The Face of Social Change
When I got up this morning, I was thrilled to find an article about Seattle teen Jessica Markowitz on the front page of the Seattle Times. Next month, at 14 years old, Jessica is receiving the 2009 World of Children Founders Award at UNICEF in New York for creating IMPUWE, a charity that sends 22 poor girls in Rwanda to school. Over the past three years, she has raised nearly $40,000, taken several trips to rural villages there, formed a partnership with the Seattle Girls’ School, and worked this past summer teaching Rwandan kids to read in English.
I already knew of Jessica because of my work on the Board of Directors for Seattle Girls’ School, but didn’t know about the award until this morning. Excited, I went to the article online, only to have my heart sink as I started reading some of the comments people had posted on the Seattle Times website about Jessica and her work, including things like:
While I appreciate that this girl is trying to do “good,” it does seem a bit disingenuous. Just take a walk downtown Seattle sometime, one will see many, many, in need…why “travel” to “help?”
While thousand starve and go without right here in her own country, her and her family rather find a remote place in the world? I don’t get it.
This is a rich kid whose parents can afford to jet her around the world at 11 or 12 to save some poor black kids. I’d like to have parents like that:) Mommy, let’s bake cookies for poor black kids. Then I get to jet set around the world as a benefactor before actually working myself.
What I find so confusing about comments like these is why some people are criticizing Jessica Markowitz for something she has done so well—listened to her personal values, her passion, and her heart in order to have a positive impact on an issue that connected with her?
What Jessica’s critics aren’t getting is that her story isn’t about how much money she has or where she comes from or the scale of her impact based on her parents’ financial status. Jessica’s story is that she is a social change agent, and she is doing that in the way that she can at this point in her life.
Social change agents come in all different shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Likewise, social change agents all have their own personal story…their own personal issues they want to affect. Some might be passionate about the environment. For others, it might be poverty in the U.S or animal rights issues. For Jessica, it is children who lost their parents in the Rwandan genocide. What every social change agent has in common though, is a desire to make a difference. Of course the scale of the impact made by social change agents will vary. One might change life for thousands, while another might change life for one. But is any positive impact too small to make a difference? Absolutely not. Imagine the impact a generation of empowered teens can have on their world as they all move forward with the passion, drive, commitment, and determination to address the issues they connect with?
What are your thoughts?
Click here to read more about Jessica and IMPUWE (formerly called Richard’s Rwanda).
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Carrie Said,
October 22, 2009 @ 1:11 pm
Thank you for bringing this to our attention Deborah! We need more teens like Jessica Markowitz! It is a shame that such a positive young woman receives such negative criticism. In addition to what you shared, her critics also fail to realize our interconnectedness on this planet. What happens ‘over there’ does impact us here in the United States. We are all connected. One example being, the importance of educating girls worldwide. More discussion of this has been brought up in the media(see http://www.threecupsoftea.com) or read the new book, ‘Half the Sky’ that outlines this issue in more detail. I commend Jessica Markowitz and all of her fellow social agents and I thank you for sharing this story with all of us.
Laurie Thompson Said,
October 22, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
Deb,
Thank you so much for posting this thoughtful response. Jessica is an amazing young woman for many different reasons, and I’m a huge admirer of hers (she’s in my book!). I cannot understand why anyone would belittle her achievements. Here’s a girl who has focused her time and energy on doing good for others rather than for herself. What difference does it make if she is helping in Rwanda or Seattle? Yes, local people are in need and suffering, but at least here they have access to some basic safety nets and social programs. The suffering in Africa is greater than anything we have here. And I wonder what, if anything, has the commenter done to help those local people? Jessica is well on her way to a lifetime of changemaking. I’m so glad she won the UNICEF award, and I know most readers will be inspired and empowered by her many accomplishments, not critical of her advantages.
dreber Said,
October 22, 2009 @ 2:04 pm
Thanks for the book recommendations, Carrie. I agree Three Cups of Tea is an inspirational read, and yes, we are all connected. I’ll check out Half the Sky too!
dreber Said,
October 22, 2009 @ 2:06 pm
I couldn’t agree more, Laurie! So glad to hear you’re profiling Jessica in your book!
Amy Jussel, Shaping Youth Said,
October 23, 2009 @ 12:51 am
Rock on, Deborah! Great post! We should do a whole roundup of cool kids doing amazing things to inspire cynical no-can-do-adults and rattle ’em into perspective. (it would be a great way to start the new year?)
Lately I’ve been trying to scrape off negative naysayers like gum on the bottom of my shoe…just isn’t productive and can really ‘get in the way’ of doing good. Reminds me of that anon quote, “Pessimist: A person who says that O is the last letter of ZERO, instead of the first letter in word OPPORTUNITY” —It’s always SOMEthing with SOMEone. As you well know, when you’re trying to cut a new swath there’s always someone ready with a hatchet so I’m learning to just forge forward and toss the word ‘can’t out of my lexicon. heh. (ever the idealist, eh?)
btw, Want to connect you w/some other publishing peeps on our advisory crew that I told about your amazing work. ttys! A.