The Emerging Leaders Award
In partnership with the Global Leadership Summit, World Vision has embarked on a project to highlight the positive contributions of young people in developing communities across the world.
How do you feel when you consider the condition of the world in 2024? With wars, famine, corruption and soon, I would not be surprised in the least if you felt uneasy, disheartened or even cynical. Yet, one of the surprising headlines regarding the emerging generation found in a recent research report is that 59% of global teenagers feel optimistic that they personally can make a positive difference in the world and more than three-quarters of teens (78%) say they are motivated to do something about unfair or undeserved treatment of people in society. It should come as no surprise that the emerging generation is motivated by issues of social justice and they are confident (87%) that as a generation, they can make an impact.
However, only one in four (76%) teens say they trust today’s leaders whilst 60% are unsure or sceptical whether they themselves could be a leader. Perhaps this scepticism is a result of poorly modelled leadership in public sectors of society. Whether it is on the platform of a church or in the halls of government, our young people need aspirational examples of leadership if they are to build trust in leaders and subsequently see themselves as one.
In partnership with the Global Leadership Summit, World Vision has embarked on a project to highlight the positive contributions of young people in developing communities across the world. It’s called the Emerging Leaders Award and our hope is to inspire young people in the UK with stories from around the world to address issues of injustice in their communities by taking leadership wherever they can. This past GLS season, we invited delegates to put forward young leaders for a UK specific award, which can localise this aspiration even further. When the 2024 GLS season begins, we will aim to present this award to a remarkable young person but there is still time to nominate someone. If you know of a young person in your world who is making a positive contribution to their community, we invite you to sign up to this link. World Vision will be touch to discuss further.
Simon Gibbes
World Vision UK
