees opportunities for students to band together and form coalitions around their shared interests.

“I think it’s important to be active at the local level, but perhaps that can coalesce into something more regional or national,” he says.

Diemer recently co-authored the study Charting the longitudinal trajectories and interplay of critical consciousness among youth activists in the journal Child Development. The study has been widely covered in the media, and promoted by Bergische University Wuppertal in Germany and the Society for Research in Child Development.