A Speech on Thursday/A Call to Action
Posted by Saul Garlick, Executive Director
One of the great privileges of my job is that I get to represent the work of individuals in Student Movement for Real Change to a number of audiences around the United States and the world. Whenever I go somewhere to give a speech, I am tasked with honestly representing the incredible work that young leaders are doing through the organization and also, speaking with an audience so that they can understand our work in the context of their own lives.
This might sound simple. However, different needs must be met and there are so many ways to approach each and every speech that I give. On Thursday I will be giving a keynote to the annual dinner for the Jewish day school that I attended through 8th grade. The honor is special for me: I feel indebted to the community for what I learned and gained and hope that my words will fully reflect the gratitude that I feel. But I also feel a sense of opportunity.
Rather than give a speech that talks about how one day school Alum is now working with young leaders to improve health and education, or how I went on to pursue my personal passions with the tools I gained dating back to elementary and middle school, I must raise the specter of what must be done in society on a global scale. Denver, where I went to school and will be speaking, must be as central to global development and social change as anywhere else. Our responsibility is huge and the chance to make a difference from that community is just as exciting. But I must find the right challenge, the right expectation of my hometown. What should they do?
