My nephew, Kris, is an Army Ranger. He is stationed abroad, but I don't know where exactly. I am afraid for him, for my family, for my country, for the world with this war.

My nephew, Joseph, is nine months old, a U.S. citizen for two months. He was born in Cambodia, where he struggled to survive. He is thriving and happy now and he and his three-year-old sister, Anna --also born in Cambodia--are an enormous source of joy.

Fear, terror--courage, joy. Brokenness, hatred, death--connection, compassion, possibility. The dichotomies are deeply etched in my consciousness now. The muscles in my body hold tension and sorrow. My heart aches with pain and pride in the face of Kris's bravery. My spirit soars as Joseph and Anna teach me anew about embracing life.

With these circumstances as a backdrop, plus a job change and a move to New England, my hopes and dreams move forward with the creation of the Institute for Just Communities, co-founded with Susan Curnan. The Institute houses the CYD Publishing Group and creates resources and space for dialogue to advance knowledge, skill building, strategic communication, and the formation of dynamic collaborations for the purpose of creating safe, just, and compassionate communities.

In my new environment, the home of many great American writers, the words of Henry David Thoreau come to mind: "I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of [people] to elevate [their lives] by conscious endeavor. The Institute for Just Communities assumes this challenge with gusto. Safe, just, and compassionate communities are possible; we can make them so by individual and collective conscious endeavor. We recognize that in the workings of the world, we do not have control, but that we do have influence. We, therefore, promote strategies and actions that have the most leverage in creating desired change.

The personal is indeed political, but with a nod to Tip O'Neill, all politics are not just local. The world is inescapably part of our reality--more personally connected than many of us ever thought possible. With this new understanding, the appreciation and valuing of other people--their countries, cultures, customs--makes our own need for connection to and participation in our own communities so much more vivid. Our families, neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities are learning laboratories for creating safe spaces that promote the positive development of people and responsible use of natural resources. Democracies thrive with engaged citizens. The world's survival depends not only on engaged citizens, but also knowledgeable, compassionate individuals who cherish human rights (see the Universal Declaration of Human Rights sidebar in this edition) the common good, intergenerational relationships, and our home, this fragile planet earth.

In this era of personal and poltical, local and global hate crimes, the role of healthy youth, families, and communities is paramount. Audre Lorde's words beckon us: "When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." With the launch of the Institute for Just Communities, we vigorously renew our commitment to leadership in advancing the CYD movement--to creating safe, just, and compassionate communities with the full and healthy engagement of young people.

As a final note, we are aware, as John F. Kennedy said, that "All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days . . . nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."

1. From poet Audre Lorde (1934-1992). Ms. Lorde won the Walt Whitman Citation of Merit in 1991, a year before her death from breast cancer.