President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wave as they depart Waterkloof Air Base for a flight to Cape Town on Sunday, June 30, 2013, in Centurion, South Africa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(CNSNews.com) – First lady Michelle Obama called for young people in both South Africa and the United States to be “citizens of the world” through the use of social media.
“For you guys to begin to talk to each other and realize that you have so much in common whether you are in Soweto or Houston or anywhere in the world there is so much we can do together,” the first lady said. “And I want you all to start thinking about being citizens of the world, and in order to do, that you’ve got to start reaching out, and this is just the beginning.”
Michelle Obama made the remarks during a Google+ Hangout on education at Sci-Bono Discovery Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday. The event included students in South Africa and students watching remotely from the United States in New York, Houston, Kansas City and Los Angeles.
“You all as young people inspire me, not just because I’m first lady, but I’m a mom, and I know that kids are our future,” Mrs. Obama told the young crowd.
“One of the things that are so important that I want to have happen or begin to happen here is that young people will begin to talk to each other and share with each other and start inspiring one another across the globe. That is the beauty of technology. That’s what we should be using Twitter and all that stuff for,” she said.
Later, the first lady opined on the White House blog about the Google+ Hangout meeting.
“That is the power of technology: to make the distance of an ocean disappear with the touch of a button, connecting us across continents so that we can listen to each other, learn from each other, and see how much we all have in common,” Obama wrote.
“That is so important, because I want young people like you to think of yourselves as citizens of the world. So I hope you’ll use technologies like Google+ Hangouts, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and others to continue this conversation and keep on learning from – and being inspired by – kids all across the globe,” she added.