National Co-Authors ‘We Have a Dream Book’ Published in Japan  

Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 2, 2021- Mrs. Sonia Boddie-Thompson, a proud national of St. Kitts and Nevis, is one of 201 young persons from across the world who have co-authored the book “We Have a Dream: 201 Countries, 201 Dreams with Sustainable Development Goals”, which has been published in Japanese and English by Iroha Publishing in Japan.

The book, which is the brainchild of One Young World Ambassadors from Japan and Directors of the Word Dream Project, Mr. Taichi Ichikawa, and Ms. Ibun Hirahara, is designed to showcase the stories and dreams of global young leaders and create a platform where people from across the world can learn from each other. The book also places keen emphasis on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. Every dream expressed in the book is linked to at least one SDG, which highlights how young people are playing their part to tackle global issues, whilst contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Mrs. Boddie-Thompson’s story titled “Hard Work Will Never Let You Down” is on pages 344 and 345 in the book, and chronicles her journey from a child of humble beginnings to a successful, qualified young professional. There, she articulates, “I dream of a world where young people, irrespective of race, ethnicity, religion, creed, culture, gender and socioeconomic background have unlimited opportunities to become educated and trained to lead successful lives.” She also encourages young people to “Stay focused, be diligent, remain positive and continue striving for excellence. You can achieve anything you set your mind to, once you put in the work and demonstrate that you really want it. Your efforts will not always go unnoticed. Trust the process!”

Mrs. Boddie-Thompson, who is also a One Young World Ambassador and youth empowerment advocate, says she is extremely delighted to have made her contribution to such an important body of work, which seeks to create a positive transformational impact on our global community. She notes that, “my participation in the One Young World Summit in 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa, was undoubtedly a life-changing experience, which propelled me to further my mission of being a global change agent. Therefore it is my pleasure to collaborate on initiatives of this nature, because as the famous African proverb states If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.”

A globetrotter and motivational speaker, Mrs. Boddie-Thompson further remarked, “Although I have not boarded an aircraft in over a year, I am happy that my words of inspiration can take flight via this book, and leave footprints of motivation in every corner of the world, which challenges people to continue putting in the work, in pursuit of their goals.”

The English version of the book, “We Have a Dream: 201 Countries 201 Dreams with Sustainable Development Goals” goes on sale todayJune 2, 2021, via Amazon and launches today at a grand exhibition in Tokyo. The Japanese version is already available on the market.