Back home, I’m studying at university to eventually become a qualified youth worker. In Zimbabwe, I am already a youth worker. I have been gifted the chance to work with a team of young people who are incredibly passionate about international development, and I’ve been tasked with facilitating their engagement, in order to help other young people and children so that they can empower themselves. Progressio stands for people powered development and now, halfway through my placement, I’ve finally realised that this is why I am an ICS Team Leader. I want to play my part in promoting young people powered development, across the world. 

It was once quoted that young people are the last revolutionaries left in the world and I couldn’t agree with that statement more. Young people have a raw energy and desire to implement change that simply cannot be replicated at an older age. They are hungry for improvement and they’re completely fearless. They possess a natural form of innovation, and I believe that if all that is harnessed and projected towards the right projects, we really will be able to see them create lasting, tangible changes to the societies that need them most. 

Young people can eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Young people can bring about gender equality. Young people can help lower child mortality rates. Young people can ensure we see universal primary education. Young people will make sure that future generations aren’t restricted by HIV& AIDS or Malaria and other life-threatening illnesses. They will continue to improve maternal health, and I have absolutely no doubt that they will invent ways to be environmentally sustainable. We just need to be confident in them, trust them and allow them to prosper. Programmes like International Citizen Service are imperative to this, and they’re so important. We must allow them to continue if we want to meet our goals, and if we want to improve the lives of millions of people who deserve the chance to live happily, freely and humanely. We can do all of these things, but only if we allow and encourage young people to bring them about for us. So, on this upcoming International Youth Day, l say we challenge ourselves to have faith in them so that our beneficiaries, the people we work with, will reap the rewards. 

Written by ICS Team Leader Chelsie Sparks