Growing up in Iran, a developing country, I have witnessed a phenomenon that is difficult to describe unless one has experienced it themselves— creative inequality. This can be defined as unequal opportunities to invent an original idea. I believe that all human beings are equally able, but unequal access to opportunities separates us.
Under our current economic system, only the views and talents of those with purchasing power are taken into consideration. Currently, more than 80% of humanity live on less than US$10 a day. While these people are a majority in number, they are by far the minority when it comes to representation and being able to share their voices and access opportunities. This is evident in the digital divide between developed and developing countries. Today, more than 3.8 billion people still don’t have access to the internet. This means their access to valuable knowledge and tools is limited, which then limits their opportunities to create original ideas. Also, they are deprived of the right to express and share their opinions online. This inequality results in a waste of talent and potential contribution to some of the world’s most pressing problems.
My dream is to unleash the creative potential of young people all around the world by offering them the opportunities and tools to create. This is why at age 26, I started The People, a social business powered by a global community of young creators. Our unique model gives young people the chance to collaborate with brands, upskill, and get rewarded for their contributions. For example, we collaborated with the BBC to help them co-create future digital content with young creators and programmers.
I feel very excited to see young people reach heights that they previously thought were impossible. During the next decade, I would like to scale the impact of our work and empower one million young people with creative opportunities. Then, every young person could become the master of their own destiny.
My ultimate dream is to end child labor. Children are more creative and curious than adults, but child labor strangles their unlimited creativity. It is undoubtedly a great loss of creative potential. So, in the end, I would like to say, “Let the children play!”
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