Youth

Meet Jessica Lee, 17-year old Honolulu high school senior who logged 420 hours of volunteer service, competed in varsity golf and completed a multi-day expedition before earning the US Congress’s highest youth award

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Meet Jessica Lee, 17-year old Honolulu high school senior who logged 420 hours of volunteer service, competed in varsity golf and completed a multi-day expedition before earning the US Congress’s highest youth award

Congressman Ed Case presented Lee with her Gold Medal and a certificate of special recognition in August. She became the seventh person from his district to receive the honor over the past 25 years. For 17-year-old Jessica Lee, earning the highest youth honor presented by the U.S. Congress was not the result of a single … Read more

Pennsylvania’s youth business fair grew from 60 booths in 2022 to 100 in 2026; kids ages 5 to 16 handled their own products, pricing and sales with no adults behind the tables

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Pennsylvania's youth business fair grew from 60 booths in 2022 to 100 in 2026; kids ages 5 to 16 handled their own products, pricing and sales with no adults behind the tables

Representative image from Canva Pennsylvania’s youth business fair has grown from 60 booths in 2022 to 100 in 2026, turning a small community gathering into one of Central PA’s most visible celebrations of kid-led enterprise. Children aged 5 to 16 run their own stalls, handling products, pricing, marketing and sales with no adults behind the … Read more

West Dallas had too few air-quality monitors to track pollution across large areas; a Plano teen built an AI model to estimate neighborhood air quality, later reaching 60 schools and training 300 youth ambassadors

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West Dallas had too few air-quality monitors to track pollution across large areas; a Plano teen built an AI model to estimate neighborhood air quality, later reaching 60 schools and training 300 youth ambassadors

Technology is only one part of Tan’s approach. Shared Skies created a 50-page environmental justice guide in English and Spanish and distributed it to more than 60 low-income schools, reaching approximately 30,000 students. At 17, Nathan Tan has already taken on a problem that can be difficult even for adults to see, let alone solve: … Read more

A Virginia teen started with a dessert fundraiser 2 years ago; his youth team has now rescued over 300,000 pounds of food and raised nearly $52,000

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A Virginia teen started with a dessert fundraiser 2 years ago; his youth team has now rescued over 300,000 pounds of food and raised nearly $52,000

What started as a simple dessert fundraiser organised by a teenager two years ago has grown into a student-led volunteer project that has rescued more than 300,000 pounds of food for families across Northern Virginia. Dhevesh Mahes started his sweet treats project to raise money for charity, but the effort soon grew after he connected … Read more

International Youth Day 2026: Why ‘having your life together’ is the new status symbol for Gen Z

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Experts explain why "having your life together" has become Gen Z's new status symbol. (Unsplash)

For years, success looked like a big house, a fat salary, and a fancy car. But somewhere along the way, Gen Z decided that wasn’t the whole picture anymore. Today, simply feeling calm, in control, and settled seems to matter more than looking impressive on paper. Experts explain why “having your life together” has become … Read more