Barack Obama has urged young people to reject pessimism and interact with those who have different beliefs if they want to make changes in the world. On the final day of his last visit to Britain as US president, Obama told 500 youth leaders at a town hall meeting in London: “I’m here to ask you to reject the notion there are forces we can’t control. As JFK said, our problems are manmade and can be solved by man.” “You’ve never had better tools to make a difference,” he told the A-level and UK –US exchange students at the Q&A session. “Reject pessimism, cynicism and know that progress is possible. Progress is not inevitable; it requires struggle, discipline and faith.” But Obama acknowledged the challenges faced by young people: “Not to say your generation has had it easy, in a time of breathtaking change, from 9/11, 7/7 … and during an age of information and Twitter where there’s a steady stream of bad news.” The audience cheered as the president was introduced and went on to speak about his policies, including healthcare and education. He urged the audience to interact with people with different political beliefs: “Seek out people who don’t agree with you and it will also help you to compromise.” Obama also said: “You should feel encouraged social attitudes are changing. That doesn’t mean it’s fast enough but you should keep