Our Favorite Things: Just DO SOMETHING!
www.dosomething.org is AMAZING! If you’ve ever had a reason to skip a couple hours of facebooking or a new way to procrastinate on your chores without getting yelled at by your parents: here it is. This isn’t your grandma’s volunteer organization – it is a super slick website that hooks you up with a project in YOUR town, in YOUR interest area, and all for FREE. No more long hours with the school counselor or agreeing to scrub graffiti off the school wall just to get some community service in… these projects are awesome: from being a health educator in your local teen clinic to hooking up some sweet benefit concerts, you can find something you actually WANT to do, and if you don’t – just start something! If you’ve ever had a great idea and just needed some enthusiasm from other teens in your community, post it on this site and wait for the willing hands to step up.
I’ve volunteered for – yep, count ‘em – 18 organizations in my short life, and it made a HUGE difference on my college and job applications. Not the ones that I only stuck with for two weeks (addressing envelopes at the local historical society) but the ones I really loved and got into (teaching English at a local day labor center). They’ve changed my life, not only for the inspiring people that I’ve met, but for the way they’ve led to other great things… like getting into my top choice of schools =)!
So when you hear the next adult complaining about A. how lousy the world is today, and B. how teens today don’t do anything, you’ll smile to yourself and know that YOU are actually changing the world for yourself and your friends. Check ‘em out – see Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Zooey Deschanel and others show you what’s up – and DO SOMETHING!