Mohammed Bin Salman AlSaud
(Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia)
What is a change agent you ask?
A change agent is someone who uses their voices and actions to create change, like Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, he has been described as the power behind the throne of his father, King Salman. Mohammad bin Salman established himself as the chairman of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation, otherwise known as MISK, which aims to help disadvantaged youth. The foundation was a partner of the 9th UNESCO Youth Forum for Change in 2015. The foundation focuses on the country's youth and provides different means of fostering talent, creative potential, and innovation in a healthy environment that offers opportunities in arts and sciences. The foundation pursues these goals by establishing programs and partnering with local and global organizations. It intends to develop intellectual capability in youth, as well as unlock the potential of all Saudi people.
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
But How? How Can We Empower Youth?
Some would say that as idyllic as it sounds to empower youth, it is not that easy as parents, community leaders and teachers to foster this sense of ownership and leadership in children. Some might even wonder how can we put our future into the hands of tweens and teens, whose ideas span from the simple lemonade stand to lofty dreams that are ridden with logistical complications.
The "how" of how to empower youth to be change agents is to let them be kids and develop their own ideas, wherever they are in the range of potential social good actions.
The answer is simple, we simply let them "do." We let them dream and think. We give our youth the tools to collaborate and problem solve, brainstorm and reflect. We empower them to believe that their voice matters without judging or criticizing their ideas. While one teen might be ready to speak out on a cause to their classmates or create an after school club, another might produce a video to build general awareness, while another might make bracelets to sell for a cause. The action almost doesn’t matter as long as it is meaningful to the student and fosters a sense of purpose. Tweens and teens want to give, participate and have an impact and it is up to us to support and empower them. When we let our children's voices and ideas speak for themselves, the actions are more powerful...more inspired. Kids will be kids, and that is what makes their voices meaningful!
The truth is that kids, even the most well meaning ones, are going to have up and down days when it comes to using their voice. Sometimes their ideas will have expansive reach, while others may fall flat, and that is ok. They need to learn that being a change agent does not mean that everyone will always want to listen, just because we would like them to. They need to learn that sometimes even the most fabulous idea may need a bit more 'oomph' or logistical planning. They need to know that ideas come to us sometimes when we least expect it, whether we are in the shower or driving home. But most importantly, our children need to know that we believe in their ideas and potential as change agents.
As parents and adults we also have to face another reality of empowering youth. Tweens and teens are adolescents. They may be ready to inspire others one week and want nothing to do with the cause the next. The goal is to help our youth develop habits, that in the end, they can sustain without our 'suggestions' or prodding. We have to let their interests ebb and flow, while still talking about our own actions for good in the background, so that our behaviors and words create the foundation for a long-term lifestyle.
Selfie with Prince of youth
We have an opportunity, now, to empower youth be part of the solution to help shape what life will be like in 2030. We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves and the upcoming generation. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act. We are the next generation and the generation after is between our hands; and it doesn't start until we say it does. With us being ambition, full of strength, and powerful to change and improve!