The Starfish Story

As the old man walked the beach at dawn,
he noticed a boy ahead of him, picking up starfish
and flinging them into the sea.
Finally catching up with the boy, he asked why he was doing this.
The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if
left until the morning sun.
"But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish,"
said the old man.
"How can your effort make any difference?"
The boy looked at the starfish in his hand
and then threw it safely into the waves.
"It makes a difference to this one,"he said.

give them the opportunity

If the children and youth of a nation are afforded the opportunity to develop their capacities to the fullest, if they are given the knowledge to understand the world and the wisdom to change it, then the prospects for the future are bright. In contrast, a society which neglects its children, however well it may function in other respects, risks eventual disorganization and demise.

- Urie Bronfenbrenner (1977)