Natalie Silverstein, MPH, is an author, consultant, nonprofit founder, and passionate advocate for family and youth service. Her latest book, Simple Acts: The Busy Teens Guide to Making a Difference, was created to help adolescents and teens discover their passion and purpose through acts of kindness and service to others. She believes that you don't need to change the whole world to make a big impact. Even the smallest stone thrown into the water creates a ripple. Teens CAN make a meaningful difference - one simple act at a time. Simple Acts, Big Impact is a short podcast that highlights and celebrates 'tween and teen volunteers, nonprofit founders, activists, and fundraisers. She amplifies their stories and causes, learns about their motivation for doing the work, and encourages them to think big. Sharing these stories inspires other teens (and adults) to take the first step toward making service an important part of their lives.
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Natalie Silverstein, MPH, is an author, consultant, nonprofit founder, and passionate advocate for family and youth service. Her latest book, Simple Acts: The Busy Teens Guide to Making a Difference, was created to help adolescents and teens discover their passion and purpose through acts of kindness and service to others. She believes that you don't need to change the whole world to make a big impact. Even the smallest stone thrown into the water creates a ripple. Teens CAN make a meaningful difference - one simple act at a time. Simple Acts, Big Impact is a short podcast that highlights and celebrates 'tween and teen volunteers, nonprofit founders, activists, and fundraisers. She amplifies their stories and causes, learns about their motivation for doing the work, and encourages them to think big. Sharing these stories inspires other teens (and adults) to take the first step toward making service an important part of their lives.
Creativity in all its forms can be healing, and can provide a welcome distraction for children going through treatment for pediatric cancer. My guest today, Olivia W, combined her passion for photography and her interest in becoming a pediatric oncologist to create Healing Lens, an organization that helps pediatric patients share their stories through photography.
Learn more at @healinglensproject
Happy New Year!At the midway point of Season 4, I continue to be overwhelmed by the kindness, drive, purpose and optimism exhibited by my guests each week. During dark and troubling days in our world, these teen changemakers give me hope for a brighter future.Instead of my usual interview, today, I'd like to share a short essay with you. The Riley's Way Foundation, which I've mentioned on the podcast many times, and for which I am a proud board member, hosted an essay contest this fall in honor of World Kindness Day. The topic was "what does Kind leadership mean to me" and five exceptional winners were selected. I'm going to read one of those winning essays for you today, written by Emily H. from California.This essay is perfectly aligned with the themes of my new book! I'm delighted to announce that my third book, Simple Acts of Care: How to Help When Someone You Love is Hurting, will be published in December 2026 by The Collective Book Studio. This book is has been bouncing around my head for years and sharing these vulnerable stories and the life lessons I've learned over time has become a labor of love. Stay tuned for more details in the coming year.
Happy Holidays to you all, and welcome to this very special Holiday episode! Today I have the pleasure of sharing this conversation with sisters Alexis and Taylor, who started their organization, Bored No More with a simple goal - providing bags of games, toys, and crafts to hospitalized children who are away from their homes over the holidays. It is a perfect reminder that there are so many ways that we can share the true spirit of this season with people who are struggling. I hope this conversation will inspire you to be generous and spread a little extra joy this holiday season. Learn more at https://borednomorecharity.org/ and follow @charityborednomore
Sisters Caitlyn and Chloe K. from Las Vegas, learned about the very troubling issue of period poverty, and decided to do something about it. They created the Wellness Box Foundation which creates and distributes boxes containing feminine hygiene products and other toiletry items to girls and women living in shelter or experiencing homelessness. Learn more at www.thewellnessboxfoundation.org @thewellnessboxfoundation
My guest today, 13 year old Divisha from Washington State, is a dog lover and social entrepreneur. As a 9 year old, she created Bow Bow Ties, an Etsy shop which sells hand-sewn bow ties and bandanas and donates the proceeds to help animal shelters in her community.https://www.instagram.com/bow_bow_ties/
Emily B., has a passion for neuroscience and psychology, and is committed to helping other young people with similar interests - especially those from marginalized groups without representation in neuroscience or healthcare. She created the Teen Neuroscience Alliance to help make neuroscience and psychology education accessible to everyone with an interest in the workings of the human brain.
Learn more at https://www.teenneuroalliance.com/ and follow @teenneuroalliance
If you have an older adult in your life, you may know that criminals frequently try various tricks and phishing scams to get them to hand over personal information or to send money. This is a huge problem affecting millions of people around the globe, with billions of dollars being stolen. My guest today, college student Jake, created CyberAware, to train teen volunteers across the country to go out to senior centers, libraries and nursing facilities, to teach older adults how to protect themselves from falling victim to these crimes. Learn more at https://www.cyberawareofficial.org/ and follow @cyberawareofficial
As we've discussed on the podcast many times, representation matters, and thats especially true in the medical field. Young black and brown girls need to see people who look like them becoming physicians and taking on other leadership roles in healthcare. My guest today, Sarah, is a recent college graduate who will be attending medical school. Working in partnership with Sneakers to Scrubs, she created She's Got Goals for young girls on the South Side of Chicago. It is a sports-based initiative that empowers girls to explore careers in healthcare while understanding their own health and wellness through guest speakers and educational workshops focused on adopting healthy behaviors. Learn more @sneakers2scrubs
Since 2025 began, issues surrounding immigration, naturalization and undocumented citizens has been very much in the news cycle. What can get lost in all of the coverage of ICE raids and deportations are the stories of real people who are pursuing legal avenues to become US citizens. My guests today, Samuel and Julie, are the leaders of CLIP, which stands for Creating Legal Immigration Pathways, a student-run organization that helps non citizens in their California community to find accessible pathways to obtain United States citizenship. This work is timely, and important, and once again, young people are rolling up their sleeves to find real solutions to complicated problems. Learn more and follow @clipcitizenship and www.clipcitizenship.org
Expressing ourselves through art is healing, and it celebrates our cultural heritage, it educates and it connects us to one another, fostering understanding among people from different backgrounds. My guest today, Shriya from Phoenix, understood this, and created Artsphere, which provides programs to boys and girls clubs, schools and camps in her community, to spread cultural awareness through artistic expression. Artsphere has directly impacted over 400 children across three states, fostering creativity and cultural appreciation.
Follow and learn more @artsphere2024
With election day coming up next week, we need every young person to get engaged in our civic discourse, to care about our collective future and to share their talents and skills to make a difference. My guest today, Kayla P. from Illinois, started the Civic Success Project, an organization dedicated to transforming how young people connect with and participate in civic life - centering youth priorities and helping young people to realize their influence and make meaningful change in their communities. This is an incredibly powerful conversation for this particular moment in our democracy. Follow and learn more @thecivicsuccessproject and www.civic-success.org
Title IX is federal legislation that prohibits discrimination based on general in any programs receiving federal funding. My guest today is a young woman who cares deeply about ensuring that everyone in her community understands their legal rights under title IX. Rachel, from Orange County, started the Title IX Advocacy Initiative and speaks passionately about the ways that young people who care about justice and fairness can make a difference in their communities.
To learn more, follow at @TitleIXAdvocacyInitiative
There's a common phrase used in mentorship and educational equity circles: You need to SEE it to BE it. My guest today understands the representation matters, and that young people need to see and hear from role models whose lived experiences mirror their own. Munveer S. from Menlo Park, California, started Off the Stage to connect young people to speakers, mentors and role models from diverse backgrounds.
Learn more on the Off the Stage website: www.offthestage.org
Sophie Szew is an incredible mental health advocate, writer and speaker. As an eating disorder survivor and proud Jewish Latina, Sophie combines their own experiences with injustice brought about by mental healthcare inequity with her passion for writing, advocacy, and leadership to uplift the voices of those with lived experiences and fight for the systemic destigmatization of marginalized bodies. Her writing, under the banner Truth from Today's Youth, can be found at www.behavioralhealthnews.org. Connect with Sophie on LinkedIn.
Pages4Progress is a youth-led organization that is empowering incarcerated voices through literacy and learning. Founders Ranya and Marisa, along with co-founder Matthew, demonstrated incredible patience and perseverance in setting up this incredible effort. Pages4Porgress is helping to end recidivism and improve literacy among incarcerated people in New Jersey.
Follow and learn more at @pages4progress_ and www.pages4progressnj.com
TW: This episode talks about eating disorders
High School seniors from Maryland, Anya and Kendyll, are dancers whose lives have been affected by eating disorders. They bonded over their shared experiences, and joined forces to launch Dancers Beyond Labels, a nonprofit organization which works to address the youth dancer mental health crisis by: engaging with dance company directors, instructors, and aspiring dancers; providing nutrition education; promoting best practices around body-neutral dancer training and performance; and supporting dancers struggling with eating disorders and other mental health issues. Learn more at https://www.dancers-beyond-labels.org/ and follow @dancers.beyond.labels
Intergenerational volunteerism is probably one of the most meaningful types of service. It is literally a win-win. Teens can learn so much from older adults and seniors get a tremendous emotional boost from spending time with young people. My guests today - Lauren and Proksha started ForgetMeNot International, a nonprofit that works to prevent cognitive decline in the elderly through conversation, music and art, while bridging the gap between generations through a pen pal companionship program. Learn more at www.forgetmenotintl.net and follow @forgetmenotintl
My guest today, Hunter G. from Virginia, is a one-person food rescue warrior. He noticed that food at his local fast food restaurants and cafes was being thrown away, and asked if he could collect the food and get it to a local shelter where it would feed hungry neighbors. His commitment to food rescue - picking up after early morning swim practices - is inspiring, and a perfect example of how one person, committing to one simple act of kindness, can make a big difference. Hunter started a Taste of Home, Inc. has been honored by ReFED, an organization working across the food system to reduce food waste and hunger. Learn more about ReFED at www.refed.org and connect with Hunter on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/hunterguthrie
Welcome to the kickoff of Season Four! Sophie K. is a high school student from California whose recently launched organization, Chains of Hope, benefits charities supporting the people of Ukraine. As a first generation Ukrainian American, whose parents emigrated to the US after WWII, I was deeply touched by Sophie's heart for the Ukrainian people who continue to suffer after more than three years of conflict Sophie is also involved in environmental causes, and fostering productive and civil discourse among her peers. Follow Chains of Hope @chains.of.hope
Purchase necklaces supporting Ukrainian charities at https://www.chainsofhope.org/
Learn more about the Clean and Green Initiative at https://www.tcagi.org/
Learn more about Bipartisan Bridges at https://bipartisanbridges.org
Our Season Three Finale!
I have interviewed more than 50 amazing young people this season, and we've covered a wide range of topics. I've learned so much, and continue to be inspired, every day, by the work of these changemakers. I'm ending the season on a super high note - Dylan Z. created Computers4People when he was only 15 years old, turning a hobby with friends into a social impact endeavor. Dylan's interest in refurbishing old computers evolved into an incredible nonprofit that helps get technology and training into the hands of people who need it so that they can improve their lives. Dylan has been named a "30 Under 30" by Forbes Magazine, and after graduation this month, he will be leading Computers4People full time. I hope this conversation will be inspirational and aspirational to everyone who wants to make a meaningful difference in the world. Learn more at www.computers4people.org and follow @computers4people
Natalie Silverstein, MPH, is an author, consultant, nonprofit founder, and passionate advocate for family and youth service. Her latest book, Simple Acts: The Busy Teens Guide to Making a Difference, was created to help adolescents and teens discover their passion and purpose through acts of kindness and service to others. She believes that you don't need to change the whole world to make a big impact. Even the smallest stone thrown into the water creates a ripple. Teens CAN make a meaningful difference - one simple act at a time. Simple Acts, Big Impact is a short podcast that highlights and celebrates 'tween and teen volunteers, nonprofit founders, activists, and fundraisers. She amplifies their stories and causes, learns about their motivation for doing the work, and encourages them to think big. Sharing these stories inspires other teens (and adults) to take the first step toward making service an important part of their lives.
