Someone recently asked me for an elevator speech to describe Keys to Be the Change. I responded with an abbreviated mission statement. "We provide programs that empower children, youth and adults to succeed in school and in life by building self-esteem and self-confidence." This is WHAT we do. HOW we do it is the key. By utilizing peer to peer messages as much as possible and creating positive role models in the lives of our youth, Keys to Be the Change is able to reach across many different groups of kids to convey the message that a life without drugs, alcohol and/or violence is the right choice.

HELPING KIDS 

HELP THEMSELVES

That's it! And guess what?

IT'S 

WORKING! 

This month, Keys to Be the Change took the annual trek to Florida State University to attend the 10th Annual Southeast PeaceJam Leadership Conference. The Nobel Peace Laureate that we met was Kailash Satyarthi from India. His mission was to raise awareness about child labor and human trafficking. He rescued children from the factories and provided them with education and basic skills. The students from both Key West and Marathon along with 450 other youth from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida were in awe at how this one man was able to protect the rights of 85,000 children from 144 countries. For this he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. 

We asked our participants to reflect on their experience. Here are a few remarks:

• "Going to PeaceJam makes me realize what we do as a small club in a small community actually is making a difference to someone."
• "PeaceJam shows me that there are people out in the world who are less fortunate than I am. It also shows me that we live in such a small world and that everyone is connected in some way, shape or form."
• "PeaceJam has boosted my confidence and ability to make a difference."
• "I always thought I was too small to do anything but I'm not and I've learned nothing is impossible. Anyone can make a change."
• "I was scared of change and how people would react but now I've learned that it is ok and it is for the better..."
• "If I could change one thing in this world I would change how people treat each other."