In today's world, we are encouraged to take a stand on issues, to express our opinions, to speak out against actions we believe are wrong.

For most situations, we are powerless. There is nothing an ordinary citizen can do that will, for example, help the situation in Zimbabwe. Sure we can donate money and supplies, talk about the humanitarian violations until we're blue in the face...but without change in the structure of the country, our aid will never reach the people it aims to help.

It seems like there are a lot of people on this site who feel strongly about a lot of issues, and this site is all about giving youth a voice...but is it enough? A voice is one thing...having the power to actually accomplish anything is another altogether.

I can assure you, you can find people with needs in your own city. The local scale, as opposed to national or global, makes for a much better start. I encourage YNers to use this thread to talk about solid ACTION they are taking to make their communities better...let's "think globally, act locally."

The easiest way to take action is to volunteer locally and not take on some global issue that we may or may be able to do something about. Though I am not currently volunteering (I live in two states-- it's kind of hard to volunteer someplace on a regular basis), I am growing out my hair to donate to Locks of Love for them to do whatever they need with it in order to help kids who cannot grow their own hair or afford wigs due to various reasons. Sometimes, I believe it is better to start small, to make a difference in your world and those around you first before completely taking on the world. I believe that usually, it is the smaller things that add up and truly make the difference.

I totally agree.

It seems the YN members are all talk, no action. We talk about all the negative stuff in the world but we don't talk on how to fix it. We can't change anything by sitting here. We have to act!