< Return to Pulse Categories

Making a Difference

NOTE: If you are in need of help now, we have provided many resources for you.

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to improve the life of someone else. What you give comes back. This is about realizing the power we all have to create positive change and improving the world around us. There are many ways to make a difference, both big and small. You can volunteer or do community services projects, or you can just be kind and help out a neighbor in need. You are really only limited by your imagination and your desire.

Making a difference does not mean you need to do big things—small acts of kindness can go a long way. check out the videos and articles below to learn more about how to make a difference.

• “Each one of us can make a difference. Together we make change.” - Barbara Milkulski
• “To make a difference in someone’s life you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care.” - Mandy Hale
• “We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in our hands to make a difference.” - Nelson Mandela
• “It’s about making a difference in people’s lives. Remembered or not, lived out in a small town or on the world stage, the journey of relevance matters.” - Marian Deegan
• “One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove….. but the world may be a better place because I made a difference.” - Forest E. Witcraft

Videos

• How little people can make a big difference | Charlie Cooper | TEDxJCUCairns - TEDx Talks
• How To Change The World (a work in progress) | Kid President - SoulPancake
• Teenagers Live Extraordinary Lives to Make a Difference - VOA News
• What Makes a Great Leader? - YouthSpeak
• Three Teenagers Changing the World for the Better - Great Big Story

Community Service and Volunteering

• Innovative Community Service Ideas For Teens! (Part 1) - Amber Melanie Smith
• Innovative Community Service Ideas For Teens! (Part 2) - Amber Melanie Smith
• What is Volunteering? - Career Central
• Teen Volunteers on Volunteering - MSI Chicago Youth
• Youth Volunteerism - Pillar Nonprofit Network

Creating and Building Communities

• 10 Ways to Build a Sense of Community - Rights Based Social Policy
• Creating A Community And Finding Purpose | Stephen Jon Thompson | TEDxCarsonCity - TEDx Talks

Climate Change

• Teens on climate change: ’You can’t avoid us.’ - PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs
• Greta and eight young activists reveal how the climate crisis is shaping their lives - UNICEF
• Youth for Climate Action. Breaking barriers | Youth and Climate Change - UN Climate Change:Learn

Articles

• 100 ways to make a difference in your community (PDF) - Youth Service America
• 9 Ways Teens Can Make a Difference in the World
• 5 Ways Every Teen Can Make a Difference Today
• 7 Inspiring Teens Who Are Truly Making a Difference
• 9 Ways Teens Can Make a Difference in the World - All Womens Talk
• 15 Ways Teens Are Changing the World - We Are Teachers
• 20 Ways Kids and Teens Can Help Others During Coronavirus Outbreak - Mommy Poppins
• 10 Teenagers Who Are Shaking the World as We Know It - Buzzworthy
• How to Make a Difference - Yelp
• Giving Back: Stories of Youth Who Are Making a Difference - PBS News Hour: Student Reporting Labs

Websites

SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions)

SADD’s mission is to envision a world in which young people make positive decisions that advance their health and safety. It is accomplished by creating, equipping, and sustaining a network of student-run chapters in schools and communities focused on peer-to-peer education. SADD fosters a sense of belonging and promotes resiliency, leadership, and advocacy skills so that young people make positive life decisions that will carry them throughout life.

Roots and Shoots

The mission of Roots and Shoots is to empower young people to affect positive change in their communities. You can help build a better tomorrow. It starts right here. Right now.