Hunger/Poverty

My change the world topic was world hunger and poverty, it really upset me to see the people that were suffering from this. I chose this topic because most of my family was poor and malnurished and I really wanted to go into this because I really wanted to see what my family went through and what it is like to live in conditions like those. I am really glad I chose this topic a would do it many times again. I really hope people would start helping more in this cause.
Thanks,
Ken

Gay Marriage Legalization in US

Gay marriage is an interesting topic to talk about in the case of legalization. It has currently been legalized in my state, Illinois, which means progress. Legalization will change the world in so many ways. Many homosexuals struggle from depression caused by loneliness. Gays could just be boyfriends or girlfriends but I guess they would prefer a stronger and more trustworthy relationship. I, as a teenager, can't do much to progress the legalization throughout the states, nonetheless I can have many sign their name that they agree to accept everyone for who they are and for what they might be. Just accepting someone for who they are can go a long way, and have so many positive effects on people. If you agree to this approach please take the time to write your first and last name in the comments. This would mean the world to some people just knowing that someone is on their side. 
Thank you,
MJ Alexander

Stopping Overpopulation, One Educated Woman At a Time

Overpopulation is affecting so many citizens all over the underdeveloped world today. I heard about this issue briefly in Social Studies one day and decided to explore it further for my Change the World project. I found out through research that every woman living in an under-developed country will have at least 7-8 babies by the time she is fifteen. I found it disturbing that women would be mothers for so many children by that young of an age.  This inspired me to learn more about this topic so that I could help with the solution. I found that there are many ways to help with this issue. One way is by educating women in developing countries that they have a choice in the amount of offspring they have and on how to use contraception to exercise that choice. After I had done all the research, I presented the overpopulation issue with its problems and solutions to my class so I could take the first step of educating others. I asked them to take 3 quick steps with me to help improve the overpopulation problem.   I encouraged them to take these three easy steps:
1) Go to Population Connection, 
https://secure3.convio.net/zpg/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=121 
2) Review the Letter, Complete your information
3) Click SEND
About 3 or 4 days after I had given the presentation, my friend Gabi was the first to take this important step towards education on contraception for women in underdeveloped countries. She followed the three easy steps and sent the letter which basically explained to our congressmen that we needed more education on contraception for women in third-world countries. A couple days later, Gabi got an email from a Dick Durbin saying all the things he had done and how he was supportive of this issue.  He was pleased I reached out to him.  I was so happy that she did this because I influenced someone to take the same call to action that I did to help a problem I find very important to solve.  You can also help with this issue by following the three easy steps above. Please SEND the letter because even if it seems like a small effort, each letter tells our representatives that we want them to help support these womens' issues and hopefully they will respond and impact a whole lot of womens' lives for the better.

Have You Done Something Nice This Year?

For my scrapbook, I did bullying. Bullying is a topic I care a lot about and is happening everywhere all around the world. For 2 and a half weeks I have been having the teachers watch everyone. If they see someone go out of their way to do something nice, they send me their name. One the last day, when all the names have been sent to me, I went around giving all the kids who had their name written down a piece of candy. In each class I went to I explained what I was doing and that I was giving out the candy. All the people felt very happy knowing that they did something nice, which makes me feel like I did something that shows that others will see if you go out of your way to do something nice. After doing this I hope that people will do more acts of kindness. That I how I changed the world! :-)

Changing the world one dollar at a time

For my change the world project, I chose to try my hardest to end bullying. Bullying is an issue that happens everywhere all around the world. If we in our generation do not try to stop or end bullying who will? To take a step to end bullying I tried to raise money to give to Mrs. Romano who is in change of lunch buddies. With the 35+ dollars we raised she bought a new game for those who participate in lunch buddies. If you want to end bullying let me know and we can sign you up for lunch buddies or make a donation, as little as 1$ can get us a long way!!

Helping the Hungry

                Hunger has affected the lives of many, and that's why I decided to put an end to it for my change the world project. I first presented the topic of hunger to my L.A. class, by giving a speech about the topic and doing an online presentation. I then told my class at the end of my presentation that I would have a box in this classroom, where you can drop off non-perishable items which would all be donated to the Township Deerfield Food Pantry. It felt so good to get my ideas out there, and reach others in order to stop hunger. It was a couple of days before the first person donated, which was my friend Gracie. She just donated a simple can of soup, which would put a smile on the face of someone who falls to hunger. It was awesome that both us, helped fight hunger together. You can also help fight hunger, by donating to the white box located in Mr. Samorian's room. PLEASE donate, and help make a difference for those who fall to hunger.

Serving One Can At a Time

A couple of my friends and I collected food to donate to our local food pantry to help end World Hunger. We did this by leaving a box in Mr. Samorian's room and told our classmates about our drive. By Doing this, we were able to donate many canned and boxed goods to the pantry. This makes me feel really good knowing that we were able to help many people in our community, and you can feel the same way by donating. You and your friends can get together and help collect food to end World Hunger. If you do, just leave a comment below to let me know. Lets end world hunger one donation at a time.

-Abbie M.