Social Change Depends on Personal Change
Social Change Depends on Personal Change
In a preview of AQ's Winter issue, a young Peruvian leader outlines why education must also involve teaching children about democratic values.
Academic studies and professional experience have taught me that I should concern myself with what lies beyond my own personal success. Many like me are working to create nationwide projects that aim to reach more people, reduce divisions, combat poverty, and diminish the social anomie in which many people live. We strive to create a more equitable and peaceful world that protects nature and fights poverty and war.
South America could occupy a very important global role in the next 20 years. Currently the overall South American economy ranks fifth in the world, preceded by the United States, European Union, China, and Japan. But to become a true actor and contribute with its mestizo charisma, our region must overcome certain challenges and internal obstacles.
I live in Peru. My visits to schools across the country and the region and my academic mentoring have led me to a fundamental discovery: social change depends on personal change. Structural change is not possible without ethical and educated individuals who seek to live a profound and happy life.
Read the full text of this web exclusive at www.AmericasQuarterly.org.
José Ignacío Beteta is executive director of the Centro de Desarrollo Educativo Integral (CENDEIT), a Peruvian non-profit organization that develops social, educational and environmental projects abroad.
