Why Bangkok Youth Review?

Across the world, the stakes have never felt higher. War rages in Ukraine. Hell reigns in Gaza. Myanmar remains deadlocked in a brutal ‘civil’ war. Democracies that once felt unbreakable now backslide into authoritarianism. And yet, among many young people – especially those in international and privileged school systems – the response is ignorance, or worse: apathy. Many students who can ace a math exam struggle to name a current crisis — let alone take a stand on it.

Why? Largely, we think, because there are few spaces that ask them to. The purpose of this youth-led initiative is to change that. Here are 3 big reasons why you should read – or contribute to – the Bangkok Youth Review:

1: The Youth Apathy Problem

One of the most urgent but overlooked challenges we face is a quiet, creeping erosion of care. In a world flooded with headlines, hashtags, and hot takes, it’s easy to mistake noise for knowledge. Most students don’t regularly read the news—not because they don’t care, but because it feels distant, exhausting, or irrelevant. Constant exposure to crisis has made it harder to think clearly, feel deeply, or act meaningfully.

As a result, whether on Tiktok, Instagram, or Reddit, a new wave of political apathy and anti-intellectualism is surging. Tiktok (even for me, a person who uses it regularly) has admittedly become a space of endless information but no context, infinite opinions but no space for original thought. Sometimes, we don’t even see what’s happening – either because it’s buried beneath misinformation (often dictated by culture wars that have come to define our politics), or because we’ve become too desensitized to care in the first place. The Bangkok Youth Review will combat this by producing news articles by young people, for young people -- as well as op-eds that give a platform to students to write and express opinions on issues they care about.

2: The International School Problem

The Bangkok Youth Review also aims to close the gap in media literacy and political discourse left by schools. We believe they have these issues for two reasons: firstly, International curriculums, bound by stringent global standards that have to be broad in order to be effective, unintentionally flatten history into dates and dead presidents, reducing the world’s conflicts to "both sides." As a result, students are told to be “balanced,” but not bold. To be “informed,” but not involved. To write analytically to fit a rubric, but never personally.

Secondly, as students of international schools, we occupy positions of quiet privilege. Many of us grow up surrounded by influence – by proximity to decision-makers, wealth, and institutions that shape the world far beyond the classroom. In such environments, schools often find themselves constrained in how far they can go in fostering political dialogue. Conversations that dig too deep or question too much are often smoothed over in favor of neutrality or "balance." But neutrality, especially in times of injustice, can become its own form of silence.

This initiative exists to create the space that many schools cannot -- to encourage curiosity where conformity is expected, and to open dialogue where it’s too often avoided. The Bangkok Youth Review aims not to criticize this delicately balanced system, but to provide an alternate means of engaging with the world we live in that is separate from educational institutions and the limitations they carry. 

3: The Thailand Problem

There’s another layer specific to Bangkok. Sprawling international school campuses often exist just blocks away from neighborhoods shaped by entirely different realities – yet the walls, both literal and cultural, remain thick. The disconnection runs deep. It’s easy to live in a world above and outside of Thai society, engaging with it only in theory or translation. It is easy to live in a world above ‘normal’ society –  but if we are to call ourselves global citizens, we must start by being present where our feet are: Thailand. Thus, the Bangkok Youth Review aims to lend special attention to issues and stories that are happening on the overlooked streets that define the country we live in – also by promoting NGOs and local service operations that we think deserve attention.

This is the environment that gave birth to The Bangkok Youth Review – our student-led, independent journal. We’re building a platform where we can think critically, write seriously, and engage creatively with the issues that shape our lives. From op-eds about cultural trends, news about Thailand, to poetry and photography, the Review is a space where thought, creativity, and action can coexist. And no, we don’t plan on totally being off social media. Whilst it is a place where the problems we are tackling are often most pronounced, it is simultaneously the place where we can bring the most change by reaching out to those who we otherwise couldn’t.

We don’t believe political or media literacy is just something we can opt-out of – it is a responsibility that all of us carry as citizens of the future. The crises of our time demand thought and reflection. If students don’t speak up, write out, or ask the hard questions, who will?

The Bangkok Youth Review is an invitation to engage: to write, to read, to create, to reflect, and to care. We plan on forming a news team that will write about current affairs both in Thailand and beyond. For all questions and submissions – if you have something creative you want to submit or an opinion piece you want to write – please email bangkokyouthreview@gmail.com. We want to hear from as many of you as possible.