We Need to Challenge Our Youth

Mawi Asgedom's picture
Posted August 1, 2008 - 2:33pm by Mawi Asgedom

A twelve-year old Ugandan girl loses her parents to AIDS and then raises her three siblings without the help of adults.

A high school sophomore in Illinois cleans toilets and then sends the money to feed an unknown child across the globe.

An 8th grader stands up for an ostracized classmate, facing down an entire busload of attackers.

The more I work with youth, study youth development, and reflect on my own life; the more I think about the amazing feats I've seen teenagers accomplish; the more I agree with the following statement:

"We lose our youth not because we challenge them too much but because we do not challenge them enough."

When we require our teens to pull their weight at home; engage in community service; save a portion of any money they make; push themselves academically; treat others kindly; enter new environments; contribute to those who can give nothing back...

When we require our youth to set and track goals; read books over the summer; write essays over the summer; develop at least one talent every semester; eat healthy and exercise; try at least one thing they consider impossible...

When we require all these things and more, we are not hurting our youth...

... We are challenging them.  And if we don't challenge them, we will lose them.

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I agree. Keeping people

by Hulon Crayton II (not verified) - Sep 25 2008 - 3:48am

I agree. Keeping people engaged in activities, challenges and strong work ethic will certainly stimulate a go-getter attitude. I started my own company when I was 12 going door-to-door, played sports, studied hard and all that you mentioned above and that enabled me to push myself. Once a routine is started, in keeps the ball rolling. Having parents that can push their kids will undoubtedly create self-sufficient youth. Just make two cents on it.

Take care.

Hulon E. Crayton II
Premier Booking & Management Co.

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About the Blogger

Mawi Asgedom has written four books that are used in thousands of classrooms across North America and spoken to over 500,000 students and educators.  A nationally recognized youth educator, Mawi is the founder of Mental Karate, a training organization that challenges youth to create their own inspiring journeys.

As a child, Mawi fled civil war in Ethiopia and survived a Sudanese refugee camp for three years. After being resettled in The United States, Mawi overcame welfare, language barriers and personal tragedy to graduate from Harvard University.

Since 1999, Mawi has dedicated himself to uplifting America's teenagers. Mawi's bestselling memoir, Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard, has been read as a one-book, one-community reading selection by hundreds of schools and communities including the cities of Philadelphia and Green Bay.

His teen-success guides, The Code, Win the Inner Battle, and Nothing is Impossible, have also been used in thousands of classrooms. Citing the impact of his work, The Illinois Association of Teachers of English named Mawi the 2006 Illinois Author of the Year.

Mawi has hosted a yearlong teen series on PBS Chicago and many prominent media outlets have featured him including The Oprah Winfrey Show, ESSENCE (one of "The 40 Most Inspiring African-Americans"), Ebony (one of "30 Black Leaders Under 30"), Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, and Harvard Magazine.