Youth against neighborhood violence

When I was 10-years-old, Freedom Magazine interviewed me about youth violence and drug use.

Kids want to live in safe neighborhoods. But kids who use drugs end up in violent situations. The purpose of the Drug-Free Marshals is to empower other kids so they can make better choices.

Choosing to live a drug-free life gives us the ability to live in a safer world.

Drug-Free Marshals

The Drug-Free Marshals do great work, not just in the United States, but in other places, too.

In New Zealand they are called the "Drug-Free Ambassadors". Tom Cruise donated a lot of money to that group.

In the United States, one of the larger groups is the Clearwater Drug-Free Marshals. Drug-Free Marshals is a corps of kids who encourage other kids to stay drug-free. We give them information about drugs and what they do to people - both the mind and body - and how to stay off them.

We also make other Drug-Free Marshals. By this, I mean we pledge other kids to live a drug-free life, and show them how to help others do the same. In this way, the good message spreads to other kids.

Bake Sales!

I belong to a volunteer group of kids. We meet a couple of times each month and do a project for our community.

We found that bake sales can really make a lot of money! One day we raised over $1,000 to send volunteers to India to help after a major earthquake. Another afternoon we raised over $500 to send copies of The Way to Happiness booklets to Israel. That project was done in support of the Association for Peace and Understanding in the Middle East.

The trick to holding a successful bake sale is not to charge too little! That cookie might only be "worth" $1 - but you can ask for $20 for it, if it's a fundraiser. And people will donate that much, too! And even more. We asked for donations of $20 for a cookie, and one lady donated over $300.

You just have to have a worthy cause, and people will help.

Youth for Human Rights

I was on the panel of a youth summit in the Mayor's office in Hollywood, CA, in 2002. This was a great opportunity to meet with other kids and discuss human rights and world peace issues.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt. It's a great document and has helped to bring awareness of human rights to people throughout the world.

Youth for Human Rights created a booklet for kids - "What are Human Rights?" Take a look!