“So many creative initiatives, like Free the Children, Ryan’s Well, and Wheels to Africa, began as a result of a caring child who was agitated after learning about an injustice perpetrated somewhere in the world. Their compassionate parents didn’t tell them to forget about those thoughts or that it’s “all okay.”  Instead, they helped the children develop a plan of action, find creative avenues for service, fundraise, and even engage in policy advocacy. This way, kids felt empowered to right a wrong and not stand helplessly or anxiously on the sidelines. These successful organizations all started because of a young child who was deeply affected by a situation they learned about in the world.”

This paragraph is excerpted from Growing Up Global, page 216.  I thought of it as I read about Hugh Evans, age 29.  Evans is the co-founder of the Global Poverty Project, which is organizing a massive concert on Central Park, September 29, 2012, to call attention to extreme poverty in developing countries.  According to a New York Times profile, his passion for this cause began at age 14, so he’s had fifteen years to hone his expertise in activism.  What a great example of impact that can be made when we start at an early age!