Lead Where You Are Called: The Responsibility of Young People in a Country Ripe for Change

Next week, I will be making a presentation to the Capital Hill Rotaract Club here in DC. They are a spinoff group of the traditional Rotary Club for young professionals involved in the work of social change here and internationally. I’m excited that they contacted me to speak to their group because I’ve been just dying to talk about the importance of young people getting involved in nonprofit leadership right here in the nation’s capital. And yesterday I was struck by a recent comment on the Stanford Social Innovation Review Blog, a strong call to action for each of us to do something to change our world:

I think we, specially in America now, need to take responsibility: How are we going to solve the problems we created for ourselves. Why are we living in a society that does not represent who we are? What am I going to do today about it, what’s the smartest thing I can do?

Young people in America have seen so many failures of our society to take care of our most vulnerable citizens, of our democracy to represent the values of the American people, of our corporations not exercising the appropriate responsibility for their actions. We are still living in a country where children go to bed hungry, where millions of people can’t even go to the doctor because they don’t have health insurance, where we are fighting a war on drugs with no end in sight.

When I was born in 1982, the crack epidemic was just beginning to hit my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio and I lost many of my family members who got caught up in it and couldn’t get out. So I saw that growing up. But we’ve all grown up hearing about all of these problems, many of us volunteering to be a part of the solution, tutoring kids in afterschool programs to help them get a better education, or feeding our homeless neighbors at the local soup kitchen. But now, here in 2008, all the young people who grew up witnessing social problems are, in fact, all grown up and we want to do something real to make this country a better place.

In a January 24 Chronicle of Philanthropy op-ed, “A New Generation, a New Commitment to Change,” Robert Egger said,

“…our country has invested trillions of dollars in the right fight, with the best intentions, but in the wrong strategy. In 2008, as we reflect on this generation’s genuine efforts, and we look toward this year’s presidential election, it is time to begin anew, to honor amazing advances and acknowledge deeply rooted flaws, and then rededicate ourselves to repositioning nonprofit organizations as an undeniable force in a new American century.

The simple truth — my generation of baby boomers missed its shot at the proverbial brass ring. We dropped it 40 years ago on the muddy field of Resurrection City. But another ring is coming around. Our job, the boomers’ great destiny, is to be brave enough to let go of the past and open our heads and our hearts to a changing world, and then to hoist the next generation onto our shoulders, so that this time around, it doesn’t pass our country by.”

There’s no doubt that young people today have just as much passion as the boomers who came before us, blazing paths through an avalanche of social problems around the country. And now we’re in different place, a different era, where we’re facing the kind of real challenges in our country once again where we need courageous leadership to step in. So now as young professionals, we need to be asking ourselves, what’s the smartest thing we can do?

We live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, but y’all know we’re in it up to our eyeballs with societal woes. And the worst part is that instead of making systemic change, most of us working, volunteering, interning in the nonprofit sector are overly skilled in knowing where to put the band-aid and avoiding the bigger issues that prompted the need for a band-aid in the first place.

So first and foremost, do not be a band-aid. If you want to see some real change in your community, don’t just volunteer once a month at your local soup kitchen or afterschool program. Be a voice and advocate in your neighborhood to recruit others to volunteer with you, or write letters to your city/county council about improving the school system so the need for afterschool tutoring isn’t so critical. Be the head of the PTA down the street. You say you care about global warming? Quit your day job and work at an environmental nonprofit that could use your skills. Join the board of a grassroots group that advocates for this work. Better yet, be the chair of a board that matches your passion. Don’t just donate a few bucks a year to your local food bank, encourage your friends to give as well. Want to see a Democrat elected President in 2008? Phone bank for Obama or Hillary. Don’t just join the committee; be the chair. Every social cause needs somebody to take responsibility for it. Let that somebody be you.

We’ve all got time to do something to save the world. So, whatever your cause is, lead where you are called. To solve the issues we’re facing, to really be a part of this country’s solution, we’ve gotta take it one step further than what we’re doing today. Take your passion and turn it into action for a cause that desperately needs it. America is ready and ripe for change. All we need now is your commitment.

Smile. Shine. Emerge. The world is waiting for you.

Photo by Thiru Murugan

Full disclosure: Robert Egger is the President of D.C. Central Kitchen, where I am a member of the Board of Directors. His work is why I got involved, and I will continue to co-sign whenever he writes brilliantly about what we can do to change this world.

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