Simple Acts, Big Impact

    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...

Liam's Lunches of Love distributes meals and kindness to people who are experiencing homeless in the Cambridge, MA community. Liam created the organization when he was only 10 years old, and has distributed over 20,000 meals over the years. Liam and his friend and fellow volunteer Arson share their experiences with this important work, and remind us once again that "food is love." Follow Liam's Lu...

Avery K. is an energetic 15-year-old with ambitious goals, big dreams, and a heart for service. She started Love Carries On which provides duffle bags and luggage tags for children navigating the foster care system. I loved our conversation and I hope you will check out her efforts. You can find Love Carries On on Instagram @lovecarriesondrive And you can follow all of Avery's work @inspiredmelani...

Charlie, Alexa, and Jack are high school seniors from New York City who have created a very special model of microfinancing for macro impact. With a passion for finance, entrepreneurship, and social justice, MyFiNYC provides small "game-changing" loans to communities in developing countries. To learn more, check out their website www.myfinyc.org or follow on IG @myfi_inc LinkedIn https://www.linke...

Follow Maya as she works toward her goal of recording 300 interviews! Check out Maya's interviews on her YouTube channel @popstarextraordinairemaya and follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok @thelatestnewswithmaya.

The pandemic certainly put a spotlight on educational disparities and the digital divide in the United States and around the world. Zachary L., a high school senior from NYC, has created an organization to help bridge that divide, Philanthropy4Technology. If you'd like to learn more or to become an ambassador for Philanthropy4Technology, check out Zachary's website at www.philanthropy4technology.c...

It's the giving season and I'm delighted to share a special HOLIDAY edition of the podcast! Ava S. was only 6 years old when a classmate who was fighting leukemia inspired her to launch a project called Ava Claus, providing toys for children in the hospital. The effort turned into Ava Claus and Friends and a partnership with the Broward Children's Center. Listen and be inspired to give back in a m...

Zach G. is a thoughtful, insightful teen who believes that we should engage in meaningful conversations about tough mental health issues. He created a media platform, Talk with Zach, that is an important space for teens to connect, access resources, and share their feelings. Everyone should follow this work on social media @talkwithzach and check out his website www.talkwithzach.org .

Sylvie S. is a New York City teen who is passionate about philanthropy and mentorship. She is an enthusiastic leader in PACT - the Philanthropic Advisory Council for Teens - at the UJA Federation of New York. If you want to learn more about PACT or other teen leadership programs at UJA-Federation, check out the Center for Youth Philanthropy and Leadership at www.ujafedny.org/cypl-pact

CJ. is a big-hearted 15-year-old from Atlanta who turned a personal tragedy into an incredible purpose, providing blankets for people who are dealing with loss, trauma, and other hardships. He launched a nonprofit called Blankies for My Buddies. He wrote a children's book called "And Then There Was One." CJ is also a Giving Tuesday Spark Leader. www.blankies4mybuddies.org @blankies4mybuddies www.g...

Daisy H., a 13-year-old 9th grader from NYC, started Including You to create a community of learners and to promote friendship and inclusivity. If you'd like to learn more, or to become a mentor or mentee, check out  www.includingyou.org or follow on social media @includingyou