A Message to Tomorrow’s Leaders: Youth Leadership and Excellence in Action

Ambassador Seleshi Sals Umer has recently been named a World Peace Ambassador by the Stockholm World Peace Award—a prestigious recognition of his tireless work in peacebuilding and unity. Here at Safe Light, everyone who’s worked with the Ambassador is deeply proud of this achievement. For young leaders, it’s a powerful reminder that we are capable of great success and worthy of global recognition. It shows that youth leadership and excellence are not just ideas—they are real goals we can reach.

From Stockholm to the World: Honoring Integrity, Youth, and Impact

The Stockholm World Peace Award is a distinguished international recognition given to individuals who advance peace, justice, and human dignity across borders. Rooted in Sweden’s long tradition of diplomacy and human rights, this award celebrates not only achievement but also integrity—the kind that changes communities and impacts lives. Past recipients include Kofi Annan, transformed global diplomacy as UN Secretary-General. Others like Malala Yousafzai risked everything to stand up for girls’ education. Dr. Denis Mukwege helped survivors of wartime sexual violence and brought healing to devastated regions. Now, Ambassador Sileshi joins them and many others by contributing to peacekeeping and demonstrating excellent leadership on the international stage. (more information on the Stockholm peace awards here).

At Safe Light Initiatives, we help young people grow their mindset, character, leadership, and diplomatic skills they need to shape a better future. These values, after all, are the foundation of peaceful and just societies. (Get involved with safelight’s transformative leadership journey today.) In fact, sixty percent of Africa’s population is youth—making us the youngest continent on Earth. Likewise, despite the challenges across Africa and here at home in Ethiopia, we believe our greatest hope lies in empowering these young minds.

What we can learn from the Ambassadors journey is clear. We are our greatest investment. True leadership and greatness begin within—starting from how we treat ourselves and those around us. It means loving our country, our family, and ourselves. But it also requires working tirelessly, staying disciplined, and not giving up. As the saying goes, “Pour into your cup first, and the overflow will feed your nation.”