A thought I have been ruminating on as of recent is the idea of youth or youthfulness. I turned 29 about two weeks ago and reflecting on my own youth has caused me to contemplate youthfulness much more. In addition to my turning of age, I also recently watched Straight Out of Compton. Did you know that Ice Cube was 17 years old? He was a 17 year old that spear-headed a movement in the music industry! The oldest person in the N.W.A. ensemble was Easy-E and he was 23 years old!

As I continue on this journey we call life, I am discovering more and more how powerful it is to be young. Although, the irony is that this realization is coming to me as I grow older.

Being young is a gift and opportunity. So, this piece is age specific, as I want to speak to those of us who are still youth-filled.

NOW IS OUR TIME. We are the movers of the current time, reality, and culture that we live in. And as the nature of youth is fleeting, we only have a season. Because though we may be young now, we will become old, molded by "what should be", boundaries, or habit.

Thus, this state of youthfulness that we possess now, we must seize! It is the very nature of youth to be “crazy”, forthcoming, or outgoing. Being young permits us to challenge the status quo, make our own paths, because no path has been laid out in front of us. Youthfulness invites far more imagination, the world is our oyster! So, let us take advantage of the youth we currently possess! What dreams do you have welling within you, what change do you want to bring to the world? Our time is now! We are the change makers, so what change do we want to bring, what impact do we want to make?

As youth, that is our gifting and almost role in this journey we call life. So, this piece is a youth manifesto! What do you want to do? What change do you want to make? The time is now. We are the future, we are laying the paths for the future world. So, let us make it a beautiful and better one! This is your call to action!