If you want to get what everyone is getting, do what everyone is doing.

Mr. Toastmaster, ladies and gentlemen, my speech tonight is not simply about me, but also about
being different. I have chosen this topic because it is something that is very dear to me and
something I have made a personal philosophy and which I endeavor to live by.

THE WALK

I think it all started when I was 18 years old and in my first year at campus. That was about the
time that I started to observe peoples behaviour and just to think about life. I was taking a walk
with two friends and was in deep thought. They were chatting, but I was not paying attention to
what they were saying. Then suddenly I said

You know guys; I am pretty disappointed with the adult world.

One of them asked me why and I explained that when I was going to campus I expected a lot of
change and difference in the behaviour of the people around me. After all, they were adults. I
always thought being an adult was a lot different from being a kid. However I felt after being on
campus for a few months that the adult world was not what I had expected.

Everyone just seemed to behave like they were still teenagers. Nobody seemed to be
outstanding in any way. There was no distinction, as far as I could see, between the 18 year old
and the 50 year old apart from their age! Where was the wisdom and excellence I had come to
expect. There was no change!

I did not know it then, but over the years I have come to see that the reason people dont change
is simply that they do not dare to be different.

WHAT DOES BEING DIFFERENT MEAN?

Being different means:- Not being afraid to challenge the norm.- Being willing to take a chance.-
Asking why.- Making your own track, not just following the well trodden path.- Charting your own
course and destiny.- Being the person that you were meant to be.

I believe that everyone is born unique. But through the

years we work very hard to be like everyone else. We
conform to societys so-called common-sense.
Unfortunately it is just that common sense. That does not mean its good sense.

THE FOLLY OF EDUCATION.

If I were to take just the people in this room, it is likely that most of you have spent anything from
15 to 20 years getting an education so you can get the jobs you have. Doesnt it strike you as
irresponsible that one can spend so much time getting an education and yet so many people
dont make any deliberate effort to develop their greatest asset themselves!
Most people think once they have a qualification thats it. They have arrived. Is it any wonder
they dont grow? They are stagnant. Stuck at 18!

Most of us wont even read unless theres an exam in sight. But you know what? Everyday of
your life is an exam. Everyday you either pass or fail the test of life. Everyday is an opportunity to
grow beyond your present barriers and circumstances. Everyday is a chance to become a better
person.

The saddest part is most of people dont realize this. If they had to be graded at the end of their
lives you know what theyd get? D, D and more Ds. And yet they thought they were doing very
well. They let societys common sense grade them.

MY ADVICE?

If I can leave you with one piece of advice it would be this: READ

Society celebrates mediocrity so much that it does not take much to set yourself above the rest.
Doing that one thing regularly will put you way above the rest. Read books that challenge you
and that make you think.

I have decided to read at least one book every month. Im already amazed at the results.

MY FINAL WORDS

In closing Id like to say to those of you that are skeptics out there, those of you that are saying
oh, he is just drink with the omnipotence of youth. Hell get over it, and then hell be just like
everyone else.

My words to you are:

I aint going out like that. I know that I have an abundance of potential within me and I will bring it
out to fruition. Why?

BecauseIM DIFFERENT!

I am usually inclined to give a motivation speech when giving speeches at the club meetings as it
is my passion to motivate others and to try to bring out the best in people.

You should also take a look at this motivation speech titled "24 Hour to Live."
If you have an inspiring motivation speech you would like to share you can do so by filling in this
form on uplifting motivation articles
Quotes on Social Change
One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake
through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo
and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through
revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to
new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change. Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.

If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. If you have come to
because your liberation is bound up in mine, we can work together. Lilla Watson

I dont believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is vertical, so its humiliating. It

goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other and
learns from the other. I have a lot to learn from other people. Eduardo Galeano

Washing ones hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means
to side with the powerful, not to be neutral. Paulo Freire

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

If you ever think youre too small to be effective, youve never been in bed with a
mosquito! Wendy Lesko

Yo, activism, attackin the system, the blacks and latins in prison Numbers of prison
they victim lackin in the vision Sh- and all they got is rappin to listen to
Talib Kweli

Its much more than being a farmer youre out to help people and make this little
part of the world farm- able and productive, make your little street or block a better
place, make the world healthier. A youth participant in GRuB

Quotes on Democracy
The freedom and human capacities of individuals must be developed to their
maximum but individual powers must be linked to democracy in the sense that social
betterment must be the necessary consequence of individual flourishing. Henry
Giroux
Darkness cannot drive out hate; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-
range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. John F. Kennedy

Students should not only be trained to live in a democracy when they grow up; they
should have the chance to live in one today. Alfie Kohn

Any situation in which some individuals prevent others from engaging in the process
of inquiry is one of violence. The means used are not important; to alienate human
beings from their own decision-making is to change them into objects. Paulo Freire

Quotes on Education
It is because modern education is so seldom inspired by a great hope that it so
seldom achieves great results. The wish to preserve the past rather than the hope of
creating the future dominates the minds of those who control the teaching of the
young. Bertrand Russell

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? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the
world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people wont feel
insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to
make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in
everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others. Marianne Williamson, as written for Nelson
Mandela.

Education should not be the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. William
Butler Yeats

Without the voice of students, schools serve no purpose. They are nothing but
institutions where adults run and tell you what you need to know in order to continue
this tradition of, this cycle of we have masters degrees and we know whats best for
you so just shut up and deal with it. High school student, as quoted by Rubin and
Silva

We believe that to confront the challenges our communities face, people- not just
their advocates- need to define issues and develop strategies for action. [We]
foster leadership, literacy and language development among its participants and
provides them an enriching job experience that prepares them for college and for
careers in community organizing, advocacy and services delivery. Youth Action
Research Group

Students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate. Tinker v.
Des Moines

Your life, time, and brain should belong to you, not to an institution. Grace
Lwellyn

Students should not only be trained to live in a democracy when they grow up; they
should have the chance to live in one today. Alfie Kohn

Quotes on Young People

If we are to reach real peace in this world we shall have to begin with children.
Mahatma Gandhi

this is a time for bold measures. This is the country, and you are the generation.
Bono

Great changes in the destiny of mankind can be effected only in the minds of little
children. Sir Herbert Read

This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a
temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity,
of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. Robert Kennedy.

The secret message communicated to most young people today by the society
around them is that they are not needed, that the society will run itself quite nicely
until they at some distant point in the future will take over the reigns. Yet the
fact is that the society is not running itself nicely because the rest of us need all the
energy, brains, imagination and talent that young people can bring to bear down on
our difficulties. For society to attempt to solve its desperate problems without the full
participation of even very young people is imbecile. Alvin Toffler

Children, after all, are not just adults-in-the-making. They are people whose current
needs and rights and experiences must be taken seriously. Alfie Kohn

We are all creative, but by the time we are three of four years old, someone has
knocked the creativity out of us. Some people shut up the kids who start to tell
stories. Kids dance in their cribs, but someone will insist they sit still. By the time the
creative people are ten or twelve, they want to be like everyone else. Maya
Angelou

Perhaps we cannot prevent this world from being a world in which children are
tortured. But we can reduce the number of tortured children. Albert Camus

the anxiety children feel at constantly being tested, their fear of failure,
punishment, and disgrace, severely reduces their ability both to perceive and to
remember, and drives them away from the material being studied into strategies for
fooling teachers into thinking they know what they really dont know. John Holt

A century that began with children having virtually no rights is ending with children
having the most powerful legal instrument that not only recognizes but protects their
rights. Carol Bellamy on the CRC

The more we increase the active participation and partnership with young people,
the better we serve them. And the more comprehensively we work with them as
service partners, the more we increase our public value to the entire community.
Carmen Martinez

This is not class warfare, this is generational warfare. This administration and old
wealthy people have declared war on young people. That is the real war that is going
on here. And that is the war weve got to talk about. James Carville

Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home
so close and so small they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are
the world of the individual person Such are the places where every man, woman
and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination.
Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without
concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for
progress in the larger world. Eleanor Roosevelt
The young, free to act on their initiative, can lead their elders in the direction of the
unknown The children, the young, must ask the questions that we would never
think to ask, but enough trust must be re-established so that the elders will be
permitted to work with them on the answers. Margaret Mead

Quotes on Youth Involvement

Our youth are not failing the system; the system is failing our youth. Ironically, the
very youth who are being treated the worst are the young people who are going to
lead us out of this nightmare. Rachel Jackson

If you had a problem in the Black community, and you brought in a group of White
people to discuss how to solve it, almost nobody would take that panel seriously. In
fact, thered probably be a public outcry. It would be the same the for womens issues
or gay issues. But every day, in local arenas all the way to the White House, adults
sit around and decide what problems youth have and what youth need, without ever
consulting us. Jason, 17 years old, Youth Force Member, Bronx, NY

If it is clear youth will be encouraged and listened to, and preparations are well
thought out, you are set up for success Having youth on boards and commissions
has been a rewarding experience for everyone involved. Youth feel their voice is
valued and that they have an impact on city decisions. Adult members benefit from
the fresh perspective, optimism, and enthusiasm youth bring to the table. Matt
McCarte

Youth involvement has moved forward. It is no longer seen as a rebellious act, the
way it was a few decades ago. Maureen A. Sedonaen

Rather than standing or speaking for children, we need to stand with children
speaking for themselves. We dont need a political movement for children [we need
to] build environments and policies for our collective future. Sandra Meucci

Youth voice is crucial to the overall effectiveness of service- learning programs.

Youth voice has a tremendous impact on program participation and program
outcomes, both short term and long term. Education Commission of the States

We all benefit by having young people exposed to the way things are done in a
democratic society. Isnt it time to tap the power of youth?' Hans Bernard
What kind of twisted message do we send when we tell youth they are judged
mature, responsible adults when they commit murder, but silly, brainless kids when
they want to vote? Lowering the voting age is the just, fair way to set things
straight. National Youth Rights Association

Theres a radical and wonderful new idea here that all children could and
should be inventors of their own theories, critics of other peoples ideas, analyzers of
evidence, and makers of their own personal marks on the world. Its an idea with
revolutionary implications. If we take it seriously. Deborah Meier

Quotes on Adults
It used to be believed that the parent had unlimited claims on the child and rights
over him. In a truer view of the matter, we are coming to see that the rights are on the
side of the child and the duties on the side of the parent. William G. Sumner

Todays ephebiphobia is the latest installment of a history of bogus moral panics

targeting unpopular subgroups to obscure an unsettling reality: Our worst social crisis
is middle- Americans own misdirected fear. Mike Males

Quotes on Youth
I have seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving
hysterical naked Allen Ginsberg

[Did they] use your years to psyche you out youre too old to care, youre too
young to count? Indigo Girls

Dont criticize what you cant understand, your sons and your daughters are beyond
your command. Bob Dylan

Kids, I wish every mom and dad would make a speech to their teenagers and say,
Kids, be free, be whatever you are, do whatever you want to do, just as long as you
dont hurt anybody. And remember kids, I am you friend.' from the musical Hair.

we condemned them, our children, for seeking a different future. We hated them
for their flowers, for their love, and for their unmistakeable rejection of every hideous,
mistaken compromise that we had made throughout our hollow, money- bitten,
frightened, adult lives. June Jordan
Protest Slogans
Youth can be the leaders of tomorrow if we procrastinate.

Aint no power like the power of youth cos the power of youth dont stop!

If you must dream of the world you want to live in, dream out loud!

Youth are the solution not the problem! Nothing about us without us is for us.

N othing is more powerful than the power of words. Especially if the words come from
someone we admire and look up to. We meet, watch, hear many leaders every day. Some we
agree with and some we dont. But, there are those who leave a great impact on the lives of
millions of people around them, they change the fate of the country and they bring a change
which once looked like a dream.
Inspiration is a stimulating feeling that we seek to motivate us, to
continue pressing forward through hardships and to find meaning amidst
chaos. What inspires us is sometimes found in the rarest of forms. It is
sometimes in plain sight. It is often stumbled upon without intention, and
it is sometimes graciously handed to us in the form of wise words, spoken
by experienced and influential minds.

For those who are feeling aimlessly lost in the journey to find themselves,
those who are feeling stuck under the darkest clouds waiting for a ray of
sunshine and those who simply need a dose of encouragement, heed
these words of wisdom.

From some of the most gifted minds to the greatest influencers of our
generation; from currently eminent leaders to those illustrious leaders
who made a difference and left us too soon, here are some of the most
inspirational speeches of our time in chronological order.
One of the best motivational speeches - Steve Job's Stanford commencement address last year.

*********************************************************

'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar
Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the
world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college
graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three
stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for
another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student,
and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by
college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife.
Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So
my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an
unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found
out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated
from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months
later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as
Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After
six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea
how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my
parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK.
It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The
minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin
dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned
coke bottles for the 5 deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every
Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what
I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me
give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country.
Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand
calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to
take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about
varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great
typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture,
and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we
were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the
Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single
course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.
And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I
had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal
computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to
connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking
backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.
So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in
something your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and
it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents
garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in
a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest
creation the Macintosh a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How
can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought
was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But
then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did,
our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the
focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of
entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David
Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure,
and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me
I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been
rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could
have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of
being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative
periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and
fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds
first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in
the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the
technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I
have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful
tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a
brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I
did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your
work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you
believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't
found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find
it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep
looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last,
someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past
33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of
my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No"
for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me
make the big choices in life. Because almost everything all external expectations, all pride, all
fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only
what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the
trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow
your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly
showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this
was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer
than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is
doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have
the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned
up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope
down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and
got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they
viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very
rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more
decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when
death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet
death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be,
because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out
the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now,
you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite
true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma
which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions
drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and
intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is
secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was
one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from
here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's,
before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors,
and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came
along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run
its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover
of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find
yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay
Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have
always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

6 years ago

Obama speech to school children: 'You make

your own future'
The White House has released the full text of President Obama's speech to school children

Tuesday:

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama

Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia

September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone hows everybody doing today? Im here with students at Wakefield

High School in Arlington, Virginia. And weve got students tuning in from all across America,

kindergarten through twelfth grade. Im glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten,

or starting middle or high school, its your first day in a new school, so its understandable if youre

a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now,

with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade youre in, some of you are probably

wishing it were still summer, and you couldve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my

mother didnt have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she

decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasnt too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, Id fall asleep right there at the

kitchen table. But whenever Id complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and

say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But Im here today because I have

something important to discuss with you. Im here because I want to talk with you about your

education and whats expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now Ive given a lot of speeches about education. And Ive talked a lot about responsibility.

Ive talked about your teachers responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

Ive talked about your parents responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your

homework done, and dont spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

Ive talked a lot about your governments responsibility for setting high standards, supporting

teachers and principals, and turning around schools that arent working where students arent

getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents,

and the best schools in the world and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your

responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to

your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And thats what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I

want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something youre good at. Every single one of you has something to

offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. Thats the opportunity an

education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a

newspaper but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you

could be an innovator or an inventor maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone

or a new medicine or vaccine but you might not know it until you do a project for your science

class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not

know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life I guarantee that youll need an education to do

it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect,

a lawyer or a member of our military? Youre going to need a good education for every single one of

those careers. You cant drop out of school and just drop into a good job. Youve got to work for it

and train for it and learn for it.

And this isnt just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your

education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What youre learning in school

today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
Youll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure

diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our

environment. Youll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social

studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more

fair and more free. Youll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build

new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve

our most difficult problems. If you dont do that if you quit on school youre not just quitting

on yourself, youre quitting on your country.

Now I know its not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your

lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what thats like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised

by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasnt always able to give us things

the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times

when I was lonely and felt like I didnt fit in.

So I wasnt always as focused as I should have been. I did some things Im not proud of, and got in

more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law

school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story.

Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didnt have much. But they worked hard, and

she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you dont have adults in your life who give

you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and theres not

enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you dont feel safe, or have

friends who are pressuring you to do things you know arent right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life what you look like, where you come

from, how much money you have, what youve got going on at home thats no excuse for

neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. Thats no excuse for talking back to your

teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. Thats no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesnt have to determine where youll end up. No ones written your

destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

Thats what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didnt speak English when she first

started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had

gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and

is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

Im thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, whos fought brain cancer since he

was three. Hes endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so

it took him much longer hundreds of extra hours to do his schoolwork. But he never fell

behind, and hes headed to college this fall.

And then theres Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from

foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local

health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and shes on track to graduate

high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell arent any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their

lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their

education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

Thats why today, Im calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education and to do

everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your

homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe youll

decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe youll

decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they

look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn.

Maybe youll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.

And along those lines, I hope youll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you

dont feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any
hard work - that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star,

when chances are, youre not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You wont love every subject you study. You wont click

with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life

right this minute. And you wont necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

Thats OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones whove had the most

failures. JK Rowlings first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally

published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of

games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and

over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you cant let your failures define you you

have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you

get in trouble, that doesnt mean youre a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave.

If you get a bad grade, that doesnt mean youre stupid, it just means you need to spend more time

studying.

No ones born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. Youre not a

varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You dont hit every note the first time you sing a

song. Youve got to practice. Its the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math

problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand

it, or do a few drafts of a paper before its good enough to hand in.

Dont be afraid to ask questions. Dont be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every

day. Asking for help isnt a sign of weakness, its a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage

to admit when you dont know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust

a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor and ask them to help you stay on track to

meet your goals.

And even when youre struggling, even when youre discouraged, and you feel like other people

have given up on you dont ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you

give up on your country.

The story of America isnt about people who quit when things got tough. Its about people who kept

going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

Its the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution

and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression

and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat

where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we

communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, whats your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to

solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or

one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the

education you need to answer these questions. Im working hard to fix up your classrooms and get

you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But youve got to do your part too. So I

expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I

expect great things from each of you. So dont let us down dont let your family or your country

or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

The world is changing is an understatement for the world is
changing faster than ever truly sums up the plight of every
human in the fast paced moving vertigo, that the world today has
become. As a human race we have come far, farther than we
could have ever imagined, farther than we could ever have hoped
and wished for. It has been said that the history of the world is
only the history of a few great men. Likewise, todays changes in
society are akin to the growing and emerging sensibilities of the
youth. The youth today are a force to reckon with, a power which
cannot be ignored and a steady source of reminders for all of us
to understand time and again that we need change almost as fast
as we are capable of change. Today we cannot be surer of how
much the role of the youth accounts for most of the changes in
society, lifestyle, idealism and economic growth. Globally
speaking, students across borders have always played a role in
cross-country peace and negotiation. What is it that makes the
youth so important in all things important? Why is it that society
is remodelled due to the demands that the youth make?

Throughout history, young people have played an active role in

shaping major social and political advancements. Todays growing
globalization and cross-border movements create an
environment, which is increasingly diverse in terms of culture and
religion. The youths contribution to understanding the impact of
this diversity on everyday life as well as politics is now more
crucial than ever. Moreover, as they constitute the largest
segment of population in many regions, especially in India, the
role of youth in shaping their countrys response to cultural and
intellectual diversity is vital. Young men and women in India have
long enough been suppressed of having their say in matters such
as culture, tradition or governance, yet today we are witness to a
surging new wave called protestism. Indian youth today have
become more sensitive than ever and are constantly finding
opportunities to express their disappointment with impractical
norms of the country through activism and protesting. Today in
India, young people not only dream, but adhere to practical ideals
and constantly find ways to engage themselves in building a new
society replete with equality and social justice. This generation is
here to stay, here to fight and here to be heard. The media, the
government, societal institutions etc have all turned their
attention to the youth without whom they know they will bite the
dust.

Times have changed. The beliefs, ideologies and activism of the

youth have been recognized. Todays concerns of the youth are
the symbols of change and both of the lack and need of such
societal change. So what defines the spirit of Indian youth today?
There are three widely observed sociological constructs:

Acceptance Above Tolerance

As youth participating in the worlds largest democracy and

diversity of culture, we somehow have the need to empathize
with all of humanity. Humanity as it is, is an amalgamation of
cultures, beliefs, ideologies, philosophies and aspirations. Unlike
the older generation which was forced to tolerate a different herd,
we accept all as our own, we find truth in every concern and act
as voices of the oppressed, the marginalized and the outcast.
Todays generation does not seek to belong, it seeks to accept. An
all inclusive approach somehow has become the central principle
among all concerns. We not only understand the sickness of
inequality, but also make efforts to fight against it. Open
mindedness is the greatest quality required in every human
endeavour and today's youth have evinced the potency of being
open minded in their approach to life, education, learning, politics
and social concerns. Being exposed to what can best be phrased
as information explosion right from childhood, we have been
constantly fed with different opinions and subsequently gifted
with the freedom to make our own choices. In this regard, we
have somehow along the process learned to accept all people,
cultures, sexual orientations, races, religions and ideologies as
true and worthy of our approval. We move past black, white,
brown, yellow or red. We move past Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh
or Buddhist. We move past man, woman or transgender. We move
past straight, gay, bisexual or gay. We move past Indian,
Pakistani, American, Spanish or Chinese. This quality of accepting
people as they are is spreading far and wide among the educated
urban youth of India. This is a sign of tremendous good to come in
the future.

We Stand Up, Speak Up And Aim For The Stars

As young men and women of a fast-changing society, we do not

need to depend on others or the government for our voices to be
heard. We become the voices of the unheard. We become the
loudspeakers of those in silent desperation. We express whatever
we want, however we want and whenever we want, because we
have long realized that expression is one of the most empowering
acts in order to empower oneself and others as well. Our facebook
profiles, pages, tweets, blogs, YouTube channels are mirrors of
how much we see the need to express the long silenced. We
stand up for others at our own expense and recent examples for
these are the Delhi gang-rape protest, the Aam aadmi movement,
the protest against the Introduction of the Four Year Under
Graduate Course at Delhi University and the intolerance of
communalism and violence against women. The world is our
oyster and the sky is the limit for us. When it comes to making
career choices, we are not bound by expectations, stereotypes or
the past, we do what we love and choose to do what we believe
in. Success comes easy for us, although at a price. For it is not
success that we seek, but fulfilment in whatever we put our hands
on. We take risks, we dabble in a multitude of interests, we lend
our voices and our hands to everything we vehemently believe in
and we make a sure dent in the society. We intend to leave a
legacy and live by the highest ideals coupled with the most
practical measures.

We Shake The System

History shows us that generations with an exceptionally high

youth ratio create political movements that shake up their
systems and leave a profound impact on history. Between 1946
and 1964 young men and women led the charge in the civil rights
movement and the sexual revolution. In China, a major
demographic of young workers, entrepreneurs and politicians in
the past couple of decades have today made it what it is. More
recently, in the Arab Spring there is evidence of a strong
correlation between the ratio of the population under 25 and the
urge to overthrow unresponsive governments. India, apparently is
to a large extent today is being shaped by the concerns of the
youth. We are not rebels without a cause; we are rebels with
many causes. We are not content with living a life of luxury and
recognition, but possess the need to move the country to greater
and unimagined heights. We trust democracy in the hope of equal
rights and as long as we see inequality in the society, we are not
intimidated by anyone, we create equality.
Challenges Of Youth Today
Modern day youth of India lives in the most interesting phase of
the history. As the Indian economy went globalized and the
internet is already an integral part of our lives, we have fairer
chances of making it big than any of the previous generations.

The youth is considered to be the best asset of any country and

investment in the human resource promises flabbergasting
returns. However, if we are to develop the citizens for a better
nation tomorrow, we are supposed to not only develop their talent
but also recognize and counter the challenges Indian youth is
facing in present day.

Let us know have a look at these challenges that are faced by the
young brigade of mother India:

Peer Pressure

Blame it on the way Indian societies are crafted or any other

possible factor, peer pressure is one of the biggest challenges
faced by youngsters. The generation gap has widened to an
extent that the views of the people of two generations repel each
other.

The varying interest of the young adults and high expectations of

the parents and relatives mar the spirit of growth as a whole. This
acts as a check on the enthusiasm of young mind leading to
waste of the time and resource.

The elders need to understand that a little space and trust shown
in them will open the doors of the opportunities for the
youngsters. At the same time, children need to understand that
parents care. There is no harm in learning from their experiences
and the wisdom.
Drugs And Alcohol

The drugs and the alcohol are other challenges that are faced by
the young Indians. Failure, success or broken, drugs are taken as
an easy escape from the life and the struggles related to it.

Be it in the name of the success party or to overcome the failure,

drugs are seen as a mandatory component of any party. Failing in
a relationship or the end semester success parties, getting placed
in the dream company or missing the entrance by a whisker;
sadly, all the answers are searched in the lap of alcohol and weed.

Youngsters need to understand that life is not always a

rollercoaster ride. If we plot a graph of same; it is a setup of highs
and lows with steep curves. This does not mean that the body has
to be handed over to be ruined by unrequired products. In the
name of the country and their body, we need to overcome this
challenge!

Cost Of Education

Young brigade aims to conquer the world and make India a

superpower. The only way to make it happen is the education. If
we look at the institutes today, privatization has increased the
effective cost of education. Costly higher education in the private
institutes and lack of basic amenities in the government or the
government aided educational groups has proven to be a big
headache for our young people.

The government need to raise the standard of the education and

the provide all the resources for the basic learning. Apart from
this, a check must be kept on the private educational institutions
in the financial terms.

The positive changes to the political crisis and the economic

depression is that we have got the right people in the power now.
The situations are ought to improve! We are just required to give
a little time to let our government deliver the results of the steps
that have been taken.
Problems faced by youth in india

Approximately 600 million population in India is younger than 25 years of age and
close to 70% of the total population is less than 40 years of age. Near about 40% of
the Indian population is aged between 13 to 35 years that is defined as youth
according to the National Youth Policy. Such a huge population of young is not only
exceptional in India but also in the World. In case, this demographic dividend is not
used properly then it may result in demographic disaster in India. The youth then
will not be on right track.

Also if we look at the median age of the country and the average age of our leaders
then it is clear that countrys median age is 25 years whereas the average age of our
cabinet ministers is 65 years. Hence there exists a gap in age which leads to a gap
between thoughts. This gap in India is much wider than the gap in any other
country, such as in United States the gap is of 23 years whereas in Germany the gap
is less than 10 years. History reveals that in such a scenario where there exists such
a wide gap and most of the population is comprised of youth then it definitely leads
to one or more political movements in the country. This had been seen in America at
the time of the civil rights movement and the sexual revolution which happened
during Americas baby boomers period when 79 million people born between 1946
and 1964. Even if you check the history of India then also it is clear that youth can
bring a huge change. Almost all our freedom fighters were young when they started
their struggle for freedom that resulted in the freedom of our country.

But this enthusiasm among todays youth is eloping somewhere leading to

frustration and lack of zeal. The reason may be unnecessary burden in the form of
competition, unemployment, lack of job skills and skill based job etc. Indian Youth at
present is also facing acute pressure in every field from getting job to performance
at the job.

In the coming decade, it is expected that the Indian labour force will grow by more
than 8 million per annum. More and more youth will enter into the labor market. So
the real challenge in front of the policy makers is to create enough jobs in the
market for this educated workforce so as to direct the youth and nation.

Some key areas of concern for todays youth

Education: First and the foremost concern of todays youth in India is education.
Indian youth demands for better education, employment driven training and brighter
future. Youth also want that skill based education and job placement should be a
part of every higher institution. More emphasis should be laid down on career
oriented courses and there should be a connection with real life scenario rather than
just bookish. Youth from non-urban setting generally lacks good communication
skills. This is also one of the major concerns because it acts as an obstacle on the
way to get job and progress.
Job: Youth unemployment in India is on rise. According to the World Development
Report 2013, 9% of males and 11% females aged between 15 to 24 years are
unemployed. As per data of 2009-10, 9.7% of young men and 18.7% of young
women in India were unemployed. At global level, chances of youth being
unemployed is three times more than adults. Global financial crisis hit youth first
then adult. Also as per NSSO survey, youth unemployment among illiterate is less as
compared to educated youth. Because illiterate youth is willing to do all sorts of
work whereas educated ones look for jobs in their respective field only. Young
graduates suffer the most as far as getting job is concerned.

Corruption Todays youth is concerned with the issue of corruption more than
anything else and that is why most of the protestors in the recent Anna Hazares
campaign against corruption were the Indian youth. Mr Ratan Tata once said, The
youth of today will need to recognise that they shoulder a great responsibility. They
will need to fight for rooting out corruption, for ensuring that no one is above the
law and uniting the citizens of India as India first instead of communal or
geographic factions. Though fighting against corruption is the responsibility of
every citizen but youth by virtue of their nature and energy participate more in this
cause. Corruption should be rooted out of country. Youth in India must know what
they want and how they want because good and bad co-exist in the society. Today
we relate everything related to success in terms of money. But success is more than
this. Youth must derive inspiration from their role model and live life with proud.

Youth have to speak out from the very beginning of their career and life that they
wont compromise and will adhere to ethical values. Display honesty even if you are
not questioned or watched. Show fairness and transparency in whatsoever you do.
This will bring change in you and your surroundings.
Top 10 Challenges Youths Face
Today
In this new-age society, kids enjoy more attention than their
yesteryear counterparts. Despite being advantaged, theyre a
troubled species. These youngsters are surrounded by
innumerable problems which in turn, makes them little rebellious
too. The upsetting reasons could possibly be their individualism,
sense of freedom or the ever growing peer pressure. Eventually,
they face the hostile attitude of society. But the real standpoint is
that youths are the pillars of social, economic and political
developments. In addition to their intellectual contribution and
the ability to mobilize support, youth brigade brings unique
perspectives. We as a society should value the imagination, ideals
and energies of young men and women, which are also the future
stakeholders of these societies. Exploring some of the basic
problems faced by todays youth, TopYaps highlight top
10challenges, youths face in current scenario.

10. Single parent households:

When kids see their parents living under different roofs, their
adolescent mind suffers. Since last two decades, we have noticed
the disastrous increase in single parent homes. The trend is
dangerous. It is really tough to look after a child in divided home.
The situation is far more difficult when kids are raised single-
handedly. Even if it does not matter to well-heeled parent, but
the children gets deprived of parental guidance, which may result
in an unwanted number of problems , such as alcohol/drug abuse,
school dropout, and teenage pregnancies. 9.

Substance abuse:
A cigarette in my handI felt like a man. Yes..the famous anti-
smoking campaign by Gary Lawyer did manage to scare smoking
to some extent. Leave aside the society,cigarette smoking is not
even justified in the world of cinema now. Smoking was cool,
back then. But nowadays, the awareness to the danger of
smoking has increased substantially. Unfortunately it is not the
same in case of drinking and using drugs. They are still assumed
as cool stuff. Youngsters literally hang around booze. Apart from
damaging their own health, they also risk the society. Under the
influence of alcohol, these brats will rash drive and do several
other anti-social activities.