It is very important for the world as a whole to begin to change the way in which people act towards each other and towards the earth. Climate change, animal cruelty, and human suffering are all caused to a large extent by the general person’s lack of compassion for things that they do not feel affects them. If each person could spend a day in the life of a person or animal that was being mistreated by others, they would feel compelled to act in a different way fro the rest of their life.

One thing that is being done by the group Concern Universal is that they are trying to raise awareness of the unethical treatment of those people working in clothing factories amongst other things. Most people look to buy clothes from the cheapest possible place, with little or no thought about why the clothes may be that cheap. Surely when you are able to buy a pair of jeans for less than £10 or a t-shirt for £2, someone must be losing out somewhere down the line. People are working in factories for tiny wages in order to maximize profits for the companies.

If we all took more notice about where we were buying from and how these garments were produced and distributed, we would be able to make a difference to our spending patterns and habits. Concern Universal helps people to set up their own fair trade businesses and projects, so that people in other countries can make garments themselves and get paid a fair price for them. People seem more concerned about saving a couple of pounds buying a cheaper t-shirt, without thinking of the consequences. They would not dream of going for the cheapest possible basement conversions in London, as they would know that it is a good idea to pay a little more for better a better quality job, yet they are not bothered about the consequences of buying the cheapest possible clothes.

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There are those who feel sorry for others and then there are those who feel sorry and do something about it. Henry Maw is one such boy who feels sorry for the orphans in Rwanda, Africa and is doing something about it. And guess how old is he? Henry is just 10 years old.

Henry, like other boys of his age, is a video game addict. But everything started when Henry got into trouble due to excessive game playing. Thankfully Henry has a very supportive dad who asked his son to follow his passion and to channel it to something creative. This is when Henry started to draw concepts and created ideas for his game. Very soon he and his dad were contacting programmers who could make Henry’s ideas become reality. The game that came out of Henry and the programmer’s hard work is called Monkeyberry. The game can be bought as an app for $0.99. 20% of the profit goes to charity. To be precise the charity is used to help the orphans in a village in Rwanda and also for table-to-table, an organization that is dedicated to redistribute cooked and perishable food donated by restaurants and supermarkets. Honestly, I feel a bit jealous of Henry, may be some day I would also be able to help quite a few needy and then I will also be among the ones who not only feel sorry for others but also do something about it.

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Some remarkable young people have decided to make a difference to the world, and are working for many different charities, trying to raise awareness, change minds, rescue animals, and do just about anything they can to make the world a more peaceful and pleasant place for all those that reside here. Animal rights charities are often given a bad press by those that do not agree with them, but I think it is crazy, that people actually want to go against people trying to cause less harm to others.

One great charity that is operating at the moment, and has a large younger following is Animal Equality. They have many good projets operating in a number of countries, which are making a real difference to the world. The more young people that can get involved in this type of activity, the better, for all of our futures. It is not just a group of ladies in suits saying that things are bad, and need to change, it is people from all parts of society, and more and more, this is children, teenagers, and young adults. The future belongs in their hands, and if they act now and act strong, they really can make a difference. Suffering should not be tolerated in any form by anyone, and our generation seemed to forget about that.

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I have always been interested in missions and charities and my heart is not bent towards a particular kind of need or group of people. By saying that I do not mean that people who pursue particular issues facing our society today are wrong; I think they are doing very well by focusing their energy on one single cause. After all if you want to make an impact with your efforts it would only be possible if you point towards a single direction.

Recently, I had the opportunity to go to India and visited a number of orphanages there. Even though these were called orphanages, in reality they were children homes for children who belong to the poorest of families, which were not able to feed them properly or send them to school. There were a few orphans and a few who had lost one of their parents, but overall all these children came from a background where they were not wanted and the only way they could survive was by helping their parents in building roads and other hard jobs.

When I looked at the slums and the villages these kids came from, my heart was completely overwhelmed and many times I could not hold my tears back. When you see the open bathrooms they use, you will certainly forget the bathroom design Richmond has in offer. For the first time I wanted to have so much money that I could feed and help all these kids who live in extreme poverty. I know these feelings normally fade as soon as we come back to our developed societies, but I have decided to visit India or any other country for that matter, that has many suffering from lack, so that I would continue to have a sensitive heart towards others'needs and may be someday make a big difference for them.

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Remember a couple of years ago when the power of Facebook prevented another Simon Cowell X-Factor clone from making it to the Christmas number one spot? I can only imagine how livid he was the Joe McElderry (last seen hamming it up on a reality TV show) became the only X-Factor act in history not to secure the coveted accolade. Simon may no longer be appearing on the show, but he’s still there behind the scenes, and he might have to get used to the fact that this year’s winner is going to face some stiff competition – and from a local charity single too!

A youth choir from Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire have recorded an original composition called “Meet Me in Winter” to raise money for the local homeless charity and the national organization, Shelter. As you can imagine, lots of friends and family members had been buying the CD and it even got a few plays on the local radio. Then the power of the Internet took over and word spread about the catchy song leading to more and more CDs being produced and sold nationwide in record stores. Suddenly their aim to provide a few new lockers and other needed supplies for their local homeless was easily achieved and they’ve now set their sights much higher and are hoping to be able to completely renovate the building the charity uses to provide food and support for those who need it.

Perhaps dreams of the Christmas number one are a little ambitious, but we’ve all seen how Internet campaigns can take on a life of their own thanks to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Wouldn’t it be great if the same people who coordinated the nation so effectively to ensure that Rage Against the Machine took the top spot in 2009 could use their skills to get “Meet Me in Winter” to the top of the charts in 2011?

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One of the most important things that Merseyside Play Action Council does is support providers in the delivery of creative arts and play projects for children. They serve as a clearing house for the distribution of recycled industrial scrap that can be reused as art supplies. Additionally they are able to consult with the health and safety issues for craft projects and back up the advice with the needed equipment and supplies. They offer a shop with safety equipment and resources from latex gloves in children’s and adult sizes to latex free gloves for those with allergies, and even allergy free balloons if they are needed.The simplest community mural needs to have full support from an organization like MPAC so every aspect is thought about.

One thing that can be incredibly difficult for community initiatives is getting Criminal Background Checks for volunteers if they are a unincorporated group. The Merseyside Play Action council enables people to just get on with what they love doing best, without them, many local projects wouldn’t be able to function. They support churches and voluntary groups with an equipment library that includes everything from badge makers to karaoke machines and even portable soft play set ups. MPAC might not get the glory of delivering the projects, but they offer meeting room facilities to help incubate projects that are authentically born out of a community desire.

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Young people in Britain have been getting a pretty bad press in recent months. First of all, “youths” were blamed for the riots in city centres across the country and now a series of studies have shown that the current younger generation are lazier, achieve less and rely on their parents more than previous generations. Not the kind of headlines that are likely to motivate kids and teenagers in the UK, are they? However, for every rioting bad apple, there is always a bunch of good kids, doing amazing things that the media choose to ignore because positive stories don’t sell newspapers or make people watch TV. It’s no wonder that many people blame kids for everything when they only hear negative stories about them!

A group of young people in the north-east of England have been the source of some positive news stories in recent weeks, as they sought to bring attention to the lack of jobs and opportunities in their area through more peaceful means than a brick through the window of local shops. In some parts of this deprived region, kids don’t even have the option of a career asking “Do you want fries with that?” or working at the lower end of the public sector as a street sweeper or in a commercial window cleaning company.

So this group of kids, who clearly know their history, have followed in the footsteps of the Jarrow Marchers who walked from Newcastle to London 75 years ago to protest poverty and job losses in the north-east. OK, this junior modern equivalent only walked from Newcastle to Durham on this occasion, but the fact that they could muster enough interest for over 200 local young people to take part shows the level of political involvement and motivation amongst a group who are supposedly only interested in what they can get for themselves – if you believe the tabloid press!

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Artists for Peace and Justice is a non-profit organization founded by Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis to support impoverished communities around the world by providing social aid especially to the youth.

Ten months after the disastrous earthquake struck Haiti, the organization opened the Academy for Peace and Justice, a school that provides aid and education to hundreds of children. They had a number of the Haitians in the community involved in the construction of school where many of them had never even done loft conversions much less build a school. Yet build a school they did. Also most of the teacher there were Haitian teachers.

APJ raises project funding through donations, and the organization’s website, apjnow.org, makes it easy to not only donate, but learn more about its mission. Donations can be made directly from the site via a secure donation form.

The site is clean and simply designed, and clearly indicates the organization’s mission. Video and pictures showing the organization’s work in Haiti are prominent on the home page.

A simple navigation bar at the top of the page makes it easy to find information. The clearly-labeled sections include: Updates From Haiti, Who We Are, Support for APJ, How to Help, Photos/Videos, In the News and Contact Us.

All sections are clear and media-rich. The dedicated Photos/Videos section showcases the various video messages from artists in support of the organization, as well as photos of events and updates related to the APJ’s work. The organization of this page could be improved, especially as more multimedia is added, but the material is plentiful and rich.

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It’s not every day you read about children raising lots of money for charity, but in the case of the then 10-year-old AJ Salmon, from Pekin in the USA, it seemed to come naturally and with the kind of simplistic ease that warrants more than just a second-glance. While most kids are more concerned about spending money than saving it this one went more than a few steps further and made the national news; not only that but he did it by enlisting the help of many around him, in such a way as to cause a frenzy of excitement over what amounts to an impressive achievement for anyone of any age.

it tapped into both the hearts and minds of others while also being realistic enough that it wouldn’t break the bank

With rising heating oil prices regularly taking over from headlines about the kindness of human nature, it’s nice to see that the good is also capable of shining through.

Devising a simple plan that would raise money effectively and quickly, Salmon came up with the concept of asking other kids to donate $1 in exchange for having a non-uniform day at school. The plan not only worked but then went on to go nationwide, amassing more money than was ever expected. It just goes to show that the big ideas don’t always need to come from the adults with the most experience. Sometimes, all it takes is a big-heart and the right idea at precisely the right time.

Of course, motivation is a big part of it, and one thing which motivated Salmon into devising his plan was his friend who had died from Cancer. With his goal to raise money for Cancer awareness, it tapped into both the hearts and minds of others while also being realistic enough that it wouldn’t break the bank.

Of course, it isn’t always that easy to raise money – often the layout for events is expensive to begin with, and the profit generated is only very little. But if Salmon’s idea proves anything it is that something can indeed be made out of nothing.

So, next time you get down on the kids, have a re-think; while many children are a long way off from discovering what giving is all about, that’s not to say that there aren’t more than a few out there with big ideas that are well ahead of the adults!And if Pekin’s recent achievements are any sign of what’s to come from him in the future, it shouldn’t be too long before we start hearing his name again in conjunction with even bigger and better things.

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We live in austere times, so it is gratifying to see youth groups like Compact taking part in projects that will have long term benefits to local and wider communities. The government could take lessons from this – though they may say it is a great example of ‘The Big Society’ in action. That’s another debate entirely. In any case the key challenge that all youth groups are facing are the cuts that are affecting every aspect of society. There are ways to overcome these challenges and one of the best resources youth groups have at their fingertips is the internet.

With the ability to reach their peers and groups beyond, youth clubs, societies and groups are quickly learning how to use the internet to their advantage. YouTube videos, file sharing, blogs and photos are all being used to establish, maintain and push the youth agenda in the UK. This is a generation that is refusing to accept that things are ‘just the way they are’ and go quietly into the night. They realise that having places where young people can gather together are an effective way of keeping young people off the streets and prevent them from turning to crime to alleviate boredom or desperation. Whilst councils are poring over their books for 2011-2012, the youth movement are quietly getting on with making them self heard amongst the budget slash. One intrepid youngster in Birmingham recently used YouTube to rally support for his protest against the council’s cuts of 70% to youth services in the city.

The internet is a great tool, but with the cuts that all youth services are facing it becomes imperative for them to have access to it at the most price effective cost possible. Mobile internet is important as well and is being cited as an essential amongst many groups when questioned over which service they are using. One provider above others is fast growing a reputation for providing exactly the service that young people need; abroadband. It offers roaming internet for very reasonable prices all around the world. Travelling youth groups won’t be hit hard by expensive charges. It doesn’t try to be clever or misleading in its advertising and does what it says on the tin.

In times where youth services are fighting to survive, the internet will most likely become the key weapon for them. Having access to it is an essential they cannot afford to lose.

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