What is your mission? If you had to answer this what would you say? It is the question Young Change Agents (YCA) challenge kids under the age of 16 with. If you have difficulty answering the question, ‘what is your mission’, imagine how these kids respond when put on the spot, challenged to not only stating a social issue they feel passionate about, then dared to present a solution to it. All within 2.5 days. That passion that may not have been previously aired now becomes an expressed mission. You be amazed what outcomes are achieved. You can see for yourself tomorrow night when the YCA Regional Pitch event is held at the CQUniversity. Six teams from local high and primary schools will present their pitches to a judging panel, with the chance of their pitch being selected to be heard by potential investors to help make their idea (solution) a reality. Okay it might not be enough reason for most to forsake watching The Bachelor, but those interested and who work in ‘community building’ it is a rare opportunity to start to see and be a part of a shift in power where community members, in this case your youth, own and help produce the result, a result that will have greater impact on the social issues they pitch solutions for, because it involves the active participation of intended beneficiaries – themselves. I deliberately chose these words as they form part of an invitation to attend a ‘Communities Leading Change’ master class being held this Friday. With a presenter of the caliber of Paul Schmitz, recognised as one of America’s most influential non-profit leaders, I expect, and hope, that the master class will be well attended and has lasting impact. Be good if many of these attendees started the master class a night earlier and come along to the YCA regional pitch. The interest and encouragement will rub off onto the students, but the insights gained could prove beneficial for those in the audience.
The Inaugural Young Change Agents (YCA) Regional Pitch Rockhampton event is on at the CQUniversity 6pm this Thursday night (September 6). To register your attendance visit: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/young-change-agents-regional-pitch-rockhampton-tickets-48575110463
P.S. The invitation to Fridays master class professes, “yet we don’t do this well”. That is ‘community building’ projects don’t often achieve lasting impact because they don’t effectively include the active participation of intended beneficiaries. I assume that it is Paul Schmitz feeling that ‘we don’t do this well’. Be great that for the brief time he is in Rockhampton that when he leaves he feels Rockhampton could be a place that could do it well.