"Be the change... You want to see"
This past Tuesday I attended a youth leadership conference... These words chanted by everyone throughout the day as it is the message that we try to get across to all the youth... To "be the change you want to see..."
Having been a part of the Northeast Leadership Youth Institute last year as well (in its first year) I was thrilled about the opportunity to be part of the staff again... I had been looking forward to this past week since the very moment I stepped into the car last year on the way out... The energy at the conference is like nothing else... Being around youth and teaching them important skills that will help carry them through life, provides such a great feeling for me... I could honestly do that for a living...
But enough about me, the reason I chose to share this with you all is that I am extremely proud and hopeful about the future... I have seen some GREAT kids come through this conference the past 2 years and I have seen a lot of "greatness." Youth doing things that most agencies out there never even think about... We had youth who started free lunch programs in the summer for those who are in need, youth that wanted to start up youth centers, and youth that wanted to educate their peers on issues such as drugs, cancer, etc... But more importantly we had youth that had identified problems in their communities and wanted to do something about them!
I hope that everyone out there has the opportunity to work with youth and be an inspiration and mentor to them... After all, they are the future of our country... It is our duty to ensure that they will have all the tools needed to face some of the issues that our generation and their generation will have to face...
And remember that if you want to make a change, you MUST start with yourself... Michael Jackson looked "at the man in the mirror," Ghandi "was the change he wanted to see..." What will you do?
As the name of this post suggest, I believe that we have a good bunch of leaders to put this nation and this planet back on track... We will be facing a lot of issues in the near future, but I am more than comfortable with the hands that we will be passing the torch to...
P.S... Vote Pradia in the year 2040... "Not a vote for CHANGE... but a vote for CHANCE.."
Thanks for tuning in...
Jose
Labels: future, hope, leadership, Northeast Youth Leadership Institute, NYLI
I've never been really big on birthdays.... I can recall one that went by unnoticed.... Nobody remembered it.... But it wasn't a big deal to me, it was just another day out of the year... And I always felt like I should be celebrating everyday for the simple fact everyday alive is a blessing.... However in the matter of hours I will be 20....
20 years old... No longer a teen... (although I've haven't felt like a teen for years.....) I just can't believe that I've been on this planet for two decades.... That to me is a lot of time in comparison with what I have accomplished....
I guess the reason this birthday feels different is because its another decade down.... I have a weird approach to life and I think about death a lot and since nobody can prove what happens afterwards.... I try to remind myself that it'll happen so I better put in overtime to get stuff done.... Its weird, but keeps me motivated when I need to do work....
On a lighter note, I'm glad to be home and spend my birthday with family and to be on break from school.... However I'm starting my first day of work at my dads office doing some research for some grants.... So it shouldn't be too bad....
Happy Birthday to anyone who has a birthday tomorrow!
Thanks for tuning in....
Jose
This post is something that I wanted to do for a while, but never got to it and I did not really know how to display it or put it together... But the title of the post lets you know what it is all about... I took all these pictures a few months back on a trip to NY to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim.... The pictures are taking across from the Guggenheim and I just thought it would be cool to see "a NY minute" in the form of photographs... HERE IT IS! ENJOY!
(I tried to edit the song I used because I just wanted the chorus... Hope it sounds good!)
Thanks for tuning in...
Jose
Labels: art, guggenheim, New York, new york minute, photography