May 2026
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
— Eleanor Roosevelt
Around this time of the year, we send out a mass email asking our Platform community to sign up for the opportunity to become a facilitator at our signature workshop, Activism@Work. Every year, I get optimistic and think that “this” year would be different and we would get a fair number of applicants, especially since our team leaders really don’t enjoy begging people to sign up. So I am usually surprised that every year only a few people actually apply. Do they not have the confidence and/or interest in this amazing opportunity? Or is it us, are we doing something wrong?
Well, it is no different this year (year 2026); we got 4 people who signed up and we needed at least 8 people. So now, we have to actively reach out to our community individually to encourage them to volunteer. But then why do I assume that more people would sign up? We make a concerted effort to ask the participants at the end of the program from the previous year if they would be open to facilitating for our program. And they genuinely seem interested. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to assume that when we reach out in spring, they would continue to be enthusiastic.
But truly, I should know by now that young people are in a whirlwind of self-doubt, insecurity, and uncertainty. Do I have the ability to stand in front of the room and talk, can I guide a conversation of my peers, will I be rejected? What if the team leaders don’t want someone like me? What can or do I bring to the team?
I am not saying that there is a possibility for a number of our students to have lost interest in our program and our organization altogether. We are not BTS with a following called the ARMY. Yet shouldn’t we have more than 4 people interested in these opportunities? Out of the 25 students who attended last year, maybe 6-8 students?!
What I have realized is that young people need constant motivation, inspiration, support, and encouragement. It is not an easy period for them to navigate the awkward social scene of middle and high school. I forget what it is like to be young and scared of everyone and everything. Hopefully, with a small nudge, we will find the few who have the passion and bravado to step into roles of facilitators. It is a growth experience, a time to step into their discomfort and embrace their power. It is an opportunity for them to see and come into their own potential.
Sam Joo
CEO and Founder
May 1, 2026