"You Can Change the World" High School Essay Contest Finalists

We Are The Future
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” His quote epitomizes a philosophy that today’s youth should emanate. We are the future. Adults have repeated this rhetoric, but has it really sunk in? Our generation holds the key to tomorrow; its use is at our disposal. Shouldn’t we involve ourselves in our communities so that when tomorrow arrives, we are confident that it satisfies our expectations? Aren’t our voices important enough to be heard? Of course the answer to both of these questions is an emphatic “YES!” To say that we are only teenagers, that persons of higher authority should deal with the problems of our community is indolent and shameful. We are young, thus possessing greater energy and potential for innovation than our predecessors. Therefore, the question is not why we should be involved, but how? How can I, as a passionate teenager, promote social involvement amongst my peers?

The answer lies in the simple nature of my youth. I relate to my peers socially, therefore, my age group can identify with my ideas and interests. If a fellow teenager explains the severe effects of global warming using colloquiums to his or her peers, it would be more easily appreciated than the lecture of an environmental scholar. However, I am not asserting that adolescents are superficial and must be indoctrinated to pursue community issues. I simply believe that informed teenagers should relate knowledge to their peers, so that other teens could uncover the importance of social involvement through a friendly and familiar source.

How can I stress the value of social activism among my peers? This question is answered by the wise words of Gersham Bulkeley, who once said, “Actions are more significant than words.” It is human nature to voice our grievances against society. For example, we are allowed to passionately speak out against our city’s train system if it results in our tardiness to school. However, we cannot remain inactive while we sermonize our peers about the declining quality of our community. If we severely dislike something in our society, we must use that passion to fuel action. Only when our ideas breed accomplishments, can we call ourselves social activists; and only then can we inspire our peers to follow our example.

I try to exemplify this feeling, and Bulkeley’s philosophy in my endeavors with the community. Action against global warming is a cause that I have personally pursued in my community. Over the past year, I have protested the heavy use of heating oil on Staten Island, and advocated the use of natural gas, a significantly cheaper and more eco-friendly alternative. How did I gather the support of my “indifferent” and “ne’er-do-well” peers? I started by researching global warming and heating fuels, only to proceed when I had collected enough background information to support my cause. I used this research to draw in members for an awareness team in my school. We posted fliers, conducted information sessions during the lunch periods, and gathered support of teachers who discussed our research with their students. As our membership grew, we became known as the “global warming kids”, and this is exactly what we wanted. We exemplified the cause that we were fighting for, and that left the most significant impression on our peers. Our total embodiment motivated a large number of our schoolmates to participate in a demonstration outside of the Staten Island shopping mall, where our hard work finally paid off. A group of high school teenagers successfully informed their community about the disastrous environmental effects of heating oil.

Like my story, there are thousands of other stories being written each day. If I could motivate my schoolmates to become involved in an issue as seemingly unrelated to them as heating fuels, the sky is the limit for teens that wish to advocate issues of their interest. We are living in a world plagued by the most severe economic and environmental crises in modern history, so it is about time that our voices be heard. As Gandhi asserted, the innovative ideas of the youth are imperative for community advancement. The motivation to transform these ideas into action comes from the people that really, truly fight for their causes. When we witness this sincere passion, it becomes infectious. Putting our ideas and inspirations into action is the first step towards social activism. However, the transformation of ideas into practice cannot be achieved without the involvement of our peers, because together we are the future.
—Sneha Banerjee
Staten Island, NY

Q is for Quest
My favorite writer, Thomas Friedman refers to my generation as Generation Q, for quiet. If I were to label my generation with a “Q”, I would call us Generation Quest, because I believe that my age group is on a groundbreaking social activism journey. I am proud of this name because the journey is as great as the destination.

Judaism has 613 commandments, not 10. Stated in Leviticus 19:16, “Do not stand idly by while your neighbor’s blood is being spilled.” The demand of this obligation is indubitably overwhelming. The first time I learned about this commandment in Talmud class, I pictured myself as the third party in a CSI murder scene. I have since realized that it is important to discover a cause that is worthy to you. If you are passionate, social action doesn’t take much money. Inspiring social activism originates with zeal and the ability to capture another’s interest.

I am committed to social justice. I recently had the opportunity to see my fervor come full circle in a short time, with little money and lots of energy. In 2007, I spent the summer in the small town of Szarvas, Hungary in the world’s largest international Jewish leadership summer camp. It was there that I met 40 kids from the small village of Sderot, bordering on Gaza. Prior to attending Szarvas, I am ashamed to admit that I was unaware of the terror situation that has been occurring for seven years. As I talked to my friends from the small village, it was impossible not to look at their scars from Quassam rockets. When I returned home, I knew I could not stand idle. It is not difficult to encourage your friends when you have so much fire about a cause. I came back to Manhattan and I questioned my friends about Sderot. I was astonished that one of my friends thought the word was a fashion company and another asked if Sderot was the name of a rock band. Propelled by my friends’ thoughts, I started the Save Sderot Club at my high school.

Social activism is not a personal endeavor but also a means to better serve society and humanity. To raise awareness, I went to an Israeli jewelry designer and had a pendant designed. A portion of the proceeds went to an organization that brought children out of bomb shelters and into a summer camp on the outskirts of Jerusalem. We, teenagers today, are tech-savvy. My generation should not be berated for our extraneous use of the Internet. Instead, Generation Quest is able to use the Internet to bridge communities across the world.

Thomas Friedman may have referred to us as Generation Quiet, because a mouse and a keyboard are not necessarily loud noisemakers, but do not be fooled—Generation Quest is screaming on the Internet. Our generation remains a hotbed of social activism, working towards ending genocide in Darfur, eliminating global hunger, eradicating homelessness or continuing to fight against racism, all with the touch of a click.
—Sydney Rae Appelbaum
New York, NY