The Initiators of Change

Youth - 'the initiators of change' 

by Devika Taneja

 Mahatma Gandhi once said-" Be the change that you wish to see in the world"

Today the world Facing a lot of problems  Often when we ask the youth what would they like to be when they grow up ….every single time the answer is always along the lines of a doctor ,a pharmacist ,a counsellor the answer is always something that the child knows their community needs the most .It is when we empower young people they become leaders and beacons of light this world needs and so if we want to solve any problem from disease -to climate change- to conflict -to terrorism ,we have to start with young people and acknowledge the  huge impact they have in their communities in their country and in the world.

You might have heard “Youth are our future “ and ” Someday you are going to make a difference in the world “ so many times growing up , but often I ask myself why do people say this be.. To me this is a great mistake because when we are saying that the youth is going to make a difference tomorrow we are also saying that they are not capable of making a change today, instead of saying that youth are the future of tomorrow why don’t we say youth can make a difference right now right here ,why don’t we catalyse on the amount of enthusiasm energy that these young people have right now . I feel that I am pretty much ready I feel that I am united with each and everyone of you to help create a better world ,a world where every young person is empowered ,where every young person is educated, skilled and prepared to fulfil their full potential . But if you don’t feel the same here is the thing I am going to tell you how to become those initiators of change, to be the leaders driving the change. I am going to walk you through a very simple three step model through which you can inspire yourself or young person you see in your life as somebody wanting to make a change 

So the first thing is what I would like to call “a community problem solver mindset” 

What does this mean ?well this means being able to take a problem that you seen your community and translate that into action

We need this community problem solver mindset because without this we cannot come from a problem to its solution.

The second is the messaging and reinforcement “what this is that instead of telling people like I said before that you are the future you should say you are the present and this message is critical ,one thing is that without this kind of reinforcement You cannot see yourself in the shoe of somebody else .

other than those good morning messages my family group chat is flooded with news articles about kids who are making a difference who are doing amazing research and I always think that having this kind of examples these living breathing examples is essential because without these examples kids cannot see themselves as somebody who can take up an idea and make it happen 

The third is the “access to resources and mentors “

when somebody has an idea ,a young person has an idea don’t brush it off, instead encourage them ,further provide them with access to people who can help them ,mentors who can help them along ,organisations who can connect with them because when you tell a child “ that’s nice dear “”that’s good “and brush it off you are shying them away from this path of change making

So now I would just like to leave you all with a message and with a challenge. challenge yourself to recognise the power of just that one drop in the ocean ,a young person a youth can make because when you learn to walk beside them in their journeys in whatever way they want to -change the world that’s a big term ,treat this “ change the world” as instead finding your passion,  finding what issues you care about and approaching those issues with a problem solver mindset when you learn to walk beside them encourage them support them and ignite that spark within them ,you too will be surprised with the power of just that one drop in the ocean.