Be a leader today! Don't wait for tomorrow!

Hello. My name is Hyomi Carty, and I would like to share with you a wonderful experience that I had over the summer. I serve as a youth volunteer for the Cheshire Coalition For Tobacco-free Communities in Keene, N.H., along with my friend Molly Yarus. Last May, we received a phone call from Kate McNally, who excitedly told us that we would be able to take part in the National Youth Summit hosted by our nation's capital! It was a spectacular event, and teens from all over the U.S. gathered together to participate in it. We met kids from Utah, California, Florida, and even Hawaii! Kate, Molly and I attended many interesting workshops and were graced by the presence of several prominent figures including first lady, Laura Bush, Alma Powell, co-founder of America's Promise and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt. We heard testimonies and speeches given by motivational speakers and others, as well as upbeat music from a group of young singers!

Although none of the participants had known each other at first, the common bond that had drawn us all together in the first place was the desire to serve and positively effect our communities. During the three-day period in Washington, D.C., I learned many things about community service and how to start up a project in my town, and felt inspired to do more for the youth in Keene. Actually, the three of us were already on our own type of mission, apart from appreciatively taking in all that this workshop had to offer. We wanted to know what people in other states thought about tobacco and smoking, and got the chance to interview quite a few of them on that topic. We received varied responses in terms of percentages, brands of cigarettes, policies, etc., and listened to heartwarming testimonies. Overall, I benefited greatly from attending the Summit, and especially was strengthened in my belief that a young person can have an enormous amount of positive impact on a town, county, or even a nation if they have enough drive and motivation to do so. Every single child has the potential to effect change and establish themselves as leaders, and it is the responsibility of all people to help this new generation produce these kind of individuals. The important message that was sent out to all the National Youth Summit participants still rings out loud and clear in my mind; "Do not be the leaders of tomorrow, but be the leaders of TODAY", and I hope that I can assist in allowing that message to resonate throughout the entire world. Us kids can do so much more than we think we can, and it's essential for us to make that discovery through starting that process of change and improvement. Thank you very much.

-Hyomi, Keene High School Student &

Volunteer for the Tobacco Coalition in Keene

 

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