by Evan Burnett, 2014-2015 Rochester Youth Year Fellow
As I sit back and think about my year as a Rochester Youth Year Americorps*VISTA member, I can’t help but think about how quickly it has gone by. I am so very grateful to have had this experience and share great moments with my fellow VISTAs that I will never forget.
Over the course of this year, I have been a part of countless trainings and events that will be extremely beneficial as I move forward in my professional career. This whole experience has been eye opening, and furthered the passion in me to help be a part of the positive change that I would like to see in the city of Rochester. It is evident that community based leadership is an integral part in the process of alleviating poverty. The Rochester Youth Year annual luncheon further exemplified how this kind of leadership is needed in the world that we live in today.
While attending the luncheon, I was able to hear everyone’s passionate speeches about all of the wonderful assignments and the various awe-inspiring stories that have transpired over the duration of our year of service. Our commitment to change was truly visible and I gained even more appreciation for each one of us that spoke. It is difficult for all of society to come to an agreement that benefits all if we don’t take the time to open our eyes and use our ears in order to soak in the multitude of attributes and characteristics that all of us have. At such a young age, oftentimes we are just trying to be heard and I know that we all can make a difference when given opportunities.
A topic of conversation that we discussed as a group at our last monthly meeting dealt with which kind of people are the ones fighting to mitigate poverty. Our consensus was that the majority of the people in the fight against poverty have an open mind or come from areas of poverty themselves, therefore there is a burning desire for those people to seek out change in their communities. If you have never encountered a community outside your own, then that can create a very limited worldview that I believe divides this country. It is imperative that individuals in society need to cooperate with one another so we can admire and utilize our differences in ways that help us understand the people that we come in contact with. It can be difficult to get individuals to buy into ideas that are going to help society as a whole, but I think that it can be done. People are often looking for individual gains as a result of their thinking because that is what they believe is more prosperous for them instead of keeping and open mind.