Who Says Kids are Apathetic???!!!!
Thousands of teen volunteers contribute more than 1.7 million hours of service each year in west central Florida through ManaTEENS! Two sisters, who were 12 and 17 years old then, started the organization in 1994. It’s grown into the largest locally based teen volunteer initiative in the United States!
Their president spoke at the Youth Service Institute I attended in October 2008. When I was in Florida, they had conference participants working on a resource directory of “Pet Friendly” facilities for people to use if they’re confronted by a hurricane or flood and have to abandon their pets. That project was part of their Animal Welfare and Homeland Security initiatives; their other initiatives are–
- Environment
- Health and Human Services
ManaTEENS is a great example of the power of young people to change the world! The president had these tips for making powerful contributions–
- hands-on
- can’t save the world on the weekends
- gotta start where you live