Mary Beth Sabbagh, parent of a New Global Citizen Team Leader

After the first year of New Global Citizens inception, I remember hearing a student from the local high school talk about their experience working on their project and his words stuck in my mind.  He said, “This is the first time we felt our voices were heard and that people realized our opinions were worth listening to. We realized teenagers can make a difference.” 

My daughter started a team at her school in 2009 and the experience for my daughter has been incredible in two ways.  One, she focused on world concerns and how different the needs can be depending on your gender, geography, and your country’s economic priorities. Two, she established leadership skills by developing a team at her junior high school and educating the team, not only on what New Global Citizens was all about, but also the sponsor projects throughout the world. My daughter is rather shy, but she was committed to helping. And to see her “break out of her shell” in order to make a difference, was inspiring. I am not sure she would have had that chance, if it were not for New Global Citizens. 

When I was growing up, a word commonly used to describe teenagers was 'apathetic'.  Thanks to the internet, news media, and the advancement of technology, teenagers in the 21st century are more culturally aware advocates and activists.  They can and do make a difference and in doing so, brighten all of our futures through being involved with programs like New Global Citizens.

-Mary Beth Sabbagh