Adora Svitak is author of three books — Flying Fingers, Dancing Fingers and Yang in Disguise. She is one of the TED Conference’s youngest speakers and the curator of youth event TEDxRedmond. Since age 7 she has been drumming up excitement about reading and writing among fellow students.You know that teenagers are using the internet for social networking, self-expression and even school-work. But that stereotypically self-absorbed, trite teen you see on Facebook might just have an altruistic side. Throughout the years, countless youth have founded charities, raised money, and dedicated time and money to service; today, new websites help more students do exactly that.
A growing number of websites are centered around youth activism — whether networks of like-minded young people trying to solve problems, or large charities attracting awareness and donations through trivia websites. Below are five major websites attracting young people who want to help the world and prove that “adolescence + Internet” can be a worthwhile equation .
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TakingITGlobal, an online social network for young people, is centered around linking youth around the world in order to solve problems. Joining the community opens up forums where students can write their ideas and ask for suggestions from fellow TakingITGlobal members. Students can then go to “Action Tools” and start enacting a solution.
One example is the DeforestACTION campaign, which aims to halt the destruction of rainforests. Sleek graphics and gamification elements help the project attract users, sign pledges, donate money and spread the word online.
RandomKid emphasizes three-step solutions where you select a world issue (clean water, animal welfare, etc.), choose a solution (provided by various organizations, or create your own) and “Make it Happen” by collecting donations on your project’s page and spreading the word.
Students can donate to other youth projects that come under RandomKid’s 501(c)3 umbrella and contribute to a community seed fund.
KooDooz is an interactive social network for “youth who want to make a difference.” Challenges are customized based on the age inputted by the user. For example, a challenge relating to stopping teen dating violence might not appear for an eight-year-old while it would for older users. KooDooz requires users to register in order to access challenges and information.
Registration is free but requires a parent or guardian’s permission. Donation buttons are well-placed across the site, while privacy safeguards, like the parental permission, help attract a younger audience.
DoSomething.org features more teen-related content and has a simple interface. With its drop down-list search questions, teens can look for projects based on four criteria (What Cause? Who With? Where? and How Long?). The site's “How Long?” search criteria allows teens to find project based on how much time they can commit, from one minute up to one year. DoSomething also offers grants to worthwhile projects, and online resources.
Unlike the other sites on this list, Freerice (which benefits the World Food Programme) is not a social network and appeals to a wide audience of users. Adults can (and often do) visit the site which asks users to answer questions in return for donating rice to needy communities. The site was initially established by a dad looking to prepare his teenaged son for the SATs. It attracts a dedicated following of educators and students alike. Sponsors donate grains of rice for each correct answer.
Many teachers use Freerice as a teaching tool. The "Groups" tool allows a school or classroom to compete against one another to do good. Even with all the healthy competition, the rice raised by gameplayers all goes to further the same cause: Eradicating hunger.
Other websites for education, like iEarn and ePals, link young people from around the world to fellow students in other nations, like digital pen pals. They can work together to solve problems and learn about each other’s cultures. Youth do frequently organize on a local scale, as well. Teenage Simone Bernstein founded St. Louis Volunteen, for example, a comprehensive website of youth volunteering opportunities in the St. Louis area.
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