Celebrating Hope in a Troubled World
Read All Posts"We needed to step back from the precipice and deal with the ethnic and political violence that had swept Kenya after the 2007 elections," said 23 year-old George Gachara, a courageous young leader from Nairobi; and he did just that. To help communities across his country heal from the atrocities, George and his friends organized town-hall meetings and photography exhibits that encouraged people to face what happened and to move beyond the violence. It was this combination of youth leaders articulating very real needs of their communities and region—and then talking about innovative solutions to meet them—that created the charged atmosphere at the Finnish Embassy last night. The event was organized to celebrate the twenty 2010 YouthActionNet® Global Fellows who had come to DC from around the world to tell their remarkable stories of change—and hope. Another YAN Fellow, 25 year-old Kerstin Forsberg, from Peru asked all of us to take a deep breath. "Did you know that most of what we breathe comes from the ocean—which covers 70 percent of the world?" That's the reason we need to pay attention to the health of the ocean, and protect our coastal regions.
Many of the Fellows are not only looking at the current challenges but also those emerging in the next decade or more. Lucinda Hartley, 28, from Australia is very concerned about the global urbanization crisis—when by 2050, 70 percent of the world will be living in cities. Her solution? Begin training urban designers now—who are ready for the future and ready for change!
President Martti Ahtisaari, the 2008 Nobel Peace Laureate who will be speaking at today's conference, was in attendance last night. His final words to the group of youth and adults alike: "Live your life as if every day is your first, not your last, and always think, what can I do with my life today?" Clearly these remarkable youth leaders had already taken this advice and made it their own. Their remarkable stories of leading change in society gave us all hope that this younger generation can solve even the toughest challenges. But they cannot do it alone.
Today, I look forward to the panel discussions of the Youth Leadership and Livelihood Conference—and the keynote address of President Ahtisaari. Stay tuned!