Artículo de Prensa sobre Jóvenes Líderes en prestigiosa Revista Americas Q en Nueva York
Maximiliano Raide y Pablo A. Gonzalez from Jóvenes Líderes
"It is often the small, unnoticed citizen causes that prove the Internet's power as a catalyst for social change."
Americas Quarterly Magazine The Policy Journal for our Hemisphere
Publishes by the Americas Society
Sometimes we feel a twinge of envy when we hear our parents’ romantic stories about protesting the Vietnam War or fighting for social justice and civil rights, but those stories usually end by comparing their idealism with our generation’s supposed individualism, self-absorption and apathy. That’s not only unfair but untrue. We are neither less energetic nor less idealistic. We simply dream in a different language.Here is what really sets apart the current generation from previous ones: to make their dreams come true, our parents relied on collective action and political mobilization; we place a greater priority on individual effort and cyber networking.
In Latin America, our parents witnessed the rapid social change that came with the state-led industrialization of the 1950s and 1960s. They worried that the Cold War would trigger a nuclear holocaust. The outrageous inequalities between urban and rural life, or between bourgeois neighborhoods and the ring of shantytowns surrounding fast-growing cities, sparked an acute sense of injustice. They fell under the spell of Ché Guevara-like revolutionaries and paid for their political involvement with repression under thuggish military regimes. We were born while enduring the economic hardships of the “lost decade” but were raised with better standards of living in the relative economic stability of the last 15 years.
We certainly admire our parents. In comparison to theirs, our childhood was easy.
This story of slow but tangible progress brings a sense of moral responsibility that we must embrace: the preservation and expansion of a prosperous and inclusive society. Latin America is witnessing unprecedented middle-class growth. Today we encounter more opportunities than any previous generation but certainly not enough to satisfy the expectations bred by this progress. Our generation enjoys the highest levels of schooling ever attained. We have education, talent, energy, and ambition. Let’s see if society is ready to invite in our generation.
We have shaped our identity with tools never available before: the Internet allows for the proliferation of specific interests, instantaneous communication among peers around the world and widely-available information at scales never previously imagined. Needless to say, collective action has reinvented itself...
Cuando recién habían pasado 24 horas desde que el país sufriera uno de los terremotos más fuertes de su historia, un grupo de jóvenes quiso empezar una campaña de ayuda para mandar alimentos hasta Concepción. Al ver que era imposible comunicarse por celulares o teléfonos fijos, nuevamente las redes sociales como Facebook y Twitter se convirtieron en la mejor plataforma para organizar, reunir y difundir la información. El llamado fue para reclutar a todos los jóvenes que estuvieran dispuestos a ser parte de una campaña para llevar alimentos a las zonas más afectadas. La cita era en el Jumbo del Alto Las Condes y el destino, el centro de distribución de Cencosud, donde juntos debieron organizar cajas con alimentos para que partieran lo antes posible hacia el sur. Para sorpresa de los organizadores, Jóvenes Líderes, llegaron más de mil personas, siendo seleccionado un grupo de 800, quienes durante una semana donarán su tiempo y ánimo para ayudar a levantar Chile. 
