Making Change NOW!

Twelve year-old author and UNICEF Canada child ambassador Bilaal Rajan held a launch of his new book on Wednesday. Named Making Change: Tips from an Underage Overachiever (160 pages, Orca Book Publishers), it shows young people that no matter who they are or where they’re from, they can make a difference.

The event was held at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ontario, where Rajan is an eighth-grade student. In front of an audience of over 300 students, teachers and invited guests, the young author spoke about his time raising millions of dollars for children’s charities and increasing awareness about the challenges faced by youth all over the world.

The book is dedicated to His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, a man who Bilaal writes “has worked tirelessly for the uplift and betterment of the world’s citizens for the last fifty years.” Bilaal also wishes High Highness a Happy Golden Jubilee.

“From an early age,” says Rajan, “I could see that millions of other young people around the world didn’t have it so good. I realized two specific things: that I had to get involved and make a difference, and that I would need a lot of help in order to make that change.”

It all started when he was only four years old, when Rajan sold clementine oranges door-to-door to raise money for victims of the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, India. Since then, he has raised over $5 million for various causes, and in March 2005 he was chosen as an official child ambassador for UNICEF Canada.

Rajan eloquently addressed the audience for ten minutes – without notes – to which he later received a 45-second standing ovation. “Making Change was written especially for young people,” he says, “I hope it will be used to show how easy – and how much fun – it really is to make a difference. In the book, we focus on being creative, thinking big, being bold, and never taking ‘no’ for an answer.” The book lists more than ninety different fundraising ideas that young people can implement in their communities.

Also present were Richmond Hill MPP Reza Moridi, Canadian idol judge Farley Flex, and President and CEO of UNICEF Canada, Nigel Fisher, as well as Rajan’s family. “He wants to make such a difference,” says mother Shamim Rajan, “we just encouraged him to be the best at what he loves doing. Other than that, he’s a regular twelve year-old boy who loves sports, reading and hanging out with friends.”

Most regular twelve-year old boys, however, haven’t travelled to Africa to speak with AIDS orphans or to South America to help build a school, as Rajan did over the past year as a recipient of the 2008 Top 20 Under 20 Award. He also dreams of being the first astronaut to land on Mars and has budding political ambitions in wanting to become Prime Minister of Canada.

Rajan credits his enthusiasm for social activism and awareness with the people he grew up with. “The book I am launching today isn’t really a book. It’s a story, our story, one that we wrote and are continuing to write together each and every day,” he says. His kindergarten teacher, Christina Smallbridge, who taught a once-shy boy to come out of his shell and express himself with confidence, was also in attendance.

The book has already received high praise from those who know a thing or two about making a difference. Craig Kielburger, founder and chair of Free the Children, says: “We often refer to young people as ‘the leaders of tomorrow,’ but more and more, the youth of the world are showing us they can truly be leaders of today. Making Change reminds us that there’s no need to wait.”

Just before the end of his presentation, Bilaal quotes that great Irish poet George Bernard Shaw: “Some people see things as they are and say why. We must dream of things that never were and ask why not.”

He looks to the audience once last time, especially to the back rows where even younger St. Andrew’s students are sitting, and offers a declaration: “Making change isn’t just a youthful dream, it is our destiny.”

Proceeds from the book will go to UNICEF and other programs that benefit children around the world. More information on the book can be found on its website at www.makingchangenow.com.

 bilaal@makingchangenow.com
 www.makingchangenow.com