A Global Health Celebrity in the Family

I've been updating mostly on my other blog since I'm in India this summer, but this piece of news really belongs here. My cousin, Kavitha Narra (who I still remember in diapers), just returned from a visit to Germany for 2007's G8 summit. As you all know, the G8 summit is an annual meeting of the 8 most powerful countries in the world. They have instituted a (new?) feature of the G8 called the J8, wherein young representatives from each G8 country apply (via the United Nations) to participate in the history-making conference. Among other activities, J8 leaders sit with presidents from these 8 superpowers and discuss global issues like health care, the environment, peace and conflict, and other relevant topics.

Kavitha was not only a part of J8, she was the US team leader. She handpicked teammates and teachers, all from The Harker School in Saratoga, CA, to form the J8 team that represented the US this year. She spoke to world leaders along with her teammates, urging them to set small, measurable, achievable goals and calling out politicians who make empty promises just to borrow goodwill. Makes sense, no? She's fifteen.

Now, Kavitha's in Hyderabad, India, learning about female empowerment through business enterprise with ALEAP. She's visiting a lot of sites with her friend and J8 teammate, Rachel.

As you know, political and social apathy among the younger generation has been a definite concern in the past few decades. Some say that US youth haven't been motivated to contribute actively to better their country since the 1960s. I think that creating the J8, and encouraging motivated teenagers like Kavitha, not only shows that youth are starting to play a more active role; it also indicates how important it is for the future of global public welfare to engage these bright young voices.