The Moment

Nearly ten years ago, everything changed. The attacks of September 11th, 2001 brought about immense physical destruction and immeasurable suffering for far too many. Many of us were barely into double-digit ages before the world as we knew it was gone, and a new world was being shaped before our eyes.

“9/11 was an event that changed everything.”

“It is one of a handful of moments that you witness in your life that defines an era and changes the way you view the world.”

“[9/11] has manifestly shaped the worldview of the next generation of United States policymakers…It remains a paradigm-shifting event that has influenced each individual’s perceptions, interactions, and politics.”

9/11 ushered in a new era for US foreign policy, one in which we questioned our strength as a superpower, our dependence on others, and how we use the arsenal of soft and hard tools at our disposal.

The last decade has simultaneously seen the explosion of global challenges ranging from climate change to HIV/AIDS to poverty. Over 1 billion people live on less than $2/day, and every day 1500 women die from childbirth or pregnancy-related complications.

Ultimately these challenge highlight how interconnected we all are on the planet. The threat of violent extremism cannot be squashed unless people have access to food, education and opportunity. The threat of poverty can only be resolved when people can live healthy and safe lives. Although progress has been made in some areas, the world still suffers greatly in others. In other words, there is still much work to be done.

The need to address these problems is clear and urgent and to do so requires a recognition of our “global citizenship.” We are all connected on this planet.

As young people, we have tremendous power to affect change. We need to understand these issues and how they are interrelated. Even better, we need to take this understanding, combine it with our idealism and passion for a better world, and translate it into action that will make that world a reality. Since our founding in 2002, Americans for Informed Democracy has involved over 100,000 young people on hundreds of campuses in this mission. But our work is far from complete.

On this tenth anniversary of 9/11, we must recommit ourselves to building a more just, healthy, peaceful and sustainable world, and take steps towards making it a reality. This is the goal of Be2021. We have a lot of work to do, but we are up for the challenge. Will you join us?

Get started by expressing your vision and finding out more about The Movement.