Today, I was deeply heartened and inspired to spend time with 26 extraordinary youth at our Mukti Ashram in Delhi. They have traveled from 11 countries to take part in the first ever Satyarthi Summer School on global compassion. It was the first time so many youth leaders from all over the world have come together with the deep drive and commitment to build a more compassionate, just, peaceful, and sustainable world. Their motivation is contagious.
This reaffirms my trust and confidence in the power of youth. Time and again, I have witnessed this power during the movements I have launched, including the Global March against Child Labour and the 100 Million campaign.
Mukti Ashram is a place where thousands of rescued children took the first steps from the darkness of slavery to the light of freedom, from despair to hope, from exploitation to education. And these youths, aspirants for change, are here today to begin a one-month immersive program where they will reimagine life and leadership through compassion.
During our interactive session, the youths asked questions that reflected their intellectual curiosity and moral clarity. One participant asked, “How should we deal with oppressors?” I said that compassion does not mean sparing the oppressor. On the contrary, we must hold them accountable. But we should not waste time and resources fighting oppressors through hate or revenge. We have to dismantle the systems responsible for creating oppressors and perpetuating oppression through transformative compassion.
Another youth asked about the essence of compassionate leadership. I said, “A compassionate leader is one who is the voice of the voiceless, the face of the faceless, an advocate for the most marginalized in society. A true leader speaks the language of the sufferer, becomes one with them in solving their problems, and does not pretend to be a savior. Leadership is not about how many followers one has, but how many leaders they have created.”
The Satyarthi Summer School, a program of the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion, marks the beginning of a new chapter in our collective journey, one founded on justice, equality, peace, and sustainability. It is part of our initiatives to build compassionate communities and circles across the world, beginning with youth.
Observing this youth cohort, I can say with confidence that the global younger generation will not passively accept persistent hatred, violence, conflict, warfare, dehumanization, and oppression. They actively seek transformative change and are prepared to spearhead it. They embody the revolutionary spirit and exemplify compassion. We must respect their dynamism, influence, determination, aspirations, and leadership potential.
Today, I was deeply heartened and inspired to spend time with 26 extraordinary youth at our Mukti Ashram in Delhi. They have traveled from 11 countries to take part in the first ever Satyarthi Summer School on global compassion. It was the first time so many youth leaders from all over the world have come together with the deep drive and commitment to build a more compassionate, just, peaceful, and sustainable world. Their motivation is contagious.
This reaffirms my trust and confidence in the power of youth. Time and again, I have witnessed this power during the movements I have launched, including the Global March against Child Labour and the 100 Million campaign.
Mukti Ashram is a place where thousands of rescued children took the first steps from the darkness of slavery to the light of freedom, from despair to hope, from exploitation to education. And these youths, aspirants for change, are here today to begin a one-month immersive program where they will reimagine life and leadership through compassion.
During our interactive session, the youths asked questions that reflected their intellectual curiosity and moral clarity. One participant asked, “How should we deal with oppressors?” I said that compassion does not mean sparing the oppressor. On the contrary, we must hold them accountable. But we should not waste time and resources fighting oppressors through hate or revenge. We have to dismantle the systems responsible for creating oppressors and perpetuating oppression through transformative compassion.
Another youth asked about the essence of compassionate leadership. I said, “A compassionate leader is one who is the voice of the voiceless, the face of the faceless, an advocate for the most marginalized in society. A true leader speaks the language of the sufferer, becomes one with them in solving their problems, and does not pretend to be a savior. Leadership is not about how many followers one has, but how many leaders they have created.”
The Satyarthi Summer School, a program of the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion, marks the beginning of a new chapter in our collective journey, one founded on justice, equality, peace, and sustainability. It is part of our initiatives to build compassionate communities and circles across the world, beginning with youth.
Observing this youth cohort, I can say with confidence that the global younger generation will not passively accept persistent hatred, violence, conflict, warfare, dehumanization, and oppression. They actively seek transformative change and are prepared to spearhead it. They embody the revolutionary spirit and exemplify compassion. We must respect their dynamism, influence, determination, aspirations, and leadership potential.