Looking for a little bit of inspiration?
Hope for the future?
A reminder that our children have all of the answers?
Check out Ryan's story at
http://www.ryanswell.ca/Ryan learnt about the water crisis at school at the age of six. With that child-like belief that anything is possible, he set about proving that this belief is fact.
I met Ryan a year ago, at a Global Issues Network Conference in Bangkok. A seemingly regular High School student who has achieved remarkable things over the past decade.
He told us his story in a straightforward, matter-of-fact way that left us utterly inspired (and feeling a little foolish- why haven't I pursued an idea like this? Imagine if we all acted on these thoughts....)
Ryan's well foundation started off in his grade 1 class when, after being told that many children in the world had no access to clean water, Ryan decided that raising money for these children would probably be a good idea. So, it took 4 months of odd jobs and chores for him to raise his first 70 dollars.
Ryan was a lucky six year old because he spoke to adults who actually listened to him. The purity of his desire, coupled with a child's idealism and persistence ensured individual investors and some corporate support of his fund raising project.
Since that initial 70 dollars, Ryan has managed to provide clean water for thousands of children in developing nations.
"A total of
546 water and sanitation projects in
16 countries bringing clean water and sanitation services to over
663,901 people" (
www.ryanswell.ca) to be precise.
What can we adults learn from Ryan's story?
Listen to 6 year olds. Empower them. And collaborate with them to realize their solutions.
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