When you are faced with a challenge – you see a mountain of difficulty and hard work in front of you – run towards it. Do not look away or hide. Pay no mind to whether it seems impossible. Simply, chase the challenge.
Over the past year and a half, I’ve been able to better understand what it means to be challenged. I first became Youth Coordinator in a time of transition and great opportunity. The GLF was entering a new five-year phase while the Youth in Landscapes Initiative was working out the details of a formal partnership.
It is difficult to maintain the energy, legitimacy and core values of an organic youth movement while building partnerships but thanks to the YIL leadership and Steering Committee – YIL has grown in record numbers. This all-inclusive initiative, created by youth for youth, has shaken the coconut in Rome, crafted a restoration community in Nairobi and challenged landscape leaders in Bonn.
As I step away from the role of Youth Coordinator and into the GLF Knowledge and Learning team, I want to reflect on our incredible power.
We – the collective youth community – create magic together. Whether it’s online discussions, new friendships or workshops, these opportunities create magic and new knowledge for positive change. I hope that we never forget our responsibility. That we must take decisive action towards the dreams that scare us the most. We don’t have the luxury of making friends with fear or hesitancy. Our time is short.
This month, I encourage us to embrace the challenges we face in our life head on. And when you feel you have accomplished a challenge, take some time to celebrate, and then…begin chasing the next.
Always yours,
Salina Abraham