by Sushmita Ghosh

In situations of conflict, the beginnings of a compromise sometimes lie outside the conflict itself. Decades of political tension and suspicion among the countries of the Subcontinent, for example, tensions aggravated by the recent nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, are being set aside by campaigners against one of the area's worst scourges: child labor.

This reality presents itself in the office of the South Asian Coalition Against Child Servitude, an Indian nonprofit organization that has sparked international consumer awareness and legislation to combat child labor: Huge black and white photographs of child laborers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries cover the office walls – children very much from the same hell, undivided by territorial hubris.

Kailash Satyarthi, the man who launched the coalition, provides common ground for a region struggling to find one: All children on the Subcontinent face the same risk; banning child labour in India would only shift businesses that thrive on inexpensive labor to neighboring countries. All these children are ours. We cannot shun them because we do not share their nationality.

The rescue of child laborers, and the work of disaffected "punks" in Poland and environmentally sensitive street orphans in Bolivia all contribute to a new world view, even a new map of the world – a world that has a way of shrinking. The three programs profiled in this issue of Changemakers demonstrate how social entrepreneurs – who typically challenge staid ways anyway – are using this new world view to enhance the abilities of young people to shape new agendas and get the public to accept them.

When Outsiders Intrude, Both Sides May Gain

While self-determination by the young is desirable, activism by young people who have been victimized by society or who are viewed as misfits has a magnified impact. This issue features the working of such unlikely leadership: community service projects led by punk groups in Poland, street orphans as environmental guardians in Bolivia and child laborers in India who have made industries that thrive on them rethink their business plans.

These young people change their own stereotyped behaviour before they try to change society's, and this makes them compelling role models – for peers in their groups and outside, and for a world not used to looking up to them. As their agenda is to do something for themselves by doing something for society (rather than simply organising to survive), they make a huge and immediate leap in public esteem. From elements that might be ignored and draw only sympathy or scorn, they quickly become those who make things happen. This also helps to draw media attention, which contributes further to public education.

As these projects appeal most immediately to those in similar circumstances, recruiting peers is a core strategy. But interestingly enough, as the young leaders gain in confidence, the concept of "peers" stretches beyond ghettos to anyone who believes in the cause. And society suddenly finds a resource that it had written off back in its fold. Thus, the forest guardians in Bolivia, once mostly street orphans, have drawn "peers" from prestigious families who unite in purpose.

Across the Generation Gap

The heady leveling effect of changemaking also lightens the attitudinal baggage that sometimes prevents adults and children from working together. The exchange of learning and skills addresses society's problems, not merely the sometimes mutually exclusive needs of youths and adults. The parents of the Bolivian forest guardians, for example, checked out their club with the founder, Juan Carlos Antezana, after their children spoke about it, and soon were learning about the environment from their children. One project pioneered by the Polish punk groups is aimed at vulnerable adults – poor single mothers in Warsaw. And the self-assertion by child laborers has brought international legislation banning trade in goods made by children, an important step in mature consumerism.

In all three instances, adults, youth and society got equally good deals.

In societies that lack the tradition of working together as a community – like Poland under Communism – the new bridges between social groups are a key to strengthening the fabric of society. Failing this, there is a risk of the fringes and the core growing further apart, and the core would be the poorer for it. Every punk says Ryszard Michalski, the architect of the initiative in Poland, wants two things: a place to be himself, and a chance to do something for himself. The vignettes this month lay out how the world can gradually become such a place for all its young people – and benefit hugely from it.

Child Laborers, Street Orphans and Punk Youth: Harnessing the Energy The strategic elements demonstrated by the Changemakers profiled this month: Allow youth to determine their own goals, which builds credibility for the message and respect for the messenger. To create mutual respect based on skills, build processes and partnerships driven by need rather than relying on pre-formatted adult guidelines. Emphasize youths' role as citizens of the world through national, regional and international marches and appeals, broadening cross-boundary support. Cultivate recruits from diverse social groups to create a new community that addresses the mission.