Inspiring Videos of Young People Serving the World
published 9/9/18; updated 3/6/26
by Catharine Hannay, founder of MindfulTeachers.org
Continuing the popular series of Video Playlists for Teachers and Teacher Trainers, here are a variety of children, teens, and young adults who've made a difference in their own communities or communities in other parts of the world.
Teachers, please note: With such a multicultural audience teaching young children through adults, I can’t guarantee that all of the videos will be appropriate for your particular context. I’ve put brief descriptions to help you choose, but please preview anything you plan to share with your students.
17-yr-old Alfonzo Williams started a teen-run bakery using healthy, home-grown ingredients.
You may also be interested in "Grow Food," a youth-produced rap song about growing and cooking your own food, from Appetite for Change.
Jaylen was bullied because he has Asperger's and Tourette's Syndrome. At age 8, he started a nonprofit to help other kids stop bullying.
Double Amputee Completes Fundraising Walk
Inspired by 100-year-old Captain Tom, five-year-old Tony Hudgell raised £1million for a children's hospital.
"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"
14-year-old William Kamkwamba created a windmill out of spare parts and scrap metal. This brought electricity and water to his village in Malawi during a time of drought and famine.
“SÜPRMARKT helps solve Food Deserts”
Olympia Auset is the founder of SÜPRMARKT, which provides low-cost organic groceries to neighborhoods without access to fresh food.
Ryan Hreljac was only 6 years old when he started raising money to build wells for communities who didn't have clean water.
Passing on the Gift of Clean Water
Jimmy Akana was one of the children who benefitted from Ryan's Wells. Now Jimmy and Ryan are friends who work together to help bring clean water to communities around the world.
Terminally-Ill Poet Works for Peace
Mattie Stepanek was a poet and philosopher who died at age 13 from a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Former president Jimmy Carter called him ‘the most extraordinary person I have known in my life.’
Edgar Edmund Tarimo won the Children's Climate Prize for turning discarded plastic bags into a durable building material.
Peter Kariuki and Barrett Nash created an app to help reduce road accidents in Rwanda.
Eleven-year-old Tilly Smith saved the lives of dozens of people because she recognized the signs of a tsunami.
12-year Campbell makes teddy bears for sick kids.
One mother's insistence on her disabled son's right to learn inspired an innovative school where a diverse group of kids and adults learn from each other.
Inspiring suggestions from Kid President (Robbie Novak).
Teen Lee Falconer helps the elderly members of his community.
Malala Yousafzai talks about her children’s book and heading to university.
Teen Provides Free Glasses to Kids
Yash Gupta, age 17, has collected and donated thousands of pairs of eyeglasses.
Children in Myanmar/Burma fight for Child Rights and Democracy
Girls in remote villages talk about how the World Children’s Prize program has empowered them.
Singers Colby and Awu (and some young friends) call all youth to get down with the movement for peace, hope, justice, courage, and service.
Here are a few more videos of young people serving the world:
Zalissa convinces her father to let her stay in school, and helps to change the tradition of child marriage in her community.
Your students might also be interested in the book Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change: Courageous Actions Around the World by Garth Sundem.
Related Posts
There are many more video playlists and resources on community and compassion here at MindfulTeachers.org, including the following posts: