SubscribeYoung leaders blossom, inspire hope
I used to be able to multitask pretty well, but last week I found it extremely difficult to accomplish much more than what was before me. And not just because I didn’t have Internet access most of the day. I kept feeling that I had to be present where I was and to hold only one thing at a time so that I could experience fully each day the hope that filled the room like a fresh bouquet of roses.
My days and most of my evenings were spent working with my siblings at or on the Earl T. Shinhoster Youth Leadership Institute in Savannah. Our months of planning paid off, and 21 middle school age students came to the Youth Institute at the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum to learn about developing their leadership skills. They were introduced to leaders, past and present including our brother Earl, whose examples they could follow and were given a dose of African American history.
The students were engaged, eager and smart. Working with the 17 boys and four girls and getting to know them a little bit reminded me of the potential and the good that resides in our children. (Too often I read in the newspaper or see on televsion the negative things some of our young peopple are doing.) It was amazing to watch children who didn’t know us or each other move rather quickly from being strangers to becoming friends or at least friendly. They listened attentively to the speakers, even when the adults didn’t think they were listening. They asked and answered questions. They said they appreciated the time we spend with them, the encouragement we offered.
When it was time to complete a community service project, no one balked about cleaning out the tree wells around the museum. They pulled weeds, raked up old mulch, put in new mulch and swept up their areas. Even with a little playing around by some, it didn’t take long for them to complete their work. They seemed glad to do it and pleased with the results.
The students each created a list of community service projects that they want to do in their schools, churches and communities. They said they want to make a difference in the world, and I believe they will.
These 11 to 14 year olds already have a lot going for them — caring parents and other adult relatives, church involvement, school and sports participation, and good heads on their shoulders. I saw hope last week in the faces of 21 young girls and boys, and today I am praying for them and other young people like them who want to be, as Mahatma Gandhi said, “the change they want see in the world.”
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4.
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