Half is More Than Enough

“All or nothing.” “110%.” “Go big or go home.”

Maybe it’s cultural. Maybe it’s ego. Maybe it’s something else entirely. Regardless, in America we like to set the bar high. Half? Why bother? Want half of a new pair of shoes? How about half of job? Who wants to settle for half? Unless half is more than enough. I bet no one would argue about getting half of the most recent PowerBall jackpot!

I was reading a Devex article called “A tentative 'youth spring' in the development sector” by Anna Patton, and one specific paragraph caught my attention.

Numbering 3.5 billion, or half the global population, young people can no longer be sidelined. India alone has 800 million citizens under the age of 35 — a generation that could “make or break the Sustainable Development Goals,” Alhendawi said. There is huge opportunity in Africa too, where 40 percent of the world’s children will reside by 2050. Yet, according to Reeta Roy, president and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation, “without significant investment in education, leadership and community engagement, we will not fully reap the impact of that massive demographic shift.”

Half the population. Education. Leadership. Community engagement. These are huge issues that will require significant attention. How could you, your church, or our small YouthHOPE team make a difference in the face of such huge obstacles? By training one youth worker at a time, that’s how! Reeta Roy points out exactly what we are trying to accomplish with the YouthHOPE Institute--that through educating and developing local leaders who will holistically engage with the needs of the youth in their communities we can change the world.

Half is more than enough. Half is easy. It only cost our YouthHOPE team an average of $62.50 to train a global youth worker. What if you committed to pay half? What if you found a friend to just pay half? Your commitment to train youth workers makes a difference. Every major development organization is realizing the opportunity of investing in youth. Will you contribute to the momentum? After all, it’s only half, right?