What do you want to be when you grow old?

What do you want to be when you grow old?

This is the question a Chinese journalist asked six-year old school kids, as reported by France24, with some not surprising answers: photographer, teacher, fireman.

However, the last girl answering knows very well what she wants to become: A corrupt public official.

This example shows how relevant and important it is to not loose sight of working with youth in addressing corruption. Many of Transparency International’s chapters have developed projects to engage with youth around the world (see here and here) such as integrating ethics issues into the school curricula, youth camps, and initiatives such as “youth clubs” to discuss corruption. These initiatives can provide young people different perspectives of how things can be done and effectively prepare them for a life without engaging into corrupt behaviour.

After all, the young people from today are the next world leaders.