How to be the change you want to see in the world- An Editors Note

Tonight at the dinner table ask your kids: “If you could change anything about our world, what would you change? ” And yes “changing broccoli to taste like french fries” is an acceptable and brilliant answer.

This is what we would say to the kids.

With a whole new year just ahead of you, it may be hard to make yourself take a moment to reflect on the one that has already passed.

But looking back on your experiences and decisions can provide clarity that will help shape your perspective as you move forward.

Ask some questions.

What changes would you like to work towards in your own life? What changes would you want to see out in the world? Is there anything you can do to help make those changes happen?

Gitanjali Rao was only 11 years old when she heard about the people of Flint, Michigan being poisoned by the tap water in their own homes. She wanted to help change that.

And she did.

In the process, she won the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” and became the nations darling little changemaker.

Melissa Christina Marquez wants to change the way people think about sharks, so she has become a champion for their conservation and fights to break down common stereotypes around these magnificent creatures.

And she gets to swim with the sharks!

Ada Lovelace; a woman who was so brilliant and who shattered every stereotype in the mid-1800s to emerge as a role model we still talk about today. She created the first algorithm that helped make computers a reality and changed what humans are capable of achieving.

Read all these inspirational stories of change in the January issue of Smore.

By sharing these stories you help your children to care more about the issues we face today and be inspired to bring the change they want to see in the world. In their own unique way.

They may even figure out how to make broccoli taste like french fries and put an end to parent-child dinner conflicts forever.

And that is awesome!