If you’ve read Social LEADia, you will recognize Joshua Williams, from Miami Beach, Florida, who founded Joshua’s Heart foundation after being impacted by the issue of homelessness and food insecurity.
The following is a Guest blog from Joshua’s Heart foundation for the #LeadYoung is Changemaker Story Challenge. It would make for a great lesson to inspire young leaders in your own class:
Josh’s story shows the power of leading young. His work is creating a culture of changemaking and a pathway to help thousands of young people know they too have the power to change their world.
How might you share Josh’s story? Show the video to a group you are involved with. Publish the written story in your school newspaper. Share it as part of a class or an assembly. Maybe a combination of a few of these ways? There are no right answers. . . As part of this pioneer group for the LeadYoung Changemaker Story Challenge, we hope you are inspired to test different ways to share LeadYoung stories.
What are the elements you can draw out when you talk about Josh’s story? Josh’s story highlights a number of key skills that are important for us all to be changemakers First, empathy. .. . Josh had an “aha” moment at 4 ½ when he realized the homeless man in front of him didn’t have what he had. He started to put himself in other people’s shoes. And because of that, he started to act. And he got others to act as well first convincing his family to help, then his friends and then many, many more. No successful changemaker acts alone. Teamwork is critical. Josh’s organization also demonstrates the kind of new leadership needed in today’s world, one where everyone leads. Josh first connects other young people and then puts them in charge of running Joshua’s Heart Foundation activities. Many end up starting their own initiatives to address other problems because they were able to exercise their changemaking muscles . This is the last element Changemaking itself –coming up with ideas and solutions to problems you deeply understand and care about.
What are tools to engage your viewers/readers? The questions at the end of the text version of the story help draw out these important skills, particularly empathy. The Challenge of the Week helps people take a step towards changemaking.
How to engage further: Here is an additional activity that you can try with a particular group of peers you are trying to engage (like in the classroom, an assembly, or after school club).
Group activity:
Joshua tells the story of a homeless man who hadn’t been asked his name in 20 years. This had a profound impact on Joshua and members of his team and tells a lot about this man’s experience. In pairs, come up with a list of some other questions you could ask this man to understand his experience even more? As you do so, discuss what some of the challenges he may be facing? Finally, discuss with your partner what are some things you might have in common with this man. If there is time, share your responses with the larger group.
Share your feedback: What worked? What didn’t? What other ideas did you come up with and try out for sharing the story and activities?