Think Good, It’s Friday! 8.7.15

What does it mean to be a citizen?

I enjoyed reading this article in the Atlantic about Harvard’s Project Zero program, which is exploring how children see their roles as citizens. Their findings indicate that children as young as age 3 have ideas about how to make their communities more fair, safer and more livable… Our On the Table conversations with youth over the past two years confirm the powerful insights and compelling ideas young people can provide when engaged in civic discussions.

More good news from around the Web:

• Chicago Cubs catcher Kyle Schwarber and the “Cubs on the Move Fitness Trolley” visited Jahn Elementary School in Lakeview to help teach kids the importance of youth fitness (via Chicago Sun-Times).
• Lourdes Duarte from WGN-TV took part in Chicago’s fourth annual Stand-Up Paddleboard Race, benefiting True North Treks, a nonprofit organization that provides backpacking and canoeing trips for teens and young adults with cancer.
• A dozen teens spend their summer working at the North Lawndale Youth Farm through a Chicago Botanic Garden program that also provides the community with fresh produce (via DNAinfo)… particularly relevant given last week’s announcement that Chicago’s selected as one of the first 50 cities to participate in a U.S. Interior Department initiative to connect millions of young adults with the great outdoors.
• Giving comes in many forms, as evidenced by this heartwarming story of a Mokena infant who received a liver from an anonymous donor to treat a rare disease (via the Daily Southtown).

Happy Friday! Please continue sharing your stories here at cct.org, by sending an email to trust100@cct.org or on social media using the hashtag #Trust100.