Dear Teen Citizen of Earth,

As you leave childhood behind and move towards becoming an adult, you begin developing your own individual identity, forming independent opinions and goals, and discovering your personal gifts and talents. At the same time, you also start forming more and more connections to the world outside the walls of your own home.

Someday, when you become an adult, you will be expected to conduct yourself as a responsible, participating member of the larger society. And as your generation gets older, you and your friends will be the ones in charge of our governments, our corporations, our schools, our environment. It will all be in your hands someday.

However, you don’t have to wait until you’re 18 or 21 to start making a difference in the world around you. You have more power than you realize RIGHT NOW to make a contribution to the collective good of the planet.

The following suggestions can help you start discovering your power as a "global citizen," but don’t limit yourself to just these ideas. Use your imagination, get together with your friends, and come up with your own ideas (feel free to send them to us so we can share them with other teens! Simply e-mail your ideas to GlobalPeaceToday@aol.com, and type "Teen Power" in the subject box. Be sure to state your name and where you’re from so we can give you credit for your idea. And please send your ideas within the e-mail itself, as we do not open e-mails with files attached.) You may also send information by regular mail to: The Global Citizenship Project, P.O. Box 22, Mountain Lakes NJ, 07046-0022.

Projects:

* Thank your parents, grandparents and other adults who have played a significant role in your life. Let them know how much you appreciate all they have done for you, and list specific incidents that were special to you. Write it all down in a letter -- I guarantee these people will treasure your letter forever.

* Do the same as above with your friends: Tell them how much you care about them, thank them for all the times they’ve been there for you, and let each one know exactly why s/he is a special person and how you’ve benefited from her/his friendship.

* All of us have unique gifts and talents. As you discover yours, find ways to use them to uplift others. For example, do you have a knack with animals? Consider volunteering to walk or groom the animals at a local shelter. Are you a math whiz? Offer to tutor some classmates who may be struggling in this subject. Do you play guitar and sing? Perhaps you could go to a day care center and do a "sing-along" with the children. There are ways you can use any talent to benefit other people. (You may even be able to get credits on your school transcripts if you do various kinds of volunteer work. Ask your guidance counselor for information.)

* Find ways that you and your peers can help your community, and take charge of organizing these projects. For example, you could organize a blood drive at your school: Talk to the school administration to get permission, then contact your local blood bank and arrange for them to send some nurses to the school on a specific day. Set up tables in the gym, and make announcements over the school P.A. system asking students to stop by the gym during the day and donate some blood.

Check out the "Community Projects" section of this website for more ideas.

* Go out of your way to be nice to the "unpopular" kids in school. It’s very painful to be shut out or teased by your peers, therefore any small act of kindness can make school a more pleasant experience for these kids. Smile and say hello, or compliment the boy or girl on clothing or jewelry s/he is wearing, or let her/him know how much you admire a skill or talent they have. On Valentine’s Day, give a Valentine’s card to every kid in your homeroom. There are lots of ways to reach out and make people feel included. It may not be considered "cool" to talk to kids who are not in your group of friends, but your acts of kindness will be remembered for a lifetime.

* Before going along with any trend or fad, ask yourself whether or not it’s truly important. Do the kind of shoes someone wears really determine that person’s character or value? Try to see each person as a unique individual (including yourself!), and try noticing each person’s good qualities (we all have some!)
       What’s the point in trying to be like everyone else when we’re actually all unique? Think about it: Who gets recognition in this society -- the people who blindly follow every fad, or the trailblazers who create the fads in the first place? Think of anyone you admire -- a famous actor, musician, or author, for example. Chances are, they didn’t become famous by "following the crowd." They’re famous because they express their own unique style .
       Find your individual style, and let it shine in all its glory. Our different personal expressions are what make this world so interesting!