Shoes collected for Soles4Souls and on their way to deployed troops Underwear collected for teenage girls in Uganda Care packages assembled NOV E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 45 One of my favorite quotes is from Dr. David Siegel, lauded psychologist and author of several books on child and teen development. He says, “The power of the adolescent mind has just that spark of emotion and social drive, just that push to explore new solutions to old ways of doing things, that may save life on our planet.” As a mother of two teenage boys and founder of the Napa chapter of Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots youth volunteer organization, I have seen firsthand just how true Dr. Siegel’s words are. For the past four years I have been engaging teens in local and global humanitarian projects that both prepare and empower them to become leaders who inspire the world. The change and growth I’ve seen in these kids is incredible. By facilitating genuine connections between our youth and those in need, we give them an opportunity to know themselves on a deeper level, at a crucial turning point in their lives. They gain a sense of who they are and what they are capable of, as well as a feeling of belonging to a bigger world—their global community. My first time working with our local teens was four years ago when my friend Anna Boyiazis, a documentary photographer, was collecting underpants for student girls in Uganda. The girls were dropping out of school because they didn’t own underpants and couldn’t manage their monthly cycle while attending school. As soon as I heard about it, I knew I had to get involved. I recognized that this was an eye-opening problem girls over here would relate to, with a solution they would feel empowered being a part of. In just one month, we collected 2,000 pairs of underpants. We’ve since had two more drives and have sent over 7,000 pairs of undies to Uganda with Annie, largely through the work of our Napa teenagers. As a result, the rate of girls dropping out of school in that area has decreased significantly. I was impressed and inspired by how the students made this mission their own and I wanted to find more ways for them to stay engaged. I spent the next few years designing humanitarian projects for the kids in River Middle School’s “Be the Change” club. When school ended last June, we carried on this work throughout the summer under the Roots and Shoots umbrella. We’ve held a variety of local and global drives, including collecting shoes for Soles4Souls, which are redistributed nationally as well as globally; collecting diapers and art supplies for children at our local women’s shelter, NEWS; making and selling art cards in order to purchase uniforms for kids in South Africa; and collecting and sending care packages to deployed troops via Operation with Love from Home. Our local teens have proven to be passionate, committed and hungry for more. Plans are underway to create a bigger culture of youth philanthropy in Napa, in which all our middle and high schools are connected in a serviceoriented manner, via an interactive website and monthly meetings. Service projects will be driven by the kids, and everyone age 12–18 is welcome to participate. This work fits in perfectly with community service hours required by some of our schools, can serve as inspiration for senior projects, and looks great on college applications. For those teens who are interested in going abroad, we’ve partnered with Soles4Souls and are offering service trips to other countries. Last spring my son Max and I joined a small group traveling to Honduras with the organization. The trip was incredible and changed us in powerful ways. As Max shared with his middle school upon returning, “The kids in Honduras have almost nothing, yet they are so happy. It’s made me think about my life and all I have. It’s changed me.” We have another trip scheduled with Soles4Souls, to Haiti, from March 30-April 3, 2015. You can find more information, including a link to sign up, at www.soles4souls.org/haitimarch 2015-roots-shoots-napa-valley. We currently have room for more teenagers, and will be conducting fundraising efforts to help offset the cost. All of the teens who are participating in Roots and Shoots are having a huge impact on our community and communities throughout the world. Their thoughtfulness and enthusiasm for the people they help and causes they support, as well as the depth I see develop in each of them, touches my heart and energizes me on a daily basis. I am looking forward to meeting more of Napa’s teenagers and helping to empower them to inspire and change the world. I’ve recently had the opportunity to hear Jane Goodall and the Dalai Lama speak, and they both stressed the importance of encouraging our youth to get involved in social causes, saying that it’s up to us adults to teach the next generation to care about our world and its people. Anyone interested in getting involved, making a contribution or learning more can visit our website at www.rootsandshootsnapa.com, email me at jeniroots@gmail.com, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching rootsandshootsnapa.
NVLife_NovDec_2014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above