This post is part of a series for the Youth Media Blog-a-Thon on the topic of “regime change.”The year 2008 taught American youth that change was something we could believe in, but is it something we can still define?  The word change gained popularity quickly, and like anything else, lost its grounding.  While change had the ability to cross racial and generational lines, it did so like a chameleon, shifting forms and definitions to fit the situation.  Every American had their own ideas as to what the “new America” would look like and as to what Obama could do for their community.  Change grew to be a nebulous cloud filled with hype, hope, and determination that engulfed the country and eventually the White House.  

Even with these affective results, I think we need to bring change back to its roots. We’ve been using change as a noun, “the replacing of one thing for another–substitution”, but perhaps we should see it as a verb, “to cause to be different.”  Change as a verb isn’t as popular for the sole fact that it needs an actor: a person to assume responsibility for initiating and sustaining its course.

It’s my belief that American youth should not only assume responsibility, but are already on the path for, adopting change (v). In this age of information, majorities of us are well-informed on various issues and will “spread the word” to others. Yet, we can’t let dissemination and self-education become our sole definitions of activism, and our only attempts at change (n). The time has come for our generation to make a difference and play a physical role in reshaping our country starting with our communities.

Continue reading “Change vs. Change”