Young people, especially young girls of color, continue to struggle with mental health issues even six years after the pandemic. Access to services and support is spotty, and many tweens and teens feel isolated and unseen. My guest today, 14-year-old Mila, understood this struggle and wanted to help girls in her community access resources. She started MH Boxes, delivers care packages, made by Black girls, for Black girls, packed with journals, fidgets, affirmations, and other tools to support them through tough days. These boxes are small reminders that each girl who receives one matters, that she is worthy, and that she belongs. 

Learn more at https://mhboxes.org/ or follow @mhboxes

I think we can all agree that sometimes, a simple phone call from a friend can brighten your whole day. And for a lonely or isolated older adult, that phone call might be one of the only points of human connection they will have. My guest today, Nolan Z. from Massachusetts, was inspired to launch Golden Voice Outreach when he realized how meaningful phone calls with his grandmother became after she moved into an assisted living facility. 

Learn more at https://www.goldenvoiceoutreach.org/ and follow @goldenvoiceoutreach

We all know that books hold the key to language and literacy. My guest today, Sahana, a high school senior from Ohio, has always had a passion for words and reading and was a finalist in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She launched the Young Learners Foundation, an organization with the goal of advancing youth literacy with free books and programs, which has already donated over 18,000 books to children in need.

Learn more at www.younglearnersfoundation.org and follow @younglearnersfoundation

My guest today, HS sophomore Evan Z., cares deeply about making the streets of his community safer for everyone - drivers, walkers and bicycle riders. He started NextGen Community Builders, an organization dedicated to empowering youth through traffic and transportation safety programs. Evan is involved in the highest levels of his town's government and has been recognized with a Community Achiever Award recognizing his dedication to civic engagement and youth leadership.

Learn more at https://gonextgen.org/ and follow @nextgencommunitybuilders

Origami is a traditional Japanese art of folding paper, typically without cutting or gluing, to create intricate, beautiful and colorful shapes. It can be a meditative practice, and is an art form often passed down from one generation to the next. My guest today, Juan R.F. shares the story of Origami for Good, an organization with the mission to spread joy, one fold at a time. Volunteers in chapters around the world create origami art and share it with others who are in need of joy and connection.

Learn more and sign up to create a chapter at www.origamiforgood.org and follow @origamiforgood

Over the four years of doing this podcast, I have had the privilege of learning about some incredible social impact projects that take a unique approach to solving a difficult problem, but my guest today has one of the most interesting stories I've heard.  Keshav, a high school junior from Houston Texas, started playing the bagpipes in 2nd grade. After making a connection between lung capacity and the practice of blowing into the bagpipes, he created Pipes for the People to help children and adults who live with cystic fibrosis and other lung diseases.

Learn more at www.pipesforthepeople.com

After the loss of her beloved grandmother, Jiya J. from Texas realized that she missed the warm connection she had with her grandmother, and reached out to local senior centers and nursing homes to find a way to volunteer to paint with the residents. Her nonprofit, Young and Old United, grew out of this personal passion project and has spread across the state of Texas, engaging over 100 student volunteers. Jiya's joy around this work is infectious, and she has some very important things to say about the way that youth changemakers are treated by adult decision makers. I left this conversation inspired and with a huge smile on my face, with an even deeper belief that intergenerational volunteerism is perhaps the most powerful type of service that can benefit our communities.

Learn more at www.youngandoldunited.org or follow @youngandoldunited

Reading opens doors and provides opportunities, and for young people who find themselves in the hospital, research shows that books can boost positive emotions and oxytocin levels, while lowering stress hormones. My guests today, Sanvi and Sumedha from the Chicago area, understood the many benefits of reading and launched The Bookmark Project, a book collection and distribution effort, to empower young people and to spread literacy in their own community and around the world in places like Africa and India. They have collected and donated 41,000 books, and counting. The Bookmark Project is a youth-driven literacy initiative focused on building community and increasing access to books across the globe.

Follow and learn more @tbp_il

Today, as we kick off Earth Month, I am honored to share this conversation with Crystal and Ellie, two college students who became friends while doing Model UN in high school. They bonded over their shared concern for the environment, and launched LEAP, or Live Environmentally Active in the Present, a youth-led organization spreading awareness through education and a powerful publication called The Climate Chronicles.

Learn more at www.leapforclimate.wixsite.com and follow @leapforclimate

My guest today, Edie Y., is a college student, a future educator and a champion of the arts - for EVERYONE. Edie started We Are Artistic to support artists and art lovers, and to create a safe and inclusive space for people of all abilities to engage in creativity.

Learn more at www.weareartistic.net and follow @weareartisticgroup