As a caring ambassador, I would lead by example. In order for me to inspire other students to be more caring, I must first ask myself: how can I be more caring? To answer that question, I must exemplify kindness and empathy. Instead of only thinking about my perspective on a certain topic, I will stay open minded by listening to my fellow peers and focusing on the merits of their argument, as well as changing my perspective to incorporate their viewpoints, sending the message that I value their ideas, and care about what they have to say. When I’m feeling sad, instead of letting how I’m feeling or my stressors control my day, I will recognize that many of my peers are also going through similar if not the exact same problems. I will take time to notice and listen to other people. When my classmate looks troubled, I’ll remember to ask them how they are doing. When my classmate looks happy, I’ll ask them about it. By noticing and listening, my empathetic connection with my peers will strengthen so that they feel recognized. Through my actions, other students may feel inspired to open their ears and minds to their peers, spreading kindness towards others.
One of the biggest issues high school students face is stress. With so much stress in our lives, it’s easy to forget to think about other people. Our days turn into “I have issue x, y, and z. What will I do about that?” and believing the world has it out to get us. But this viewpoint has negative, self-centered consequences.
I will remind others to put ourselves in other people’s shoes before speaking negatively towards the other person. It is easy to speak negatively about others when we only think about ourselves. Using the age old question, “what would I feel if someone said that to me?”, we can work towards a more united, more empathetic community. By recognizing the diverse socioeconomic class, race, gender, and political views of each person, we will grow to treat each other with the care and respect we each deserve.
Despite all of the stressors school puts on us, we are also extremely lucky to be in school, and being able to learn critical thinking skills and build a well rounded view of the current issues. Many people don’t have that same opportunity. So, as a caring ambassador, I would put our issues in perspective. I would do this, not to diminish those issues, but to help us recognize that we also have great opportunity and wealth in our lives that many others don’t. And in recognizing that, we can focus our attention on building a network of gratitude and kindness.
Lastly, I would also use historical examples to inspire students to be more caring. Many times in history, there have been examples of groups not caring about a certain ethnic or racial group’s opinion, and choosing to exclude them. The aftermath of those events is always negative and students today looking back on those events realize the absurdity of said events. So, by reminding people of the effects of not caring about others, we remind ourselves to strengthen our understanding of others and care for them.