You’re never too young to save the world

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They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That all efforts matter; but in an era of speed, development and growth, it’s easy to forget how important each and every one of our actions really is. In the face of true challenge, it’s easy to feel insignificant or unable to contribute to tangible change.

We tend to neglect how vital our daily practices and ideas are to the bigger picture, how small details can add up to incredible results, if only we dared to believe in their relevance. When it comes to youth and children, they’re too often taught to believe that they don’t possess the skills or knowledge to become agents of change, especially when talking about something as monumental as saving our world. Age is seen as an obstacle, instead of an advantage, and the newer generations are too rarely at the center of developmental initiatives.

This is exactly where World’s Largest Lesson attempts to make a change.

In September 2015, leaders all over the world decided to unite their voices and use them in the fight to make our planet a better place, by committing to the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Placing emphasis on education and awareness, World’s Largest Lesson is celebrated yearly around the globe in September and it aims to introduce the Goals into every classroom in the world.

Nelson Mandela said that “education is the most powerful weapon for changing the world”, and what better way to ensure a brighter future for everyone than by making sure we coach the ones it really belongs to: young people. In our effort to better the planet by 2030, we must admit that our most powerful resource are indeed children and their capacity to affect the communities they live in, if given the right tools.

This year, AIESEC and UNICEF are working together as hosts of a special, youth-led World’s Largest Lesson edition, in an effort to reach over 5000 children and to inform them about the SDGs. The new initiative aims to empower youth through peer education and motivate them to become part of the movement. Taking place on the 12th of July in Cartagena, Colombia, the event will allow the delegates of the Global YouthSpeak Forum to become facilitators and to take action.

The end goal? Enabling young people to become powerful actors in driving the success of the goals and inspiring them to contribute to the progress we are trying to make.

Changing the world may be no easy task and it sure as hell won’t happen overnight, but our chances of getting there will soar if we make sure everyone is empowered to take a step in the right direction. No matter where you are today, believe in your potential to contribute to the Global Goals for Sustainable Development and continue to search for ways to get involved and make a difference.

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