Youth Workers and School Staff

If you hang out with children or are lucky enough to live with them, you know that they are phenomenal, magical, and powerful.  They are endless wells of compassion and hope…brilliance and creativity.  But sadly, our educational system can dull that shine and dim that light.  Did you ever hear about the kid who thought he could clean the ocean of human-generated garbage? People predictably dismissed and laughed at him.  That kid’s technology is now being deployed and his organization’s website suggests that “Full-scale deployment will remove 50% of the North Pacific gyre debris in 5 years.”  How much waste is that exactly?  Scientifically speaking, it’s a whole lot more than yours or my best ideas would yield. (Check it out at https://www.theoceancleanup.com/) What about the girl who decided to stay seated on the bus before Rosa Parks?  Her name was Claudette Colvin and hers was the case that many say sparked the subsequent actions that propelled the Civil Rights movement. What do these two people have in common?  Plenty.  The part that fascinates me is their willingness to do that thing no one else would do but many knew was needed. They have the ability to stand up and stick out, likely enduring some judgment, if not worse.  They are ahead of their time and are in a category of their own: troublemakers.  These brave and creative folks are who we need to celebrate and allow ourselves to