Ok, now we have to get serious.

(This is a longer note. I suggest you first browse the webpage and come back here later)

This is Eric, imagine us having this conversation in a small circle of dedicated teachers. You have my full attention. Please give me yours, let’s lock eyes.

I assume that you have an idea of the groundbreaking Youth Leadership phenomenon, of ordinary kids and teens changing lives, laws and industries at unprecedented scale, signalling that we – especially at schools – can nurture an entire generation empowered to live as changemakers, able citizens co-creating a peaceful, thriving and sustainable civilization, at local and global level, simply by giving space for student-club-powered, project-oriented activities on global issues, as is already happening at twelve thousand schools with tremendously positive benefits for learning culture … by having flipped through “This Young Generation” booklet or “The Essentials of Youth Leadership” under the menu tab “Youth Leadership”.

If you haven’t please do. If you are already aware of how awesome teens are today and that we now want to “conspire”, work together for making this happen at every school on Earth, including yours … let’s get started, to make sure we share a specific, fundamental understanding that is the basis for everything concerning “your students without fear and doubt living their love and care for people and planet”.

This topic now is earnest, because this is about the future of youth leadership at your school, about achieving or failing to empower the students to become the Change generation, of making your school a better place, a true haven to be.

Earnest, because anybody joining a young changemaker team, a high impact student club, giving their most precious – TIME, spirit, creativity – people spending their spare time studying positive news, boosting petitions, planing projects, giving presentations in class, running exhibits, spending entire week-ends on fundraising, organizing youth eco film festivals, ending harassment etc – are taking this very serious.

They are connected to their passion, their hope, their virtues of LIVING justice, love, good knowledge etc FOR REAL.

It is a profound commitment we all like to wish for teens, to not be superficial and detached … and we may not be used to seeing it, to LIVING IT WITH THEM. Hence, here is a little reminder, since

• especially as teacher, we are in a position
• of emotional detachment – don’t get angry, etc
• of being stressed out – but staying a giver
• of being on top of the situation – not in it

BUT HERE WE HAVE TO BE IN THE SITUATION

• authentic, caring, our heart showing up!

It’s not for everybody, but obviously, not all teachers are aware of the priority of making their students able active citizens, on fire to empower them for actions shaping their lives and world. The fact that you are reading this means you are one of them. Not an info robot, but an educator, that which world champion Finland’s Matti Meri calls A GOOD TEACHER.

Still, I have to remind you that we are dealing with something NEW, UNUSUAL, SPECIAL here, and it involves

• feelings – this makes all the difference!
• Why? Because everybody knows the harsh facts, but hardly anyone acts
• Our teen heroInes do, because they have felt the pain of a broken world
• The difference is intangible, in spirit, in inspiration, in “spirit transfer”
• That’s what the heroIne videos, the heroIne role models do
• And then, this spirit flame is ablaze in your students’ hearts

NOW in that moment : do the right thing:

• to empower them to keep that fire up as TEAM
• to gently support cultivating that flame in SUBJECTS
• because you would hurt their HEARTS
• because their HEARTS are now open! for a moment
• and this moment can pass, can be crushed
• closing the hearts again, forever
• SO DON’T MESS THIS UP!

I am looking serious at you, now I’m smiling. See, it is super important for us to achieve, to get through this narrow door.

This very moment – First Times Are Magic – is an entirely new test for you to qualify for 21st century school. You need not teach them youth leadership. You only have to get this very tipping point moment right. Then, once they have passed this point, to feeling and living their passion – it’s a smooth roll! Then – let them do their things, while weaving role model solution stories into your practice as you please.

Youth leadership is not a common, factual, information-based matter. It inspires. It has spirit. This makes the difference in intrinsic motivation. It involves care, empathy! Feelings. Authenticity. Lived values. Lived cardinal virtues. It requires the pertaining atmosphere and conversation.

Like Craig’s experience, this empathy involves affirming a broken world, feeling its pain resonate in one’s heart, the pain of children, trees, whales, populations, our own dreams, species, future generations. It opens our hearts. It is a sensitive moment, intimate, at the heart of our being. It is what differs “awakened, enlightened” (set alight) changemakers from ordinary passive people.

When students’ hearts open, eyes shine with genuine care, hope, vision and excitement … but teachers do not give it pertaining priority for people, planet, students’ lives and skills for tackling challenges, teachers not only act as worst possible “role model” of inhabitants of an unsustainable society, creating a gulf between the youth (who know what’s good) and adults (embodied by the teacher, or by indifferent adult presenters, parents) … or making this gulf visible … but it can even quench and suffocate the flame that opened in students’ hearts. And, betrayed, disappointed, they will not open up with enthusiasm again. Because the teacher / adult proved that they are not serious. Not profound. Do not really care.

If this appears exaggerated to you, it is important that you listen to me. I have the experience.

The enthusiasm in youth leadership, felt by millions of teens, setting records in changing lives, laws and industries, is driven by inspiration. Spirit. It is unknown to most, maybe or probably to you, or you would not be studying this. I any case, you haven’t mastered it yet, and the world needs you to. I know the essentials of youth leadership, the energies at work in young people’s hearts – what sets them alight, connects them with their core values to a point of feeling their dreams and mission and committing to giving their lifetime with courage … for people and planet. Scoring all the greatest medals and awards our societies have to offer. It is what the world needs.

You also appreciate this phenomenon of youth leadership. It has been beyond your skill. But now the flint is in your hands. So listen what science goes with it.

To-date

• you lacked the videos and stories for inspiring youth.
• you lacked the tools to equip inspired students to LIVE youth leadership.
  That’s okay, you are a teacher, not trainer or leader.
• you lacked the partner to back inspired youth, as sports and music clubs support your gifted athletes and musicians

Now

• you have the tools to inspire them; the “balls”, the “music”
• you have an outer school partner, … YL, its heroInes and global community of citizen chapters and partner organizations
• a year-round flow of “balls, music, events, courts, tournaments”… Change Generation Rising
• and local and regional partners that “young changemaker teams” will connect with

What’s needed is that

• you encourage youth to found their required structure
• a student club / after school club
• with the same that us teachers grant to gifted athletes, arts and musical talents:
• time, space, opportunity and on-demand support for practicing their skills
• and performing their skills for the benefit of the school community
• also performing in public space, uplifting the greater community
• and making headlines
• making you proud like your music, arts and sports champions
• boosting the school’s profile
• uplifting learning culture

Hence

• use the media
• BE READY TO RESPOND TO STUDENTS’ ENTHUSIASM
• by expressing your personal care, empathy, passion, support
• by building the bridge to long-term, student-organized action
• expressing this spirit “I love youth leadership, I hope for your generation to be able to become the change generation. I understand that you need to be able to live this at schools, as this is the only place where you can all come together and have supportive tools. I know this is new for our schools, but it was new to the thousands of schools that have already started on it. I know this cannot be carried by teachers, but only by youth. Teachers’ role is to give genuine, benevolent support, and integrating young changemakers’ contributions in class, projects, learning and school culture. I HAVE TO RETURN TO SUBJECT TEACHING, but IF YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUTH LEADERSHIP AT Y/OUR SCHOOL, you have access to the necessary tools and community with Youth-Leader. All you need to do is study their materials, campaigns, tools and use them here in our community and region. If you feel inspired by what you’ve seen in the videos and stories, in your exchange today, and things that you have kept inside, for yourself, and wish to start on that project adventure, I will support you in founding a student club, YL Team. You can then see, step by step how it goes, and we have good reason to believe that if kids and youth teams in twelve thousand schools are able to do that, you will be able to do the same.”
• and encouraging your students to spread the spirit to the entire school by enabling to others the same experience they just went through – “discovering youth leadership”.

The best way to do so is a 1st Session on “The Essentials of Youth Leadership”, followed by student-powered actions.

Your best way to prepare is to go through that very presentation in our online seminar, with feedback forms for reflection and report cards to share with us. It’s a wonderful, highly entertaining training giving you a wonderful view of the world, and an incredible “advantage of knowledge, insights and stories to share” – at school, with friends, in conversations on the bus…

Thank you for caring.

Now let’s do this. Never before in human history have teachers been so important. As Craig says : “You are our young generation’s most important ally”, because you decide whether you inform our young generation of their opportunity to change all the ills into good, and you permit them to LIVE it. It’s a big deal. It is the big responsibility we all have to share as an adult generation, as teachers in particular. It is actually the purpose of schooling. I have gathered all the tools and support for you to live it.

Take the online seminar as your personal immersion and training, to prepare for the 1st Session and you’ll evolve the feeling, stories, passion, understanding for successfully navigating that first great moment for your students.

Rewards will come in abundance.

May we all do our part well.

Eric Schneider

YL Founder

• inspire a group to make youth leadership part of their life – using the Presentation Kit
• reach 100’s – by spreading digital media on social media, and newsletters of companies and NGOs
• reach 1000’s – by distributing our media to your district’s schools, cafes and waiting rooms
• organize an exhibit on young heroInes at school, libraries, events, building community and impact – using the Pop-Up Exhibit
• do a fundraiser, exhibit or presentation at school or work – for instant support of teen heroInes around the planet
• enable a group to design massive campaigns and projects – following the footsteps of wildly successful youth, using the Project & Campaign Roadmap

and lots more

 

• establish a partnership with a school
• mobilize friends, family, community to do act together
• found vegan clubs at schools, like Chloe at age 14
• create a viral video on yukky food ingredients, like Coral at age 7
• learn change generation music, inspiring peers for action, like Xiuhtezcatl at age 13
• organize a book drive scoring 1,000 books for kids in need, like Emma and Julia at age 13
• make water a human right, keep it public and ban bottled water in your city – like Robyn at age 13
• make $100-1,000 simply by selling cake, cookies and lemonade, or $2,000 a day – like Lulu at age 12
• establish a grease-recycling venture making $1,000-5,000 a month, taking a weekly walk – like Cassandra at age 10
• launch a campaign for ending the hurtful palm oil industry, like Madi and Rhiannon at age 12
• create backyard habitats for frogs, toads and butterflies, like Avalon at age 9
• create a school or vertical garden, like Alicia at age 6

and lots more.

Then … there’s the adult changemakers to work with, shaping history. Yes, epic.