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At the age of nine, Austin Gutwein didn't understand much about AIDS--only that it left kids, much like himself, orphaned and scared. He'd seen a video at school, something about the effects of AIDS on children in Zambia, and felt compelled to help.
Encouraged by his teachers and parents, the red-headed boy from Arizona held "Hoops for Hope," his own version of a Walk-a-thon, by collecting pledges from family and neighbors and shooting 2,057 basketball hoops to represent the 2,057 children who, on average, are orphaned everyday as a direct result of AIDS. In one day, the 9-year-old managed to raise $3,000 USD, enough to provide support for eight children living in Zambian orphanages.
Since then, young people across the US and around the world have replicated Austin's approach to making a difference in the world by holding their own 'Hoops for Hope' events. What started as one boy's reaction to a growing global problem turned into an inspirational and rewarding activity for hundreds of other kids around the globe.
Now, as a mature 13-year-old interested in basketball and politics, Austin speaks about the past four years of his life as if they
belonged to any "regular old kid." It's April 4 and he's in Beijing, China. It's a National Holiday, Tomb Sweeping Day, and devout family members across the Middle Kingdom are visiting their ancestors graves. Some brush away leaves and lay flowers, while others burn paper money, and even crepe mache houses and model BMWs, for the comfort of the deceased in their afterlife.
Austin, however, is in China to address a group of over 300 high school kids from 40 different international schools in ten countries as part of a weekend workshop. He's a keynote speaker for the Global Issues Network, an organization committed to inspiring youth to realize they can make a difference in the world, and equipping them with the confidence and skills to take action.
This week he's also spoken to students at BISS International School, Beijing City International School and the Canadian International School, in addition to students at WAB.
His message, everywhere he goes, continues to inspire other young people. They, too, can make a difference in the world.