The Golden Report

When you open your copy of PARADE Magazine in the Sunday paper this weekend, you’ll find the story of 15 inspiring young people between the ages of 16-18, who are were selected as a part of the 2011 Parade All-American Service Team, picked by the Magazine and generationOn, a division of the Points of Light Institute. 

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to meet them at a service celebration held at Washington’s Newseum, keynoted by US Education Secretary Arne Duncan. (see photo, below). In this time of great challenge for the service sector, as we balance expanded need from a stubborn jobless recession and enormous fiscal restraints which threaten the strategic goals we authorized just two years ago, it was a moment to come together and remember exactly why we do the work that we do.

Photo Above: Education Secretary Arne Duncan delivers keynote remarks

In many ways, the stories of the award winners are similar. Each student described themselves as normal. Of course, we know they are anything but. Each saw a need in their community (defined broadly as place where they grew up, nation as a whole, or world). Each took action and, in the process, each knocked down some barriers and withstood pressure from those would have preferred they not become involved. And each succeeded, and continues to succeed, in their tasks. 

Their stories echo the power and potential of youth service in America:

• Joe Burgum, 18, who has collected 300 tons of food and $225,000 in donations for North Dakotans in need
• Jonny Cohen, 16, founder of GreenShields, which is working to reduce the carbon emission of school busses (and, like myImpact.org, a Pepsi Refresh Project grantee)
• Grace Li, 16, who founded We Care Act to raise awareness & support following devastating earthquakes in China 
• Rujul Zaparde, 16, who co-founded a non-profit called Drinking Water for India and has paid for the construction of 31 wells to date

Photo above: The Award-Winning Team

Recognition of ordinary people, especially young people, who are doing amazing things is extraordinarily important and generationOn, PARADE, and Points of Light deserve a lot of credit for their hard work in doing so. Even The White House sent a representative to the awards ceremony, Ronnie Cho, who is the Administration’s new liaison to young Americans. 

But recognition and support is only one piece. If you asked any of the award winners, I’m sure they would say that they would much rather have preferred to give up their moment in the spotlight in order to ensure that their efforts are sustainable in the long-term and actually solve the problems that they seek to address. This sentiment was expressed in a Q&A with the award winners after they were honored. We need to shift the conversation from ‘what happened?’ to ‘what changed?’, we have to look at engagement in a much broader context, we have to think about the barriers that are preventing some young people from even having the opportunity to turn an idea into a reality like this award winners have. It starts with making sure that young people have a seat at the table and that their (our) voices are heard.

Photo above: Youth Service America President Steve Culbertson introduces award winners in the environment category. 

For more information on the award winners and to see behind-the scenes photos and videos from PARADE Magazine, visit parade.com/service

To learn more about generationON and Points of Light institute visit www.generationon.org and www.pointsoflight.org