How to manage big dreams in a complex world
Author: Arissa Roy
Arissa’s story is part of our youth Back-to-School Storytelling Campaign!
Unsinkable Youth is supported by Sun Life. #YouthMentalHealth
Dear Reader,
As someone who loves writing letters, I thought it would be a cool way to structure this piece. First of all, my name is Arissa Roy and I am a youth activist, author, and the founder of Project Power Global, an international youth led organization working on combating education inequity. Beyond these titles, I am also just a girl with big dreams like I'm sure many of you. My dreams have taken me very far in life-for instance I am currently sitting in the residence building of my school in Italy where I live with people from 82 counties. However, at the same time they have been overwhelming and sometimes seemingly impossible. Dreams are funny because sometimes they set our heart on fire and other times they cause us immense anxiety and fear. There can be a balance though. Am I still finding that? Yes. But there are a few tips that have been really helpful which I think could help you as well:
Tune into your why
When I was 12 years old I went on my very first trip to india. This is where everything started for me. Growing up I had been very sheltered from the world outside my country,city and home. Not because I was not educated enough. Just in the sense that all those global problems I heard about seemed so distant. However when I went to India into rural communities to visit relatives I learned about the inequities that exist. I was shocked. Seeing first hand people my age and younger struggling from issues such as lack of adequate food, clean water and quality education was appalling. When I came home, it was like a sparkle grew inside of me. All those emotions I went through during my trip translated to this energy which propelled my advocacy. This became my why and it is at the center for everything I do.
Relating to education, I decided to come to the United World Colleges to continue learning about global issues, from my peers who have invaluable life experience. If I want to be a leader in the education advocacy space, I must understand the problem fully first.
Build your team
A team can mean whatever you want it to be. It can be one person or one thousand. It really does not matter. What does matter is that “if you want to go far- go alone. If you want to go fast, go together” as stated by an African Proverb. When I finally gained the confidence to start my organization in 2020, after a few years had passed since that India trip, the first step I took was to reach out to people who could support me. It started with an instagram post, then went on to setting up small group chats, to now, where I have worked with an executive team of 10 members for 3 years. Without them, none of the projects I have done would have been possible. Building a team does not only apply to work though. It is very important to have a support system around you just in life. One lesson I have learned is that it is OKAY for your support system to evolve. As students we are continuously moving on. Whether it be from a topic in the syllabus, to a course, school, diploma, degree. Everything is moving all the time, which means that your needs will also move. Some people may not be able to fit those needs anymore. For example, I had a friend, who I considered to be my best friend at the time, but as I began to reach certain milestones in my life, she acted differently. She stopped supporting me for who I was and became quite distant. Did this hurt? Yes. Did it need to happen? Yes, to make space for others who care about me as my authentic self. In short, build a team, but know you will trade out players from time to time.
3. Trust the process
This one is certainly easier said than done; however, the quote that has literally given me strength throughout all the rough times is “you can be a work-in-progress and a masterpiece at the same time.” There will be days when you will feel like everything is a mess. For me, one of those days was when I recently got a bad grade on a math test. When situations like this happen it is really easy for the negative emotions to consume you. However, it is important to look at it in a growth mindset and say, “this happened, now what.” Maybe you do not know what to do, and that is fine. However the best thing in this case would be to ask for help. No matter what though, remember that everything happens for a reason. You may not understand it at this moment, but one day you will.
The last nugget I will share with you lovely human before I sign off is; your story and voice is powerful. As someone who has been given the opportunity to work with big organizations like the United Nations, I would have never made it here if I did not fight for a spot at the table. You will have to build your own chair sometimes. Is that fair? No. Is it necessary? Yes. Can it change the world? Oh it already has my friend!
Keep going. You are UNSINKABLE!
With gratitude and in admiration,
Arissa S. Roy
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Connect with Arissa @arissa_roy on Instagram!