Episode 15: “Be A Change Agent Without Age Limits" feat. Joshua Williams (#ThisIsMyEra the Podcast)
In this episode of the #ThisIsMyEra podcast, Alexander Star sat down with Joshua Williams, a 16-year-old changemaker and youth activator. Joshua founded the Joshua’s Heart Foundation at the tender age of five when he realized that everyone deserves to live a livable life with access to dignified food.
With the help of his family, who love sharing their Jamaican food with their community, they were able to feed around 200 people every Saturday before becoming incorporated. Since the beginning of his foundation, Joshua’s Heart has been able to feed 1.3 million pounds in food and over 300,000 people.
#ThisIsMyEra means making the time to make it happen NOW.
As a new driver on the road, rising senior in high school, and a travelling changemaker, Joshua has had to to find ways to do it all whilst still enjoying his teenage years. Since he doesn’t want to waste much of it, he encourages change agents to learn how to give time to what’s important and to ask for help when you need it. This is why Joshua loves to get people involved through volunteer work, which he believes “sets fires in other people”.
Joshua’s teamwork skills have inspired his peers, like Thalia who branches out of Joshua’s Heart to start Project Assist, which has raised 260,000 lbs in toiletries and 2200 hygiene products to hand out to homeless people. Thalia attributed her inspiration for this project to Joshua’s passion.
See the movement grow beyond yourself as a leader.
In allowing Joshua’s Foundation to have active members and volunteers, Joshua has displayed an important leadership trait that even world leaders three times his age get wrong. Founders should train leaders outside of themselves so that the movement and the organization can continue even when they are not there. As he plans to go to college, youth volunteers – like Thalia and her brother Chaz – are preparing to keep the heart of the foundation still beating.
Joshua’s Heart beats because of the life that volunteers and community partners bring in. They love to engage spaces like places of worship and schools because they often know who needs the help, which makes it easier for their organization to reach those who need it most.
No Opportunities Wasted.
“Just start” is how Joshua would push young people to pursue their passions and create change. By using the internet as a resource for exposure and recruitment, learning business skills, being friendly, never giving up, and praying, Joshua believes you can begin to change the world.
As amazing as all the work he has done so far has been, and the impact it’s made in over 420,000 individuals lives, Joshua is only 16, which means he still has time to do even more. His era is not time-limited, it is infinite.
TAKE MASSIVE ACTION NOW
Become business savvy.
Joshua really spoke to the importance of being able to make social change successful through a good understanding and use of money.
By touching on entrepreneurship as a concept, Joshua emphasizes that agents of change should be able to fundraise and seek funding opportunities that will help in making their work reach larger people with greater impacts.
This means that even in non-profit work like that of Joshua’s Heart, leaders should understand the value of money in helping to make a greater difference.
Episode Outline:
00:43: Introduction
1:00: Background of Joshua Williams
2:30: Joshua’s mission
3:30: The impact of family members in creating change
7:40: Time management is not an easy concept to live
9:00: Star introduces analogy about time
9:40: What Joshua enjoys about his teenage years
11:30 Why volunteers matter for Joshua’s heart
17:30: Introduction of Chazz and Thalia
18:30: Thalia speaks on her Project Assist
19:30: Idea of “hope totes” and impact of that project
21:00 Chazz speaks on the need for community engagement
23:20 The youth activators talk about their long term career goals
25:00 Examples of role models and why they matter
28:00 Time management as a pressing issue in social work
39:30 Just start, make your dreams your goals and your reality
30:00 In conclusion, Joshua shares tips on what makes one an effective change maker
34:30: Star recalls having first met Joshua at the conception of This is My Era
Episode Links:
Learn more about Joshua’s Heart at https://joshuasheart.org
Connect with #ThisIsMyEra on Facebook (@thisismyeraofficial)
Connect with #ThisIsMyEra on Instagram (@thisismyeraofficial)
Join the conversation across all platforms with the hashtag #ThisIsMyEra
Pull quotes:
“There is no point in dreaming if you don’t dream big. Don’t limit yourself because there is no limit to your success.” - Joshua Williams
“It is your era whenever you are doing it and making it happen now.” - Joshua Williams
“We believe in the now: No Opportunities Wasted.” -Alexander Star
