Giving Compass' Take:

• This Aspen Institute podcast profiles two women advancing gender equality (one fighting human trafficking and another in the Pakistan Air Force), as well as Philadelphia students tackling social change in their community.

• As gender equality and youth activism continues to be a force in civic society, it's important to hear from diverse voices like these in order to understand who is making real progress. What are we doing to support them?

• Here's how we can understand gender-based violence on a deeper level.

What does it look like when people rise to the challenge and lead the charge to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems? This episode of Aspen Insight features two stories of courageous leadership, both across the world and here at home.

Two gutsy women are making strides towards gender equality in the developing world. Agnes Igoye and Quratulain Fatima are both taking on this challenge as New Voices Fellows at the Aspen Institute. Agnes trains law enforcement officers to counter human trafficking in Uganda, and Quratulain was the first woman to join the Pakistan Air Force. These women each lived through bloody conflicts in their countries and battled professional and personal barriers because of their gender, and they offer advice for women who want to be leaders.

Then, in Philadelphia, high school students are taking action in their own backyards. Students from 16 high schools across the city have developed projects that address critical issues in their communities, like poverty, nutrition, and cyberbullying, as a part of the Aspen Challenge competition. We travel to Philly and talk with young people who aren’t waiting around for adults to fix these problems — they’re taking matters into their own hands.

Listen to the full podcast about changemakers Agnes Igoye, Quratulain Fatima and Philadelphia students from The Aspen Institute.