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The Power of Young People to Change the World

Today's young people's three big wishes would be: More hugs. More time outside in nature. More belief in their own power to change the world. While most people understand the importance of the first two wishes, the third one leaves some folks wondering why this is so essential.

Let's start with the fact that all of us-especially young people-need heroes. We need them to be our guides on the twisting and to show us just how far we can go. We need heroes today more than ever, as our modern society is terribly confused about the difference between a hero and a celebrity(名人). A celebrity is all about fame-temporary, superficial fame while a hero is about character-qualities beneath the surface that aren't visible until they take action.

Real heroes are all around us. They hold our world together, through their unselfish devotion to helping others, supporting families, teaching children, protecting the environment. They don't want fame or glory; they just want to help. In many ways, these unsung heroes direct the boat in which all of us sail.

Yet young people hear a lot more about celebrities than about heroes. Worse yet, they are too often target of advertisers. The underlying message they get from all this is that their self-worth comes from what they buy, not who they are down inside.

What gets lost in this? The sense of their own potential for heroic qualities, which exists in every young person, from whatever background. All it takes for that to be true is belief. How do we help them believe in their own power? The best way by far is simply to share examples of other young people who have made a difference. To turn the spotlight on such amazing young people, I founded a national award Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, which is now in its tenth year, honoring 25 young people each year.

Here are a few of the winners from recent years:

Ryan, age 11, has worked tirelessly to raise money for clean drinking water to African villages. When he first heard about the plight of African children who died from impure water, Ryan was only six years old. In the next five years, he raised over $500,000-enough to build over 70 water wells.

Barbara, age 17, grew up on a farm in Texas. When she realized that local farmers were pouring their used motor oil into rivers and on the ground, causing pollution, she organized the creation of a recycling center for crude oil. Her project, called "Don't Be Crude," has grown to include 18 recycling centers in Texas.

There could be a long list of such examples, who have discovered that they can build on their own energy and ideals to do something truly great.