Meet Maddy:
Maddy is a recent graduate of Penn State University where she studied Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management. She is passionate about community development, social justice, youth engagement and tourism, after spending nine months in South America before college. This experience challenged her beliefs and allowed her to see how communities around the world were governed, and to take part in relationships that transcended borders. She worked to create the Global Youth Engagement Program in partnership with the Club of Rome and the Penn State Sustainability Institute. She is enthusiastic about young people influencing change for their future and wants to ensure that there is a platform for ALL young people.
What don't adults understand about young people? What's the most common misconception they have about young people?
Adults often mistakenly believe that young people lack the knowledge and experience to make a difference. Even if some young people haven't had the formal education of some adults, that doesn't mean they don't face some of our world's biggest challenges. Young people are confronted with climate change, gender inequality, discrimination and much more, but they are not taken seriously or given a platform to voice their concerns.
What was the first moment of enlightenment that encouraged you to take action for the society in which you live?
During my sabbatical year in South America, I spent some time in the Intag region of Ecuador. I was able to see first-hand the effects of the mining industry not only on the environment, but also on the quality of life of the region's inhabitants. It was the first time I had the opportunity to see that environmentalism was about more than protecting trees and recycling. It became clear to me that the mining industry was deliberately silencing activists and destroying people's homes just to make a profit. I knew this wasn't an isolated incident, but was happening in communities around the world that didn't have the resources or political governance to stop it happening.
What projects are you currently working on? What challenges are you and your organization facing today?
Currently, the Global Youth Engagement Program hosts our “Listening Session” initiative. Through this initiative, our youth associates bring together groups of young people in their communities to learn about their concerns and hopes, and the skills and resources they need to address these challenges. One of the challenges we face is reaching the voices that often go unheard - those in rural communities who don't have access to the internet, and those of aboriginal people. To fully understand the issues facing young people today, we need to be able to hear ALL young people.
How would you like adults to help you with your initiative?
We'd be delighted if adults who want to help us could put us in touch with small non-profit organizations in their communities, so that we can organize these listening sessions and hear from young people in their area. Secondly, adults tend to create unnecessary barriers to entry for young people. So I encourage you to think about how you might mitigate these barriers, whether it's for young people to find a job, start a business, further their education or run in a local election. How could you create spaces that foster inclusion regardless of knowledge, experience and connections?
What advice would you give to young people who want to make a positive impact? How should they start?
Do something about it! The first step is always the hardest. You can start volunteering for a non-profit organization or a government office. You can start a garden or walk around. You can start taking classes at the local university and learn skills. There are endless things you could do, but the most important thing is that you start somewhere! Plus, you're always welcome to join the Global Youth Engagement Program - you can find out more here: https://globalyouthprogram.weebly.com/associate.html
(Photo courtesy of Maddy Mitchell, copyright: Maddy Mitchell)
