Deadline for Proposal Submission:
July 1, 2025
We are excited to announce a call for submissions for a special digital issue of Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies focused on the role of youth in shaping the future of feminist movements. Youth have always been at the forefront of feminist and social change. From suffragists like Sylvia Pankhurst and Inez Milholland to contemporary youth-led movements like #MeToo, Ni Una Menos, and climate justice activism, young people have consistently pushed social movements forward. Today, youth are leading on issues ranging from racial justice to LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive justice, and immigration reform, reshaping feminist movements by centering the experiences of marginalized groups.
In this online issue, we aim to showcase how youth are reimagining feminism through creativity and organizing– blending digital media, social justice work, and political action to create new futures. We encourage contributions that focus on how youth are challenging norms, inventing new forms of activism, and exploring feminist possibilities in digital and physical spaces.
We will center youth-led organizing, activism, and creative engagement with feminist theory, aiming to highlight the ways in which young people—especially young women of color—are transforming feminist thought, activism, and social justice praxis today. We welcome submissions that challenge traditional academic formats and embrace multimodal, youth-centered, and creative expressions. This means we are especially interested in proposals that include video, performance, photography, visual arts, poetry, music, or other creative digital forms, rather than traditional academic essays or articles.
Themes of the Special Issue:
We invite submissions that explore the following themes (though not limited to these):
1. Youth Civic Engagement as Feminist Praxis:
How are youth engaging in feminist activism in their communities? We are particularly interested in submissions that explore how young people are using creative, digital, and physical spaces to disrupt traditional forms of activism. Think about how movements led by youth are pushing boundaries and forging new modes of political and social participation.
2. Youth-Led Feminist Theory Development:
What new feminist ideas are emerging from youth perspectives? We invite proposals that explore how young people are transforming feminist thought and practices, particularly through lenses of intersectionality, race, gender, LGBTQ+ justice, and global movements. Creative works that engage youth-led feminist theory, from song lyrics to visual storytelling, are welcome.
3. Feminist Participatory Research and Youth Activism:
How are youth involved in reshaping research practices and knowledge production? We seek submissions that explore how young activists are not only participants in feminist research, but also co-creators of new knowledge, especially in collaborative, participatory settings. We welcome innovative approaches to combining creative expression and feminist research methods.
4. Social Justice Movements and Youth Leadership:
Youth are taking on leadership roles in a variety of justice movements, from racial justice to climate change. How are young people engaging with and transforming these movements? What creative, non-traditional forms of leadership and organizing are emerging? We encourage submissions that explore youth leadership in social movements, from dance videos to spoken word performances, and everything in between.
5. Digital Feminism and Youth Engagement:
How are youth using digital platforms for feminist activism, community-building, and mobilization? We invite submissions that examine how young people are creatively engaging in digital spaces—through social media, memes, podcasts, videos, or other forms of digital storytelling—to spread feminist messages and organize movements.
Submission Guidelines:
We invite submissions in a wide variety of formats. These include but are not limited to:
- Creative Multimedia Works: video, performance art, photography, digital storytelling, sound art, music, poetry, visual art, dance performances (please include a 250-750 word artist statement).
- Personal Narratives/Reflections (up to 2,000 words).
- Short Creative Essays (1,500-3,000 words), focusing on theory and praxis but presented in a creative, narrative, or visual form.
Note: This is a multimodal special issue, so submissions need not adhere to traditional article formats. We encourage work that blends text with visual, digital, and interactive components, in ways that allow youth voices to shine in dynamic, innovative formats.
Submission Process:
To submit a project, please upload your submission by July 1, 2025 to https://uofu.app.box.com/f/6cab253ac5f44336b18b88c02e8affa1 Please be sure to include:
- A clear title for your submission
- A description of your project or idea, including how it addresses feminist youth engagement or participatory feminist research
- An explanation of the multimedia or creative form your work will take (video, art, performance, etc.)
- A brief explanation of how your submission is relevant to youth as agents of feminist change and activism
Accepted projects will be notified by July 31, 2025.
Contact Information:
For questions or additional information, please contact frontiersjournal@utah.edu.