Emerging Leaders Respond: Youth for Change

Reflecting on this past year as an Emerging Leader, describe what you have learned to help you continue to be a force of change after the competition of this program.

Brayden Mahoney, College Senior

This past year as an Emerging Leader has been a great experience in which I have been able to expand my knowledge of not only the United Nations’ agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, but also I have been able to hear from my peers their diverse perspectives on what is happening in the world and how we can respond. It has been a very humbling experience. To continue to be a force of change after the completion of this program, the Emerging Leaders cohort has taught us valuable skills of advocacy that we can employ in real-life situations, such as lobbying a member of Congress. The simulations in which we practiced our speaking and advocacy skills as lobbyists to a member of Congress were a great way to solidify the skills that the cohort has aimed for us to learn. Using these skills, such as public speaking, critical thinking, and thinking sustainably, I believe that I am prepared to leave this program as a better community organizer and a stronger conduit for social change in the world. I will remain grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a program with great leaders and peers.

Jordan Webb, College Senior

Anneliese Raynolds, College Junior

My time as an Emerging Leader has made me think about what I as an individual can do and how to advocate for causes I believe in. First, it was great to be exposed and have a chance to talk about the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals, as many of them address issues I care about. The advocacy training was especially helpful by introducing different ways to approach individuals or groups to advocate for a specific cause. Going forward I will keep those in mind, along with the professional development skills for public speaking, as that is something I struggle with. My time as an emerging leader has definitely been beneficial in giving me a space to practice many of the skills I will use in the future as I intend to go into public service.

Pavani Durbhakula, 10th Grade

Filip Orth, College Senior

I have certainly learned a lot. Living and thinking with conscience, trying to be active as being an advocate much more for what is right and wrong, and taking a moral duty to explain to people. Not by pushing but perhaps simply explaining in the event when I am able to positively influence someone or their perspective and of course while hearing out the other side as well. All in all, having a meaningful conversation, might have a positive impact whether on the given individual or on their immediate or indirect community.

This especially applies to rather than being a bystander at a given circumstance, trying to be proactive and educate or support as much as possible. We have gone over multiple topics: Advocacy, Leadership, Climate Action, Peacekeeping & Peacebuilding as well as other crucial themes that we went over throughout the year, hence there is a lot that could be discussed.

What certainly helped was sharing perspectives with others to understand and learn the different ideas and opinions on a given issue or topic to have a much clearer overview on a topic from multiple perspectives.

I truly enjoyed meeting frequently, beyond being connected through blog posts as well and being able to discuss the same topics, current events, solutions, and much more. It was great to be learning these themes as a community and that we have all been actively engaged, which I think helped all of us for the future to continue to be a force of change after we complete the Emerging Leaders program. There is always something to support, work on, discuss and hence active engagement is the way forward.

Sinclaire Ogof, Rising College Sophomore

It has been a long year. Every long length of time comes with ups and downs, new experiences, and change. This change is something however that does not occur overnight. It takes time, deliberation, motivation, and courage. Emerging Leaders has helped me to realize this. As someone who wants things done yesterday, taking the time to realize that change is a progression was a lot to process. While it might take time to process and occur, change is always happening around us. By participating in Emerging Leaders, I have harnessed the tools to not only invoke change but pursue it long term. I have realized that if I want something to be meaningful and impactful, it will take more time than hurryingly putting something together. It is a process and to make sure a process works, it takes time. After Emerging Leaders is over, my work does not stop. Invoking change will require hard work and determination from myself and others around me. Using what I learned from the UN goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals, I plan to work with leaders on campus to spread the word and create programs educating and understanding these goals. Places like Higher Education Institutions play a crucial role in so many people’s lives. By working with them to create ways to meet UN goals, it can encourage others to do so as well. Being a force of change is always important in programs such as Emerging Leaders. By creating and enforcing change, new ideas have room to blossom, more people can be heard, and impactful goals can occur. Without change, what are we and who will we become?

Alexios Eleftheriou, 9th Grade

Throughout the past year, I have gained a considerable amount of knowledge that will allow me to pursue change. I have gained a more global approach to policy issues, allowing me to address conflicts and crises from the perspectives of my own country, as well as the perspectives of African, Asian, European, Middle Eastern, and other American nations. Such a global approach allows me to find solutions that meet the needs of however diverse the involved countries in a policy issue are. I have also learned of the many challenges international actions face, such as the difficulties of UN peacekeeping forces. This allows me to understand the complexities of finding an effective international solution. Finally, I have learned how to be diplomatic and effective in networking and advocating for the positions I hold.

Elisa Contreras, 9th Grade

This program has given me the confidence and tools I need in order to make a change. I know how to talk to people in positions of power and convince them to work to achieve the goals I have in mind. I also know how to pull a group of advocates together so that we can work using power in numbers. Furthermore, I loved talking to people as passionate about activism as I am to bounce ideas off of them. With the guidance of the SDGs, I feel more confident to bring up issues and advocate for myself personally and the issues I care about.

Minako Furukawa, Recent College Graduate

Even though I have only been able to attend about a half of the monthly meetings because of a huge time difference after obtaining a bachelor’s degree, it was a great pleasure for me to be one of the Emerging Leaders. As an Emerging Leaders 2021 cohort, I have learned both the seriousness and difficulties of reducing inequalities all over the world, the significance of taking action for climate change, the true meaning of peacekeeping/building, and so many other topics throughout the year. I also recently think that “17 Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]” have become a buzzword at least in my country these days, but it cannot be achieved without any actions being involved by 2030. Since I could understand the power of spreading the knowledge from this program, I am willing to continue contributing meaningful initiatives and sharing these as much as possible for creating a better future.

Anjali Patel, College Graduate

I think one of the most powerful things I have learned through this program is how there are so many different approaches to advocating for the causes one cares about. I really enjoyed seeing the different submissions from other participants in the program. From artwork and poetry to videos and essays, there are a lot of ways to convey a message to a certain audience. This program has encouraged creativity while providing us with the practical tools needed in order to make progress. For example, one of the meetings had us practice giving an effective speech under a limited period of time, while another gave us the necessary components of writing a strong letter to our congressional representatives about a particular issue. This balance of creativity and practicality is what I will take with me in my future initiatives and involvement in advocacy.

Nirvaan De Silva, 6th Grade

Maryam Abdul Sattar, College Senior

Reflecting on being part of the Emerging Leaders cohort this past year, I learned that if I am at peace, and I have everything I need, does not mean that I can sit back and ride the good wave. I need to make noise and stand up for those who are struggling. Being an emerging Leader fellow awaken a sense of global citizenship in me, and helped me become more aware of my responsibilities to make the world a better place for all by advocating for the needs of those who cannot speak for themselves.

Throughout the year, we have discussed environmental issues, poverty, food insecurity, the need for equal education, and many areas of concern in our monthly meetings for which I deeply care about and am motivated to advocate for them. Advocating for marginalized and underserved populations is a core value of the social work profession that I am pursuing. Being part of this program helped me to live this core value by making me more informed about the issues people are facing around the world. I also learned that I not only be informed but also be an active part of other movements and organizations to make a bigger impact.

Learning about environmental issues has led to a better understanding of environmental racism and its prominence in San Diego. Discussing this in our meetings has prompted me to learn more about this issue in my own neighborhood and surrounding areas by joining local organizations that battle environmental injustice. I am hoping to contribute to the efforts being made by the UN in order to bring more peace and justice in the world.