A lot of times we don’t give ourselves enough credit. We are young and trying to make a difference and sometimes our efforts get overlooked because of our age . Whenever college students ( or young people in general) start doing service people don’t expect much, what they expect is what Wendy mentioned in class the other day as the “drive by service”. This thinking has to change because sometimes our efforts, as small as they may be, do make a difference; even if it just means changing the way others think, that’s a start!
Just as these people did, they saw something they were truly passionate about and put all their effort into making a change. We can do whatever we put our minds too. All we have to do is envision what we want and really think about the root causes too the problems we face. It just takes one person to stand up, others will listen.
February 12th, 2013 at 6:38 pm
Liz, I think you are right. Sometimes people tend to overlook the efforts, opinions, and ideas of the young because they think that we simply do not have enough life experience yet to know what works and what doesn’t. And even though sometimes this may be true, at others it is not. If we want change to truely occur, it is not just about changing society or circumstances it is also about changing mindsets, and this means valuing the ideas and opinions of others regardless of any classifiction they may have including race, gender, religion, political ideologies, social class, ableness, and even age!
February 13th, 2013 at 10:49 am
It does take just one person to stand up, but it also takes more than one person to actually cause change. Real social change can’t come from one person alone. I think that one person who stands up has to get others to stand up with him and spread the message. I do agree with you though.
February 13th, 2013 at 1:08 pm
What I hate is when the older generation thinks that our generation is “only good for doing things wrong, partying and being reckless”!!! This stigma is so old and remind until this day. However, no one sees how much the youth can actually make a difference. For example, media and awareness had a great boost from young people. The voter turn out of 18 year olds and plus has dramatically increased because young adults, such as college students, are now civically involved in their government and communities. So the stigma that young people don’t do anything is therefore inaccurate.
February 13th, 2013 at 9:39 pm
This is true! There is a definite prejudice towards age, and the stigma that young people do not know enough about the world to make a difference, but this simply isn’t true. I know of a 15 year old girl who makes beautiful custom beaded horse tack “headbands”. It’s a business, yes, but part of her proceeds go towards helping abused horses get homes. She personally had horses, loves riding them, and is excited that she can help. You’re never too young to make a business or a difference!