YOUTH VOICES FROM OKINAWA • MEXICO
A new understanding of ikigai helped Ximena connect leadership, environmental responsibility and the question of how young people can create meaningful change.
Student story: Ximena Morales • Mexico
For Ximena Morales, travelling from Mexico to Okinawa was about much more than discovering a new country. She arrived wanting to understand how young people can contribute meaningfully to their communities. She returned with a new word in her vocabulary, and a new way of thinking about that question: ikigai.
Before joining the Federation EIL Global Youth Leadership Programme 2026, 17-year-old Ximena already saw herself as someone who wanted to be “part of the change”. She was excited by the opportunity to meet young people from other countries, encounter different perspectives and explore how youth leadership can respond to global challenges.
Okinawa quickly gave her plenty to think about. From the organisation of the city and its ubiquitous vending machines to the peaceful atmosphere and her first dinner with her host family, the everyday details were as memorable as the formal programme activities.
School life made a particularly strong impression. Ximena was fascinated by students removing their shoes before class and taking responsibility for cleaning their classrooms. What might appear to be a simple routine became, for her, a lesson in caring for shared spaces and taking responsibility for the community around you.
There was plenty of fun too. At Naha Nishi High School, she joined dance practice, while at Naha Kokusai High School she watched a volleyball practice. As someone motivated by sport herself, she was struck not only by the players’ skill but by the respect they showed towards their sport, coaches and one another.
Her reflections on leadership extended beyond school. Learning about the deterioration of coral reefs made Ximena consider how environmental action could become personal rather than distant. Instead of simply telling people what they should or should not do, she became interested in connecting environmental responsibility with ikigai, the idea of living with purpose.
That idea became one of the most significant lessons she took home. Learning about Okinawa’s long-living communities and exploring ideas including ikigai, moai and hara hachi bu encouraged Ximena to think differently about wellbeing, community and what it means to live with purpose.
Her next step is to share those lessons in Mexico. She hopes to find opportunities to speak with children and younger teenagers about what she discovered in Okinawa and encourage them to see themselves as people capable of making change. She also wants to research sustainable practices that could be applied in her own region and invite other young people to participate.
Her advice to future young leaders captures the spirit with which she approached Okinawa: be open to everything. Try unfamiliar activities, speak with local people, share your own culture, make friends, participate, and even try the food that might not look appealing at first.
Most importantly, reflect on what the experience leaves with you. For Ximena, Okinawa left her with something she could not fit into a suitcase: a stronger sense of purpose and a determination to share it with others.
