Youth Council of the U.S. Embassy in North Macedonia The Youth Council empowers young people in Macedonia by providing a platform for ideas, projects and more. It also has an advisory role to the US Embassy. 
“Keep your voice down!” This is the advice I got from my family three years ago when I started my studies. According to them, I had to keep my voice down because I came from a minority and because I was a girl. Girls are not supposed to speak up, especially if they are a minority!
The only issue was that I could not keep my voice down. I never could, even though I actually tried until I realized it was holding me back. It was the moment when I decided to raise my voice that I discovered my true self. I was part of movements, I was part of projects, I was part of life. It is the moment when I spoke up that I started to fight back everyone that was holding my true potential back. The moment when I spoke up, I started to express myself as a girl.
And as a young girl, my responsibility is to encourage other young girls to stand up for everything they believe in and for every injustice that has been done to them. Good things come after the storm, but first, you have to fight it!
