Teenaged magician Elie Haoui is paying it forward. For the past three years, he’s been mentored by illusionist and card thrower Rick Smith Jr. Now Hauoi is sharing a message of positivity with the younger generation of aspiring magicians.

“My goal is to help kids find their sense of purpose and help them understand that just because someone says you can’t do something, doesn’t mean you can’t do it,” he told WKYX 3. “If you put your mind and heart to it, you can change the world.”

Haoui shares that inspiration by touring with Magic Gives Back, a program for adding some Vegas-style pizazz to local school fundraising. Not too shabby a resume for a young fellow who’s just 17 years old. Check out his moves with playing cards in the video below.