Adam is our first WhipperSnapper to be featured here at WhipperSnappers. I was pleased to encounter Adam as he began fundraising at GiveMeaning.com. His project can be found at this link: . Adam defies all stereotypes that exist surrounding teenage guys. While most teens were vying for an X-Box over Christmas, Adam thoughts were on those suffering in Darfur.
Adam wishes his generation would spend less time focusing on the “trivial and materialistic”. Adam reminds his generation that “our consumerist-oriented attitudes blind us and shackle us to ignorance. I don’t mean to say our generation is inferior, but I think we’ve let the older generations abuse us by not resisting their relentless marketing of unnecessary products. Why do we spend so much time thinking about the hottest new gadgets on the market and so little time thinking about things that really matter?”
Adam has discovered that his life takes on a fuller dimension when he has purpose. Adam writes “I need perpetual purpose for my mental health, and helping others quenches this thirst and simultaneously allows me to better myself and those around me.” Simply put, Adam says “I started my project (at GiveMeaning.com) because it gives me meaning.”
In true WhipperSnappers style, Adam is the type of person who can break down big issues into small tangible steps. Adam says, “change occurs when you are able to make a lasting impression on someone.” Adam goes on to explain that if this impression is felt deeply by someone then they will in turn tell someone else who will then tell someone else and so on.
If Adam can raise money online to help one single person in Darfur he will feel like he has accomplished something. Darfurians like Fatima serve to give Adam perspective and motivation. Adam explains how Fatima had been working at home when the Janjaweed attacked her town of Korma killing hundreds. Fatima’s husband was killed as her ten-year-old son watched. Now a refugee, Fatima is desperate for her son, now mute, to receive medical attention. In addition to this stress, Fatima’s eldest daughter was killed after falling down a well. Fatima still keeps her blood stained dress in her memory.
Although, Fatima’s story is tragic, Adam feels that stories like these serve to wake him up from possible complacency. For the rest of us, Adam’s life reminds those of us who are much older to also ask ourselves “What are we doing for the oppressed?” As Adam looks ahead, he sees himself using his talents in film and writing to leave lasting impressions on others who will in turn multiply this impression on to more people and so on. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself moved to act by a motion picture in the future written by Adam Zivojinovic.