The Question I’m Obsessed With: Can Young People Change the World?

I’ll be honest with you, this is the question that lives rent-free in my head. It’s one of the questions I wake up thinking about, the question I wrestle with when things get hard, and the question that pushed me to build the Young Eye Initiative.

It started when I was 17, sitting in a classroom in Uganda, and later visitng a community facing challenges that no textbook had prepared me to solve. I didn’t have money. I didn’t have experience. I barely had a plan. What I had was a conviction that young people – if given the right tools, the right belief, and the right environment – can absolutely change the world. Not someday. Now.

So let me walk you through why I’m still obsessed with this question, and more importantly, why I believe the answer is yes.

The Case Against Young People

Let’s start with the criticism, because it’s real and it’s worth addressing. The most common argument goes like this: young people are too inexperienced, too idealistic, and too distracted to drive meaningful change. Critics point to short attention spans, lack of resources, and the absence of institutional power as reasons why youth-led movements fizzle out before they ever catch fire.

And truthfully? Some of that is fair. I’ve seen youth initiatives collapse under the weight of poor planning, burnout, and lack of sustained focus. I’ve watched brilliant young people start strong and then disappear when the obstacles mounted.

But here’s what the critics miss: every generation of world-changers was once told they were too young, too inexperienced, or too idealistic. The problem isn’t youth – the problem is the absence of support structures that allow young people to sustain their momentum. That’s a systems problem, not a generational one.

What I’ve Seen With My Own Eyes

I’m not speaking in theory here. Through the Young Eye Initiative, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside hundreds of young people across Uganda, Canada, and beyond who are actively solving real problems in their communities.

I’ve seen a 19-year-old launch a community literacy program that reached over 300 children. I’ve watched a 22-year-old build a sustainable agriculture initiative from scratch with zero institutional backing. I was in the room at Bloomberg CityLab 2024 where hunders of young voices were being highlighted for shaping global conversations about the future of cities.

These aren’t anomalies. They are the norm when young people are equipped with resources, mentorship, and belief. The examples are everywhere, you just have to know where to look.

Why Young People Are Uniquely Positioned to Create Change

Here’s what I think the world gets wrong: it treats youth as a liability when it comes to changemaking. I’d argue the opposite. Youth is one of the greatest assets a changemaker can have.

Proximity to the problem: Young people aren’t studying social issues from the outside, they’re living them. That proximity to the problem creates a clarity of purpose that no amount of research can replicate.

Risk tolerance: Young people have less to lose and more to gain. That’s not recklessness, that’s a competitive advantage. The biggest ideas require bold bets, and young people are uniquely positioned to make them.

Long time thinking: A 20-year-old working on climate change has a 60-year stake in the outcome. That’s not just motivation, it’s skin in the game.

Technological fluency: We are the first generation to grow up as digital natives. We know how to build communities, spread ideas, and mobilise people at scale in ways previous generations had to learn. For us, it’s instinct.

Social Entrepreneurship

One of the most powerful vehicles I’ve seen for young people changing the world is social entrepreneurship. It’s the sweet spot between mission and sustainability, the recognition that you can build something impactful AND financially viable at the same time.

This is at the heart of my new book, Degrees of Change. Drawing directly from my experiences building the Young Eye Initiative, I explore whether social entrepreneurship is truly the key to changing the world. The short answer is: it might be the closest thing we have to it.

The reason I believe this so strongly is that social entrepreneurship demands both vision and execution. It’s not enough to have a great idea, you have to know how to sustain it. And that combination, when it exists in a young person, is genuinely world-changing.

The Role of Leadership in Youth-Led Change

One thing I’ve learned through all of this is that young people changing the world are not waiting to become leaders, they’re practising leadership right now, in the spaces they already occupy.

In my blog on how to be a leader, I wrote about how true leadership isn’t about titles or status, it’s about service, consistency, and the courage to show up when things are uncomfortable. That definition of leadership is accessible to anyone at any age.

The young people I’ve met who are making the most impact aren’t waiting for someone to hand them authority. They’re building it, through trust, through results, and through the sheer force of their commitment to something bigger than themselves.

What Needs to Change for Young People to Change the World

I’d be dishonest if I left you with the impression that everything is fine and young people just need to try harder. That’s not the full picture.

Young people changing the world need more than motivation. They need access to funding. They need mentorship. They need platforms to be heard, not just as tokens at the table, but as genuine contributors to decisions that will shape their futures. And they need adults and institutions to trust them with real responsibility before they’ve “proven” themselves by conventional standards.

That’s part of why I keep doing what I do. Every event we have hosted, every podcast episode we release, every young person we connect with through the Young Eye Initiative is an investment in closing that gap.

So, Can Young People Change the World?

Yes. Unequivocally, yes.

But not because youth is magic. Because young people who are clear on their vision, equipped with the right tools, and supported by the right community, can move faster, think bolder, and care more deeply than almost anyone else on the planet.

The question was never really can young people change the world. The question is: what are we doing to make sure they do?

I’ll keep asking that question until the answer is everywhere.