“7 Teenagers Who Are Changing the World,” For the Strength of Youth, Dec. 2023.
7 Teenagers Who Are Changing the World
What do these youth inspire you to do?
Lucy B.
Age 14. From Tennessee, USA. Likes musical theater and playing soccer.
When I was eight years old, I asked my mom to teach me how to sew a blanket. I started making blankets as gifts for all my friends.
Then my mom and I decided to do a blanket giveaway on Instagram. We got 16 nominations. I couldn’t pick just one person, so we sent one to each of them. And then the nominations just kept coming, and we just kept making blankets. In the last five years, we have made 1,121 blankets and sent them to 29 countries.
Most of the blankets go to kids who are sick. The hardest part for me is when a child passes away before a blanket gets to them. Sometimes I blame myself and feel a lot of guilt and regret. But when I feel this way, I pray, and I feel peaceful.
I have seen some kids going through really hard things. I met one young woman who had just gotten out of brain surgery, but she had such a happy spirit in spite of everything. This inspires me to be grateful for everything I have.
Sometimes people ask me, “Why do you do it?” I think that if Jesus Christ were here, He’d be serving others. He’d make sure everyone felt loved. So I can be His hands. I can help do His work.
Nate W.
Age 14. From Hawaii, USA. Likes playing basketball and soccer, reading, and going to the beach with friends.
A couple years ago, it was super rainy where I live, and one part of our town was flooded really badly. Some people even had to swim to get out of their houses and to their cars.
Our ward organized a service project to try to help them, but that morning I wondered why I had to help. I wanted to play at the park, where people were riding down a wet, slippery hill on boogie boards.
I chose to go with the ward, and we cleaned up trash and made sure everyone was OK. I helped sort people’s stuff and made sure we knew whose belongings were whose.
There was a mother whose house had been flooded. She was standing on her porch with her kids watching everyone work. She started crying tears of gratitude. She was so happy people were helping her.
I felt like I was doing the right thing by helping out. I felt warm and good inside. It was definitely worth it.
Grant E.
Age 17. From Texas, USA. Likes playing tennis and basketball, running track, and listening to music.
Recently, I organized a clothing drive with some youth from my stake and high school. We collected boxes of gently used clothes to send to clothing closets in the area to help families in need and kids with special needs or disabilities. My younger brother has an autoimmune disease, so I have a special place in my heart for kids going through similar challenges.
While the outcome of this service project was important to me, it was also about bringing people together and creating a sense of community and purpose. By working together, we were able to make new friendships and connections. I felt a sense of accomplishment from doing something good for others.
This experience reminded me of how important it is to love God by serving others. It’s easy to get caught up in our own lives and problems, but when we put others first and follow the Spirit’s promptings to serve, we can bring joy and love into the world.
Milagros H.
Age 16. From Santa Ana, Argentina. Likes reading, listening to music, and writing poetry.
A little while ago, I started visiting my local library and noticed that it wasn’t in great condition. The librarian is an older woman, and people don’t always take great care of the books they check out.
I am a Young Women class president in my branch, and some of the young women and I went to the library on a Saturday to organize one of the bookshelves. We put books people hadn’t checked out in a while in boxes to be donated. Then we organized the rest of the books alphabetically.
The librarian was very grateful for our help. She even brought us yummy pastries called criollitos. I think our service helped improve her perception of the Church.
There are still a lot of other shelves to organize, so I decided to submit my project to JustServe. Now people in my city can find the project on JustServe and volunteer to help.
The scriptures say that Jesus Christ went about doing good (see Acts 10:38). Maybe my project didn’t have a huge impact on the world, but for the librarian and people who come to the library, it made a difference.
Telia L.
Age 17. From Saskatchewan, Canada. Loves singing, taekwondo, boxing, and playing the ukulele, guitar, and piano.
My mom has been taking my siblings and me to sing and dance at senior homes since I was six years old. It’s kind of our way to share the gospel. Recently we sang “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” and a lady in the back started crying. That’s one of my favorite songs to sing.
Another time, I got a feeling that we should sing “You Are My Sunshine.” We sang it, and the entire crowd started singing with us. A few of them cried. It was kind of a life-changing experience for me. I was so glad I listened to the prompting to sing that song.
Besides singing at senior homes, I have also done some service projects in my town, such as taking food to the homeless. I also volunteer for two organizations as a mentor for kids who want to plan their own service projects.
I think overall I’ve learned that a lot of people in the world are struggling. We don’t always see that, but simple acts of service, like singing a few songs or doing a few dances, can make people smile.
I think we should all be involved in service—in our community or even our own families. Service brings happiness to the people you’re helping and to you. When you serve others, you’re serving God and you’re helping His children, who He loves very much. (See Mosiah 2:17.)
Luca M.
Age 16. From Alberta, Canada. Likes laughing, learning, and cooking the perfect hamburger.
Growing up, my parents were very active in the Church. I often felt like I was dragged to service projects without a choice. As I’ve grown older and continued to participate in service, I’ve found that it has changed me for the better. As I focus less on myself, I’m happier.
Once, I had an opportunity to go to the inner city with a few other youth to help the homeless. One man from El Salvador told me about how he had to leave his home country due to violence and ended up on the streets in Canada. I also met a man who reminded me to stay in school and not to take my opportunities for granted.
Hearing their stories and seeing their perseverance and humility had a profound effect on me. It’s easy to ignore the homeless and assume that they brought their situation on themselves. But Isaiah talks about how Jesus Christ bore our sorrows and was rejected of men (see Isaiah 53:3). I believe that as disciples of Jesus Christ, we shouldn’t ignore those who are rejected like He was.
While I may not be able to solve all their problems, I know that even the smallest acts of service can make a big difference in someone’s life.
Limna C.
Age 16. From Mexico City, Mexico. Loves playing the guitar, singing, reading, riding her bike, and her dog named Loki.
During the pandemic, I saw an invitation from the Young Women General Presidency to share the gospel through service. I thought about how doctors and medical workers were sacrificing their time and risking their lives to help us. I thought that maybe I could sacrifice a little bit of time and money to help them.
I had a job making and selling cookies and desserts. I decided to use part of my savings to pay for food to make sack lunches for medical workers. My parents and grandparents helped me prepare the lunches, which included a sandwich, apple, granola bar, and bottle of water. Then I wrote gracias on each bag. There were 150 bags, so my hand got super tired!
My stake president helped me get permission to share the food with the hospital. I couldn’t bring the food inside, but he showed me photos of people receiving the food. I was so happy to see their smiling faces.
Sometimes I get frustrated with people and forget to treat them as the Lord would. The Savior was kind to everyone, even if they were mad or unkind to Him. If we try to see others with the Savior’s love, we can make a difference in people’s lives. We can be a light in a world with lots of doubts. Sometimes we might feel like we’re not making a difference, but if we’re trying, that’s enough.