Written by Kylie Akins
How would a life be changed if discouragement was met with optimism?What would that kind of cycle do to the world?
Two years ago, Andrew Baker, executive director of the Institute of Church and Family at Harding and director of the Encouragement Foundation, presented students at the National Leadership Forum with the question, “What is the biggest problem in your high school?” The students agreed that drugs, alcohol and bullying have always been major problems, but at the root of it all was discouragement. Discouragement to them is a constant force on their lives, from both the media and their families.
The solution they presented was the National Day of Encouragement, and the Encouragement Foundation was created to support the newly recognized day.
“It was an opportunity I saw to spread a message that I think is in the DNA of all people,” Baker said. “We all have the ability to encourage, and we all have the need to be encouraged. Everyone is just at a different level.”
On Sept. 5 representatives for the Encouragement Foundation began their trek across America, stopping in 14 cities to share the inspiring stories of local teenagers. Called 7 Days Across America, the trek will lead up to the National Day of Encouragement, Sept. 12, at the finale in New York City to award one of the teenage finalists a $5,000 college scholarship.
“The idea is simply that nine times out of ten in the mainstream media when you see a teenager, they killed somebody,” Baker said. “And we want to change that and show that is not most teenagers. There are a lot of amazingly talented and gifted teenagers out there just doing awesome stuff.”
Baker said he hopes telling these stories will inspire people to encourage each other genuinely in an active way.
Braxton Bilbrey from San Francisco was the youngest person to swim one of the most difficult open-water swims in the world at age 7. Now he and large numbers of his friends make the swim to raise awareness for drowning prevention.
Ashlee Smith, age 10 of Reno, began the charity Ashlee’s Toy Closet in 2007, two years after her family’s house was destroyed in a fire. The charity donates toys to children whose houses have been destroyed by fire or natural disaster. On her Web site, she talks about how the adults are helped after a disaster, but the children are often overlooked.
“I want to help the little victims in a big way,” Smith said on her Web site.
Austin Gutwein, age 15 of Phoenix, created the charity Hoops of Hope after watching a video on children orphaned by AIDS and has now raised more than $1 million to build orphanages for these children. On World AIDS Day in 2004, Gutwein led an event where he shot 2,507 free throws to represent the 2,507 children who would be orphaned within the duration of the school day.
Steven Green, age 17 of Little Rock, recognized the escalating amount of teen violence in Arkansas and created a program called Enough is Enough to bring together church, government and community leaders to counter the issue.
Javier Fernandez, age 15 of Houston, invented at age 12 the VERSATILE system, which uses a type of algae to treat waste, produce biofuel and food, take in greenhouse gases, and produce oxygen. The multipurpose and affordable system is anticipated to greatly benefit developing nations.
Rebecca Kanter is a founding member of Minga, a nonprofit organization that is bringing awareness to the public about global child sex trades and working to stop this kind of exploitation. She and other 13-year-olds started the group in their 8th grade year when they discovered there were kids their own age in the sex trade and felt a responsibility to raise awareness to counter it.
The finale of 7 Days Across America on the Day of Encouragement will award the winning teen with a scholarship and will also premiere Wishing Well’s “One Drop” documentary, which focuses on the global water crisis and clean water projects, specifically in Rwanda.
“It’s a celebration, but it’s also a reminder that there’s some stuff out there we need to do something about; and the water crisis around the world is one of those things,” Baker said.
The main idea Baker said he hopes is recognized by the public is that encouragement is a worldwide, daily need.
“The whole point of the Day of Encouragement is to challenge people that encouragement matters,” Baker said. “It looks different for people, and that’s fine. We just want it to move beyond a pat on the back and for it to be genuine and authentic and real and go from there.”
