Age does not determine one’s power when it comes to advocacy and spreading knowledge : Read Jancy’s reflection, 17 year old student.
“I was given the chance to present to a group of university students, aged between 20-23 years old. Being only 17 and only studying in high school, I was not sure how seriously they would take my presentation or how much impact I could bring. I was hesitant and unconfident at the start. However, as I watched Emma, another girl who was on the trip with us, presenting, I suddenly realised that age did not matter. Emma was only a year older than me, yet she had given such a good speech to grasp the attention of the students. I noticed that what had allowed Emma to effectively deliver her message, was her courage and her passion in conveying what she had felt strongly about. In the end, whether we are younger than the audience we are targeting or not, it doesn’t matter. What is important, is our passion and conviction when it comes down to sharing. This inspired and motivated me to be more confident in my presentation. As I presented again at the University of Indonesia, I made sure that my words came from my heart and not from the script I had prepared.”
“Following this, we had another workshop for kindergarten teachers, at a kindergarten in Bogor. This time, it was teachers we were presenting to. The same however, applies. Age didn’t matter. Regardless of the fact that whom we were presenting to were older than we were, it didn’t change their desire to learn or our desire to share our thoughts and knowledge. I have come to understand that so long as we are passionately pursuing something, that is all that matters. Passion brings people further and passion also connects people.“
“Stepping out of my comfort zone and presenting in front of a large group of people has taught me that sometimes it takes courage and a leap of faith to do what we might think is impossible or difficult, to realise that it is actually much simpler and more fulfilling than we think it is.”
