Bert’s Response
We must act like stewards and not creators.
As a Christian parent, I have been given stewardship of my children. I am not their creator. The Creator has given them their own gifts and talents to which their mother and I are to help identify and cultivate. One of the most difficult things for a parent to do is to take a step back and let their children make mistakes. I am not talking about mistakes that could potentially destroy their lives, but rather mistakes that might prove to be building blocks for learning and maturing. Allowing a child to make mistakes frees him/her of the fear of trying new things. It makes them out-of-the-box thinkers. An out-of-the-box thinker leads because they lack the fear of failure.
Bruce Wilkinson wrote a book call The Dream Giver. In this book he talks about border bullies. The job of a border bully is to keep you from pursuing the dream that The Dream Giver (God) has placed inside of you. Border bullies are not always people who mean you harm. Many times they are those closest to you and who seek only your safety. In trying to keep you safe, they hold you back. They don't want you to experience the pain of failure. We have to push the idea to our children that it is OK to fail.
Click here to read more on Bruce Wilkinson.
We must meet our children in their world and stop trying to force them into our world. They will most times not see or hear things the way we see and hear things. If we want to encourage them to re-engage with life in such a way that fosters success we must be more accepting of them. They need structure and discipline to form their foundation. However, as adults, far too many times we want to go beyond helping them to build the foundation. We want to build the house too. In short, we must free them to build their own house on the foundation that we have helped them to build.
Anthony’s Response
Today’s youth are, without a doubt, the leaders of tomorrow. These are the people who, in years to come, will be the group taking the reins from the current echelon and driving us further into the century upon us. But these future leaders face a problem.
It comes in the form of our society’s attitude towards fostering the potential of the nation’s best and brightest. Many see the country’s youth purely as the voice of tomorrow, and not as a vast and largely untapped resource full of enthusiasm and the capacity for constructive input into the decisions of today.
So what can be done to turn this trend around? How do we reinvigorate the next generation of youth? Bridging into the gap that exists, into that middle ground, is where the first small steps of progress must be made.
This initiative must involve both sides of the divide, and it has to start with a change in attitude. Right from the top levels of Government down to local authorities, from associations to institutes, we need to make a concerted effort to seek the input from right across the age spectrum. At times, youth have been considered as merely an interest group, and not as an integral part of the decision making process.
Until there are more young people prepared to get out there become involved, the current situation will not improve, and the country may miss out on discovering and benefiting from the ability that is undeniably present.
Many will say, however, that it is the responsibility of our youth to get actively involved if they wish to make a difference, and that plenty of opportunity exists for them to do so. This is true; the effort does have to come from within this group. But the future of the country rests equally in all our hands, thus we need a collaborative approach to developing those with the ability and the drive to further the foundations and the progress that is being made.
We need to nurture people prepared to stand up and be counted, people who want to have input into the direction our country is taking. Direct encouragement needs to be given to those who have already chosen to play a prominent role in our country. These young leaders have to recognize and embrace the fact they offer a unique perspective and can add real insight to current issues.
Rhonda’s Response
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” By: Ralph Waldo Emerson
One way that we can break through to our youth today to ensure they are prepared to lead tomorrow is by empowering them to be different. So many youth today are following in the footsteps or directions of others rather than following their own passion and desires. Their parents plant certain career choices into them and if they don’t seek these choices they feel they have disappointed their family. However, if society will empower our youth to live their own truths, follow their heart, their dreams, their passions, and their desires; it will lead them towards their own greatness.
If youth can follow their own passions and desires, we will start to see more innovation, creation, and drive among our youth that is empowering, inspiring, and life changing. For example, a young girl named Amiya Alexander wanted to find a way to ensure all youths of all backgrounds had the opportunity to have dance training. Her passion for her idea, with the support of her mom, enabled her to create Amiya’s Mobile Dance Academy. Her dance academy has provided dance training to communities of youth who may not have had this opportunity. Read more about Amiya’s Mobile Dance Academy at http://www.amiyasdancebus.com/.
In order for us to break through to the youth of today and make sure they are prepared to lead tomorrow is by encouraging them to be different. We have to inspire and empower our youth to be fearless and explore their passions, desires, and dreams. As adults, we have the responsibility to help guide our youth towards their goals and be a support system. If we do this, we will have more youth being fearless like Amiya Alexander.
