How often we hear that care and protection of our children is important because our future depends on them becoming good citizens, mature adults who think soundly, ethical leaders, and strong believers. While this is certainly true, children and young people are forging the way right now in the present. Their energy, creativity, development and ability to dream inspire me, as they do those who listen, watch and take them seriously.

One of the most tense races for me to watch in the Olympics is the 4x100 relay. It’s the fastest race human beings participate in. It’s because on each leg runners are already sprinting at the point when the baton is passed to them. The whole 400 meters are completed significantly faster than the speed at which any one individual could run 100. It’s tense because the hand off of the baton is critical and not simple.