"Glocal" at the United Nations Youth Assembly

Those who dream, will definitely achieve.  The efforts we put into chasing our goals will be recognized.  Our faith in God, and those long nights praying with so much hope in our hearts.  The taste of accomplishment, that happiness, the laughter, oh and those tears of pure joy.  Standing up for the right, and fighting for the good.  We were all born great, but at the end of the day, it is up to us to realize that greatness and use it proactively.  Nobody’s better than the other, we are made different so we can come together and join those differences together for our own good.  If we’re the same, then competing will never get us anywhere, because “team work makes the dream work” according to a great wise friend of mine.  Working hand by hand to reach the finish line will get us further and further in life.  This past week, I had the honor to be the Saudi Delegate to the United Nations Youth Assembly, and this is the story of how this week transformed my whole life.

I arrived to New Jersey early in the morning, tired and weary.  I carried my suit bags and pulled my suitcase with so much hope for what was about to come.  I had no expectations what so ever, for I wanted life to surprise me, and I simply wanted to live for my present.  I arrived to Fairleigh Dickinson University, and was amazed by the number of students who were present there.  People from different countries gathered together for the good.  One generation, and one big hopeful dream.  I started meeting people and shaking hands with a huge smile on my face.  Every person talked about why he/she was there, and the atmosphere was so positive and full of our dreams and ideas.  Suddenly, a girl who was about to take a huge part of this trip approached me and commented on my hijab (headscarf).  I was very surprised to know that someone knew that word in Arabic, so we basically started talking! 

That was Abigail Leonard, an amazing girl from Carmel, Indiana.  Abby taught me a lot over the course of the past ten days.  She left a fingerprint wherever she went, and she made sure to introduce herself to everyone and talk to EVERYBODY.  She taught us all the power of a strong story with her passion and love.  She was the youngest among all of us, yet she was still the “mom” of the group who took care of everyone.  Abigail is a high school senior who is ready to change the word with the power of her words and the dedication which she puts into work.  She stays active in her community, but she made it clear at the UN Youth Assembly that she was there to represent not only Carmel, but also all of the United States of America.  She is the greatest example of a loyal, hardworking, and passionate citizen of this country.  Abigail Leonard is the true American Dream.

We worked together with a group of eight other members on a Social Venture that could benefit our different countries and the whole world.  Our group had an amazing diverse group of thinkers and dreamers.  Our ages and backgrounds varied, but our goal was clear; we wanted to affect the world positively with this project.  Our group had people from Egypt, Seychelles, the Philippines, Australia, India, and Kurdistan. Then there was us, from the United States of America and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Together, we came up with the idea of creating an online platform which aims to mentor youth from all over the world in their field of interest.  We won second place, and we are getting ready to start our program soon, because the world needs every new idea that can spring some positive change. We wanted our project to be “glocal”, global vision with local action. 

One of our group members, Annarose from Seychelles, wanted to spread positive thinking around the globe, because that was the biggest factor which made it possible for her to attend the UN Youth Assembly.

Annarose recently received her Law Degree in International Law.  She has been active with AIESEC and other organizations on her campus back home.  She has so much passion to making the world a better place starting with benefiting the people of her country.  Her drive, hope, and positive thinking made us all value her presence, and appreciate her efforts.  Annarose is the first ever representative of her country at the UN Youth Assembly, and she worked to raise thousands of dollars over the period of two months to be able to attend the event.  She introduced us to a great culture through her actions and eloquent words.  She was a dreamer, but today, she is a successful achiever.

We arrived to New York City with hearts full of gratitude, and we were ready to continue turning our visions into action.  As that bus transported all of us to New York City, each person carried different thoughts and expectations of what was about to come.  I looked around, and I sensed nothing but hope and gratitude.  We arrived to Pace University, and immediately, I was amazed by the number of people getting ready to attend to Youth Assembly the next day.  Wherever I looked, I would see someone shaking a hand, or greeting others with a smile.  The cultures which united us in that place were a true reminder to all of us, youth, that the future really does depend on us.  But again, we are the leaders of today, and we are already taking action and making a difference for our future.

We arrived to the United Nations Headquarters, and the General Assembly Hall was too majestic to be real with 1,000 Youth Delegates from 85 different countries.  We took our seats and remembered the reason why we were there.    Abby Leonard was sitting on my right, and together we knew that that was our time to truly start making that change we wanted to see in the world.  The two of us were there from two different countries, cultures, and faiths.  Yet somehow, our passion for making a positive change in this world brought us together as great friends.  We held each other’s hands and prayed thanking God for that amazing opportunity.  One of my favorite writers, Paulo Coelho, once said 

“Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers. But first they have to understand that their neighbor is, in the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same questions.” 

Abigail and I promised each other that we would keep on working for a tomorrow that is better than today.  We know that our generation is capable of doing so much, and we want to be part of that change.  Together, we went to sessions, shared ideas, and proposed solutions.  We made sure that we get the speakers’ contact information so we can start partnering with them for our initiatives back home.  We believed that our differences didn’t push us apart, yet they pulled us together.  Our differences made us stronger not only as friends, but also as change makers.  This is exactly what the United Nations Youth Assembly is all about; to build connections for change. 

Dreams do come true.  On the last day of the Assembly, I was one of the five people chosen for the Outstanding Youth Delegate Award.  Abby Leonard won it too, and she was in fact the youngest between the five of us.  We went on stage, and looked at all of our peers cheering and clapping for us.  Right there, on the stage where major decisions which changed history took place.  But we were standing there because our time has come to be part of that change.  

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” -Marianne Williamson.

Our present is the future we dreamed of in the past.  We lived every second of the Youth Assembly with love and happiness.  We gained so much knowledge to invest into our projects.  We got one step closer to influencing the world positively and changing it for the better.  And those valuable friendships we made shall be cherished forever. As we settle back into our daily lives, we can’t help ourselves but remember everything about the UN Youth Assembly.  We are going to be committed to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and we will keep each other accountable on implementing them effectively. The future has so much for us, but so does the present.  As Ban Ki-Moon said, our generation is the first one that can end world hunger, and the last one that could stop Climate Change.  We are the leaders of today, and we will work together as “glocal” citizen of this planet to do more and better.