Be the Change

Youthink has already covered Me to We Day extensively, and We Day will have been ages ago by the time this entry sees the light of day, but I couldn’t resist mentioning the event.

Over 16,000 youths in GM Place, being inspired and encouraged by amazing speakers like Mia Farrow, Dr. Jane Goodall, His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. What a day. I volunteered as a crowd pumper (not that, you know, they needed more pumping up) and could just feel the tangible energy and passion in the place.

And as cheesy as this may sound - looking around at everyone else and their rapt faces… it gave me goosebumps. How cool, heartwarming and hope-inspiring it is to see all these different people from varying backgrounds and areas of interest unite and come together for one thing we desire – change.

The theme of this blog is the power of youth, something that could also be called the focus and purpose of We Day – helping youth find and utilize the power that they hold. And we do have such amazing power in our hands. As Craig and Marc Kielburger, founders of Free the Children, always say, youth have always been at the forefront of every major social change.

That’s an exciting idea. We have so much passion, so much energy, as we have shown the world during We Day. Imagine the things we can and will do when we take back that enthusiasm and fervor to our schools and homes.

Ghandi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Changing the world, really, isn’t anything grand. Be the change yourself, see your friends follow, then communities, then nations, then one day, the world.
It won’t be easy, but is anything that’s worth doing?

I’d love to hear from others who attended We Day. What are your thoughts?