Simple Acts, Big Impact

Happy Earth Month! I'm excited to share this conversation with a truly unique young man from Ohio. Te"Lario W. is a teen with a passion for gardening (which is not something you hear every day). He founded The Garden Club Project in his community to help end hunger and encourage kids to eat healthier. The Garden Club Project grows, harvests and shares produce with the community, and encourages you...

In honor of Earth Month coming up in April, I spoke with Michelle S. who created two wonderful organizations, Community for Environmental Sustainability, which is a community garden, food distribution and nutrition education program, as well as Love a Sea Turtle, which is dedicated to youth leadership. Learn more at www.loveaseaturtle.com and follow at @loveaseaturtle and @greenvillecommunitygarde...

Have you ever tried to teach an older person how to use an app on their phone or another piece of technology? If so, you know how frustrating it can be - for both of you! Well, Spencer H. is a patient and kind young changemaker who took the time to do this with his own grandmother, and then decided to write a step-by-step instructional manual to help others. You can purchase NanaTech: A Tech Teena...

Nikita and Smera are highschool students in Massachusetts who realized that STEM instruction, which is so vitally important to every child, was simply out of reach for most. Instead of waiting around for adults to fix the problem they created GenXL, a nonprofit that provides free STEM lessons for more than 50,000 underresourced students all over the world, with the help of over 2000 volunteers. Le...

You can't turn on the news these days without hearing about the election coming up this Fall. The national and local elections are so important, and getting young people to engage in the electoral process is crucial. My guest today is a Ava Mateo, a young adult who is the Executive Director of 18byvote which is a non-partisan youth-led organization that helps 16, 17, and 18-year-olds understand ho...

On today's episode, we will all learn about a potentially devastating medical condition called clubfoot and the young man who was able to receive treatment to overcome it, and now wants to help others around the world receive the same treatment. With the help of a Curious Cardinals mentor, Josh A. created a website called Clubfoot Connect with allows him to fundraise, raise awareness, connect and...

Do you remember sitting alone in a playground and wishing someone would invite you to play? Well my guest today has had that experience and, after learning about "buddy benches" at camp, decided to do something about it. Sammie V. collects plastic bottle caps and recycles them to create "buddy benches" in her community (and around the world). The Sammie's Buddy Bench project helps the environment...

Happy Valentines Day. It's a perfect day to spread some love, friendship and joy, like my guest, Anbini G. - a high school senior from Seattle who started an organization called Love and Sweet Bakery which is "changing the world, one dessert at a time." With chapters all over the country, this effort allows youth to bake treats and donate them or sell them to raise money to help others in their co...

My guest today, Ethan H., has been featured on many national media platforms for his organization called Ethan's Heart: Bags4Blessings which he started when he was only 7 years old. Learn more at https://www.ethansheartbham.org/ and follow @ethansheartbham. This episode will inspire you because as Ethan says, "every day is a good day to help someone."

February is Random Acts of Kindness month so this episode featuring Mia P and her organization The Kind Mouse is a perfect way to kick it off. Kind Mouse helps children dealing with hunger and food insecurity in Mia's community of St. Petersburg Florida while encouraging the next generation of kind leaders with its "Mouse in Training" program. Follow and learn more at http://thekindmouse.org/ or o...

As we honor the International Day of Learning today, I'm delighted to share this episode with 7th grader Ned K. whose frustration with online learning during the pandemic sparked the creation of a blog dedicated to education. Learn more and subscribe to receive Ned's Blog at https://ned-kelly-blog.webflow.io/ Learn more about Curious Cardinals at https://www.curiouscardinals.com/  

Today is International Mentorship Day (who knew, right?). You have to see it to be it. That phrase may be a little overused but it is also very true. This episode is all about the transformational power of mentorship, and two teen changemakers who saw a need for increased accessibility to female mentors, particularly for students from gender-marginalized communities. They created MyNetworkHer to f...

In honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service next Monday, I'm delighted to share this inspiring conversation with Angie, a teen from South Florida, who works with an organization called Justice is Us. The Justice is Us Project focuses on teaching civic education to Black youth in the United States and the Caribbean to encourage partnership in policy advocacy and community engage...

Sydney and her brother Brayden care about empowering youth to express their feelings through music and other forms of creative expression. They are committed to mental health advocacy, suicide prevention, and creating stronger communities. They believe youth should be seen, heard, and loved. Learn more and follow Be the Change @bethechangeyi and at www.bethechangeyi.com. TW: this episode discusses...

Happy New Year! This week, I'll share my key take-aways from the first 16 episodes of Season 2. - Teens changemakers are positive, kind, and enthusiastic. They give me hope. - A few good things came out of the pandemic. - Take a chance. Show up. Make the effort. It's always worth it. - Be grateful. Keep working. Stay curious. Thanks for listening. See you in 2024!

When Emily Meyer was 4 years old, she was hospitalized on Christmas and woke to find a pile of toys at her bedside. So began her journey of collecting and distributing toys to hospitalized children every holiday season for the last 14 years! Learn more at www.theemilymeyerfoundation.org or follow on social media @theemilymeyerfoundation

TunesforKidz (note the Z!) collects and distributes gently used musical instruments to children all over Nashville, Tennessee. The founder Manavi, and her team members Dylan and Riya, work to ensure that every child can experience the joy of musical expression. Learn more at www.tunesforkidz.org or follow on IG @tunes_for_kidz

The issue of period poverty is one that many people don’t understand or talk about. The truth is that many women cannot afford the feminine hygiene products that will allow them to be healthy and feel confident. Leia K. is a high school junior from New York City who coordinates a club called Confident Healthy Women that works to collect and distribute feminine hygiene products to women and girls w...

Early Entrepreneurs is a free program dedicated to empowering the next generation of female entrepreneurs. It was founded by Sophia Bustos, Sofia Broughman and Florine T. who is interviewed on this episode along with Nicole R. who joined Florine in expanding the program. Florine and Nicole are high school seniors who share their passion for business and entrepreneurship with girls around the world...

Neal C. started Codology in June, 2022 to ensure that all kids - no matter their background or resources - can benefit from coding education and instruction. He has already built an impressive team and organization that has served thousands of young people in the Bay Area. Learn more about Codology at www.codology.org www.codin.app on IG @codologyorg @trycodin  

Arsh P. is a Chicago-based young artist who shares his beautiful work with the world in an effort to raise money for the St. Jude Children's Hospital and other local charities. He is also a Giving Tuesday Spark Leader who is part of a movement of youth changemakers making a positive impact on the world. As a reminder - Giving Tuesday is next Tuesday. As you celebrate Thanksgiving with family and f...

In celebration of World Kindness Day on November 13th, this episode features Connor W., a 14-year old from Massachusetts who started Connor's Kindness Project to bring kindness kits to children in need. Learn more at www.connorskindnessproject.com and follow Connor's journey on Instagram @Connorskindnessproject.

At the age of 19, college sophomore Isaiah Santiago is one of the youngest elected officials in the United States. He is the Commissioner of the School Board in Rochester, New York. He started a program focused on providing mental health services to young people, and serves as a role model for youth around the state. Next Tuesday is election day. Let this episode serve as a reminder that everyone...

In early March, 2020, Kate J., a high school senior from Houston, TX, had a wonderful idea to launch an arts program in nursing homes. The pandemic quickly forced her to pivot her plans, and provided even more inspiration to move forward, as already isolated seniors suffered through long periods of isolation. Learn more at https.//thelightupnetwork.wordpress.com and the anthology "The Joys of Me:...

October is National Book Month, and to celebrate, we are amplifying the story of Natasha A., a high school student from Florida who started BelieveNBooks during the pandemic. Natasha has collected and distributed over 75,000 and hopes to distribute 100,000 by the time she finishes high school. Natasha shares her love of books with children in her community so that every child can find the joy of r...