This is How Change Happens

 

For the past week, I've been in Ukraine conducting an overall program audit of the largest outdoor museum here.   Not surprisingly, there have been lots of discussions about change, how it happens, how it can happen here in Ukraine,  whether it will happen, and how.   But today I went to an event that only reinforced a sense of hopefulness about change in general.  350.org is an organization dedicated to climate change around the world and today volunteers held events all over the world to work, to contact political leaders and to draw attention to issues related to climate change.  There were a number of events in Kyiv, but we went to one at St.Michael's Square that was attended by all kinds of people, including a number of children.   It's been my experience that volunteers come from families who volunteer, in whatever capacity (my childhood included church suppers, PTA events and the like) and that of course, research shows that your museum visits as a child have a huge influence on your interest in museum-going later in life.

Ukraine is just now building its own traditions of civic engagement.  So when I looked at this young girl and all the other young people standing in the square,  I realized that the future of Ukraine will be different.  It won't be people saying, "oh the government needs to...."  it will be these young people who understand protest and citizen involvement as a regular, important part of their lives.  This is how change happens.