As a parallel project to the 8th edition of Brave Kids, Brave Youth 2017 offers former Brave Kids participants the opportunity to experience the beauty of Brave Kids one more time. In this way, we hope to give continuity to the learning process that was initiated years before. Our plan is to bring back to Poland young people who participated in the Brave Kids project as children and have now grown to become young adults who continue supporting their communities through art or in any other way and contribute to other people’s growth. Young people who are now too old for Brave Kids participation can keep the positive energy of Brave Kids and have a chance for an international experience with peers one more time. Our goal is to make a change in the lives of both Brave Kids and Brave Youth by providing them with an opportunity for cultivating discovery, personal growth, leadership, teamwork, and compassion.
We will invite 4 young people aged 18-23 from different countries to take part in Brave Youth from 17.06.2017 to 11.07.2017. We want to directly connect Brave Kids participants with Brave Youth so they can inspire each other. We believe that by sharing the example of the work that Brave Youth do in their local environment, Brave Kids will be inspired to try to do the same in the future. Brave Youth will also have the opportunity to engage in the artistic elements of Brave Kids alongside professional artistic instructors so they can increase their artistic skills. They will stay close to Brave Kids participants assisting artistic instructors as volunteers. Staying with Polish host families will allow participants of Brave Youth and local families to gain an inside look into other cultures and traditions. During the program participants will also have chance to present their work in the local communities.
Why do you want to participate in Brave Youth?
Participating in Brave Youth reminisces about the fruitful experience I had at Wroclaw in 2012. Brave Kids does not teach me how one excels and teaches the others about their greatness, but how the power of collectivity leads to perfection. During my time in Brave Kids, I was touched by the devotion of time and effort on what my fellow friends from other countries on what they love despite the hardship they had gone through. They have taught me this old-but-evergreen saying – never give up on what you love. Indeed, the philosophy of Brave Kids is not about how much you can offer, but the versatility of your willingness to listen and adapt. Perhaps the joining of the 2nd edition of Brave Youth will not only serve as a platform for me to share what I do, what I think and what I feel, but also allow me to be further inspired by the talented younger fellows, learning from them and continue to make changes for the betterment of my society.
What changes have you made in your community?
How Ethnic Minority is more aware of their presence and importance. This should not be entirely credited to me; it is a fruition contributed by a group of activists having the same motive of breaking inequality our minority group encounters in Hong Kong (and my fellow group mates of course!). Having introduced free extra tuition dedicated for Ethnic Minority, I am thrilled to see how members of the minority may have access to free tuition which benefits their studies, pushing them upward along the social hierarchy, where local has been presumably dominating the opportunity to gain tertiary education. Ultimately, though, I wish to not only inspire the teens to strive for their excellence, but also inspire, to inspire their fellows.
What makes a good leader in your opinion? And why?
Definitely the acceptability towards criticism and diversity. No one is meant to be an allrounded humanoid. As leaders, there are a lot of blind spots which are always omitted by themselves while working. Some leaders may feel offended when their members of crew point out what their problems are, but only through the learning of self-inadequacy, we become a better self. This also applies to the development of the projects leaders work on. If they are too indulged in their own world of fantasy, they will never manage to change for good.
What would be for you the ideal profession?
A teacher. Malala Yousafzai once said, “Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” has always been my source of inspiration, reminding me of how changes can be brought about through this means of transmitting knowledge and values.