The recent winter Olympic games in Sochi, Russia, provided moments of inspiration for area youth. Those same youth find inspiration at their schools in the form of excellent teachers. Many of those same young people will find inspiration during the 2014 Youth Prayer Breakfast events this week. Speakers and performances will provide some of that inspiration. Among those seeking to inspire area youth are Washington native Terrance Copper, a former NFL player, and collegiate athletes. Another key participant is Derek Walker, a musician and the youth pastor at Grace United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn.

Youth, not only in Beaufort County but also around the world, need role models who offer various messages, including faith-based messages, messages with the theme that hard work brings rewards and believe it and achieve it.

Although the Youth Prayer Breakfast will not appeal to every young person in the area, the event offers more than just a break from the normal daily routine for area youth. For those youth who live lives of faith, the week’s activities help nurture their faith. For those youth who are searching for something to bring meaning to their young lives, the Youth Prayer Breakfast may help those youth find what they are seeking.

And why would area youth listen to the featured speakers? Well, these speakers have gone through or are going through what area youth are experiencing in their lives right now.

“I still find it crazy that God has chosen me, a guy who has messed up so much to help develop faith among young people,” Walker said in a press release about the Youth Prayer Breakfast. “My passion is seeing young peoples’ lives being impacted and transformed by God’s incredible love and grace.”

The Youth Prayer Breakfast events may not be the answer for every youth in the area, but if it benefits just one area young person, the event benefits all of the area.

As for inspiration, those folks who organize and support the annual Youth Prayer Breakfast should inspire others of us to become involved in the lives of our young people. They will be better for it — and so will we.