“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote greeted Worcester Tech’s National Honor Society students as we walked into the large conference room at UNUM, along with the excited chatter of other students. A massive collaboration was underway on November 8th: students from Worcester Tech, Doherty, South High, North High, Blackstone Valley, Notre Dame Academy, Saint Peter Marian and several other schools gathered in the UNUM building in downtown Worcester for the 9th Annual Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance Youth Against Homelessness “Visions of Change” Youth Summit.
The summit promotes students to take an active role in building a healthy community through education and positive action. Opening speeches by Superintendent Binienda, representatives from the Central Mass Housing Alliance, UNUM, Hanover Insurance Group, and District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr., paved the way for the Keynote speaker, Liz Murray.
The presentation for today: “Life Takes on the Meaning you Give It” by Liz Murray, the author of the powerful, life-changing book Breaking Night, and the subject of the Emmy-nominated original film Homeless to Harvard. Her memoir depicts the graphic and sometimes unsettling story of Murray’s upbringing in the Bronx, New York with her siblings and highly drug-addicted parents. What was so incredible about Murray’s storytelling is that she was by no means looking for pity, no, this was by no means a sob story. This was a story of survival and overcoming.
In her youth, Murray authoritatively decided there was more the world had to offer her than her current living conditions. Although becoming homeless and admitting to making some poor choices in the process, Murray described it was these choices that she would make day by day that would cause her to grow exponentially, not only as a person and with coping with her childhood trauma, but academically as well. Murray admitted she was never an exemplary student, often cutting class or entire days, even weeks altogether. It was her choices that drove her to go back to school as a full-time student and complete four years of high school education in just two. In this hardcore hustle, she applied for a scholarship with the New York Times, and being its recipient, also earned herself a place in perhaps the most prestigious university in the world: Harvard University.
It was Murray’s change of choices, she emphasized to all the engrossed Worcester students in the room at UNUM, that made her who she is today. Murray also stressed the importance of advocacy groups, not only to eradicate homelessness like she experienced, but to advocate for the “coming together” of communities to uplift others.
Building off of her final remarks, all groups of students were assigned various situations to brainstorm potential solutions to issues such as homelessness, abusive relationships, hunger, and citizenship. Members of various advocacy groups in Worcester shared their input and inspiration. Students then presented their interpretations of each of their situations and their recommendations for advocacy through writing and speaking to the crowd gathered. Students proposed solutions such as food pantries, clothing drives, community potlucks, referring distressed neighbors to local nonprofits, voting in local elections, and proposing bills to Congress to create a change.
Next, local artists from Pow! Wow! Worcester were introduced as students’ minds were buzzing about how to make positive change in our community. These artists spoke about their belief that there is potential in not only every student, but also in all forms of craft materials, to make a positive impact. We were provided with a plethora of different art supplies: buttons, cotton balls, plastic gears, tissue paper and magazines. The task at hand was to decorate a provided board with the stencil “We are 20% of the population. We are 100% of the future,” a quote from DA Early. Students hustled and bustled about, not only incorporating, but blending, and falling in love with one another’s creative sides: painting, gluing, and drawing all together in a strangely systematic fashion. At all times, the board was being beautified by at least four hands. Through these visual pieces, we hope to inspire other Worcester youth, and adults, to advocate for positive changes in our community.
As youth, we are only 20% of the population. Is that disproportionate to the other 80% of the population? Yes. Is it impossible to make a difference? No. It is up to us to make meaningful, deliberate choices, that will benefit us as a whole later in life, as Liz Murray did. We need to “be the change we wish to see” to lead fulfilling lives and overall improve conditions in communities; both in the physical sense, such as through eliminating hunger and homelessness, and in the human touch sense of restoring morality.
We are the leaders of our own future.