“We have to develop today the leaders for tomorrow,” said President Jahjaga of Kosovo during the USAID Frontiers In Development forum opening plenary entitled Development, Democracy, and Global Security in the 21stCentury. This statement resonated with the delegation of young people from across the globe participating in the event.
Administrator Raj Shah speaking with youth that attended the Frontiers in Development Conference at Georgetown University last week. Photo Credit: MCN
These students comprised young African innovators, Delegates from the G8 & G20 Youth Summit, young activists with Americans for Informed Democracy, youth leaders like Alex Wirth, Georgetown University students, and our team from The Millennium Campus Network. And while our backgrounds and interests differed, President Jahjaga’s message was clear to all of us: we’re up next.
President Jahjaga was not the only leader who mentioned the next generation; the power of young people was a theme that permeated the entire conference, mentioned by everyone from President Mary Robinson to actress and philanthropist Mandy Moore. It was hard to ignore the realization that the questions, discussions, and debates regarding global development will soon be our responsibility. But the inspirational leaders we heard from were done with excuses; they were setting an agenda for immediate change. In this way, the message of the Frontiers in Development forum was optimistic, which was encouraging, given the multitude of challenges we face moving into the future.
It was optimistic because of its pragmatism: it was a call to action, not only for the leaders, philanthropists, and professionals who spoke, but also for us. As Administrator Shah explained, “Development is changing; it’s evolving. It’s improving.” And we as young people are ready to take that message in stride and continue this progression. We learned that we do not need to necessarily have a profession in global development to care. We do not have to be the president of a nation to create change. We can be the CEO of a bank, or an actor, or a professor. We can be a student. As long as we remain engaged in the discussion, be part of setting the agenda, and be passionate and unrelenting in our perseverance, we will open the new frontier in development.
We young people are ready to take that message in stride and continue this progression. We learned that we do not need to be development experts to care. We do not have to be the president of a nation to create change. We can be the CEO of a bank, or an actor, or a professor or even a student.
As long as we remain engaged in the discussion, be part of setting the agenda, and be passionate and unrelenting in our perseverance, we will open the new frontier in development.
Alex Kloos is the Director of the Global Generation Awards at The Millennium Campus Network MCN and a student at Boston College, 2014
