The month of May is known as the Young Achievers Month celebrating the achievements of young people all across the world. The purpose is to help young people realise their potential and it focuses on creating strong independent leaders for the future. To celebrate this we will look at some ordinary people who changed history.
Rosa Parks was seated on a Montgomery bus in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat for a white man. The racist rules enforced at the time meant that when she disobeyed the drivers order to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus she was arrested for civil disobedience. It was this act of defiance and the Montgomery Bus Boycott that followed which was a pivotal moment in the strive for equality. When Rosa Parks woke up that morning she had no idea that later in the day she would change history.
J.K Rowling is best known for writing the Harry Potter book series however as a newly divorced single mother she had no idea how popular her work would be. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published in 1997 under the name J.K Rowling because her publisher did not believe young boys would be interested in reading a book written by a woman. More than 500 million copies of Harry Potter have been sold worldwide and Rowling is the world's wealthiest author with a net worth of $1 billion. From having her work rejected to being a best selling author is a huge accomplishment.
Sir Tim Berners Lee is the creator of the World Wide Web, he was an average British computer scientist who proposed a project that combined hypertext (the system that allows you to click on links and open up web pages) and the internet. The goal was to allow researchers a place to share information so that people can see it at all times of the day. The World Wide Web that we know today was the outcome. He was knighted in 2004 and his invention was named the Number One moment that shaped the world.
Whether your passion is art or maths. Whether you're interested in creating the cure for cancer or space travel- the future is bright. This May, celebrate Young Achievers Month and encourage young people to achieve their full potential.
