By Morgan Bolah
Special to the Daily News

“I want the young people to feel good, and for the adults to feel good about the youth.”

That isn’t something you’d expect a documentary filmmaker to say after he’s covered such topics as the Columbian drug cartels and lack of water as a necessary resource in Senegal,but in the case of Patrick Davidson, an exception must be made.

THE WORLD WE WANT follows teenage activists all across the world who are working to improve their present communities and ultimately the futures of those that live within them. The film spans the globe, on location in Columbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Indonesia , Senegal, Russia, Jordan, India, and the United States, and chronicles the efforts of eight international groups who are striving to positively redefine the world they live in.

What sets film apart from the traditional documentary is that it’s message is on a global level. Every child in the film is united by their hopes and aspirations. “They are all passionate and excited about what they are doing, they smile, they hug each other, they love,” says Davidson. It is nearly impossible to walk away from this film unmoved and uninspired by the missions and passions of the teenage activists who are all amazingly only between the ages of 11 and 16.

As writer-director, Patrick Davidson has had an exceptional history with youth. Starting off running centers and shelters for troubled families, Davidson recalls his days in managing such programs, “I was rapidly burning out and a friend from a documentary film encouraged me to try the entertainment business.”

Soon after, Davidson was hired as a runner for a company responsible for marketing and promotions for ABC. Davidson now holds a well-seasoned resume including such titles as former Senior Vice President of original programming at The Disney Channel, and producer of a series of television specials, Pompeii Rediscovered (the Last Days of Pompeii) and Alex Haley. When it comes to THE WORLD WE WANT, Davidson admits, “Filming and meeting the kids was more than I expected, more rewarding than I had ever imagined it to be.”

This film has the potential to change how today’s youth view themselves and their role within society. “I didn’t want to beat the viewer up for an hour and a half about things they could have changed, I want them to feel inspired, for teens who see it to think, I want to be like them. “

The World We Want has the power to reshape rigidly cemented global views, and help viewers to grasp that the teens on opposite sides of the spectrum of race, culture, and religion, have hearts that are beating in the same fashion.

Kala Kirnak, a prominent face amidst the U.S. activist team, took from the filming experience innumerable memories-especially those with the other seven featured international teams, “ I never would have expected them to be so much like me. We have such a difference in cultures and life-styles, yet as people we’re so similar. Our colors are different, our religions were different, our homes were different, our language was different… but our hearts? Who we were as people? We’re the same.”