KEARNS – BTS spoke at the United Nations in New York on September 24 to talk about self-doubt and to encourage the younger generation to use their voices for good and to speak up for themselves.

The United Nations is a worldwide organization that started back in the 1940s and formed by 51 countries to encourage decisions on conflicts all over the world without having them result in any harm. This was meant to meet and achieve specific goals with meaningful purposes while maintaining world peace and protection as well as joining nations all over the world together to solve problems regarding many things like social and cultural difficulties.

BTS has worked with the UN since last year helping raise awareness and doing fundraising campaigns. In 2017, they worked with the Korean Committee for UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) to initiate Love Myself, which works with UNICEF’s global #ENDviolence movement that goes against violence towards youth. Sales from the boy band’s album of the same name goes towards the campaign, which has already raised more than 1 million dollars.

The K-Pop group will be helping to commence a campaign by the United Nations children’s agency which UNICEF called “Generation Unlimited.”

According to CNN, “Generation Unlimited will tackle ‘the global education and training crisis currently holding back millions of young people and threatening progress and stability.’ It will do so by focusing on secondary-age education; skills for learning, employability, and decent work and empowerment, the statement added.” The future of the world completely depends on the next generation to keep it peaceful, stable and protected. With the correct education, we are only a few steps away from making our home a better living environment.

In BTS’s LOVE MYSELF campaign, they talk about the meaning of true self-love and encouraging every young person to find the love from inside themselves and spread that love to everyone else, stating that they think that mutual support from youth to each other is the first step to finding true love within yourself.

RM, the leader of the group, opened up about his fears and lack of confidence but finding the courage and bravery to be whoever he wishes to be.

“Like most people, I’ve made many and plenty mistakes in my life. I have many faults, and I have many more fears, but I’m going to embrace myself as hard as I can. And I’m starting to love myself, gradually, just little by little.”

He continued by describing the times where he would often think about giving up since he could not bring himself to stop thinking about the opinions of others, but as time went by he learned to overcome his insecurities and let go about what other people might have to say about him with the help of his members and fandom.

“Today, I am who I am with all my faults and my mistakes. Tomorrow, I might be a tiny bit wiser, and that’ll be me too. These faults and mistakes are what I am, making up the brightest stars in the constellation of my life… So, let’s take all one more step. We have all learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to speak yourself. I’d like to ask all of you: What is your name? What excites you and what makes your heart beat? Tell me your story, I want to hear your voice and I want to hear your conviction.”

High School students from all over the world are constantly being judged and pressured into fitting a specific portrait and acting or doing things a certain way. Most people do not rely on younger generations and would rather tell tales about them than to actually give them a turn and listen to what they have to say, which is what keeps them from opening up and hesitating about whether or not their opinions really matter to the rest of the world. Having world-wide known celebrities talk about issues like these, and going through them themselves, helps millions of adolescents and inspires them to find their own voice and let it spread more positivity and justice to make the world a better place for all ages.

“I think that they just want everyone to speak up and be able to do whatever they want because nobody should be stopping them.” Says Shayleen Reyes, a 13-year-old who had the chance to listen to the speech and was inspired to keep going regardless if the people around her supported her dreams or not, “Plus with the music that they make talking about things like loving yourself but not worrying if you don’t have a goal in life yet, I believe that they’re going to be recognized as legends even centuries later.”

Not only has BTS inspired people through speaking for younger generations, but their music has also been proven to help out people while going through the hardest parts of their lives, as far as saving them, and encouraging them to keep fighting. People have been speaking up about their issues and explaining how not many other artists are doing what they are right now. This music group is now being recognized as next-generation leaders, which seems completely accurate and something to look forward to.