Being a teenager is already really tough. It’s filled with lots of angst, peer pressure and trying to grasp one’s identity and role in the world. But, can you imagine going through those difficult years while homeless? Unfortunately, there are thousands of teens across our nation who are homeless. And, the dangers they already experience on the streets is worsened by the fast approaching, freezing winter temperatures which are a threat to their health and survival.

Covenant House offers warm, safe places for thousands of teens across the country. Since this is National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, be a part of the solution to helping homeless teens. takepart and support Covenant House’s Bed and Blanket program to ensure teens have a bed at a Covenant House and receive medical care, clothes and meals. Just imagine how the basic services of Covenant House could transform a teen’s life.

As you probably know by now, this is National Homeless and Hunger Awareness week which gives me many opportunities to highlight the fantastic work of some of the organizations were working with on the Social Action campaign for The Soloist. Have you ever imagined walking without shoes? I’m not talking about the luxury barefoot option of some select shoeless hikers and marathoners or people (like me) who like to walk around their homes sans shoes. I’m referring to the thousands of people throughout the US and millions of people around the globe who do not have proper footwear or any shoes at all. How many pairs of shoes do you have in your closet? Yes, shoes can be beautiful and an art piece. But, that doesn’t mean we need a zillion pairs while millions of people walk around every day without anything on their feet.

There’s a really simple way to help bridge the gap between those of us fortunate enough to have lots of shoes (guys-this includes you too!) and people who need shoes. Soles 4 Souls is “changing the world one pair at a time” with the simple goal of trying to distribute as many pairs of shoes worldwide as possible. This is an impressive, achievable goal that you can help them reach by donating new and gently used shoes. The process is simple! takepart to find a drop box in your community or set one up at your school, house of worship or community center today. Your donation is more than just a pair of shoes—you will help someone move forward in the world-literally.

(photo by asleeponasunbeam)

All week I’m writing about hunger and homelessness for National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. These 10 facts will give you a better sense of homelessness and hunger in the US in 2008. They are from the Coalition for the Homeless, HELP USA, National Alliance to End Homelessness and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

1. Most homeless are not lazy people. Many adults living in shelters have jobs but cannot afford housing, especially in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington, DC where housing costs are astronomical.
2. The majority of people in New York City shelters on any given night are families.
3. Los Angeles has the highest rate of homelessness in the nation, with approximately 88,000 individuals.
4. The number of homeless continues to increase. There are now 35, 200 homeless in New York, up from 21,100 in 1998
5. 36.2 million people lacked access to adequate food at some point in 2007.
6. There were 13 million “food insecure” households last year. This includes 691,000 children and 783,000 seniors.
7. 400,000 US veterans have experienced homelessness this year with 195,827 without shelter on any given night.
8. Between 1 and 1.5 million teenagers experience homelessness at least one time per year.
9. Homelessness is not just an urban issue. About 9% of all homeless people live in rural areas.
10. Homelessness and hunger can be solved when we all devote enough energy and resources to help hungry and homeless people in our communities today. Takepart today by volunteering and supporting the following organizations: Coalition for the Homeless, HELP USA, National Alliance to End Homelessness.

(photo from jspatchwork’s photostream)

How many times have you watched the news and felt helpless as to what hardships are occurring our world? Well now CNN isn’t just presenting the news, its also presenting ways to
takepart with their ‘Impact Your World’ project. ‘Impact’ buttons on selected CNN.com stories link audiences to resource pages where they can help charitable organizations in categories including Refugees & Homelessness,Poverty,Health, Children, Animals, and Natural Disasters.

For example the heartbreaking story of Afghanistan’s children working the streets for basic survival (Watch the video by clicking here) links to the Aschiana Foundation where you can takepart improve the lives of the street children in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan.

‘Impact Your World’ will also link viewers and readers to support individual causes (ie: a family trying to recover from fire damage).

I love that more and more newsy sources (ahem like this blog you’re reading right now connects concerned readers with Take Part links) are using the power of increased technology to increase awareness and make a difference. News is no longer passive.

Get more info on CNN’s ‘Impact Your World’ program at http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/

During October 17-19 the record for the biggest mass mobilization on a single issue was broken when over 116 million people participated in the Stand Up and Take Action Campaign to end world poverty. Stand Up and Take Action mobilizes people to contact their government, donate blood, plant trees and a variety of other actions that help end poverty and inequality.

Stand Up and Take Action is a global movement to demand that world leaders keep their promises to end poverty and inequality – in 2000, leaders of 189 countries signed the Millennium Declaration agreeing to end extreme poverty through achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. takepart and visit http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/ for ways you can take a stand against poverty.

I may not be a fan of U2, but I have to admit that Bono is kind of awesome. Watch him speak here about The One Campaign and making the world better for you and me and everyone:

I usually don’t like salesmen and the analogy is pretty cheesy BUT what he says is vital and important.

So take his words to heart and takepart with the One Campaign - we need to act not to wish!

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Summer means sun and brightness and fun - which is great. However it’s always a good idea to step out of that every once in awhile to think about things that are a bit darker. This weekend I would recommend making that step into a movie theater to see Courtney Hunt’s Frozen River, a film that deals with immigration and poverty - two issues everyone should think about more often. The film goes to the darker places in life and forces you to consider choices you might never have to deal with otherwise.

It also features a great performance from Melissa Leo, who up to this point has always made her mark with supporting roles.

The trailer is after the jump and be sure to takepart with the National Immigrant Justice Center.

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Green For All is a national organization dedicated to building a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. With the tremendous opportunities that lie ahead in harnessing the renewable resources in our environment to power the economy of the future, Green For All is working to ensure that the green revolution doesn’t bypass those most in need.

To realize their vision of an inclusive green economy, Green For All is linking activists, advocates, policy makers, organizations, and community leaders together to advance the vision of a green economy that will benefit all Americans. The non-profit is also doing their part to lift public awareness on the economic potential of a green economy and the environmental benefits of fighting Global Warming as well as advocating green policies to Federal, State and local governments and providing technical assistance to implement those policies.

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Our green video of the week shows CNN’s Anderson Cooper tackle the topic of environmental racism. Environmental racism refers to the idea that race and class determine which areas you’ll find good things like parks and trees, and which areas you’ll find not so good things like pollution-pumping factories and industrial waste depots. A 2005 Associated Press study found that black people were 79% more likely than whites to live in neighborhoods where industrial pollution is thought to impose the greatest health risks:

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The photo exhibition Hard Rain: Our Headlong Collision with Nature is currently on display at the United Nations North-East Gallery Visitors’ Lobby in New York. Mark Edwards, photographer and founder of the photo agency Still Pictures, created the essay as a series of images shot over the last 40 years set to lyrics from Bob Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall. Photos from Edwards’ personal archive plus contributions by Sebastiao Salgado, Chris Steele-Perkins and others explore various themes including the environment, climate change and human rights. The photos, which are being displayed beneath a replica of the Sputnik satellite, coincide with the sixteenth Review Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.

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