The Power of Young People

 

Changemakers come in all shapes and sizes. Often we forget what young people are capable of achieving amazing things. But it’s young people who have the creativity and the energy to solve many of our society’s most difficult problems and in fact they are already starting. That’s why the Barron Prize was founded. To remind young people that they too have the power to be powerful shapers of society.

Dream of a Nation Partner
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
The Gloria Barron PrizeFounded by author T. A. Barron in honor of his mother, the prize celebrates outstanding young leaders. Each year the Barron Prize honors 25 inspiring young people who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Learn more.


Girls Helping Girls is an international nonprofit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area that partners girls in the United States with girls in schools and community organizations in developing countries to jointly identify problems in their communities and develop social change through micro lending projects to address those issues. Read more.

 

Read TA Barron's essay: "The Power of Young People to Change the World"
Read TA Barron's essay

Preview the Girls Helping Girls essay: "Helping Others: Find the Will and the Way"
Preview the Girls Helping Girls essay

Endnotes & References

 

Jane Goodall on the Barron Prize for Young Heroes

 

What Can I Do?

 

Have an idea? Tap into the power, enthusiasm, and fresh perspective of your youth! See if your friends or family want to help you turn your dream into action. Look to other successful youth to see how they brought their ideas into reality.

If you are an adult, encourage those in your life to engage in youth leadership opportunities such as Civic Youth, Youth for Environmental Sanity and others.

Spotlight

Ryan Hreljac started in first grade and raised $70 to help address clean waterissues. Ten years later he created a network that has built 630 water projects in16 countries, bringing safe water and sanitation services to 700,880 people.

 

Otana, age 15, discovered that the air purifier used by her asthmatic mother might actually be producing harmful levels of toxic ozone. She did her own scientific research after school; then began to share her findings with local and state officials. This culminated in her presentation to the California Air Resources Board, which then developed new regulations and became the first state to ban the sale of ozone-emitting air purifiers.