“Before we can solve poverty, we need to define it,” said David Johnson. “Poverty is not just about lack of money or food, it is about the lack of hope and power. So our solutions need to address restoring hope and power and not just handing out money or food.” Johnson is the founder of Silent Images, a local non-profit organization based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He spent this Thursday morning discussing global issues, such as poverty, with the sophomore class at Ardrey Kell High School.

Restoring hope and power is a one of Johnson’s main mantras for Silent Images as they work to tell stories in the midst of persecution, poverty, or oppression through journalistic photography, videography, and writing. Most recently David returned from working in Kenya and Rwanda, documenting the work of MANA and KUMVEKA. Both of these non-profits have partnered with Silent Images to capture the impact that they have on communities in these African nations.

Johnson spent the morning discussing poverty and how the students of Ardrey Kell can take their own passions and skills to make a global impact in the world today. Utilizing skills beyond the basic level, he explained that creating personal interaction between the parties of giver and recipient is the next step to restoring hope and power. Anyone can donate a book, but it is acting on that donation, perhaps through mentoring or tutoring the recipient is what generates this restoration.

So the next time an opportunity to provide a social service falls into your hands, challenge yourself to take it to the next level, and invest personally. Because the key to solving poverty lies in the restoration of hope and power, which means it is time to get personal.