I’m going on a do good adventure and I hope you’ll come along with me. I can’t wait! A six month road trip around the United States during which I work side by side with teens who are helping their communities, showcase these teens as a way to inspire others to do good, visit landmarks, both famous and not so famous, that make up our beautiful, unique country and reporting about my experiences along the way.

Everywhere you look, teens get bad publicity and a bad reputation. Bullying, starlets in trouble, drug addicted couch potatoes—you get the idea. Yes, that is all out there, but everywhere I look, I also see teens who are working hard to solve the problems instead of being the problem. When I was a part of ZooCorps, a conservation outreach program of the San Diego Zoo, I worked with handfuls of teens that got up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings to educate zoo going families about conservation. In Los Angeles, I sang and danced with other teen performers through Kids with A Cause to bring live entertainment to kids with special needs. In Fiji, I climbed through mud with other American teens to monitor the coral reef for a marine life research study. These do good teens are everywhere.

Simply showcasing the teens who do good isn’t enough. Let’s invite others to join in! Let’s create a do good movement. Teens are four times more likely to volunteer if they are asked. So, let’s ask them! Let’s talk about– and– to the teens who are already building strong communities and, through that discussion, invite others to do good too. If teens purchasing decisions can be influenced by media, social and otherwise, why not our volunteering decisions? Hey, we might even inspire some adults to do good too.

The Do Good Adventure movement starts next month. Put on your seat belt. Let’s go!

-Russell