Title
DARING ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE WORLD
As I was growing up, I always questioned why things were
a certain way; why there were wars, diseases, famines, nuclear
weapons and endless suffering. I had a veritable litany
of questions pertaining to the state of the tumultuous world
that we live in. It appears to be constantly shrouded with
a menacing cloud of dissent and abhorrence. Yet, I still
believed that the spirit of humanity exists in each and
every one of us. And somehow, I believe that there will
come a time when disaster will be eradicated, and eternal
bliss and tranquility will reign. I still hold this doctrine
close to my heart and will continue to do so for as long
as I live.
The reason for my entering this competition is simple. I
want to tell people that my dream to make the world a better
place is neither juvenile nor wishful thinking. I want to
change people’s perceptions and make them see that
dreams can be realized. I want people to know that if each
of us believes and holds on to this glimmer of hope, we
can create a blanket of protection, relief and rescue for
the innocent and the suffering. Most importantly, I want
to tell people that dreams are sufficiently tenable if we
take that first step and choose to believe. Humanity is
capable of great things and if we want to change something,
we have to first believe that we can do so.
I believe that the youth have a big part to play in this
effort to change the world as we are the ones courageous
enough to believe that the world can be changed. We are
not threatened by the immense magnitude of dreams that we
harbor. Moreover, we do not see these dreams as burdens
or as immeasurable ideals; instead we see them as reality,
as something to be realized, to be achieved and to be cherished.
Contrary to conventionalist ideology, the word ‘youth’
is not designated to a specific period of one’s life.
It is a valve above age and unconnected with it. It is a
state of mind, a state of wanting and daring to believe
in the possibility to restore, rejuvenate and revolutionize.
Youth is an infinity that is unbounded by the laws of age.
If truth be told, there are quintessentially more youth
around than that which demographic figures propose. Together,
as one collective entity, we can propel changes and inspire
movements to better the world. Hence, I had taken on the
immediate task of rallying like-minded futurists and selfless
volunteers to take with me on my quest.
During my term break last year, I was searching for information
on the Internet pertaining to the ruthless recruitment of
child soldiers in countries distraught with war, strife
and terrorism. I had learnt and read about the atrocities
that these children face and I wanted to do something to
put an end to it. Hence, my focus was riveted on finding
ways to alleviate the appalling conditions that these children
live with. I scanned the World Wide Web and retrieved valuable
information and statistics with reference to the Convention
on Children’s Rights. I was inundated with a mass of
information as I meandered through a complex labyrinth in
virtual space. Several doors opened at once, anticipating
my chivalrous entrance and sworn allegiance. All I had to
do was take that bold first step. And I did.
In May 2000, the United Nations called for a global ban
on the use of child soldiers through the Optional Protocol
to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. “The
protocol establishes 18 as the minimum age for conscription,
forced recruitment, or participation in armed conflict”
(Maryknoll, 2002). To date, 117 countries have signed, but
only 88 have ratified this Protocol (UNICEF, 2005). I had
initially sought to write a petition lobbying for a sanction
of the Protocol. However, I realized that signing or writing
petitions would not suffice. Nevertheless, I had to do something
to get the people’s attention and alert them to the
abysmal state that confronts these children.
I decided to register as the National Ambassador for the
Global Campaign for Education (GCE). I had learnt of this
campaign through my research on what was being done by non-profit
organizations like Oxfam and UNICEF to help the underprivileged
children. The GCE is an annual event founded in 1999 that
brings together major NGOs and teachers' unions in over
150 countries around the world. It is one of the eight Millennium
Development Goals aimed towards eradicating world poverty.
Together with my family and a group of fellow comrades and
avid supporters, we will be spearheading a movement called
“Edu-Art” in conjunction with the Global Campaign
for Education. It will be Singapore's inaugural and international
effort championed by youth for youth.
The objective of the campaign is to foster greater public
awareness and understanding of the need to fight for the
rights to education for all children, women, and disadvantaged
sections of society in countries like Bangladesh, the Philippines,
India, and so on. For 125 million children and 880 million
adults, that right is being violated everyday (GCE, 2004).
Education is vital so that these people will be cognizant
of their constitutional rights. This way, they would not
be easily deceived, exploited and manipulated. Therefore,
we have to do all that is possible to help them attain these
rights. We have to help them so that they can help themselves.
It is important that we all understand and abide by the
adage, “Be realistic and demand the impossible”.
We cannot allow the world to become engulfed in a cloud
of darkness, desperation and despair. We should revel in
the possibility that we can change the world. Through the
GCE initiative, I hope that the youth in Singapore will
be enthused to help their international friends gain their
rights to education so that children all around the world
will be empowered with the valuable entity that is, knowledge.
Moreover, it should be made essential for all children to
attend school so that they will no longer be enslaved as
soldiers, laborers, or prostitutes.
It is important for the youth in Singapore to be conscious
of the adverse living conditions in lesser developed countries.
Many of the children from these countries toil tirelessly
from dawn to dusk in order to support their siblings because
their parents were killed in conflict. Furthermore, the
girls in some countries are coerced to become prostitutes
at a very young age. Millions of children are exploited
and made to slog laboriously for meager wage and measly
portions of food barely sufficient for subsistence. The
latest report by the GCE reveals that about 100 million
children are still out of school. The more people are made
aware of these issues, the greater the likelihood of bringing
about a positive transformation in the current state of
affairs and increasing solicitation of necessary aid.
While more should engage at the international level, this
should be complemented by local actions too, as reinforced
by the statement President, S R Nathan made at the 2nd session
of the 10th parliament. Developing civil society and active
citizenry is a definite priority and this campaign will
facilitate in garnering support and inspiring Singaporeans
to contribute towards nation building and international
aid. This campaign will also provide the impetus for local
civil bodies to exercise their civil rights and liberties
towards fostering a more caring and harmonious society.
It allows for a plurality and diversity of voices to be
amplified and advocate the need for volunteerism.
The recent call for youth to speak out and let their voices
be heard has been reiterated by several ministers of parliament.
Hence, it is apparent that the government and the people
alike are progressively acknowledging the interests, opinions
and capability of the youth. Therefore, this is an invaluable
opportunity for us to make a difference. It is a chance
for us to get involved and better understand regional and
international issues.
The onus is on us (as educators, activists and advocates)
to create a better understanding of global issues among
our youth and cultivate within them a spirit of wanting
and believing they can do something to help their friends
in other parts of the world. If each of us does our part,
we will form an intrinsically dynamic network of interconnected
elements that make up one cohesive entity capable of inducing
and enabling constructive reform. We can call for a change
in the way children are treated in other countries. We can
lobby for their rights to education. We can garner support
and mobilize governments to exercise the constitution of
human rights and ratify the Optional Protocol. Naturally,
all these goals require careful planning, thorough research,
discussion and deliberation. In theory, it all sounds splendid,
but in de facto, it demands a great deal of work.
Sometimes I am daunted by the ostensibly colossal tasks
I set myself to accomplish. I feel drained and I start to
doubt if I actually have the strength and endurance to persevere.
Sometimes I just feel like giving up and withdrawing every
iota of my energies and dedication from this mission. There
were even times when I had faced great criticism, snide
remarks and condescension from skeptics. There were some
who did not have the faith that we would be able to execute
this campaign. There were naysayers who saw this as a futile
and insignificant attempt at trying to change the world.
Finally, there were those who simply did not want to believe
in the undomesticated concept of changing the world. Consequently,
the vacillation within me was further exacerbated by the
fact that some even thought that our exertion was not worth
the effort.
Despite receiving a bombardment of cynicism and negativism,
I choose to stand firm and not be easily swayed. With implacable
conviction, I will take one step at a time. Even though
I am beleaguered with a multitude of obstacles and cynics,
my faith does not wane and my hope does not falter. I have
a rapidly growing and progressively less repressible longing
to persist and strive harder in spite of the pessimism that
lurks ubiquitously around me. I have resolved to filter
out the uncorroborated criticism from the substantiated
ones, analyze and reflect on the constructive criticism
and learn from it.
I understand that one campaign may not inspire or rouse
radical changes or tremendous reforms. However, I believe
that we have to start somewhere and this is a good place
to start. I will never turn my back on my dreams and goals.
I will never bring great promise and progress to a standstill.
An inexplicable but potent force in my conscience tells
me not to give up on myself, and not to give up on others
as well.
Last month, I received an email from Mr. Michael Chiam,
the IT & Public Affairs Manager of World Vision. In
his email, he expressed his deep interest in the campaign
that we were planning. Subsequently, we met with the kind
people from World Vision and learnt more about what they
did. World Vision is a Christian relief and development
organization working for the welfare of all people, especially
children. It is currently sponsoring over 2,000,000 children
and 5,000 over projects in about 100 countries. We established
a partnership and wonderful friendship with them. The knowledge
that there are many others who share parallel interests
and visions as me keeps me buoyant and spurs me on.
I am now in the thick of preparing educational materials
to be sent out to schools to raise the level of awareness
of the situation that many underprivileged children are
in. I have several boxes of informational booklets and brochures
that have been sent by the GCE to aid in the awareness campaign.
These will be used to facilitate classroom discussion and
participation in the campaign.
This journey is something I have chosen to embark on. I
am fortunate to be able to live my dream and make it happen.
I have decided to pledge a lifetime commitment towards helping
others. In the future, when I have established a successful
career and am financially independent and secure, I would
like to adopt children from lesser developed countries.
I would also like to exhort child sponsorship and intensify
the spirit of volunteerism in everyone. I want people to
share my dream and also have dreams of their own.
This is my story; my piquant overture. I have shared my
dreams with you. Now, it’s your turn to share yours.
