Green Schools National Conference + The Youth Summit

It's been a crazy week. Somehow I managed to only go to school one day of it.

Tuesday night I arrived back home after making a trip to the "Silver City" or Minneapolis. I was there for the First Annual Green Schools National Conference. The Conference included a segment entitled the Youth Summit, a chance for high school students from across the state and nation to come together for a pow-wow of sorts and inspire each other.

As a part of the National Leadership Team, we planned and facilitated parts of the Youth Summit. Beyond and more importantly than that, however, we became a team. After some ridiculously brief amount of time, I and the 20 or so others became friends. I felt safe with them, and we bounced off each other's ideas in a way that made us much more than we could've been individually. And it was so refreshing! It was so incredibly comforting and inspiring and awesome to know that there are others like me -- other teenagers who value facing the tremendous problems ahead of us. Not only can we face these issues together, but we do it with enthusiasm, creativity, and boldness that enlivens my spirit even after a full day's work.

This wasn't exclusive to the leadership team. Because the Youth Summit was so interactive, we got to hear from leaders all over the state and country. They, too, had incredible input and ideas and goals. I felt that we were part of something larger than ourselves and the group -- we are part of a movement of youth that can and will change the world. As Siiri said in her speech to the general conference, "Just try to stop us." Because you can't. Nothing will stop us.

Admittedly, amidst all this inspiration and hope I was also discouraged. We didn't reach everyone in the Youth Summit. The main workshop, the Waking Up Experience, requires strength and patience and empathy. It's hard to feel all of that when surrounded by over 100 other high school students, especially when you already know some of them. Given, that may not be true for everyone, but there were enough snickers and uncomfortable glances that I was upset that people couldn't take it more seriously. The problems presented in Wake Up -- the incredible social injustices, the overwhelming failures of the generations before us -- are not easy to recognize. It's overwhelming, and it'd be much easier to replace the shades of the modern world. It would be easier to continue life in slumber, but we can't do that anymore. Because we have been educated on what must change, we are now accountable to creating that change. And while that responsibility is daunting, it is also empowering: it is possible.

When my plane landed in the XNA runway, I realized that I didn't want to be here. My friends, now halfway across the country, were the only ones who could appreciate the intensity of the previous few days. I was exhausted, and my exhilaration became self-pity. Here I am in Fayetteville, AR, and I feel like I'm reinventing the movement. I know it's not true, but I feel so empty after leaving the Silver City. The action plan I created during the Summit seems meek, lonely, and foolish. How could a weekend be simultaneously so inspiring and equally disenchanting?

If you are out there, reading this, support me, and want to be an agent of change, let me know! Leave a comment, shoot me an email, give me a call, or contact me in whatever way you choose. Being a leader isn't always easy, and we all need support now and again. I could use yours now.

All the best,
Serena