{"id":3026,"date":"2025-04-10T13:20:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T13:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/?p=3026"},"modified":"2025-05-26T11:27:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T11:27:13","slug":"inspiring-youth-and-advocating-for-social-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/2025\/04\/inspiring-youth-and-advocating-for-social-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Inspiring Youth and Advocating for Social Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At just 16 years old, Bella Bullock has discovered her passion\u2014bringing young people together through faith, friendship, and meaningful conversations. But her impact isn\u2019t limited to her local community; her dedication to social justice has also led her to an international stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guided by her spirituality, the Grade 11 student from Bracebridge, Ontario, recently launched a youth ministry at The Salvation Army South Muskoka Ministries, creating a safe, welcoming space where young people can explore their beliefs, find emotional balance, and support one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve found a lot of comfort in my church, and many of the people joining the youth ministry are my friends,\u201d Bella explains. \u201cI understand that same comfort could help them as well. I feel a deep compassion and drive to help others experience the peace that I feel because of my faith.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her youth ministry offers an inclusive environment where teens can openly discuss the challenges of growing up while forming deeper connections with one another. The unstructured gatherings include fun activities like sports and games, as well as dedicated time for prayer and discussions about faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know what it\u2019s like to struggle as a teenager,\u201d Bella says. \u201cI want to be there for my friends and help create a supportive space. I hope that this ministry will give people the confidence to talk about their faith, not just within the group but outside of it as well, helping others find their faith.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Voice for Social Justice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Bella is focused on strengthening faith and community among local youth, her passion for social justice has taken her beyond cottage country and onto the global stage. She is a member of the International Social Justice Girls (ISJG), established in 2021, which is a global network of young Salvationist women advocating for social justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of The Salvation Army\u2019s International Social Justice Commission (ISJC), based in New York City, the ISJG empowers young women through training and education on issues aligned with the United Nations\u2019 (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each month, young women from around the world meet virtually to engage in global discussions, research UN social justice goals, and develop reports that help drive change in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur objective is to empower women. We have guest speakers from the United Nations, and I have gained the confidence to be a bigger advocate for women,\u201d Bella explains. \u201cTogether it will be easier to achieve our desired outcomes if we all support each other and we should continue to strive for women\u2019s empowerment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Salvation Army\u2019s Global Influence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bella\u2019s involvement in the ISJG reflects The Salvation Army\u2019s long-standing commitment to global justice, a commitment that extends to the highest levels of international advocacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Salvation Army has been an affiliated non-governmental organization (NGO) with the United Nations since its formation. As one of the founding NGOs, it holds consultative status, allowing it to contribute to the UN\u2019s work alongside other non-governmental, non-profit, and faith-based organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2007, the International Social Justice Commission has served as The Salvation Army\u2019s official representative at the UN, participating in meetings of the United Nations Economic and Social Council to advocate for justice and dignity for all people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through both her local youth ministry and her work with the ISJG, Bella is a shining example of how young people can make a difference\u2014both in their own community and on the global stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At just 16 years old, Bella Bullock has discovered her passion\u2014bringing young people together through faith, friendship, and meaningful conversations. But her impact isn\u2019t limited to her local community; her dedication to social justice has also led her to an international stage. Guided by her spirituality, the Grade 11 student from Bracebridge, Ontario, recently launched [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[102,103,104,105,106,107,53,108,109,110],"location":[],"class_list":["post-3026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","tag-bella-bullock","tag-emotional-balance","tag-international-social-justice-commission","tag-international-social-justice-girls","tag-new-york-city","tag-south-muskoka-ministries","tag-the-salvation-army","tag-united-nations","tag-united-nations-economic-and-social-council","tag-welcoming-space"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Inspiring Youth and Advocating for Social Justice - The Salvation Army Ontario<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/2025\/04\/inspiring-youth-and-advocating-for-social-justice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inspiring Youth and Advocating for Social Justice - The Salvation Army Ontario\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At just 16 years old, Bella Bullock has discovered her passion\u2014bringing young people together through faith, friendship, and meaningful conversations. 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