Bold, Energetic and Innovative. These are the key terms that define today’s youth. They are not afraid of taking risks and have the innate desire to make a difference to this world through their actions. YouthMappers in its mission ‘to cultivate a generation of young leaders to create resilient communities’ exactly represent this spirit of today’s youth. In global context of the Agenda 2030, YouthMappers efforts will be critical in achieving the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals.
I am Sushil and I recently joined YouthMappers team as a Research Assistant at Arizona State University. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Sustainability with an interest in the role of justice in energy transitions. I am also engaged with SDSN Youth working around youth-led innovation and action. My inspiration to join the team of YouthMappers stems from its inherent values and the unique set of achievements over past few years.
With its contribution to range of issues including ones such as urban resiliency, health and food security to name a few, YouthMappers have played an important role in humanitarian assistance, especially in areas which are inadequately mapped. YouthMappers efforts successfully exhibit that every action, no matter how small or big, makes a difference. Sitting out in distant lands and yet so connected with each other, YouthMappers community has transcended national boundaries, languages and cultures.
In the end, I would like to say that young people today are changing the traditional approaches to sustainable development and it seems clear that facilitating youth-led actions such as the YouthMappers can have a major economic, cultural and social impact that can be felt by all members of the society. I consider it my privilege to be joining the YouthMappers and becoming a part of its family.