Thrill-Seeking for Nerds (who want to change the world)

Finals are over, snow is on the ground. You know what that means... time to write letters to Congress! I’ve fallen out of the habit of regularly contacting my two senators and U.S. representative because studying for exams took over my life for a while, but I’m excited to get back into it. If you've outgrown letters to Santa (or never had that tradition), write to Congress instead! Writing letters is an easy way to get your voice heard. Congressional staff keeps track of how many people speak up about each issue, and what side they are on. For controversial issues that are big in the news, you probably already know which way your elected officials will vote (for example… impeachment). But for lesser-known or bipartisan issues like global health, it doesn’t take many letters to sway a member of Congress, or at least get their attention. Writing a letter shows that you care enough to put in the time and effort, rather than signing an online petition in a matter of sec...

What does it mean for me to be a “sixteen-year-old advocate”? In between school, choir rehearsals, and homework, I contact my members of Congress and raise awareness for issues like global health, protecting the environment, and human rights. Lobbying in D.C. with two of my favorite teen advocates (I'm on the right) I can’t really tell you how long I’ve been an advocate, because there isn’t a single moment of empowerment when this became part of my identity. I’m sharing my story here, though, so that other teens getting involved in advocacy can have this page as a resource and get ideas for what they want to do. This story starts with my mom. She became a stay-at-home parent when I was born, but never stopped making a difference in issues she cared about, and she soon joined an organization called RESULTS . My mom has a blog called Anti-Poverty Mom where she talks about her experience advocating for the end of global poverty while also raising kids to take action. Eve...