Gooddler Young leaders at the United Nations
Author: Karson Baldwin, sixteen year old student-athlete from Cleveland, Ohio.
I’m Karson Baldwin, a sixteen year old student-athlete from Cleveland, Ohio who loves helping others and desires for my life to be about something bigger than myself. This summer, I was able to grow that vision as I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to represent Gooddler as a youth leader at the United Nations Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action.
Our team of the GOODdler founders and three youth leaders stayed in New York for five short days, but the impact that the events had on me and the new information I learned about the world and myself will last a lifetime.
I was excited coming into this week of events, but didn’t really know what to expect, and I was feeling a bit intimidated. I knew I would be surrounded by people who are older, more powerful, successful, wise, knowledgeable and respected than I. I expected to learn a lot, but did not believe I’d be able to contribute much. I was very surprised and grateful to see, throughout the week, how the voices and views of my peers and I were deeply valued by this group of global changemakers.
I always understood that the future of our world will soon be in the hands of my generation. Recognizing the power we will soon have, I also understood people’s choices to invest in our education and wellbeing. I didn’t, however, fully realize the magnitude of the impact that people my age can have right now. But time and time again, I heard from the adults at the Compact about the power that young people have in our world and how important it is that we purposefully use it to help others.
This week empowered us and positioned us to be ready to do that. I was inspired and learned more about the global humanitarian landscape through speakers and engaging discussions. I learned more about my strengths and problem solving skills from exercises and assessments. One of the most impactful moment of my week was at Tuesday’s event where the Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action’s report, Igniting Hope was introduced to the attendees.
Jemilah Mahmood of the IFRC spoke to the fact that the report of what has already been accomplished by the Compact was very impressive. She praised the important work of the signatories and partners who helped with the comprehensive report that highlighted that work. She commented on how awesome it was that the event was significant enough to fill a room at the United Nations. I agreed with everything she said and was humbled to be in a room full of people who had done so much amazing work. But she didn’t stop there. Ms. Mahmood went on to say that despite all the great things that had been accomplished, it was definitely not enough. If the work stopped there, she challenged us, the Compact would be rendered meaningless. The work has just begun and my peers and I are being implored to help move it forward. It was inspiring to hear how big and bold her dreams for for the world are and it further ignited my dreams as well!
I am so grateful to GOODdler for inviting me and investing in me and am determined to do all I can to provide a good return to the world on their investment!
