2. JOIN THE GSD NETWORKAfter completing the training program, qualified teens are invited to become
OPERATIVES in the
GSD NETWORK— an elite,
action-oriented leadership team that breaks down barriers and finds new solutions where everybody wins. Even their
MANIFESTO rocks. Through the
GSD OPERATIVE APP, kids will get exciting news and updates, opportunities to participate in fun challenges, and help with GSD Missions.
GSD teens are not volunteers, advocates, or fund raisers. They don't blindly follow the media, the status quo, or the herd. While others wait for big organizations and institutions, they get stuff done (GSD— see that?), so we call them Operatives. Elite, innovative, impactful.
Malala may call them for advice.
From overpopulation, terrorism, and poverty, to gender inequity, ethnic tensions, and war, the world has some serious issues, that we—today’s teenagers— will be dealing with tomorrow. While experts, militaries, and world leaders continue to scramble for political solutions, the media paints a picture that leaves many feeling powerless.
We may be young, but we are not powerless. We have influence. We are not manipulated by the media, and do not blindly follow what society says and does. We are not afraid of the world’s challenges, and don’t need the news sugar-coated. We are brave, curious, and will discover the truth by exploring the world ourselves. We question, we examine, we peel back the layers until we understand why things are the way they are— and while others are talking, analyzing, strategizing, blaming, complaining, or whining, we get stuff done.
We live and lead with clear intention. We break out of the molds that society has assigned us and redefine who we really are. We are more than sports, social media, homework, and texting. We are more than volunteers and fund raisers. We do more than create awareness campaigns, or study foreign policy. We go out into the world and change it. We are explorers, researchers, teachers, and we are the heroes of our own adventure stories. Our lives are filled with drama, action, and heart-racing-mind-numbing craziness.
We refuse to sit on the sidelines. We don’t just read the news we create the news. We follow and collaborate with teens living on the front lines of the world’s crises. We empower them by sharing our time, care, and friendship, and assist in providing tools and resources to help THEM make a difference in their OWN communities. No longer invisible statistics, they show us the world in a human way and inspire us to get stuff done— anywhere, anytime, anyplace, anyhow. They are not our “projects,” they are our partners and we have their backs. Regardless of race, religion, or nationality, they are our brothers and sisters.
We spread truth. We smash stereotypes. We put “passion” in compassion. We help turn victims into heroes. We are part of something meaningful, magical, and larger than ourselves. We can be anything, do anything, and we are not afraid. We were born to do this.
Together, we are operatives of change, and technology is our secret weapon. Through it we have the power to learn, connect, create, and support each other. We are flexible, stealth, tech-savvy, and the status quo doesn’t see us coming.
We aren’t afraid of our ideas—we act on them. We offer sustainable solutions –not charity. We innovate. We help the world, and the world helps us back. We are creative, competitive, and powerful. We are weird, and weird is the new normal.
We are defining our own generation— a generation empowered, a generation revolution. We will do more, be more, than any other generation before us. We are making an impact—not years down the road, but RIGHT NOW. We are making history and will be able to look back and say “I was a part of this.”
We are role models, we make a difference, and we rock.
We get stuff done
.
