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Donate Now

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Donate to The Salvation Army National Donation Page

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I just donated to The Salvation Army, where they #FightforGood to shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, and provide rehabilitation services.

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Last fall, the biotech executive Martin Shkreli became widely reviled for hiking the price of a lifesaving drug by more than 4,000 percent overnight, to $750 per pill.

Public outrage at Shkreli has apparently reverberated all the way to a high school science lab in Australia, where a group of 11th-grade students claim to have proven a point: the drug can be made for much, much cheaper.

The group of 11 high school students, ages 16 and 17, successfully re-created the drug, Daraprim, for a mere $2 a pill, according to scientists from the University of Sydney.

"We've been really shocked by Martin Shkreli," Alice Williamson, a postdoctoral teaching fellow with the university's school of chemistry, said in an interview with The Washington Post. "I couldn't really stop thinking about it."

Williamson, who works with the Open Source Malaria consortium, had teamed up with a local high school, Sydney Grammar, to support student science projects. She came up with an idea. "Why don't we see if we can try to get the boys to make this medicine?" she said.

In February, the group of students began spending about an hour before and after school working to re-create the drug, with the help of their science teachers, using a recipe from a patent. They posted all of their work online periodically through Open Source Malaria, which allowed scientists to provide them with guidance and feedback.

The students spent about $15 on the material needed to produce 3.7 grams of Daraprim - about $100,000 worth of the drug in the U.S. market, Williamson said.

Earlier this month, one of the students' teachers took the drug sample to the University of Sydney for it to be assessed. After examining the molecular fingerprint, and determining the crystal's melting point, Williamson determined the students had in fact synthesized pyrimethamine, or Daraprim.

"They've really gone and done it," Williamson said. "They've made a very pure sample of the medicine too, which is a challenge."

The 62-year-old drug is used to treat a condition called toxoplasmosis, which can be a life-threatening disease for pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems, such as those living with HIV or AIDS. The drug had been sold for $18 a pill by the company that previously held the rights to the drug. But when Turing, Shkreli's company, bought the medicine in 2015, it immediately hiked the price to $750 a pill - a move that some patient advocates calculated would bring the annual cost of treatment for a single person to hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Post reported.

In Australia, 50 tablets of the drug can be purchased for $13, Williamson said. She said she hopes the project sends a message to pharmaceutical companies - particularly those in the United States - that expensive drug prices are not always justified.

If high school students can produce the same drug with minimal training, for very low cost, she says, "how can you get away with charging $750 for an essential medicine to so many people who are already vulnerable?"

The students' story led to cheers across Twitter, with many directly tweeting at Shkreli, including:

"Nice one, boys! Sydney schoolkids show up Martin Shkreli by making a malaria drug for $2 that he charged $750 for: https://t.co/zpIYZeNaDo"

Shkreli responded in his typical unapologetic fashion, telling one user "learning synthesis isn't innovation" and telling another "almost any drug can be made at a small scale for a low price."

Williamson said the students would not be able to sell the drug in the United States, however, because Turing still has the exclusive rights to it, creating significant legal barriers for entering the market.

But, Williamson said, "We're not thinking of starting a business out of this. That's not the aim."

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Australian H.S. students 'show up' Martin Shkreli, re-create price-hiked pill for $2

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Last fall, the biotech executive Martin Shkreli became widely reviled for hiking the price of a lifesaving drug by more than 4,000 percent overnight, to $750 per pill. Public outrage at Shkreli has apparently reverberated all the way to a high school science lab in Australia, where a group of 11th-grade students claim to have proven a point: the drug can be made for much, much cheaper.

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Small Town Kid...

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Reach for the Stars - Jasmine's Story | Save the Children

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Get ready

Reality television and social media make oversharing a rite of passage in modern life, yet sometimes the important moments get lost in the cacophony.

Take for example these visionaries - people who changed our world through their good actions or examples when they were only kids. Some have mobilized millions for a good cause. Others have moved us simply by their generous and hopeful view of humanity. Here are eight people who have made an impressive mark on our world.
This story has been updated with new information since it was originally published in September 2011.

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Reality television and social media make oversharing a rite of passage in modern life, yet sometimes the important moments get lost in the cacophony. Take for example these visionaries - people who changed our world through their good actions or examples when they were only kids. Some have mobilized millions for a good cause.

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The website maintained by Lynne Cherry, author of "The Great Kapok Tree" and 30 other children's boks. Official Lynne Cherry site.

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Young people are rising up. We've had enough of backwards politics, extortionate student fees and the facilitation of mass shootings in schools. We don't want our futures to be dictated by elite elders who patronise us, contradict themselves and basically just keep fucking up.

The past two weeks have been a testament to the youth revolution. Teens in the US have been tirelessly protesting against gun violence, while over in the UK on Wednesday Stormzy spoke for a generation when he called out Theresa May's inaction over the Grenfell fire. But no matter how powerfully we speak or how much of a point we have, youth passion, anger and activism are too often dismissed as young people throwing their toys out the pram.

So it comes as no surprise that grown-up, real-life adults are trolling students from the Florida school shooting on Twitter. Following the death of 17 people at a Parkland high school, US teens have come out in full force to call BS on the country's gun laws. As well as staging a die-in outside the White House, teens have taken to Twitter to implore the importance of gun control. And it's here they face ridicule from blue-tick keyboard warriors.

"Worst news since their parents told them to get summer jobs," 'filmmaker, author and speaker' Dinesh D'Souza replied to a photograph of traumatised teens watching Florida lawmakers continue to support the sale of guns. Not only is this heartless - and a cheap shot - but it echoes the contempt for youth voices that we're seeing around the world.

Worst news since their parents told them to get summer jobs https://t.co/Vg3mXYvb4c
- Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) February 20, 2018

Just last month the BES released a report claiming that young people didn't actually have as much impact in the 2017 UK election as previously thought. Our 'youthquake' was merely a youth tremor, they said, and of course the press lapped it up. But young people have been making political waves since the beginning of time. No matter how it's articulated, whether through social media, strikes or marches, youth activism is a powerful force to be reckoned with. To remind you how boss we actually are, here's nine activist teens who prove that 16-year-olds should be running our countries.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

Subject of the 2015 BAFTA-nominated He Named Me Malala and youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai is undoubtedly one of the most inspiring, and well-known teens that ever walked this earth.

At just 12-years-old, Yousafzai was already an outspoken supporter of girls' education rights in her Taliban-controlled hometown in Pakistan. After quickly rising to prominence through her campaigning, she received death threats from the Taliban and was shot by a gunman on a school bus in 2012, aged just 15. After surviving the attack Yousafzai moved to the UK, and despite her near-death experience, continued to be an inspiring ambassador for female education, establishing the Malala Fund just one year later.

JAZZ JENNINGS

Jazz Jennings was just seven-years-old when she found herself in the public eye. Regarded as one of the youngest people ever to identify as transgender, Jennings took to the spotlight to campaign for trans rights, becoming an inspirational role model.

In 2007 she and her family co-founded the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation to support and assist transgender youth. Jennings also went on to be the focus of a documentary and reality TV series, and penned a memoir in 2016. Now just 17-years-old, she continues to be an LGBTQ+ rights activist, telling Dazed in 2016: "Because of me putting myself out there and my family sharing our story, (people have said) we've been able to have a huge impact on their lives."

HANNAH CAMILLERI / GIRLS AGAINST

After being sexually harassed at a gig in Glasgow, 17-year-old Hannah Camilleri shared her story online and was quickly flooded with responses from others with similar experiences. Inspired by the support and outraged at the prevalence of sexual assault at gigs, Camilleri and her friends set up Girls Against.

Launched in October 2015, the collective, who describe themselves on their website as 'teenage intersectional feminists', aims to open up a discussion between fans, bands and the organisers of gigs in order to put a stop to harassment. Since launching, the group have interviewed and gained support from numerous bands, been featured in publications nationwide and have an active blog covering everything from album reviews to feminist think-pieces.

XIUHTEZCATL MARTINEZ

Aged 17, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is a climate activist, hip-hop artist and has already made three speeches at the UN. WTF have you been doing? His mother founded the environmental awareness organisation Earth Guardians in 1992, of which Martinez is now Youth Director and spokesperson. Giving speeches around the world since he was six-years-old, the teenager wants to educate his peers about the state of the planet.

The Colorado-based teenager is also one of 21 youths involved in a lawsuit suing the US government and the Donald Trump administration for failing to act on climate change. Addressing the UN in New York aged 15, Martinez said: "What's at stake right now is the existence of my generation."

YARA SHAHIDI

Star of the American sitcom Black-ish and its spin-off Grown-ish, Yara Shahidi is mobilising her influence as an 18-year-old role model to inspire young people to get involved in politics and activism. Shahidi is particularly outspoken when it comes to representation in Hollywood, expressing the importance of more complicated and layered characters as oppose to one-dimensional stereotypes. As well as promoting diversity the teenager formed Yara's Club, a young women's mentoring programme bringing together high school students to discuss social issues. Shahidi believes that young people have the power to make a change in the world, telling Oprah Winfrey: "Our generation realises that age has never been a limit in terms of social activity."

LILY MADIGAN

In November 2017 19-year-old Lily Madigan was the first transgender teenager to be elected women's officer for the Labour Party, inspiring countless trans youths. Following her election, the party was hit with backlash from people arguing that trans women - particularly trans teenagers - shouldn't be allowed to stand for all-female shortlists. The teen received so much hate online that she eventually tweeted: "Please stop. I'm so mentally distressed that I can't sleep or eat or go to school."

Madigan had already been in the public eye as an LGBTQ+ activist the previous year when she took legal action after her school asserted that she either wear boys clothes or find a new school. After hiring a solicitor, Madigan won her case and the school issued an apology. Remaining strong in the face of the transphobic Twitter army, Madigan continues to campaign for trans rights and has said she wants to make history again as the first transgender MP.

AMIKA GEORGE

In December last year, 18-year-old Amika George led a march on parliament in protest against period poverty. The teen's efforts drew support from a host of celebrities including Daisy Lowe and Gurls Talk founder and Dazed cover star Adwoa Aboah.

After seeing a news article about girls in Leeds skipping school because they couldn't afford menstrual products, George launched a petition called #FreePeriods. Her ongoing campaign is striving to convince the government to provide free sanitary products to all children in the UK, initially starting with girls who qualify for free school meals. George also aims to dismiss the learned idea that periods are shameful, telling Dazed: "The only way we can get rid of the taboo is by talking about them (periods)."

GAVIN GRIMM

When 15-year-old Gavin Grimm used the boy's toilets at his Virginia school in 2014, he didn't expect to become a worldwide campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights. After transitioning from female to male, Grimm got permission from his high school principal to use the boys' toilets, but after complaints from parents he found himself embroiled in a court case and public debate around trans rights. Four years on and the case still hasn't been resolved, but Grimm remains an outspoken voice in transgender activism.

SONITA ALIZADEH

Sonita Alizadeh is an Afghan rapper and activist working to end child marriage. After fleeing the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, Alizadeh grew up as a refugee in Iran where her parents tried to sell her as a teen bride when she was 16-years-old. As she was the focus of a documentary at the time, director Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami paid $2000 to save Alizadeh from child marriage, and the pair went on to create a music video for the teenager's song 'Brides For Sale'.

After the track gained international attention, Alizadeh was able to move to the US where she got a high school scholarship. Working with the non-profit organisation The Strongheart Group, Alizadeh is a vocal campaigner for women's rights and is determined to educate the world about child marriage.

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Young people are rising up. We've had enough of backwards politics, extortionate student fees and the facilitation of mass shootings in schools. We don't want our futures to be dictated by elite elders who patronise us, contradict themselves and basically just keep fucking up. The past two weeks have been a testament to the youth revolution.

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A 10-year-old singer who serenades the elderly. A 12-year-old triathlete who raises money for cancer research-just your average, run-of-the-mill kids, right? Not exactly, hence why we couldn't help designating the following eight children our 2011 Kids of the Year. (If we had the power, we'd make them goodwill ambassadors to the United Nations, to say the least!) From each of their brilliant minds came ideas that are original, creative, and hard-to-believe-it's-possible-and, to add that extra bit of wow, they make other people's lives better. Get ready to be amazed and inspired!

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A 10-year-old singer who serenades the elderly. A 12-year-old triathlete who raises money for cancer research-just your average, run-of-the-mill kids, right? Not exactly, hence why we couldn't help designating the following eight children our 2011 Kids of the Year. (If we had the power, we'd make them goodwill ambassadors to the United Nations, to say the least!)

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Ryan Hreljac helps build wells for clean water in Africa.

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Habitat for Humanity

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Hear from some inspiring kids who are setting up lemonade stands, giving away their birthday money and emptying their piggybanks so other kids can have good homes, too.

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What happens when a well-meaning physicist dad gets carried away giving a lesson on the future of the cosmos? It isn't pretty. Here's how to do better.

One day when my son was about three, my husband-a professor of physics at New York University-decided to teach our little boy about the life cycle of stars. It was all going well until he casually mentioned that in about 5 billion years the sun would become a flaming red mass that would engulf the Earth in fire. After a moment of silence, our son burst into hysterical tears-and his anxiety didn't fully subside for several months. (As it turns out, telling a three-year-old "it doesn't matter because you'll be dead in 5 billion years anyway" does not have a calming effect.)

Since then, I've been cautious about exposing our kids to the harsh realities of human existence. Probably too cautious-my son is now nine years old and I've barely touched on the issue that I have dedicated my career (and 90 percent of my anxiety) to: climate change.

Unlike the sun swallowing up the Earth, climate change is unfortunately something that my kids will battle in their lifetimes. Knowing that I won't be able to avoid talking about it with them forever, I called on a couple of my colleagues here at the Rainforest Alliance who are eminently qualified to advise me:

Maria Ghiso

Maria Ghiso, the manager of the Rainforest Alliance's education program, has been working in environmental education for 14 years, developing and teaching climate-specific curricula that emphasize the role forests play in battling climate change. She has worked with teachers and students in communities in Ghana, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States.

Jungwon Kim

The Rainforest Alliance's senior editor, Jungwon Kim, has a formidable breadth and depth of knowledge about climate change-and a sunny approach to climate doom that's earned her the nickname "Pollyannapocalypse." As the mother of two teenagers, she has fielded lots of difficult questions about climate change.

Here, in digested form, is what they had to say.

1. Arm yourself with the facts

So much misinformation about climate change swirls about us these days, it's more important than ever to consult evidence-based science as the means to sort fact from fiction. Depending on your social circles, you may have heard grown-ups claiming climate change doesn't exist (don't worry, we have an article to help you with them, too). But the fact is that the science overwhelmingly demonstrates that climate change is real-and that it is caused by humans. If you could use a quick primer on climate change science, listen to this excellent episode of the Science Vs podcast.

2. Start small

Especially for young children, the mechanics of climate change may be too complex and overwhelming. Rather than hitting them up with greenhouse gases and melting ice caps right out of the gate, start with something more tangible for them. You could use a houseplant to explain how plants "breathe in" the gases that we breathe out, and vice versa, in a mutually-beneficial cycle. Understanding the basic carbon cycle is essential to understanding climate science. You can use this fun game to become a carbon atom and journey through the carbon cycle.

Introduce the idea of interdependent systems by exploring your neighborhood. Where does your water come from, and where does it go after it circles down the drain? Where does your food come from? Your air? Be sure to emphasize that "the environment" is not some faraway place, but our immediate surroundings-and that we are all connected whether we live in big cities, sprawling suburbs, or rainforests.

Once you feel they are ready, you can tackle the carbon cycle at a global scale. Explain that for most of Earth's history, our atmosphere had maintained a balance of carbon sources (processes that release carbon into the atmosphere) and sinks (processes that capture carbon out of the atmosphere). But for about 200 years, since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been throwing off that balance with activities that release a lot of extra carbon, like destroying forests and burning fossil fuels. That extra carbon dioxide is building up in the atmosphere, and acting like a blanket that is slowly warming the Earth.

Work on understanding the difference between climate and weather. It is hard for young people to imagine changes on a 20-to-30-year scale (climate) vs. every day fluctuations (weather). To get a personal perspective, have kids interview a grandparent or older neighbor or other elder in their community about changes they have observed in their lifetimes that may be related to climate.

3. Don't go it alone

You shouldn't be the only one in your kids' lives who is talking about climate change. Kids get precious little exposure to climate change education in school, despite the fact it's going to impact every aspect of their adult lives. According to a recent study by Science Magazine, the median teacher devotes only one to two hours to the topic.

But you can help change that: Let your school leadership team know that climate education is a priority for you. Send them a link to our free, pre-K through eighth grade environmental curricula, which include a climate educator guide. The curricula also adhere to both Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards, which teachers will be delighted to hear.

You can also talk to leaders of extra-curricular groups like scouts about leading some climate-related activities-maybe even help the kids earn a climate change badge!

4. Show them success stories

Emphasize that climate change is urgent but we are not powerless against it. You can pre-empt despondency by recounting success stories. And there are some! Let's not forget that nations around the world came together in 1987 to ban ozone-depleting substances and successfully averted the disaster of a UV-bombarded Earth. In fact, ozone levels are projected to return to 1980 levels by 2032.

There are communities around the world that are working to curb emissions, protect carbon stored in forests and vegetation, and plant more trees to help remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Even better, tell them stories about kids who are making a difference. Our Children's Trust is a group of courageous young Americans that is suing the federal government to demand climate action, and they are making progress.

5. Encourage them to take action

When kids-or adults, for that matter-are scared or worried, it's crucial that they feel empowered to make change: There is no better salve for anxiety than action. Below are some concrete steps kids can take. Whatever your children decide to do, encourage them to get their friends involved and to use social media to expand their reach.

Forests are an important ally in the fight against climate change. Here are some tips on how kids can help prevent deforestation.

If they are old enough to use social media, encourage them to use it to spread awareness. Some great Instagram accounts to follow are: @youthgov, @nextgenamerica, @climateoptimist, @james_balog, and of course, our very own @RainforestAlliance.

Help your kids write a personal note to their members of Congress. This is a great civics lesson to boot!

Measure your own carbon footprint and explore what simple changes you can make to walk the talk and reduce your own carbon footprint. Together, we can all make a difference.

Plant a tree! Trees are our strongest defense against climate change.  Plant and nurture a tree in your backyard, school, or community garden or support initiatives to increase green space in your community.

While my kids may still end up in tears, I feel much better prepared to tackle the subject of climate change with them. Just maybe this time I'll leave Daddy out of it.
Danielle Cranmer has worked on the Rainforest Alliance's web team since 2008. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Soil Science, with a specialization in International Agriculture. While her career took an abrupt turn from farming to digital media, she maintains a love of dirt and all the things that grow in it.

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5 Pro Tips for Talking to Kids About Climate Change (Without Freaking Them Out)

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What happens when a well-meaning physicist dad gets carried away giving a lesson on the future of the cosmos? It isn't pretty. Here's how to do better. One day when my son was about three, my husband-a professor of physics at New York University-decided to teach our little boy about the life cycle of stars.

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Documentary

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0:00 / 0:30•Watch full video

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Kids can change the world | Matt and Jack Webb | TEDxLakeTravisHigh

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The greatest thing to ever happen to Richard Sanchez

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The greatest thing to ever happen to Richard Sanchez

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2017 4-H Youth in Acton: Bryanne Sanchez (Healthy Living)

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Can I help nature to help us?

Yes! We can all take notice of our environment. We can learn how our planet works. We can learn how to live on it without making a mess of it. We can help to keep it magnificent for ourselves, our children and grandchildren, and other living things besides us.

Some of the ways you can help may have to wait until you are a little older-like choosing an energy-efficient car, installing solar panels on the roof of your house, or choosing a "green career."

But there are many important ways you can help right now.

You can help by growing your own vegetables and fruits. You can help by planting a tree. Your new plants and trees will help to remove the greenhouse gas CO ₂ from the air. If you grow some of your own food, you will also help to prevent more CO ₂ from entering the air from the fossil-fuel-burning trucks, planes, and ships that transport your food to you from far away.

How can I reduce my "carbon footprint"?

Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air because of your own energy needs. You need transportation, electricity, food, clothing, and other goods. Your choices can make a difference.

Swap old incandescent light bulbs for the new compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). They use only 25% as much electricity to give the same light. They last ten times longer.

Turn off lights, TVs, computers, when you do not need them.

Unplug! Any electronic gadget you can turn on with a remote (TV, DVD player, Nintendo, Xbox) uses power even when it is "off." Appliances with a digital clock (like a coffee maker) or a power adapter (like a laptop computer) also suck power like a sneaky vampire. Plug these kinds of things into a surge protector or power strip that has an on/off switch. Then you can shut off all the power without unplugging each gadget.

There are even power strips that glow to show you how much power is going through them, and power strips you can control from your computer or iPhone.

Turn up the thermostat on the air conditioning when it's hot. Use fans if you're still hot. They use much less power.

Turn down the thermostat on the heating when it's cold. Sweaters, blankets, and socks are good for you and better for the planet.

Walk or ride your bike instead of taking a car everywhere. Even a 2-mile car trip puts 2 pounds of CO ₂ into the atmosphere!

If you must ride, carpool.

Stay out of the drive thru! When you go to a fast-food place, ask your driver to park the car and let you walk inside, rather than sitting in a line of cars with the engine running and polluting.

How can I reduce my trash pile?

Ask your parents to buy reusable grocery bags. Help them to remember to get them out of the car and take them into the store.

Recycle everything you can. If your city does not pick up recycled materials, find out who you can talk to about starting this service. You should be recycling paper, aluminum cans, cardboard, food cans, plastic, glass, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, phone books, and anything else made of paper.

Shop thrift stores. "BYOM." Bring your own mug. That's what you can tell your parents when they stop to buy their morning coffee. Use less paper whenever possible. Save the trees.

Drink tap water-filtered, if you like-instead of bottled water. Carry your drinking water in a reusable bottle. Plastic water bottles are an environmental disaster!

Use fewer containers. Buy the product that uses less packaging material. Even if you recycle packaging materials, it takes energy to create them in the first place and energy to remake them into something else.

Practice by playing "Recycle This!."

Do I need to save water too?

People and animals in many parts of the world do not have clean, safe water to drink. As many more regions are hit by drought, this problem will become even more serious. The sooner we start conserving water, the better off we all will be. Be aware of how much water you use.

Imagine you live in a recreational vehicle (RV), and your water tank holds only 50 gallons. Every time you turn on the water, the noisy electric water pump has to turn on too, sucking up your RV's battery power. Would you keep the water running while you brush your teeth? Would you spend 15 minutes in the shower using up all the water in the tank and depleting the battery? Would you plant a thirsty lawn in front of your RV if you were parked in the desert? Of course not!

How can I make a real difference?

You can choose a "green career." You can help to solve climate change problems and challenges. These are the exciting careers of the future. They range from designing satellites for NASA to fixing wind-energy generators to planning drought-tolerant landscapes for homes and parks. Many of the possible careers haven't even been thought of yet. You could invent your own career! Check out some Green Careers.

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We can do a lot, including planning for a green career.

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Can I help nature to help us?

Yes! We can all take notice of our environment. We can learn how our planet works. We can learn how to live on it without making a mess of it. We can help to keep it magnificent for ourselves, our children and grandchildren, and other living things besides us.

Some of the ways you can help may have to wait until you are a little older-like choosing an energy-efficient car, installing solar panels on the roof of your house, or choosing a "green career."

But there are many important ways you can help right now.

You can help by growing your own vegetables and fruits. You can help by planting a tree. Your new plants and trees will help to remove the greenhouse gas CO ₂ from the air. If you grow some of your own food, you will also help to prevent more CO ₂ from entering the air from the fossil-fuel-burning trucks, planes, and ships that transport your food to you from far away.

How can I reduce my "carbon footprint"?

Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air because of your own energy needs. You need transportation, electricity, food, clothing, and other goods. Your choices can make a difference.

Swap old incandescent light bulbs for the new compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). They use only 25% as much electricity to give the same light. They last ten times longer.

Turn off lights, TVs, computers, when you do not need them.

Unplug! Any electronic gadget you can turn on with a remote (TV, DVD player, Nintendo, Xbox) uses power even when it is "off." Appliances with a digital clock (like a coffee maker) or a power adapter (like a laptop computer) also suck power like a sneaky vampire. Plug these kinds of things into a surge protector or power strip that has an on/off switch. Then you can shut off all the power without unplugging each gadget.

There are even power strips that glow to show you how much power is going through them, and power strips you can control from your computer or iPhone.

Turn up the thermostat on the air conditioning when it's hot. Use fans if you're still hot. They use much less power.

Turn down the thermostat on the heating when it's cold. Sweaters, blankets, and socks are good for you and better for the planet.

Walk or ride your bike instead of taking a car everywhere. Even a 2-mile car trip puts 2 pounds of CO ₂ into the atmosphere!

If you must ride, carpool.

Stay out of the drive thru! When you go to a fast-food place, ask your driver to park the car and let you walk inside, rather than sitting in a line of cars with the engine running and polluting.

How can I reduce my trash pile?

Ask your parents to buy reusable grocery bags. Help them to remember to get them out of the car and take them into the store.

Recycle everything you can. If your city does not pick up recycled materials, find out who you can talk to about starting this service. You should be recycling paper, aluminum cans, cardboard, food cans, plastic, glass, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, phone books, and anything else made of paper.

Shop thrift stores. "BYOM." Bring your own mug. That's what you can tell your parents when they stop to buy their morning coffee. Use less paper whenever possible. Save the trees.

Drink tap water-filtered, if you like-instead of bottled water. Carry your drinking water in a reusable bottle. Plastic water bottles are an environmental disaster!

Use fewer containers. Buy the product that uses less packaging material. Even if you recycle packaging materials, it takes energy to create them in the first place and energy to remake them into something else.

Practice by playing "Recycle This!."

Do I need to save water too?

People and animals in many parts of the world do not have clean, safe water to drink. As many more regions are hit by drought, this problem will become even more serious. The sooner we start conserving water, the better off we all will be. Be aware of how much water you use.

Imagine you live in a recreational vehicle (RV), and your water tank holds only 50 gallons. Every time you turn on the water, the noisy electric water pump has to turn on too, sucking up your RV's battery power. Would you keep the water running while you brush your teeth? Would you spend 15 minutes in the shower using up all the water in the tank and depleting the battery? Would you plant a thirsty lawn in front of your RV if you were parked in the desert? Of course not!

How can I make a real difference?

You can choose a "green career." You can help to solve climate change problems and challenges. These are the exciting careers of the future. They range from designing satellites for NASA to fixing wind-energy generators to planning drought-tolerant landscapes for homes and parks. Many of the possible careers haven't even been thought of yet. You could invent your own career! Check out some Green Careers.

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We can do a lot, including planning for a green career.

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Girl campaigns for positive books for African American girls.

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Girl campaigns for positive books for African American girls.

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Newsela | Girl campaigns to get 1,000 books about black girls; gets almost 10,000

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Marley Dias was reading a lot of books in school, but none of them had a main character that looked like her. The 12-year old launched a campaign to collect books that feature black girls.

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So many people think the teen years are for partying, having fun, and creating a bridge into adulthood. Truthfully though, teens have been some of the most influential people in history.

From courageous teens like the girl who stood up for education, to the 17-year-old who spoke up in the heart of Nazi Germany, despite many adults being too afraid to. Teens have written bestsellers to help millions of other teenagers, started million-dollar corporations, and more than one teenager has been known to monetize their social media platform and inspire millions of teenagers around the world. And I can't forget this brilliant 13-year-old who created a braille printer out of LEGOs!

In big ways or small, here are ten ways teenagers like you and me can make a difference!

There are a ton of places that could use volunteers every single day to help out. You are able to volunteer at places such as nursing homes simply spending time with the elderly, soup kitchens serving meals to the less fortunate, or really anywhere people are in need of help. For about a year, I volunteered at a local library (which was also great work experience).
2. Tutor Younger Children
A lot of younger kids struggle with school work and sometimes do not cooperate well with teachers or learn from adults in general. They could possibly relate better to a teenager and someone who is a bit closer in age to them.

If you are someone who likes to shop, try donating older clothes that you don't need anymore. For every new clothing item that you get, try donating an old item. This way your closet doesn't get too jam packed, and you're also helping others out.
4. Collect Soda Tabs/Cans
The environment is always in need of some love and attention and there are a ton of ways that teens can help out. You can gather up a few friends from school and go door to door to collect soda tabs and cans. Turn them in for money, or donate the tabs to St Jude's. Inspire others to conserve their energy and create a healthier, better environment!

Doing a simple act of kindness can make a difference in someone's day, every day. For example, holding a door open for someone, or paying for their food order are just simple things to brighten up a person's day.

There are plenty of organizations and churches that host missions for less fortunate countries. You are able to attend one of these missions and build homes, or help to purify water for those who are not lucky enough to have that privilege. This is such a rewarding experience and really benefits those in need.
7. Make Up Care Packages for Military
It is such a noble honor to serve in our military and we should do whatever we can to thank them for their services. A great way you can do this is by making up care packages and shipping them to a base. You can ask those around you to help donate and you can really make a difference for those military representatives.
8. Get First Aid Certification
Another great way you can make a difference is to get your first aid certification because you never know what is going to happen while you're out. If someone were to start choking while you are out at a restaurant, you could help. Or if someone passes out in public, you can help get them breathing again with your certification and training.

Since starting my own business and graduating from a program called the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, this has been my second year volunteering as a mentor. It's rewarding to see teens my age starting their own business and achieving many things, and I love giving back in areas I'm passionate about!
10. Clean Up Around the Neighborhood
Unfortunately, people litter all the time which is absolutely horrible for the environment, and can be dangerous for the children and the wildlife. If you want to help out, walk around your neighborhood picking up all the trash that is around and make your area a healthier, and happier, place to live.

It is so important to help out the community that you live in. There are so many ways that you can make a difference at any age. We should work together to do good deeds every day and make the world a better place for all of us to live in.

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10 Ways Teens Can Make a Difference in the World

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From a teen's view, I think teens are the most capable and under-estimated group of people on the planet. Here are 10 ways teens can make a difference.

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A 10-year-old singer who serenades the elderly. A 12-year-old triathlete who raises money for cancer research-just your average, run-of-the-mill kids, right? Not exactly, hence why we couldn't help designating the following eight children our 2011 Kids of the Year. (If we had the power, we'd make them goodwill ambassadors to the United Nations, to say the least!) From each of their brilliant minds came ideas that are original, creative, and hard-to-believe-it's-possible-and, to add that extra bit of wow, they make other people's lives better. Get ready to be amazed and inspired!

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A 10-year-old singer who serenades the elderly. A 12-year-old triathlete who raises money for cancer research-just your average, run-of-the-mill kids, right? Not exactly, hence why we couldn't help designating the following eight children our 2011 Kids of the Year. (If we had the power, we'd make them goodwill ambassadors to the United Nations, to say the least!)

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Hear from some inspiring kids who are setting up lemonade stands, giving away their birthday money and emptying their piggybanks so other kids can have good homes, too.

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Action matters...:)

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Posted in Blog on 12/01/2016
by Nicole LaChance, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Most of us know the incredible story of Malala Yousafzai who, after being shot while trying to attend school, became a world-renowned activist for girls' right to an education. Fortunately, there are several children like Yousafzai who do not let their young age get in the way of fighting for what they believe in. Here are ten stories of inspirational child activists from around the world.
Bryson Foster - MDA Goodwill Ambassador
Being diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy at age five hasn't slowed Foster down. While attending a fundraiser for MD treatments at age nine, he asked to address the crowd and shared about his journey with the disease. This led to him being named an MDA Goodwill Ambassador two years in a row. Now a young adult, Foster is still active in the cause, having raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Which child activists inspire you?
Like this post? Sign up for our email newsletter to receive more stories, information, and resources about gifted youth straight to your inbox. This post is part of the Hoagies' Gifted Blog Hop Child Activists. Please click the image below to keep on hopping!

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Child Activists: Ten Stories about Inspirational Kids

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Posted in Blog on 12/01/2016 by Nicole LaChance, Marketing & Communications Coordinator Most of us know the incredible story of Malala Yousafzai who, after being shot while trying to attend school, became a world-renowned activist for girls' right to an education.

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Meet Lauren Levy, today's Daily Point of Light Award winner. Read her story and nominate someone you know as a Daily Point of Light. Lauren Levy, far right, smiles with her art class students at the Salvation Army.
A Girl Scout since third grade, Lauren Levy has grown up serving her community. So when the Nashville, Tenn., teen found out about the Hands On Nashville internship program during her sophomore year in high school, she knew it was for her.

As a Hands On Nashville intern, Levy - now a senior - leads and takes part in several community service projects and events throughout the year. Through the program, Levy has pitched in at a career fair for the unemployed; worked with the Salvation Army and the YMCA on community projects; and partnered with Starbucks for Global Youth Service Day. She also teaches a yearlong art program for 10 to 15 elementary school students as part of HandsOn Nashville's Youth Volunteer Corps.

"I love working with the elementary school kids; it's a great bonding opportunity," Levy says. "It makes me feel very happy to see kids appreciate all my work I put into it."

And Levy enjoys working with volunteers. At one of the five annual Hands On Nashville youth service events Levy worked with Starbucks partners and was put in charge of creating a butterfly garden, assigning roles to the other volunteers.

That leadership experience inspired Levy to establish the Summer Youth Leadership Program. She saw that many high school students had leadership roles during the school year on sports teams, in clubs and other activities, but during the summer leadership roles for teens were sparse.

"A lot of youth wanted to get involved with leadership during summer but they didn't know how," Levy says.

Levy created an application process, interviewed students and developed training and program materials to establish the youth leadership program. Students accepted into the program addressed different issues in their communities - homelessness, the environment, hunger and others. The students then created and lead projects designed to address each issue. Levy oversaw each of the student leaders, assisted them in implementing their projects and evaluated their performance.

"A lot of teenagers can be self-centered," says Levy, who is leaning toward majoring in a health care-related field in college. "Once you start to help others you see it makes you better as a person. If you do good then others will do good and it will make the world a better place."

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Creating Teen Volunteer Leaders, Like Herself

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A Girl Scout since third grade, Lauren Levy has grown up serving her community. So when the Nashville, Tenn., teen found out about the Hands On Nashville internship program during her sophomore year in high school, she knew it was for her.

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How To Change The World (a work in progress) | Kid President

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Values: caring, perseverance, responsibility,
Topics: charity, education, environment, human rights, leadership, teamwork,
Subjects: Character Education, Health, Language Arts, Science, Service Learning,
Age Ranges: 12+, 18+, 5+, 8+, All Ages,

When Felix Finkbeiner was nine, a teacher in his class in Munich, Germany asked them to prepare a report about climate change. As Felix started doing research, he learned about a woman named Wangari Maathai who had helped get 30 million trees planted in Africa. She had done this to help restore the billions of trees that mankind cuts down each year. And because trees can help protect the environment.

Felix decided he wanted to get a million trees planted in every country he could. He started talking about it, and his idea took off. He started an organization called Plant for the Planet. Within in first year, children from Germany had planted over 100,000 trees!

Then, through the help of the United Nations, he took his idea to kids from all over the world. Soon, he had children in nearly 100 countries planting trees on behalf of Plant for the Planet.

Now, nearly over 10 years since he started, Plant for the Planet has a new goal - to plant 1 trillion trees!

Felix provides an amazing example of what one child, with passion and vision, can do to help change the world.

Check out Felix's inspiring story below and then see how you can get involved in Plant for the Planet!

Here is an earlier video about Felix and Plant for the Planet:

Additional Resources:

Here is an article about Felix and his amazing efforts.

Here is another article about Felix and how he inspires the planting of trees.

Topics for Discussion:

Why does Felix want to plant so many trees?

Felix wants to help the environment by planting trees. What are some other ways to help the environment?

Take Action:

Help Felix and the environment - plant a tree in your yard today!

Visit Felix's website, Plant for the Planet, to find out how you can get involved in this worthy cause!

Check out this IMK in Action guide: How Kids Can Help the Environment

Teacher Features:

Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.

Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

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Felix Finkbeiner - A Trillion Trees to Plant!

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When Felix Finkbeiner was nine, a teacher in his class in Munich, Germany asked them to prepare a report about climate change. As Felix started doing research, he learned about a woman named Wangari Maathai who had helped get 30 million trees...

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Florida student Emma Gonzalez to lawmakers and gun advocates: 'We call BS' | CNN

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Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, addressed a gun control rally on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, days after a gunman entered her school in nearby Parkland, killing 17 people.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/18/teenagers-changing-world-malala-yousafzai

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Kids Take Action Against Ocean Plastic | Short Film Showcase

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Hear from some inspiring kids who are setting up lemonade stands, giving away their birthday money and emptying their piggybanks so other kids can have good homes, too.

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High School Inventors Make Accessibility Possible

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High School Inventors Make Accessibility Possible

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Chattahoochee High School InvenTeam | Lemelson-MIT Program

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The CHS Synergy Team is a 2017-18 Alpharetta,Georgia-based Lemelson-MIT Inventeam. This team's focus is to create a wheelchair chassis that adapts manual wheelchairs to travel through difficult terrain and stairways.

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A collection of articles about kids across America who are making a difference in their community.

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For 14-year-old Sarah Dewitz of Orlando, books are a "place I can get away to. I can't even express my love for books." Nor could she imagine the plight of impoverished children - children who didn't have books, that venue of escape - who lived all around her.

Her mom, Sharlene, recalls the day she read a newspaper article about the impact of the recession on Central Florida families. "Sarah asked, 'What's the matter?' I pushed the newspaper to her, and she read between the lines. It didn't say that children needed books, but Sarah realized families were struggling. So we sat down and brainstormed."

That was the catalyst that prompted Sarah, then 10, to found Just 1 Book, a nonprofit that has since distributed, by her account, "more than 200,000 books, though I've stopped counting" to needy children within and beyond Central Florida.

The idea is a simple one: "It's as simple as getting a box, putting it in a classroom, and asking people to donate books they don't read," Sarah says. The teen conducted her first book drive, in which she collected 1,500 books, at her own school.

Since then, Just 1 Book has partnered with Kiwanis and other organizations to spread Sarah's message of the importance of literacy. Orange County Commissioners and Mayor Teresa Jacobs donated a bookmobile that Sarah keeps stocked with books that she delivers to at-risk children. An Orlando Lowe's donated labor and wood to create a library for the donated books at the Bithlo-Christmas Neighborhood Center for Families. Scholastic donates thousands of books to the cause every year.

The Women's Executive Council presented Sarah with its first-ever Rising Star Award. She has also been awarded the David R. Roberts Youth in Philanthropy Award by the Edith Bush Foundation, and she even received a letter from the White House. However, none of that compares to the joy Sarah experiences when she hands a book to a child.

"One of my favorite stories was when we had the bookmobile at an event," Sarah recalls. "I wasn't really helping anyone at the time, and this little girl 3 or 4 years old came on the bus. I didn't see any adult or older brother or sister with her. I said, 'What do you like?' She didn't say anything. So I kneeled down and said, 'Do you like cats or dogs?' I wasn't sending her off the bookmobile without a book.

"At last I pulled a Sleeping Beauty book off the shelf, and she nodded vigorously, so I pulled as many princess books as I could find. Her mom and sister came on and said she doesn't usually say anything. But when that little girl stepped off the bus, she turned around and said, 'Thank you.' That's the definition of why I started Just 1 Book," Sarah says with a smile.

Sharlene becomes emotional when thinking of the lives they've touched. "We were invited by the Adult Literacy League to a state park. We must have brought 400 books that we set up on tables. The kids were free to come and take them. A little girl who was maybe a first-grader came up to me holding books that she handed to me.

"I said, 'Honey, today is about you taking books. She looked at me and said, 'I know what it's like not to have a lot of books, and I'm done with these. I want to share these with other kids.' We're teaching about literacy, but there are other lessons here as well. They're learning about recycling and about giving back to the community as well," Sarah's mom says.

Sarah's life has been shaped by her experience with Just 1 Book. Unlike most teens, she sits in on board meetings - "I ask a lot of questions," she admits - and she plans to take over her mom's job as president when she turns 18. "I realized if I'm going to have my own nonprofit, I have to make smart decisions," she acknowledges.

Even while pursuing college and a career, she plans to remain involved in book distribution. "I would like to see a fleet of bookmobiles. I just want as many kids to have books in their hands as we can provide," she says.

That is happening as far away as New Jersey, where more than 6,000 books were collected and redistributed. Sharlene wants educators to know "this can be done anywhere. This is not just a Florida thing. Contact us, and we'll research where there's a need in your community, and we'll figure out where they can distribute. The more kids who are reading, the better off we are."

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Florida Teenager Shares the Power of Just 1 Book

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For 14-year-old Sarah Dewitz of Orlando, books are a "place I can get away to. I can't even express my love for books." Nor could she imagine the plight of impoverished children - children who didn't have books, that venue of escape - who lived all around her.

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6. Anne Frank

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDeTdE4Le18

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American Passage at Maria Regina High School InvenTeam | Lemelson-MIT Program

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A new app makes finding friends in the school cafeteria a piece of cake.

" Sit With Us " helps students who have difficulty finding a place to sit locate a welcoming group in the lunchroom.

The app allows students to designate themselves as "ambassadors," thereby inviting others to join them. Ambassadors can then post "open lunch" events, which signal to anyone seeking company that they're invited to join the ambassadors' table.

Natalie Hampton, a 16-year-old from Sherman Oaks, California, is the designer of Sit With Us, which launched on September 9. She was inspired to create it after she ate alone her entire seventh grade year, she told LA Daily News. The situation left Hampton feeling vulnerable and made her a target for bullying.

Hampton, now a junior, is attending a different school and is thriving socially. Yet, the memory of sitting alone and being bullied still haunts her, especially since she knows her experience isn't an isolated one.

Hampton told Audie Cornish on NPR's "All Things Considered" that the reason why she felt an app like this was necessary is because it prevents kids from being publicly rejected and being considered social outcasts by their peers.

This way it's very private. It's through the phone. No one else has to know Natalie Hampton on the app

"This way it's very private. It's through the phone. No one else has to know," she explained to Cornish. "And you know that you're not going to be rejected once you get to the table."

Hampton might be on to something even more, especially since she's asking fellow students to take the stand against bullying.

When students ― especially the "cool kids" ― stand up to bullying, it has a significant impact, according to a study conducted by Princeton, Rutgers and Yale University. During a 2012-2013 school year, over 50 New Jersey middle schools provided their most socially competent students with social media tools and encouragement to combat bullying, and saw a reduction in student conflict reports by 30 percent.

Hampton told All Things Considered that since she launched the app last week, she's already getting positive feedback from her peers.

"People are already posting open lunches at my school," she told the program. "So I'm very excited that things are already kicking off with a great start."

BEFORE YOU GO

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Teen Makes 'Sit With Us' App That Helps Students Find Lunch Buddies

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A new app makes finding friends in the school cafeteria a piece of cake. " Sit With Us " helps students who have difficulty finding a place to sit locate a welcoming group in the lunchroom. The app allows students to designate themselves as "ambassadors," thereby inviting others to join them.

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A 10-year-old singer who serenades the elderly. A 12-year-old triathlete who raises money for cancer research-just your average, run-of-the-mill kids, right? Not exactly, hence why we couldn't help designating the following eight children our 2011 Kids of the Year. (If we had the power, we'd make them goodwill ambassadors to the United Nations, to say the least!) From each of their brilliant minds came ideas that are original, creative, and hard-to-believe-it's-possible-and, to add that extra bit of wow, they make other people's lives better. Get ready to be amazed and inspired!

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A 10-year-old singer who serenades the elderly. A 12-year-old triathlete who raises money for cancer research-just your average, run-of-the-mill kids, right? Not exactly, hence why we couldn't help designating the following eight children our 2011 Kids of the Year. (If we had the power, we'd make them goodwill ambassadors to the United Nations, to say the least!)

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In a world as big as the one we live in today, it is easy to believe that our actions do little to make a real difference-especially when so many terrible things are happening every day. These young children would hear no such thing, moving mountains for what they believed was right-at an age when most of us are still trying to figure out how to ride a bike, or trying to decide what colour popsicle we want. While some of these stories come from children put in horrendous situations that most of us could never imagine, some of these heart-warming accounts are closer to home-children moved to help others who might not be as fortunate. From fighting for the right to basic freedom for themselves and those that might follow in their footsteps to working to better the environmental state of the planet, these children are nothing short of amazing. So the next time that you find yourself feeling small in a world that seems incredibly big, remember that these children were still pint-sized when they started on their journey to make a difference.

Continue scrolling to keep reading

Click the button below to start this article in quick view

11 Yash Gupta

After breaking his glasses when he was 17, Yash Gupta had to wait a week to have his prescription replaced. He found he had trouble doing the most basic things, which peaked his curiosity. After a little research online, he discovered that more than 12 million children across the globe are in need of glasses. Sight Learning was born, a charity that gathers used eyewear and distributes them to organizations that deliver the glasses to where they are most needed. As of 2013, Gupta had already collected 9,500 pairs of eyeglasses for people in need all over the world.

10 Adele Ann Taylor

Adele's Literacy Library (ALL) was founded after 13-year-old Adele realized that some of her classmates had trouble reading, which inspired her to launch her own non-profit organization in order to help others learn to read (ALL has helped approximately 25,000 people improve their reading abilities). In addition to funding a high school scholarship, ALL also donates books to charities and schools and aided in the construction of a solar-powered school in Kenya.

9 Ryan Hreljac

While most six-year-olds spend their allowances on candy or the newest toy on the market, Ryan Hreljac decided to put his pocket money towards something a little bigger. In 1998, one of Hreljac's teachers informed his class that, in Africa, water was a rare commodity-and that it wasn't something that was easily accessible. Ryan decided to raise money to build a well in Africa, which he thought would cost about $70. When he realized that it would cost more like $2,000, he started public speaking to raise awareness about the problem in Africa, which resulted in not only one well being built in Uganda, but a worldwide foundation called Ryan's Well Foundation, committed to improving life in Africa. So far they've completed 927 projects, reaching 836,751 people.

8 Alex Scott

Diagnosed with neuroblastoma just shy of her first birthday, Alexandra Scott was the founder of "Alex's Lemonade Stand". While selling lemonade might seem like a pretty standard summertime activity for a four-year-old child, Scott had something a little different in mind when she started her stand-she wanted to raise money for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. While this sweet angel passed away in 2004, she left a legacy behind in the form of a worldwide organization, having raised approximately $500 million dollars for cancer research. Children all over the world have continued her work by opening lemonade stands in their own hometowns.

7 Nkosi Johnson (born Xolani Nkosi)

Born to an HIV/AIDS positive mother, Nkosi Johnson was born with the fatal virus. Adopted when he was three years old, Johnson gained media attention when he was refused acceptance to school. As a result, he became an advocate for HIV/AIDS victims, rallying for awareness and equal rights for those suffering with the virus. While he passed away at the young age of 12, his memory lives on in the form of a safe haven that he built with his adoptive mother. Nkosi's Haven serves as a shelter to those living with HIV/AIDS.

6 Om Prakash Gurjar

Along with his family, Om Prakash Gurjar worked as a forced labourer from the age of five until he was eight years old. When members of the activist group Bachpan Bachao Andolan were travelling through India, they came upon Om Prakash Gurjar, who was intrigued at the idea of freedom-a concept that was foreign to the Gurjar family. Following his freedom from forced labour, Gurjar went on to campaign for children's rights, resulting in the issuing of 500 birth certificates to Indian children, providing them with the right to a free education. He was awarded the International Children's Peace Prize in 2006 when he was only 13 years old.

5 Louis Braille

After an accident in his father's shop caused him to lose sight in both eyes at the young age of three (he lost complete sight by the age of five), Louis Braille enrolled in the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, where he went on to invent braille, which is a reading and writing system for the blind. Although his work was only largely adopted following his death, the method, which uses a system of raised dots, provided people without sight a way to learn to read and write, changing the world for those with eye impairments, leading to higher quality of life for the blind.

4 Cassandra Lin

In this case, Project TGIF might not stand for what you think it does. In 2008, Cassandra Lin launched Project Turn Grease Into Fuel-when Lin was only ten years old. While the Rhode Island native wanted to do something to help the community, she was also concerned about sustainability and global warming, which resulted in TGIF-a program whose goal is to recycle cooking oil and convert it into biodiesel, which is then donated to companies that provide heating to families in need (Rhode Island has since made it mandatory for restaurants to recycle their cooking oil in support of the program). Lin, a delegate of the United Nations Environment Programme, has another project in the works, too-she'd like to design a zero-waste community.

3 Anne Frank

One of the 1.5 million children (1.2 of which were Jewish) who lost their lives to the Holocaust, Anne Frank is known today for her diaries, which were published by her father, Otto Frank, in 1947. Her writing made her into a household name, shedding light on a more personal side of the Holocaust through the chronicling of her life from 1942-1944. Frank, who was 13 at the time, spent two years in hiding in Amsterdam. Discovered in 1944, Frank lost her life to typhus at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. Revealing an impossibly bright outlook on humanity, Frank's writing has not only raised awareness of the Holocaust, but also revealed an incredibly brave young girl put in an impossible situation.

2 Iqbal Masih

When most children are attending kindergarten, Iqbal Masih was getting up early in the morning to begin his day as a slave labourer in a carpet factory in Pakistan, where he would then work well into the evening. Sold when he was only four years old to pay one of his parent's debts, Masih escaped child slavery twice, joining the fight against child labour as a member of Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF). After freeing more than 3,000 children from forced labour, Masih was shot in the head and killed at only 12 years of age.

1 Malala Yousafzai

Before she survived being shot in the head while riding a school bus in Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai was already relatively well known due to the publishing of her diaries on BBC Urdu. Her words revealed that she was passionate about the education of women, despite the Taliban's efforts to suppress female education in northwest Pakistan (Swat Valley). Targeted for her activism, Yousafzai survived the attack, and has since been awarded the Noble Peace Prize for her advocacy for the education of women in Pakistan. She is the youngest individual to ever receive the prestigious award.

Sources: amazingbeautifulworld.com, cnn.com, abcnews.go.com, ryanswell.ca, projetaladin.org, unep.org, bbc.com, worldschildrensprize.org, tribune.com, citizen.co.za, childrenspeaceprize.org, cnn.com

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11 Amazing Kids Who Have Changed the World

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In a world as big as the one we live in today, it is easy to believe that our actions do little to make a real difference-especially when so many terrible things are happening every day.

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14-Year-Old Makes Snowboarding History As The Youngest Person Ever To Win Gold At The Winter X Games!

AGE: 14 WHY SHE'S AMAZING: Chloe Kim started snowboarding when she was only 4 years old and started competing when she was 6. She was so good that she moved all the way to Switzerland to hone her skillz. All her hard work paid off last year at the Winter X Games, when she became the youngest athlete ever to win silver. But she wasn't done making snowboarding history! Chloe set a new record this past weekend at the X Games, when she won the gold medal for her killer halfpipe final performance. Her win makes her the youngest person EVER in X Games history to win gold. What's even crazier? She beat out 31-year-old four-time reigning halfpipe champ (and her personal snowboarding idol) Kelly Clark in the process!

WHAT'S NEXT: Chloe was too young to go to the Olympics in Sochi last year (since you have to be 16 to compete), but based on her historic performance at the X Games, we're crossing our fingers that we'll see her at the winter games in 2018!

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This Teen Started A Body-Positive Lingerie Line That Got Picked Up By Aerie!

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14-Year-Old Makes Snowboarding History As The Youngest Person Ever To Win Gold At The Winter X Games! AGE: 14 WHY SHE'S AMAZING: Chloe Kim started snowboarding when she was only 4 years old and started competing when she was 6. She was so good that she moved all the way to Switzerland to hone her skillz.