While young people, and teenagers in particular, often get a bad rap for being a bunch of lazy layabouts, it’s good news all around to see several recent events or initiatives working to combat that image.
The idea that young people are out only for themselves is one that is often hard to shake. However, Rachelle Zadunayski’s life since her brain surgery in 2010 has put lie to that notion many times over.
While Zadunayski could very easily retreated unto herself and complained about her lot in life, she instead chose to use her situation as a rallying point to help others who may be going through rough patches in their lives.
Her most recent act, making and then selling cupcakes to raise money for local charities last week, was initiated by another young woman, the singer Tenille.
At her show Oct. 24 at R.F Staples, Tenille gave Zadunayski $75 to “pay it forward” and help others.
It’s a commendable and selfless act that many adults would have had trouble doing.
That Zadunayski took it on with so much gusto shows she can be counted on to be one young person who will grow up to be someone society can count on to pull her weight.
And then there’s the Biz Kids program through Community Futures Tawatinaw, with the goal of helping young people start and run their own businesses.
It’s just the opportunity some people need to make their dreams a reality.
Every young person has ideas that they want to bring to life, but many never achieve that goal because they simply don’t have the resources they need to do it.
They get frustrated with their lack of progress and eventually give up, seeing their potential wasted.
Biz Kids, realizing how important help is, even seeks to pair the aspiring business owners with mentors who themselves are successful business people.
Again, sometimes all a person needs to achieve their own success is to be exposed to someone else’s success and use that as a target to aspire to.
All this points to ways to show that young people, for all their negative portrayals in the wider media, just need the chance to show who they really are and how with a little help they can do anything.
