Looking around New Zealand and the world today, it seems youth are rewriting their place in society. Many are choosing to step up and lead in their local community or further afield.

Future Leaders is a programme that chooses to back that change and the young people behind it.

Future Leaders is run by Inspiring Stories, a not-for-profit organisation whose focus is developing youth leadership and entrepreneurship in New Zealand.

Every year, a new cohort of youth aged 16-25 imagine ways they might have a positive impact on their community. The programme is led by a central team in Wellington alongside a coach in each of the rural and regional centres in which Future Leaders runs.

Last year, teams across the country chose to affect change in very different ways. All integrated their initiatives with social connection. Some chose to tackle food shortages in their area by sourcing and distributing food to those in need.

Several of the groups learned to use online crowdfunding platforms to fund projects like sharing the real impact of climate change on their community  or rejuvenating run-down buildings and brightening up town with art.

Still others chose to connect youth with services in their community or ran events to get youth voting for local body elections.

For more: https://dailyencourager.co.nz/future-leaders-make-an-impact-today/