Coaching the Future: A Reflection for International Youth Day

“Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.” – Anonymous

Every year on 12 August, International Youth Day invites us to pause and ask: What are we leaving behind and who are we leaving it to?

Guiding the next generation with care, courage, and example. The future is not just coming. It is watching.

Today’s youth are growing up in a world of accelerating change: climate emergencies, social unrest, digital overload. Amidst all this, the question we must ask isn’t just what can we teach them, but what are they seeing us do?

Whether you are a parent, mentor, teacher, friend - or simply a fellow human - your presence and choices ripple outward. The way we treat one another, speak up for equity, care for the planet, or honour difference, these actions become a kind of guidance. A living curriculum.

The future is shaped not only by the hands of the young, but by the hearts of those guiding them.

Let us live in a way that shows them kindness, courage, and hope.

Try This:

• Have a meaningful conversation with a young person this month. Ask what they hope for the world.

• Take one small action for the planet and talk about it with someone younger than you.

• Reflect: What legacy am I modelling through my everyday choices?