Little Steps in a Big World

When I’m writing, whether it be for a blog, journaling or an assignment, I never know where or how to start… often I look for some profound insight or great story to tell but so often lately I’ve felt that I’m lacking inspiration or a great story to tell as I go about my day to day life. I’m sure that come September when I head off to Vietnam to teach English (Yay!), I’ll have a whole new world of inspiration to draw upon and that really excites me, but something I’ve been reminded of in the last week is that you really don’t have to go half way round the world to have a profound experiences and insights, or to have a meaningful impact on the world around you.

Not too long ago I spent some time at the beautiful YMCA Yarramundi Camp with about thirty (ish) fellow YPWB trailblazers experiencing a whirlwind week of new insights, new perspectives and new people as we participated in a pre-departure camp. As the week started and I got on a plane I had no idea what to expect; I didn’t know anyone and had only a basic outline of the week’s activities… I had no idea that by the end of the week I would have thirty inspirational new friends and an entirely new perspective of what I might get out of this experience and more importantly what I might be able to contribute through this experience.

Over the week we participated in many workshops designed to challenge our perspectives and expectations and even some that pushed many of us well outside our comfort zones (high ropes= so much fun but kinda scary!) but since I have come home I have realised that the session that had the most profound impact for me was when we were asked to consider our motivations for joining the YPWB movement. The answers to this question were mostly along the lines of wanting to make a difference, change the world, have an adventure and better understand the world around us. More or less we all wanted to do something big to make the world a better place… But what does making a difference actually look like? Is a having a big impact the only way to have a valuable impact? How do we even define what a big impact looks like?

Have you ever stopped to consider who has made the biggest difference or had a meaningful impact in your life and how? Can you think of a time when you made a difference in someone else’s life? We were asked to share the answer to these questions … and guess what? None of the answers were big, life changing, or grandiose actions; Letting someone know that they are valued, teaching a kid a new skill like throwing a ball, reading with a younger sibling or even simply having coffee with a friend who is having a tough time - these are the moments that can often have the most profound impact in someone’s life.

On some level I’ve always known that a moment doesn’t have to be big to be meaningful, in fact some of the most impactful people in my life have been those who simply taught me a skill that grew into a passion, or had the time to listen and offered a shoulder for me to cry on, but somewhere along the road I had forgotten. For me it is so easy to get caught up in the ‘largess’ of an experience like volunteering overseas, to be determined that somehow (no matter how ridiculous the statement sounds) you are going to ‘change the world’. However at the end of the day I’m not feeding the hungry, building a house for the homeless or contributing to world peace- I’m not ‘changing’ the world in a fantastical or grandiose way and that is actually okay. If I go to Vietnam and all I am able to achieve is that I make one student feel more confident in their abilities and let them know that they are valued then that will be enough for me. I may not have changed the whole world but maybe I might have changed that particular student’s world in some small way.

Despite saying at the start of this entry that I couldn’t come up with an inspirational quote or creative story to contribute, as I was writing I remembered one of my favourite quotes which I feel really encompasses what the Young People Without Borders movement is all about, and for me personally it is becoming more and more meaningful every day:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has"- Margaret Mead

Making a difference starts with one person- if you can make one person’s day just a little bit better then who knows how big the follow on effect of your relatively small contribution might be?


Photos: Yarramundi Campground and 'Team Vietnam


Check out the Young People Without Borders Movement and how you can get involved at 'http://ypwb.org.au/