Spending Saturday Morning with the Cool Kids!

“You will probably never be on the front page of the newspaper.”

These were among the first words I shared with a group of 40+ teenagers and their advisers last Saturday morning as the first minutes of the day-long CLeW Community Leadership Workshop) event ticked away.

Why were they even there?

Someone in their lives saw something pretty cool in them. These are high school freshmen, and this event is a one-day introduction to leadership and community involvement, created by the HOBY (Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership) program.

So why won’t they be gracing the front page anytime soon?

I was in the media for 10 years, and I know who winds up on the front page…bad people.

These young people are rock stars.

They intentionally invested their Saturday to join together in the name of community leadership and ‘giving back’.

This is my 4th year as a volunteer speaker for the HOBY program.

Each time I am part of an event, my mind gets blown.

I am truly inspired by how much they care.

For all the trash people talk about how ‘this’ generation is lazy, misguided, unmotivated and unappreciative (doesn’t EVERY generation say that about the next one?), I know better.

Is there any evidence of these negative traits out there? Sure there are, but you could say that about any age group.

I recently celebrated my 47th birthday. Do I know some 47-year-olds who are lazy, misguided, unmotivated and unappreciative?

Hell yes, I do.

It all comes down to what beliefs we hold strongest in our hearts and souls, the role models we choose, and the actions we take in response to the path we wish to travel…and these teens have chosen a positive, powerful one.

During my presentation (“Attitude, Action, Traction”) I shared the photo of a 9-year-old girl from the area who made a decision that she wanted to help the homeless. She gathered and distributed personal care items to the homeless with help from her family.

Unknown to me, one of the organizers of Saturday’s event (my very awesome friend Courtney) had already LOADED a conference room table with hundreds of personal care items which they would be assembling that day!

What is the key to MY success in life?

I continue to intentionally surround myself with cool, positive people who intentionally make a difference in this world.

THANK YOU to the HOBY-NH program and to all those who attended last Saturday’s CLeW event! I was honored to be asked to be there with you.

I don’t care what anyone else says…YOU ARE THE COOL KIDS!

We may never make the front page of the paper, but we are making a difference.

And that is all we need to do.

To all who are readingthis article: I don’t care how many candles are on your cake, YOU can be one of the Cool Kids, if you wish to be.

How can YOU make a difference this week?

About Steve Gamlin