Unleashing the Global Changemaker in Me by Keziah Gerosano

“Be the change you want to see in the world” -Mahatma Gandhi

It is a part of our human nature that we want to make a change and impact the lives of others as it gives us a reason and a purpose to live. However, it is a long and arduous journey because it requires grit, passion, hard work, humility, empathy, and patience. Nonetheless, it requires both skills and values to succeed. The Global Changemakers mentorship program was a twelve-week program that strengthened my leadership values as a young Filipino woman.

Growing up, my parents instilled in me various values such as honesty, humility, and charity. These were the core values that made up my existence as a person. The whole program is divided into 4 parts and the first week was about “Knowing Yourself”. Here, Kathia, my mentor, and I discussed my self-defining memories, my story, my values, and my legacy. Having this conversation with my mentor was like a personal retreat. Also, I learned about the importance of our values in our leadership roles and how it makes us a unique and effective leader. Furthermore, when taking on leadership roles, individuals are faced with various obstacles where it is easy to get off track. Therefore, it is important to have a strong set of core values that set behaviors and transcend specific situations.

Unlike the other mentorship programs, the Global Changemakers Mentorship Program is unique because of its emphasis on one’s unique set of core values. It not only allowed me to reflect on what type of leader I want to be but also which types of relationships, ambitions, and goals I want to have. Having a strong foundation of values unleashed the Global Changemaker in me as I was able to connect my values to the impact that I want to make.

Global Changemakers has an unshakeable mission of supporting youth to create positive change in their communities. A global pioneer in supporting youth-led development, they have trained youth from over 180 countries and provided grants to over 360 youth-led projects, which have had a combined impact on over 6,2 million people.  www.global-changemakers.net

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article belong to the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or Global Changemakers.