Young Leaders to Save the Day

For the last several years, our 3rd grade teachers have taught a very successful unit on Leadership. Rather than focusing on the Thomas Jeffersons or Rosa Parks of history, they instead turn the table and focus on kids or teens who are leading the way, today. It's a phenomenal unit, and the 3rd graders walk away being inspired to take action themselves, at their own age.

This year, along with having many of their tried and true favorites, they also tapped into the Baron Prize for Young Hero's Winners for 2017. Annually, the Baron Prize winners are announced early fall. This year, September 17th is the day for the 2018 winners. Their mission:

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes celebrates inspiring, public-spirited young people from diverse backgrounds all across North America. Established in 2001 by author T.A. Barron, the Barron Prize annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive impact on people, their communities, and the environment.

Mother Nature Network did a phenomenal summary on each of the 2017 Baron Prize winners. Be sure to read their article to walk away feeling good about all the things these 20 kids have done to take positive action for our world!

• Abbie Weeks, age 18, founder of Ecological Action
• Alex Weber & Jack Johnston, both age 17, co-founders of The Plastic Pickup
• Alexa Grabelle, age 15, founder of Bag of Books
• Ana Humphrey, age 16, founder of Watershed Warriors
• Aryaman Khandelwal, age 17, creator of Get2Greater medical diagnosing app 
• Elizabeth Klosky, age 18, creator of NY is a Great Place to Bee
• Ella Morrison, age 11, creator of Ella's Lemonade Shop
• Jahkil Jackson, age 9, founder of Project I Am
• Joris Hutchison, age 10, worked with  N/a’an ku sê, a Namibian cheetah sanctuary
• Josh Kaplan, age 18, founded GOALS (Giving Opportunities to All Who Love Soccer)
• Joshua Williams, age 16, founder of Joshua's Heart
• Nitish Sood, age 17, co-founder (with his brother Aditya) of Working Together for Change
• Ray Wipfli, age 14, founder of Ray United FC
• Riley Callen, age 14, creator of Be Brave for Life
• Rupert Yakelashek, age 13 & Franny Ladell Yakelashek, age 10, Canadian environmental rights activists
• Sharleen Loh, age 17, creator of STEMup4Youth
• Sophie Bernstein, age 15, founder of Grow Healthy
• Stella Bowles, age 13, Canadian river activist

Other kids out there taking action & going for the greater good that I've written about in the past:

• Molly Steer & her Straws No More Campaign
• The Wijsen Sister: Melati & Isabel and their Bye Bye Plastic Bags platform
• Bryce Madder & the Polar Army
• Multiple Young Eco Leaders highlighted in this post.

Images from https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/blogs/meet-20-kids-who-are-changing-world, https://serac-bd.org/event/youth-leadership-training/, and https://tabarron.com/young-heroes/barron-prize/