Power 100 Wrap: Be Heard.

February 24th, 2009 at 1:18 pm

What do Lauren Bush, Senator Dick Durbin, boy-band Hanson, “E.R.” star Anthony Edwards, and Ambassador Mark Green have in common? They all addressed extraordinarily important and pressing issues at the Power 100 Summit. But they also did something incredible: they asked for our help. They didn’t ask for our money. Like ONE, they asked for our voices, and more importantly, our ideas.

I’m 20 years old, and for many of those years, I’ve been lectured to. I speak my mind and lead projects on my own, and by no means am I intimidated by anyone older than myself. But rarely am I asked, as one person to another, what I really think about complex initiatives. The fact that these professionals, activists, and entrepreneurs sincerely asked for the input of the top poverty-fighting students and promised to adopt so many of our suggestions blew me away.

We all knew our ideas were valuable – we just didn’t think they could be applied so quickly to these innovative programs. That’s what I’ve taken away from the Power 100 Summit; not just the friends I’ve made or the bruises I gained while ice skating (trying to, at least), but the reassurance that any input is valuable input, and that with the right audience, our ideas aren’t going to go unnoticed. I’ve applied this simple notion and it’s always in the forefront of my mind.

So if you’re hesitant to speak out or meet with your member of Congress, mayor, religious leader, or even a friend, don’t hesitate. They’ll listen to you, and your passion shines through everything else.

-Mike Fazzino, Sacred Heart University