While their classmates back home bake in the sun or earn movie money, this bunch and many more like them have caught hold of the idea that helping people is a great way to spend the summer. Many teens are joining up with organizations that take them into all kinds of situations where they work incredibly hard, live in sometimes uncomfortable conditions by American standards, and, what's even more astonishing, pay to do it. After hearing about Amigos de las Americas at her high school in the fall of her junior year, Meghan and her parents spent all winter and spring raising the money it took to get her there. In addition, Meghan went to meetings where she learned about the Mexican culture, about health issues, and about the projects the group would be doing. I felt I was doing something purposeful.
Teens feel good about helping someone else.
To illustrate this, she recalls a young man she placed in a service project who came from a background of castles in Scotland, yachts, and servants. He went on one of these programs and pitched right in. An even more convincing recommendation is that she's never had teens tell her they were sorry they went. Meghan backs up those sentiments. When they finished, the family had a light airy kitchen, a new cement floor, and adobe stove.