Children and youth; the present to our future...

I spend a lot of time thinking about the daunting task of writing a new chapter in the history books of mama Africa. I refuse to settle for the culture of absolute dependency that exists in the continent today. I dream to speak of the continent Africa that is in full control of her affairs and is recognized for the significant role she plays in our globalizing world. I dream to speak of a continent where people triumph over challenges preventing them from pursuing higher ambitions.

It is very easy to be discouraged by the complexities involved in many of the problems we see in Africa, and the unsustainable fixes that fall apart to make the dreams of a brighter continent inevitable.

I like to think I belong to a generation that believes in these dreams and will invest in sustainable solutions, which will change the destiny of Africa. I keep coming across the statement, "It takes a village to raise a child" and this is much reassurance for me because mama Africa has a high youthful population and numerous villages spread across 53 countries. The values contained in these villages will raise children and youth, the most valuable assets to Africa.

I believe the Future of Africa lies in the hands of children and youth whose endless curiosity and dreams will generate innovative solutions for the problems the continent faces today. Given the growing youthful population in the continent, we will be making a good head start for change when we direct our energy, resources, skills and opportunities to nurture and encourage the youth to pursue the future we seek.

I see the manifestation of change in the lives of the children I met in the Arua, Uganda who have dreams of being a doctor, teacher, engineers etc. in response to challenges they face on a day to day bases.

I see the manifestation of change in the experiences of children and youth who have been silenced in poverty, abusive parent-child relationships or are maltreated by their caretakers. Some of them flee their homes to contribute to the informal sector as "Kayayos","shoemakers" etc.



I see the manifestation of change in the lives of smart dedicated students who are forced to drop out of school due to lack of tuition or school supplies.

Change is manifested in the lives of children hawking in the streets of Accra, Arua, Kampala, Lagos, Cotonou, Freetown, Monrovia etc. who face the harsh realities of giving up their childhood to support their family.

I see the manifestation of change in the lives of children and youth whose dreams and passions are shattered because of the lack of confidence and support shown by parents and the people who matter most in their lives.

This manifestation exists in the lives of frustrated children and youth who are easily convinced into armed robbery, prostitution, slavery and being soldiers because there is no support to navigate through their challenging realities.

This is where we lose the Future of Africa. The great minds, hearts and experiences we walk by, see on the news and talk about, who can change the destiny of the entire continent.

Our solutions are evident but we have accepted these realities as the unfortunate part of our existence and humanity.

This is the cause to which we should all be committed. In Future of Africa, we believe through our collective actions, we will uncover and nurture the dreams and potential for locally owned solutions led by the children and youth of the continent.

Next time you are moved with admiration, pity or hope when you see images like these...

remind yourself of the capacity these children and youth have to make an impact on the continent if they have the necessary support to navigate through their current realities. This is your call to action. Through our Journeys for Change we will learn from their stories and explore how we can leverage the challenges they face into motivations to make a difference.

This is my life calling and the cause I am passionate about.

I just had the spark inside of me

That was the driving force for Shane Feldman, a 16 year old student of Westmount Collegiate Institute who founded and organized the first World Youth Conference in Ontario. What Shane made me believe that day was that, age is just a number and when you find the passion to do something, you need to pursue it with all your heart.

I was feeling very anxious about my presentation because I had been invited to speak to a crowd of 400 students. Even more anxious because it was a World Youth Conference but there was something about meeting Shane that made me very calm. Shane brought me back to a point in my life where I felt the need to turn my challenges into motivations to make a difference because that is exactly what he plans to do. He started this conference to combat teen apathy because he felt his peers were oblivious to their privilege.

It was a great day sharing the stage with Andy Thibodeau, Lynda Watson, Brooke Harrison, Lynda Fishman, Peter Kent, Popy Dimoulas-Graham, Dan Trommater, Neil Orlowsky and Spencer West. Even greater were the passionate students who were filled with so much energy and so much optimism to make the world a better place. The energy in the room made me reflect on my direction in life and inspired me to follow my passion with all I have because that was the central message being conveyed by every single speaker at the conference.

I am once again reassured that the youth have a significant role to play in the future. Shane made a statement in his closing remarks, "the youth are not only the future but they are the present." I will agree with him because he is right. He is a living example and so is Brooke Harrison who raised $60,000 from 2 cookbooks she published for leukemia research. Did I mention she is also 16 years old?

The stories of these youth leaders is not only a source of inspiration but it is a reaffirmation that age is just a number and we can all make a difference if we find our passion and pursue it with due diligence.

It was a great day and I am glad I could share it with Popy from Charity Republic a good friend who recommended me to speak at the event. I am very grateful for the opportunity Popy. (You all need to check out the great work Charity Republic is doing)

This is our world, and the very issues we are apathetic about could find their way to our doorsteps. Our personal connection to the problems we see or hear about should not be the only driving force to ACT for Change. Our common humanity should be enough to drive us to make a difference.

We all have the spark inside us but do we ACT on it?

Students of Galt Collegiate Donate School Supplies to Journey for Change

I have never doubted the world will be a better place, however, my amazing

encounters this week have reaffirmed my confidence for the future. On Tuesday I went to Galt Collegiate Institute to pick up some school supplies members of the International Affairs Students Council collected over three months for Future of Africa's Journey for Change.

I must admit I was amazed and very humbled by the amount of dedication these students put into collecting school supplies, enough to fill up 2 hockey bags. These supplies ranged from books, to pencils, erasers, rulers, teaching aids, paint, brushes and the list goes on.

These students rallied together to prepare a a scrap book for the children and youth of SMILE Foundation in Lolito Ghana. They wrote little cute personal stories and also offered some words of inspiration. I'll share one with you... "Dear children of Ghana, I hope the supplies we are sending prove useful. Here we take many things for granted, but what I do know is that no matter what ambition you make in life, it takes both passion and dedication to get it. Work with what you have, make a dream, and never lose hope. Lots of love from Canada!!" I don't know about you but I find that message very inspiring.

I am even more excited to see the excitement and appreciation on the faces of the students in SMILE Foundation when they read the stories in the scrap book and use the gifts their peers put together. I look forward to sharing with students from Galt Collegiate the impact of their actions on the lives of their peers in Lolito.

Something that stood out in my mind was that, the students at Galt Collegiate were genuinely interested in knowing more about Future of Africa from the questions they asked. They wanted to know how they could further get involved. Talk about people thinking beyond their personal lives... that's awesome right?

The amount of energy these students put towards packing the boxes and preparing the scrap books make me believe that, people understand the cause of humanity and the need to ACT for Change. I am more confident than ever that the children and youth will continue in the right direction from the impact my generation will leave.

To all the students who coordinated and supported the school supply drive, thank you very much! I am confident they will be of great benefit to the students of SMILE Child Foundation. You have contributed significantly to impacting the lives of many underprivileged children and you should be proud of your efforts.