Youth and leadership creating possibilities

I was inspired by my brother's topic for his oration. So this is what I wrote.

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It was the great Dr. Jose Rizal who said that the future is in the hands of the youth. Why did he say this? Because he believed that the new generation, whose minds are still full of idealism with hope running in their veins, were the agents of change. A change for the better. A change that could lead to a better future.

What does it mean to be a youth? Who are these people whose minds are impressionable yet full of ideas for a better tomorrow? They are us. They are the teenagers who go to school, they are the young professionals who strive to carve out a career, they are the people who are on their way to adulthood. We are being moulded but we can also mould.

How can the youth embrace leadership so that we will become responsible adults preparing the way for the new generation of youth? Leadership is foremost not just being the head of a team or a captain or a leader. The greatest leader was Jesus Christ. But He never wanted to be the head of the table, He was foremost a servant. To be a great leader, you need to be a great servant. It is in the spirit of service and love for others that we create possibilities of leadership that is not self-seeking but self-giving. When a leader gives of himself, he creates a world that is not selfish and looks out for the good of others. He does not seek fame or glory for himself. He fears God and seeks to be like Him, humble yet willing to stand up for the oppressed, to stand up for what is right. He is a servant-leader.

We the youth can believe that even in our short years of existence, we can make a difference. One person can make a difference. The great leaders believed that they could and they did. It didn’t matter the great sacrifice it would entail. Jesus died on the cross to save our lives. He created the possibility of living a life without sin where repentance was an option and death of the spirit could be averted.

In our young age, we can make mistakes but we can learn from them and we can learn from the mistakes of the past so we don’t repeat history’s tragedies. We all have a choice. Do you want to be a mediocre youth floating along with no sense of direction? Or do you want to be an agent of change paving the way for a better future? It’s your choice.

Our lives are intertwined and whatever one does, it creates a ripple effect. So what kind of ripple effect do you want to impart to the world? Do you want to be a source of sorrow or joy? Do you want to be a giver or a taker or both? Do you want to love or to hate?

The possibilities are endless. You just have to make the right choice! As the slogan says, “what better time to start than now!” Let’s create the endless possibilities of youth and leadership. Let us be the agents of change. Let us be the change that we want to see in the world.