@GOODGOODGOODCO
THE YOUTH EDITION
ISSUE 17
W E H AV E G O O D N E W S
4
A Youth Basketball Team Forfeited Their Season Over Gender Inequality A youth basketball team in Clark, New Jersey decided to forfeit their entire season instead of playing without its two female teammates. team that they shouldn’t have been co-ed in the first place
Young People Are Teaching Seniors How To Use New Technology
and that the team’s girls would not be permitted to finish
Many seniors are adopting new technology, but some want
the season. Notably, the team's lineup had been co-ed for
a little extra help. A startup in Albuquerque, New Mexico
the past four years because there weren't enough interested
called Teeniors is on a mission to provide that assistance.
The Catholic Youth Organization notified the fifth-grade
girls among the same age group to form their own team.
Teeniors founder Trish Lopez pitched the idea at a
A Group Of Young People Rode 10 Hours On Horseback To Save Stranded Families
But the organization told the team the girls were
startup weekend for women entrepreneurs in 2015 after
When a massive storm tore through Pine Ridge Indian Res-
technically playing “illegally” on an all-boys team. League
realizing that her mother needed tech help. The idea is
ervation in South Dakota last year, a group of young horse
rules, however, don’t mention whether the team in their
simple: Match tech-savvy young people with seniors and
riders set out on a search and rescue mission.
division can or can’t be co-ed. The team took a vote and
coach them on using smartphones, computers, and tablets.
The members of the horseback riding group Slim Buttes
unanimously decided that without the entire team able
"[My mom would] lose a password, she'd lose a document,
Riders are all young people — led by Marvin Goings, a cit-
to take the court, they would forfeit the remainder of
and then she didn't know some simple commands like
izen of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Nation. After the cy-
their season.
Control Z that could undo everything she had just done,"
clone caused major flooding, many families were left in
Lopez told NPR. "And so she would start all over again."
life-threatening conditions on the already impoverished
"Pride. Just pure pride," parent Denise Laskody told
reservation. The riders were among the first people to reach
ESPN when asked what she thought of the vote. "These kids
When seniors can stay up-to-date on the newest
are doing the right thing. We don't have to tell them what to
technology available, they lower their risk of social
do. They just know. It's amazing."
isolation, which makes them vulnerable to poor health,
Horses are central to Lakota culture, and Goings want-
according to NPR. A 2019 study from AARP found isolation
ed to give Pine Ridge youth a chance to connect to this cul-
is associated with nearly $7 billion in additional annual
ture through horseback riding. They learn how to ride in all
spending by Medicare.
weather conditions — snow, rain, heat, and wind.
stranded people with supplies, YES! Magazine reported.
The program has served more than 3,000 seniors in New
The group learned on Facebook of families who had been
Mexico. And it doesn't just help the seniors. Teen coaches
stranded for eight days following the storm — stuck because
learn patience and listening skills and embrace the mission
of snowed-in roads and flood waters without clean water,
of empowering seniors. The coaches learn not only tech
food, or infant formula. The only way to reach them was
skills but also emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and
by horse. 23 riders responded to a call from Goings. The
communication. And now the seniors can stay connected to
youngest was 11.
friends and family who might not live nearby.
On two separate trips two days in a row, the group rode
"The intergenerational learning experience is really
30 miles round-trip from Oglala. The trip took 10 hours on
remarkable, and that's why I always say the main
the first day, when they were breaking through thick snows
service we provide is not tech support,” Lopez said. “It is
and drifts frozen over the roads. Youth lugged water, food
human connection."
packages, and infant formula in their backpacks.
HOW TO HELP ENSURE EVERY KID HAS ACCESS TO SPORTS FAMILIES WITH LESS MONEY
KIDS WITH DISABILITIES
GIRLS
Listen to the WBUR radio story "The Widening Accessibility Gap In Youth Sports." It's a helpful starting point for understanding the systems embdedded in the world of sports that make participating less accessible for some.
Help make sports accessible for everyone in your community by finding sports programs for children with disabilities in your community and making a donation. (Just search "sports for kids with disabilities in ______.")
Before Title IX, one in 27 girls played sports. Today that number is two in five. While we have made progress, there's still room to go. Support these continued efforts by donating to the Women's Sports Foundation.
W E H AV E G O O D N E W S
5
This 12-Year-Old Australian Protects Marine Life Through Her Impressive Advocacy Work
A High School Student Is Changing The Way We Clean Beaches
A young girl in Australia is showing there’s
Hawaii, developed an app that brings
no minimum age to make a difference. At
together people who want to clean their
just 12 years old, Shalise Leesfield has al-
local beaches.
Arjun Sharma, a high school student in
ready taken action to protect coastal water-
A dump-truck load of plastic goes into
ways and marine life through public speak-
our oceans every minute, according to the
Teen Awarded For Helping Youth Experiencing Homelessness
ing and advocacy work.
World Wildlife Fund. This plastic dirties
A teenager in Stoneham, Massachusetts
beaches, hurts wildlife, and contaminates
received an award for lobbying to get more
our food supply. Sharma wanted to
housing and support for teens and children
change this. He hopes to bring awareness
living alone on the street. After meeting a
Her initiatives to reduce the damage from have collection bins installed, petitioning
A 9-Year-Old Girl Asked Steph Curry To Put His Shoes In The Girls’ Section
to get warnings printed on packaging about
Riley Morrison wanted a pair of Steph Cur-
of our global plastics problem to more
young Army veteran living under a bridge,
how to properly discard fishing lines, and
ry’s namesake shoes, but they weren’t made
people and created a way for people to
Max Davis, then 14 years old, organized a
media work including Tedx talk auditions.
for girls. So she wrote him a letter.
organize together.
group of teens to help the 13,000 youths expe-
fishing line include lobbying her council to
"We need young people to hop on board
The 9-year-old pointed out that the Cur-
The app is essentially an event-sharing
as we're the future generation, and we need
ry 5 shoes were only made for boys, and not
platform offering a way for cleanup groups
"Once she finally told me her story and
to make sure we protect the earth because
only did the Golden State Warriors star
to join together — because there’s power
what happened to her, it really touched me,”
we're going to be here for a long time,” she
respond, but he made a change to include
in numbers. The app offers Google Maps
he told Boston 25 News.
told Australian Broadcasting Corpora-
young girls, too.
and social media integration and targets
tion. “We need to start reducing, reusing,
“I’m a big fan of yours,” she wrote to Cur-
riencing homelessness in Massachusetts.
Since 2013, Max has been working with local and state officials to help make life easier
youth users.
ry. “My dad and I visited the Under Armour
“Beach cleanups and spreading
Among her impressive accomplishments
site and were disappointed to see that there
awareness about plastics are two
"We were able to get $2 million in the
are an EPA grant to install fishing line bins,
were no Curry 5’s for sale under the girls
things that could have a great effect in
budget to help homeless and unaccompa-
an invitation to an international youth
section. … I hope you can work with Under
diminishing the impact of pollution on the
nied youth," Massachusetts Senator Harri-
summit in Melbourne, the award of junior
Armour to change this because girls want to
environment,” the app’s website states.
ette Chandler said. "When you have lots of
journalist for Wildlife Australia, and mul-
rock the Curry 5's too.”
“That’s where CleanMyBeach comes in,
bills before you, you need to have something
and recycling.”
for young people on the streets.
tiple other articles in national magazines.
“I appreciate your concern and have
functioning as a robust application that
that makes that bill stand out, and I think he
She’s given talks to schools about plastic
spent the last 2 days talking to Under Ar-
streamlines the process of organizing and
brought that."
pollution and hosted her own clean-up day
mour about how we can fix the issue,” Curry
finding community beach cleanups.”
at a lake in 2018.
wrote back. “We are correcting this now!”
"When I found out how much damage
Under Armour added the shoes in the
the fishing line and plastics cause, I wanted
girls’ section. Morrison is a great example
to be a voice for marine animals," she said.
of children using their voices to stand up for
“My dream is that plastic will become ex-
what they believe in — and we are so glad
tinct, not our marine animals.”
Curry and Under Armour responded.
Sharma built the app himself, and it’s available on the Google Play store.
WHAT'S THIS? THIS IS THE GOOD BAR.
He was given the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award for his advocacy. The $36,000 award helped Max with his latest plan, a new shelter.
We believe in celebrating good and then joining in and making a difference ourselves. The Good Bar is full of recommendations from the Good Good Good community on how to take action in meaningful ways. Start small and work your way up.
HOW TO HELP PROTECT THE OCEANS GO OD
BET TER
BEST
Learn more about marine life and the work conservationists do to protect our oceans and those who inhabit them. Stream National Geographic's "Sea of Hope" on Disney+ or "Sea Turtles 101" on YouTube.
Every American uses, on average, 1.6 straws per day, and because they're so lightweight, they often blow into waterways. Minimize plastic waste by buying metal or silicone straws. Or get fancy with a FinalStraw from final.co.
If you live anywhere near sea turtles, you can sign up with Save-A-Turtle to monitor beaches before sunrise during nesting season. Sea turtle nests are staked, monitored, and protected by volunteers like you.
MORE GOOD NEWS
6
A Boy Scout Created A Device To Save People From Drowning A Boy Scout in Florida heard about people drowning in the Gulf of Mexico near his hometown of Panama City Beach, Florida, and he felt he had to do something. So the 13-year-old, Kaial Hajik, built a prototype of
Eight Young German Activists Wrote A Book Outlining Climate Crisis Solutions Millions of young people around the world are taking a stand against the climate crisis. Eight young activists in Germany presented a plan for a sustainable world and global democracy, and they published their plan in a book that became a best-seller in their country, the title of which translates to “You Don't Have A Plan. That's Why We're Making One.” The eight activists are all engaged in different initiatives, organizations, and political parties united through the Youth Council of the Berlin-based Generationenstiftung, a "lobby for future generations." “The current approach isn’t working,” one of the authors, Jakob Nehls, wrote on
a device he calls the LifeBoKx (the K is for
“YOU DON’T NEED A CAPE TO BE A HERO. YOU JUST NEED TO CARE.”
Kaial), a kit with life-saving equipment that could be installed along the beach. “It’s very simple, I would say, but it’s also very important in saving someone’s life," Kaial told CBS. "I wanted to let people know how to actually save people from those kinds of disasters, … either currents or drownings."
Inside the box are life vests, a lifesaver, and CPR instructions. Each box has a location number to help rescuers find people faster. "I think when he saw the severity of the
the Democracy Without Borders blog. They address not only the climate crisis but also issues including the economic system and the future of work and human
drownings throughout the year and the
— KID PRESIDENT
data it drove him to … 'I see a need, fill a need,'" his father, Joe Hajik, told CBS.
rights. Alongside a critical analysis of the
The father and son will present the
status quo in each topic area, the book con-
device to their local Optimist Club, which
tains 100 measures they propose should
focuses on community service projects.
urgently be taken. To create the plan, they
Then they’ll present to their City Council.
discussed and coordinated with experts on
The duo are working hard to get the life-
each issue.
saving devices on beaches soon.
HOW TO LEARN HOW TO HELP IN AN EMERGENCY GO OD
BET TER
BEST
It's never too early to learn how to help in an emergency. You can learn CPR from a firefighter on YouTube in the video "Kids Learn CPR" from HiHoKids. It's only fourand-a-half minutes and can make a difference.
Disasters can happen anywhere, but we can all play a part in ensuring we're prepared. Whether you're a kid, teen, parent, or educator, visit ready.gov/kids to build your emergency kit, play preparedness games, and more.
Join the Youth Preparedness Council. YPC was created in 2012 to bring together youth leaders interested in supporting disaster preparedness and making a difference in their communities.
MORE GOOD NEWS
7
Teenager Coded Apps To Help People With Mental Illness
Youth In Oregon Rallied To Declare A Climate Emergency
A teenager from Los Angeles was grappling with
Young people from around Oregon organized a rally in
depression, anxiety, and several suicide attempts when
Portland to declare that Oregon is facing a climate emergency.
she came up with an idea to use technology to help herself
They called on government leaders to take action and create
and others like her.
policies that address climate change.
Amanda Southworth created two apps to help
Nearly three dozen youth and environmental activists
people facing mental health issues: Anxietyhelper, a
gathered in the latest in a series of Portland rallies over the
mental health toolkit which she coded when she was
past year to take turns to share their concerns about climate
of the LGBTQ community stay safe. Should you find
Kids With Physical Disabilities Started A Consulting Firm
yourself in a threatening situation, the app can alert a
A nonprofit is giving kids with differences design and
entire history," said Jeidah DeZurney, president of the Siletz
list of your trusted contacts or put you in touch with
STEM education, and the kids use that knowledge to cre-
Tribal Youth Council, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports.
a support hotline or the police. The app’s incident
ate solutions to their problems. Jen Lee Reeves launched
"It hasn’t been until recently that we have had such a decline
log makes it easy to document threats or harassment
Born Just Right after her second child, Jordan, was born
of salmon in our rivers. The causes can be directly linked
you’ve experienced.
in 2005 with a left arm that stops after the humerus. Since
to climate change and pollution in our Siletz River. Our
then, Jordan has been highly involved in the processing of
traditional way of life and culture is in danger.”
just 13 years old, and Verena, which helps members
“I can honestly say that technology has saved my life,” Southworth told USA Today. She says she hasn't harmed
designing and building her own prosthetics.
change and how it is affecting their communities. “My people have self-sustained by traditional foods our
She called on government leaders for a transition from
herself or attempted suicide since. “When I found
The nonprofit has a workshop where kids can learn
something greater than myself, I realized that I am not
all about disability design. They leave with knowledge
just a person with a life. I am a person who has something
about robotics, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing
Another youth activist, Rhylie Woodley from Grant High
to contribute.”
and work alongside professional designers, engineers,
School in Portland, reminded government leaders that many
and makers to bring their ideas to life. After the work-
students who will face the challenges of climate change in
for
shop, they partner up with design and engineering pro-
the future are of age to vote or getting closer.
change.” They’re currently working on a political
fessionals for 4–6 months to continue developing and
organizing app, an education tool, and they just built a
refining their prototypes.
Most recently, she launched Astra Labs, a nonprofit software
development
company
“using
code
website to help people grieve the loss of someone lost to COVID-19. "I feel like we need to start having more open
carbon-emitting energy like coal and natural gas to carbonfree energy.
“There are thousands of us ready to vote for the first time in Oregon and across the country, and one of the biggest
The kids get the technical skills, perspective, and confi-
issues on our minds is stopping the climate crisis,” Woodley
dence to create solutions to their day-to-day problems plus
said. “The science showing global warming is caused by
friendships with other kids like them.
burning fossil fuels has been known for more than 30 years,
conversations, and especially we need to start listening to
Alumni of the workshop (all aged 13–20) now run a con-
mentally ill people," says Southworth, who gave a TEDx
sultancy firm, called Make Just Right, to offer input to in-
The young activists wore shirts that indicated what their
talk last year about her own experience with anxiety,
dustries that affect kids with physical disabilities. Among
age will be in 10 years, which is when scientists have claimed
depression, and suicidal thoughts. “Teens are stepping up
other work, consultants worked with Mattel on their new
is the final tipping point to reverse the effects of climate
to this conversation because we have to. We're fighting
Fashionista Dolls to ensure that Barbie’s prosthetic leg
change. The young people have organized more rallies this
for not only our health, but also for our friends and
was removable, gave a TEDx talk, and starred in a Disney+
year, showing the power of young people to come together in
our future children."
original series.
force when determined to make a difference.
over twice my lifetime.”
CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT BY TAKING PART IN THESE THREE CHALLENGES MEATLESS MONDAYS
PL ASTIC-FREE JULY
PLOGGING
Replacing meat with plant-based choices each Monday can offer health benefits and help you take action against climate change by reducing your carbon footprint. Down the road, you can add more days, too.
This global movement helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Learn more and take the challenge (any month) at plasticfreejuly.org.
Plogging is a combination of jogging with picking up litter. Put on your running shoes, grab a pair of gloves and a garbage bag, and hit the streets. Picking up litter might just be the secret to getting more exercise.
18
G O O D B R A I N STO R M I N G
GOOD BRAINSTORMING
Throughout this newspaper, you learned all about kids taking action to make the world a better place. Have you been inspired to make a difference in your own way? Use this space to reflect and dream up ways you can better your home, your school, or your community.
IMUN E M O E C S OU R I K E TO Y Y N L I EAD T R E S L U O S M IS A E THIS T IS OU A Y O H H LV D L W W OU O SO ND T W A K Y T ? WOR NGE CHA G GOOD BRA D M DOIN LEM? ONT THA B AG U O T PR WE E AND S H O U S AY S O A L W N PA ING L M O R AY S B E D S T AY GE 1 DON E AB 6 O CUR PEN ’T K O I O UT T U NOW YO U O L S THE . KNE THIN EARNW M W H AT GS W D ORE E A B O O YO U WIS UT? H TO OVE DS, L N OU IC Y UR FRIE ONE P O T Y O O N E W I T H Y (O R A N S ’ T S WHA ABOUT RKER N)? O W E K TA L LY, C O - L L L I S T I I FA M W H O W ELSE WHA SION T ARE Y OUR S T YO U ? A N D WHA ALENTS C A N DOIN T AR A G W MAKE E S O N D PA S H AT A D ME W IF YO U L O V F E R E N C AY S E? E BY RNVE O C BET ESE E TH FOR A S U OU AT E A N Y A DVO C C H OW N S TO O S AT I U T U R E ? F TER
GOOD FUN
GOOD FUN! ABOUT THE ARTISTS
A
19
Welcome to the Goodnewspaper’s Good Fun section, where
Now we're adults and we have access to a newspaper where
you can take a break from all the good news to have a little
every page is Good Good Good. But we all still need some
(more!) good fun. Remember when you were a kid and the
comics in our lives. Enjoy these wholesome comics from our
comics were the only good part of the newspaper?
friends — and make sure to follow them online for more!
B
A Brenna Quinlan is an illustrator and educator who strives to make the world a better place through her art and her actions. @brenna_quinlan brennaquinlan.com
B Salih Gonenli is an illustrator based in Turkey. She creates art for the internet and clients and also sells prints. @salihgonenli
C Kate Smith is a graphic designer, greeting card writer, hand letterer, animal lover, and purveyor of all things happy. She believes life is best served
C
extra light with a side of nonsense and a big gulp of laughter. @katesmithcompany katesmithcompany.com
Thank you for reading the Goodnewspaper and celebrating good news with us. Now go out and #BecomeGoodNews. And after you've done that, we'd love to hear about it! Share how you became good news at goodnewspaper.org/story