Investing in youth and planning with their welfare in mind is of benefit to everyone. The passion and energy that youth harness to change the world is unequaled. This is why, when we give youth the tools they need to be successful and empowered leaders, we secure a healthier tomorrow.

Here are a few of the ways we can support youth:

• Create educational programs that promote peace, good governance, sustainable lifestyles, reconciliation, environmental conservation, and ambassadorship
• Create self-sustaining affordable housing and green neighbourhoods
• Offer affordable, accessible, and reliable electric transit and ride sharing services
• Address climate change now
• Invest in sustainable green energy and building solutions
• Retrofit buildings with low carbon, green energy alternatives
• Institute policies for environmental protection
• Protect mature urban trees and old growth forests
• Start planting more food trees and forests and ensure their survival through proper care and maintenance
• Designate more green space and parkland
• Create accessible, affordable education for all
• Fund health and dental care services
• Promote mental health awareness and healthy, active living
• Encourage more time in nature
• Foster partnerships between youth and their community
• Celebrate diversity
• Promote gender neutrality
• Lower the voting age to 16
• Provide more rewarding employment opportunities
• Encourage entrepreneurship through a circular, renewable economy
• Create more opportunities for youth to lead their own forums and events
• Listen more and be open to exploring new possibilities

Did you know that taking on an optimistic perspective can change a person’s life? Being appreciative of the world around us enhances our immune system, brain function, and energy.

The concept of positive thinking was first popularized by Norman Vincent Peale, best-selling author of the book The Power of Positive Thinking. His quote: Change your thoughts and you change your world, remains popular to this day. Peale stressed the power of focusing on the positive things in life and making a practice of it.

Try it out for yourself. Pause for a moment and find something to appreciate. This could be one thing that worked well today. It could be a list of your blessings. It might be the regular things we take for granted, like clean clothes to put on and food to eat. Or maybe it’s one thing you did today that you are proud of?

Harness the power of the Law of Attraction, which states that we attract that which we put our time and energy towards. In other words: Focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want!

There will always be things to criticize. However, when we shift our focus to positive thinking, everything becomes much easier.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
– Margaret Mead

One of the most persuasive things we can do is to use the power of example in the way we live, work and love. Humans model themselves after each other. Don’t feel powerless to make a difference. We all have the ability to inspire others by our actions. Effective leaders don’t just talk about change; they live it. So be the change you want to see and let others know what you are doing so they can get involved too.

Finding common goals is a great place to start. The ability to inspire, engage, create and collaborate can result in magic.

Inspire – Through positive action, lead by example and lift each other up.

Engage – Get out of your comfort zone. Connect with one another. Ask questions. Become a good listener.

Create – Creativity is a powerful tool and the foundation of all things. Creation plus ingenuity begins every great project.

Collaborate – We are social beings. To remain healthy and happy, joining forces with one another helps us live longer lives.

Wouldn’t you sleep better knowing that your life’s energy went into making a lasting difference? Wise investment decisions could produce a legacy of helping the causes you most believe in.

A lot of community good can be created by planning one’s estate with community organizations and projects in mind. Having numerous benefactors in a will can lead to making a big difference in the lives of many.

For example, if you love trees, consider leaving funds for your local conservancy group to help purchase biodiverse places that deserve to be protected; or contribute to organizations that support Indigenous rights; or advocate for bears, wolves, human rights, local food, farmland, etc.

Most grassroots non-profits and charities operate with a handful of dedicated volunteers doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

They could use the support of a donation to help in a myriad of ways. New parks can be purchased and trees preserved to provide lasting value. Leave a legacy by letting your money and assets speak to your values.

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
— The Lorax

Community is one of the least tapped resources. When people come together they have even more power to create change through the power of their integrated networks than one individual.

Communities have the ability to inspire, connect, support and share. By working on common goals, building bonds of friendship, and collaborating, we can increase our experience of happiness, sense of belonging and feel more empowered.

What community could you reach out to today that you’ve always been curious about? We bet they would welcome your knowledge and have their own resources to inspire your life for the better too.

Check out the PairUp directory on CreativelyUnited.org for ideas and information about more than 170 community organizations and let us know about others so we can build community together.

“An activist is someone who cannot help but fight for something. That person is not usually motivated by a need for power, or money, or fame, but in fact driven slightly mad by some injustice, some cruelty, some unfairness – So much so that he or she is compelled by some moral engine to act to make it better.” — Eve Ensler

Through education and learning we have the ability to shine a light on that which was previously unknown to us. By educating ourselves on other cultures, societies, beliefs, environmental and political issues we can move beyond our ignorance.

Take some time to learn something new! What is it you’d like to know? Grab a pen, a notepad or keyboard and make a list of things you’d like to know more about. Try to cross off one topic from your list every week.

As North Americans, we are especially privileged to have so many resources available to empower ourselves in this way.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to improve our world. Do not think that your opinion isn’t important because it is. We need a diversity of opinions and views in order for our communities to grow and to find solutions to the problems that our society faces.

The more people that begin to share their point of view, the better. Your voice does matter and can help others too.