Simple Acts, Big Impact

Inspired by the vision of tomorrow, Wikivision is an organization created by two teens in Hawaii providing cataract surgery to elderly people who cannot afford this sight-saving procedure. The team at Wikivison also creates educational videos about important health topics and shares them on a YOUTUBE channel. Learn more at www.wikivision.info and follow @wikivision808.  

Every person who has ever been fascinated by an orangutan (or an ape, or gorilla or other amazing large primate) in the zoo will be drawn to this conversation. Jack D is an 8th grader from New Hampshire who is on a mission to get the orangutan off the endangered species list and to inspire kids and adults to care about our planet and all of the many endangered species on it. To purchase Jack's chi...

Ike O. is a teen from Connecticut who harnassed her passion for baking into a social enterprise that raises funds for organizations in her community that are engaged in racial justice and equity work. Community Cookies selects a different organization to amplify and support each month, and treats can be ordered and shipped. Learn more and support this effort on www.communitycookies.myshopify.com a...

Austin is an artist and community organizer who believes in the power of public art to activate community members and neighbors around important causes. To learn more about Austin's Awesome Art or to purchase beautiful merchandise that supports the Save our Salmon initiation, visit https://www.austinsart.net/salmonmural or follow at @austins.awesome.art.

Did you know that 2 in 5 children cannot properly dress themselves? And that lack of clean clothes is one of the top reasons for school absenteeism? These are some of the things I learned in my conversation with Holly and Jessie, teen founders of an important nonprofit called Ta Ta for Now which provides clean, comfortable bras to underserved youth in their Florida community. To learn more, check...

Welcome to the premier of Season 2! This episode, featuring Krish S. and his fantastic organization Power of Pawns, is the perfect way to kick off a season full of incredible changemakers. I hope you'll tune in every Wednesday and be inspired. Learn more about Power of Pawns at www.powerofpawns.com and follow on social media @powerofpawnschess

After 37 episodes, 2000 downloads and listeners in 15 countries, I'm delighted to share this wrap up episode on which I interview Ian Sandler, the Founder of Riley's Way.   Learn more about Riley's Way at www.rileysway.org   Have a wonderful summer and please tune in after Labor Day for Season 2!  

Chase H. and his brother were pre-teens hanging out at their Mom's office when they stumbled upon boxes of children's books that were going to be destroyed. They decided to take those books and get them into the hands of children and librarians who needed them. They created an organization devoted to recycling and other environmental issues called EcoBrothers. Their book recycling program is calle...

Arden P. started Sports4Kids, and after school sports program for under-resourced children, when he was only 13 years old. Explore his website to learn more, donate or, if you live in the San Diego area, sign up to be a volunteer! www.sport4.org

After her grandmother was diagnosed with dementia, Natalia R. created a community to help other teens who are dealing with a family member who is suffering from this difficult disease. She also volunteers with the elderly at a local nursing home. Learn more and connect with other teens in this community on Natalia's website www.ateensguidetodementia.com and follow on IG @teensguidetodementia Natal...

    Rosie Y. is a high school senior from the Bay Area who is passionate about educational accessibility and equity. She works closely with Curious Cardinals, an organization that matches students with mentors, to make financial resources available to everyone who wants to have access to a mentor. Her work with Curious Cardinals inspired her work with another great nonprofit, Tipping Point Communi...

University of Michigan alum, medical student and Riley's Way Call for Kindness Fellow, Michal R. reminds us about the Flint water crisis and tells us about the organization he started at the University of Michigan to help the citizens of Flint. Learn more about the Flint Justice Partnership on Instagram at @UMichFJP  

Selena M. from Dubai is only 8 years old but she is already committed to making an impact on environmental causes and educating young people about sustainability through technology. Follow her journey on Instagram @SustainabilitybyTech. Read more about Simple Acts, Big Impact: Celebrating Teen Changemakers being named as one of the 25 Best Motivational Podcasts for Teens on Feedspot at https://blo...

Lena F. from Atlanta, GA is only 13 years old, but she is a powerhouse changemaker! She is an author, a social entrepreneur and a philanthropist and she started pursuing her passions when she was only 7 years old. Purchase her book "I love Me...and that's OK!" on her website https://positivelylena.com/ Follow her on IG @positivelylena Learn more about the Kinship Family Initiative and follow on IG...

Each year, 119 billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States. That equates to 130 billion meals nearly 40% of all food in America is wasted. Today's guests - Skai, Max, and Ben - noticed how much food was being wasted in their school cafeteria and decided to do something about it. Learn more about Food for All and The Stuyvesant Food Security Club at: www.foodforallnyc.org  and on Instagra...

In this episode, we hear from Jackson, a 17-year-old from Lake Oswego, Oregon whose passion for running inspired him to start a 24 miles in 24 hours challenge. He uses this effort as a fundraiser, and over the last three summers, he has raised over $12,000 for two local nonprofits. Jackson has raised money for Hunger Fighters (a local food pantry that was started by a teenager)  and Respond to Rac...

On this week's episode, I speak with Ava and Sophia P., two sisters from New York City who are passionate about dance. After years of lessons, rehearsals, and recitals, they realized that they had accumulated piles of dance shoes, leotards, and costumes. They decided to set up a collection box at their dance studio to collect gently used dance equipment and to donate it to under-resourced dance pr...

Laila L. is a 10th grader from New York City passionate about dance and movement. Harnassing her interest in coding and legal studies, she is creating a nonprofit called Arts on Pointe to provide dance programs for underserved children and teens in her community. Stay tuned for social media and website information which are still under development. Laila mentions a mentorship program called Curiou...

Ben M. is a high school senior from New York who created Teens Building Bridges to unite teens across cultural boundaries. Learn more and apply to organize events in your local community at www.teensbuildingbridges.org . On this episode, Ben mentions a summer internship with an organization called Civic Spirit. Learn more at www.civicspirit.org.

In the spring and summer of 2020, Isabella H. turned to poetry to help her process the pain she was experiencing as she watched the news coverage of the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. She was inspired to create a forum for other young people of color to express their feelings through poetry and art. Working with the National Youth Foundation, she created a poetry and art contest call...

After the spike in anti-Asian prejudice in 2020, Michelle Q. worked collaboratively with AAPI students all over the country to create a beautiful children's book called Hello From Here: A Celebration of Asian American Identity. She worked with Writopia Lab to create and print the book (which can be purchased on Amazon). Here are the links to explore: Purchase the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon...

The power of technology to change lives is sort of astonishing, as is this episode. College freshman Jonathan T. and his brother created an organization called Helping Hands which harnesses the power of young computer programmers all over the country to create 3-D printed prosthetic hands. I learned so much during this episode and was so impressed with Jonathan's enthusiasm and heart. I hope you'l...

Miarri Phillips is a college junior in Colorado who created a special extracurricular program called Green Goddess which provides a space for girls of color to be their authentic selves. Through outdoor exploration, holistic healing, career readiness, and mentorship, Miarri provides an opportunity for young girls of color to envision a future as environmental leaders. To learn more, follow on IG @...

Jahkil J. is a 15-year-old social entrepreneur, student-athlete, dancer, author, and public speaker from Chicago. He launched Project I Am to raise awareness around the issue of homelessness and works to provide blessing bags filled with toiletries to those who are unhoused. He is celebrating a major milestone in this work in February, so I hope you'll follow him and support his work. Find Jahkil...

Alexa K is a high school junior who has created a robust online platform called The Generation that offers a curated database of jobs, internships, scholarships, and other resources for teens. The Generation allows teens to make meaningful connections, find opportunities and explore possibilities for future careers. Check out and sign up to be informed of new opportunities on the website at www.th...