Thanks to columnist Nick Kristof who highlights the inspiring accomplishments of the cause-immersed, do-gooder Millennial Generation in his NY Times column this week.
Whether it’s starting a school in Cambodia while sick in bed, dancing the night away in Australia to help protect kids from malaria in Africa, or bringing attention to the genocide in Darfur through a friendly school competition — Millennials are finding ways to leverage their social networks.
And now the trend is taking shape well before they even reach college. As Kristof notes, “The spotlight may be on billionaire philanthropists like Bill Gates, but one of the country’s healthier trends has been the rise of piggy-bank philanthropists.”
These are exceptional kids who have accomplished exceptional things – and perhaps given the global society in which we live, I shouldn’t be surprised to see the focus on other countries instead of looking here in our own backyards.
But, since it is National AmeriCorps Week, I think it’s also necessary to give some attention to the more than 75,000 AmeriCorps members who are serving in communities across the United States. These young people are responding to the tornadoes and storms that have plagued the Midwest in recent weeks; mentoring youth in some of the roughest neighborhoods in America; building affordable housing and recruiting and training other volunteers to serve in their communities.
Kristof introduces an idea to spend a gap year abroad – but why not do so a little closer to home? While we can applaud those who are taking steps to engage in raise money for the important work that must be done overseas – let’s not forget those who are doing so in our schools and community centers here at home.