Author: Anna Stewart

The fight against Big Tobacco’s targeting of teens is still in full swing, both in the courtroom and on the streets, but for the first time in years we are starting to see some positive effects. In recent years it has come to the public’s attention that tobacco companies are specifically targeting young people because studies that show that if someone hasn’t smoked by age 18, they likely never will; 9 out of 10 smokers start before age 18. The earlier one starts smoking, the harder it is to quit. That is why Big Tobacco has specifically targeted this demographic,…

While fireworks and backyard barbecues were staples of most of our 4th of July celebrations, it is important to remember that the day signifies a victory that was won by our dedicated military, and they deserve to be commemorated for their service. Youth Leader Bradley Ferguson does this not only on the 4th of July, but all year long, and has been a staunch advocate for veterans in his community. This New Jersey native has seen first-hand the great need for veteran services. This is Bradley’s first year on the RSYC, and he brings such a unique commitment to service.…

While some students fight for fewer assigned reading pages, others fight for their right to read at all. Education is not a given right in some places, which is a hard truth that young activist Malala Yousafzai is working to change. Today is Malala’s 20th Birthday and she is one of today’s most compassionate leaders. Malala Yousafzai is from Mingora, Pakistan, and was named after Malalai of Maiwand, who was a famous woman warrior and poet. Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was a major advocate for children’s education and opened his own school to teach local children in his community. Malala…

With the refugee crisis in such a dire state, it is hard to know where to begin, but young leader Laurie Findley knows that the first and most important step is just to begin. Laurie’s activism work began with something as simple as tuning in to where her candy bars came from and now has come as far as bridging global barriers to create a cross-cultural dialogue about tolerance. Laurie is now in her fourth year as a member of the Roots & Shoots Youth Council USA (RSYC) while she attends the University of Virginia. With support from the Jane…

Animal lovers around the world fall silent once again as we see a tragic event repeat itself. Xanda, the son of the famous Zimbabwean lion Cecil, has reportedly met the same horrific fate – killed by trophy hunters. This news comes just a few weeks after we commemorated the second anniversary of Cecil the Lion’s tragic death. Cecil, a research lion living in protected lands, was shot and killed by a U.S. dentist. Xanda has been living in the same region of Hwange National Park, and was six years old, the age at which lions in Tanzania become legal to…

It is easy to feel hopeful about the fate of our planet if we stop to notice the actions of young people happening all around. Children are the future, and the children of Hutchinson Elementary School are a shining example of environmental stewards. The Hutchinson Elementary Environmental Club in Lakewood, Colorado has been delving into the details of recycling and wanted to focus specifically on “odd items” that people don’t automatically think to recycle. While people are becoming increasingly conscious about recycling plastics and paper, other materials often fall by the wayside —and by wayside, we mean landfill. The EPA…

Mothers are truly special beings of the world, as we reminded ourselves this past month, and they embody how important it is to lead by example when you have such impressionable minds at the table. There is a hardly a better example of this than Roots & Shoots leader Reese Arthur and her mother who are quite the activism duo. Since she became a camper in 2009 at her mother’s girls empowerment camp, Reese has not stopped spreading the message of peacemaking and global change. She has been on the Roots & Shoots U.S. National Leadership Council for 2 years,…

When it gets cold in California, people hunker down for the winter, break out their hot chocolate and maybe start a Harry Potter marathon. But for the monarch butterfly, when it gets cold in California, they start their 2,500 mile long journey to the warmer regions of Mexico. There, they will hibernate in pine or Oyamel fir trees for a few months before returning to the Northern region to feed and mate. Their migration is the longest journey of any insect. Aside from this migration and the fascinating metamorphosis that the monarch undergoes from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly,…

These days artists are doing brilliant things with recycled trash. There is one artist who turns his own personal trash into art by projecting light through it, another who recreated the Mona Lisa out of plastic, and another who made a magnificent beached mermaid scene out of 10,000 plastic water bottles to draw attention to plastic pollution. But what is equally as incredible as these professionals are students who are making brilliant sculptures out of trash they’ve collected. Students at Eastside High School in Lancaster, CA are calling this project “Wasteland, too,” and it is based off of a similar project that their teacher…

“In order to truly engage someone you must appeal to both reason and emotion.” – Piper Christian at TEDxSaltLakeCity Some teenagers tell stories about their skateboarding wipe out, or their parents’ unfair new homework rule, while seventeen-year-old Piper prefers to tell stories that inspire change. A few years ago, Piper began to see first-hand the effects of pollution when her town of Logan, Utah made a list for the top 10 worst cities for short term air pollution. In the winter, the agriculture and automobile pollution fills the air in such a thick haze you can barely see the beautiful surrounding…