#CoolToCare - Engaging the Youth for Global Changes

If you look around at recent events it might seem that the world is falling apart. However, humanity has dealt with tragedy and injustice forever. So now, thanks to the global village that social media has created, there is immediacy to the awareness in which our fears are broadcast and regurgitated back to us.
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If you look around at recent events it might seem that the world is falling apart. However, humanity has dealt with tragedy and injustice forever. So now, thanks to the global village that social media has created, there is immediacy to the awareness in which our fears are broadcast and regurgitated back to us. In this modern environment of mass media, it's easy to focus on the negative and try to place blame on finding meaning in the madness... So rather than writing about one of our most recent tragedies, I'm choosing instead to focus on something far more positive and altruistic.

The United Nations recently launched a series of 17 Global Goals to achieve three extraordinary things in the next 15 years.

•End extreme poverty
•Fight inequality & injustice
•Reverse the negative impacts of climate change

These are wonderful and ambitious goals, but when you think about them and what it will take to achieve them, one fact becomes instantly clear. In order to achieve these goals, we are going to need to encourage the youth of the world to become involved, as they are the ones who will be living with our successes or failures. So the mission here is to get the youth engaged and inspired and empowered about social change. But how do we do that? How do we get them to care about wealth disparity and climate change and gender equality? How do we get them to take a stand against sexual assault, body shaming, and bullying? I believe I have a solution, but in order to present that, its important to understand the inherent struggle of engaging teenagers first.

As the founder of a non-profit organization that works with adolescents, I know all too well the difficulties of engaging and inspiring youth. Very often they are too caught up in their personal dramas of popularity, acceptance and self-actualization. Now more than ever, with social media essentially scoring how cool or popular you are, the task of getting adolescents to look outside of themselves and care about others can seem impossible. So how do we solve this? How do we get the youth to care? It's a daunting question that many adults before me have tried to solve, usually with an order or plea. But heres the thing, if the youth believe that the idea is yours and something they have or even ought to do, they usually want nothing to do with it, no matter how noble the issue. So how then do we inspire the youth to care about these incredible global goals and do something about them? I believe that if we can frame the notion of becoming champions of these global goals is the cool thing to do, then most people will also assume responsibility for their contribution towards these goals.

I know that you're probably thinking that this is all easier said than done, but we've got an advantage that we've never had before. We've got social media, celebrities, global trendsetters, and access to mass media publications that have all committed themselves to achieving these 17 goals to make the planet a cleaner, safer, and more just place for all of us to live. Let's use what we've got to our advantage.

I propose that we launch a media campaign with the hashtag #CoolToCare and get this ball rolling! Post photos and messages on Instagram & Twitter showing examples of yourself or other people doing acts of kindness. These can be bold or personal, get creative with it. Did you go to a music festival and see your favorite artist pick up some trash? Snap it and tag it! Did you catch a glimpse of a hidden hero helping a single mom carry a baby stroller up the stairs? Tag it! Or maybe you witnessed someone hugging a stranger in Times Square. These photos are all gold! For Twitter, your posts can be a message stating that you would host a refugee escaping a war zone, or that you saw someone stand up to a bully, or that you've written a letter to your congressman demanding gun reforms. There is no 'wrong' here. Everyone caring about something and expressing that is the point. The examples are personal and totally up to you, and there are tons of them. We just want to hear these stories! The more people that get involved in this campaign, the more examples everyone will see of personal acts of kindness. When we get the groundswell of youth, you'll see, the tides will shift and we will give ourselves a real chance of achieving the dream we all hope for.

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I'll end this piece by addressing the youth directly. This blog is public and meant to be read by all. I'm not trying to hide anything from you nor am I trying to give the adults new ways to manipulate you. On the contrary, my advice is based on listening and engaging with you! I've spent a lot of time working with youth, and my takeaway is always that you want to be excited and passionate about what you engage in. I see this most often at Mythic Bridge where we create a fun and exciting environment where creativity can flourish while also stressing community, empathy and respect; and you know what always happens? Y'all keep coming back! And getting involved, and eventually become peer mentors for the next generation of youth. That's the power of creating a safe place where you genuinely want to come back to. And thats what y'all create.

So why take the time to write this piece at all? And why choose to work with at-risk youth? Because I do think it's cool to care. And I invite you, all of you, not just the teenagers, but everyone, to join me in spreading this idea of it being #CoolToCare, because not only can we do some good for this world, but we'll have a great time doing it.

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