Simple Acts, Big Impact

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://blog.feedspot.com/motivational_podcasts_for_teens/

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 at @kinshipfamilyinitiative

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 Instagram @stuyvesant_food_security_club

Grassroots Grocery (a network of community fridges) is mentioned in this episode. Learn more at www.grassrootsgrocery.org and on IG @grassrootsgroceryny

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 Racism - a neighborhood effort to interrupt racism through dialogue, learning, and action.

Jackson's Go Fund Me Page 

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 Curious Cardinals that has helped her realize his vision.

Learn more at www.curiouscardinals.com

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 called I Matter.

The contest is now open for submissions (until August 2023) - learn more at http://www.nationalyouthfoundation.org/i-matter/

Follow on IG at @nationalyouthfoundation

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.com/Hello-Here-Celebration-American-Identity/dp/B0B4QNL2FN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=FM0DA83FBA3Q&keywords=writopia+lab+hello+from+here&qid=1674145394&sprefix=writopia+lab+hello+from+her%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1

Writopia Lab: https://www.writopialab.org/
Writopia Lab IG @writopialab
CreateCalifornia: https://createca.org/