I saw the face of the future today

It is a happy face

It is an inquisitive face

It is a loving face.

- G. Eric Miles

Every fourth Tuesday of the month, I have the honor and privilege of hosting the NAWBO Southern Nevada network luncheon. Each month we feature different speakers, business owners and themes. The August luncheon held a special meaning for me primarily because of the guest we invited. I mentioned seeing the face of the future in my opening because, in August, we encouraged our members and friends to bring their children to the luncheon to get a small glimpse of their parents experience in the business world.

An old African proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and that idea has never been more relevant than it is today. Given the pace of life, the rise in single parent households or households where both parents must work, raising children has become much more challenging. Combine that with the variety and accessibility of virtually unsupervised adult-themed media and the village concept becomes even more appealing. Regardless of the family makeup or structure, having a team approach to shaping our future leaders provides supported strength and diversity of perspective.

Inherent in the village concept is the reliance on the extended family. But the extended family here goes beyond the biological relationships of aunts, uncles, grandparents and the like that most Americans refer to as “extended.” This extension of family reaches as far as you can create commonality and trust within your “village.” Whether it's the street on which you live, your community boundaries or statewide and beyond; your village becomes our village when we decide to collaborate to make our world work. The idea can only be attempted when each person takes responsibility to trust and be trustworthy.

As someone who left home as a minor and spent some time fending for myself, I learned about the village concept through necessity. Those experiences helped me see the people in my life, depending on their age, as mother or father to be learned from; sister or brother and contemporaries; or son or daughter with whom I share the knowledge of my efforts. It is also part of what drives me to do youth and family-oriented community service. It is an integral component if we are ever going to take control of our cities, country and lives. I invite you this month to consider your “village” boundaries and what you can do to expand or strengthen them. So the next time you look into the face of the future, you'll be proud to know it is a future we all share.