My name
is Nathan Swartz, I
am from Ennerdale,South
Africa, I believe that we all have a legacy that has the potential of doing
great things. We all have the power to leave footprints of change. It may not
be the need to do big things but the possibilities of something small and
simple.
I am currently an exchange student for South
Africa being hosted in DeWitt,Iowa in the United States of America
on The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange
and Study (YES) program.Through this I unlocked the joys of intercultural
learning and bringing change by building bridges of understanding to span
differences and break paradigms that people, cultures, countries have about
each other.
Being an
exchange student has allowed me to have a complete different outlook in the
world, I have discovered so much about my country that I probably would not
have known if I didn't take up the challenge.
“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him…We need not wait to see what others do.”—Gandhi
As I grew
up I have always had the desire to change the vague
perspectives among people, allowing others to teach, share and learn
about each other. I looked at the many social issues youth faced all around me
and I asked could not help but ask myself, "why should I be an observer? looking at
these circumstances from a distance? Why can't I be the change?"...and
that is my vision; to inspire and empower the youth to look beyond
their circumstance and realize that your environment and your
current situations should not determine what you are able to achieve.
