Simple Acts, Big Impact

A little LIGHT for your holiday season! Amelia from Arkansas started Lisowe's Lights when she was only eight years old, providing nightlights for children who are navigating the foster care system. Lisowe's Lights makes sure that children who need to leave their homes and to be placed in foster care will have a nightlight to help them feel safe in their new home. Learn more at www.lisoweslights.co...

My guests today, Akanksha and Claire from Atlanta, bonded over a shared love of art and a huge heart for the elderly. During the pandemic, they decided to create a free online art program called Sketching with Seniors to bridge the generational gap between young people who want to share their creativity and the isolated and lonely older adults who could benefit from the stimulation and connection....

Henry L. launched his nonprofit Chess Pals when he was only 12 years old as his bar mitzvah project. Chess Pals has grown to serve hundreds of students in 9 public schools in California and 10 chapters around the country. Chess pals serves students in underresourced communities, and also creates intergenerational connections between teens and older adults. Learn more at www.chesspals.org or follow...

Twelve-year-old Peyton starting fundraising and hosting collection drives for people experiencing homelessness in her Wisconsin community when she was only seven. As we kick of the "season of giving" this week, I hope this conversation will inspire everyone to find the time to help those less fortunate to have a bright and joyful holiday season. Learn more at https://www.eyeofachild.org/ or follow...

My guest today, high school senior Ariela from Los Angeles, has a huge heart for rescue animals. In response to the Girl Scouts Gold Award initiative, Ariela created a nonprofit called Reducing Animal Stress, to help provide enrichment for shelter animals, and to help people understand that boredom and stress are triggers that cause rescue animals to act out. Providing handmade pet toys and other...

Skin health is so important. My guest today, high school senior Ellis, created DermaTeens, an international youth-led nonprofit dedicated to educating teens on skin health and promoting sun-safe habits. DermaTeens leads educational initiatives with global reach, provides access to sun protection, engages in health policy activism, and more to prevent skin cancer and promote healthy skin. Learn mor...

Have you ever wondered what happens to "dead" tennis balls, the ones that lose their bounce and are rejected by professional tennis players during their important matches? Well millions of them end up in landfills as non-compostible waste that releases methane into the environment. My guests today, tennis-playing sisters Lily and Maggie from New Jersey, started a nonprofit called Net Love to recyc...

The election is next Tuesday. My guests today, Isaac and Ranen, created an incredibly important organization called OutVote. OutVote is committed to registering and mobilizing LGBTQIA+ voters, partnering with LGBTQIA+ organizations and professionals on voter registration and mobilization efforts, and improving data collection for the LGBTQIA+ communities. Learn more at www.outvotehq.org and follow...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so this episode is especially important and powerful. Childhood friends Nadia and Rhea from the Chicago area have created an organization called Safe and Aware to empower women and youth, focusing on safety and well-being, recognizing that everyone has the right to feel hopeful about the future. Learn more at  https://safeandaware.blog/  and follow  @s...

It's not often that I am given the opportunity to share an episode to correspond with the launch of an important project! My guests today, Anna and Boston, are part of a team of people from Maine who, as part of Maine Youth Action, have created a platform called the Maine Youth Political Portal to help young people gain access to all resources they need to run for political office in Maine. The Po...

My guest today is Romy, a college sophomore who created a special program called MiSendero. MiSendero is an independent high school student-led organization focused on integrating and connecting English learner students to school activities by creating a format in which they can earn volunteer hours as Spanish tutors, join school clubs, become leaders within the organization, and participate in ac...

Aani and Gage are two friends from Arizona (now both freshmen in college) who bonded over their shared passion for playing musical instruments as well as volunteering with the elderly. Together they created Our Ode To You which allows musicians, singers and visual artists to share their passion for the creative arts with seniors living in nursing homes and memory care facilities. Follow to learn m...

Ayana B. is passionate about understanding the human heart, and raising awareness about cardiovascular health. She created Ligh on the Heart, a nonprofit dedicated to alleviating the struggles of marginalized communities facing poor cardiovascular treatment by providing research advice to high school students, granting insights from medical and research professionals, and pushing for advocacy thro...

Grace L. has a passion for research which was sparked when she was a curious 10 year old. She created a nonprofit called Research to Empower which seeks to inspire, support and empower aspiring young researchers, offering a master class, guidebook, resources and leadership opportunities to help students, particularly those from underrepresented communities, to achieve success. Learn more and acces...

Welcome back to Season 3 of Simple Acts, Big Impact: Celebrating Teen Changemakers. Today's episode is the perfect "back to school episode" about the importance of books, school supplies, and representation in storytelling. Rohan S. and his sister Anya are the founders of the Let's Learn Foundation which hosts book drives and provides school supplies for under resourced students in central Texas....

Kate and Rehaan are student leaders of Impact 100 NYC NextGen, a teen giving circle and service cohort that makes grants to local nonprofits in NYC, and volunteers together in the community. We discuss the power of collective giving and volunteering with our peers.   Learn more at www.impact100nyc.org or follow @impact100nycnextgen

Ashley N, is a highschool junior from Kentucky who started a nonprofit called Sargeant's Army which provides toiletry kits and outerwear for people experiencing homelessness and living marginally, especially our honored veterans. She's also a six time children's book author who donates 100% of the proceeds from her books back to her nonprofit. Learn more at www.sargeantsarmy.org Follow Ashley at @...

My guest today, Charlie J., loved building with Lego's growing up and believes that every child deserves access to play and learning tools. He created Pass the Bricks, an organization that collects, sanitizes, sorts and distributes lego kits to children in his community who might not be able to afford them. Learn more at www.passthebricks.org or follow @passthebricks

Lucy B from Nashville had an idea to make a homemade blanket for a friend as a birthday gift when she was only 8 years old. That thoughtful gift turned into an effort called Lucy's Love Blankets which provides handmade blankets for children going through an illness, a divorce in their family or the loss of a loved one - anyone needing a little extra love. Learn more at @lucysloveblankets

Today, in honor of Mother's Day this Sunday, I'm delighted to share a very special conversation with Alex H. Alex tells us the story of being raised by a single mother, and how he wanted to honor her hard work and sacrifice. He wrote and illustrated a graphic novel called HERO and created a project through which he interviews single mothers and gives them a platform to tell their stories. Learn mo...

On today's episode, New York teen Maya P. shares some of her many projects with us, including STEAM news, a global kids-for-kids newsletter that is dedicated to giving teens a voice and spreading important information about STEAM topics. She also created Fresh Opportunities which is a food rescue organizations that is working to fight food insecurity and hunger in her community.  Learn more at www...

Ryan H. is a young social entrepreneur from California with a passion for recycling. I know - kind of an unusual thing for a teen to be excited about, but Ryan is a special young man with a true entrepreneurial spirit. He started a recycling service called Ryan's Recycling, he partners with a city-wide service called Recycle From Home and he created Project 3R, a program that teaches kids about re...

In celebration of Earth Month and Earth Day next Monday, this conversation with Elijah R. from Australia will inspire you. Elijah is a Coral Watch ambassador who travels around Australia with his family raising awareness and sharing his passion for looking after the environment. Follow along on Elijah's adventures on IG and FB @elijahsworldqld Learn more about saving the Great Barrier Reef by foll...

This week is National Robotics Week, so I'm delighted to share this conversation with William B. a college student at Tulane University who created a nonprofit called RoboRecovery, which provides robotics kits and increases access to robotics education for under-resourced children in New Orleans. Learn more at www.roborecovery.org