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Idealist.org Kids & Teens: The world around you

The world around you

Many organizations understand the importance of getting young people involved in the issues they care about so that those issues continue to be important to future generations.

With this in mind, some organizations have created special sections of their websites specially for you. These sites have great resources for research projects, interesting information about what's going on in the world, games, and activities. So, spend some time poking around. Have fun and enjoy!

If you know of a site that ought to be here, please let us know.



Current events

Newseum, Today's Front Pages
This website is a great way to stay up-to-date on whats happening around the world. Every morning, the site posts the front pages of 164 newspapers from 27 countries. Click on any image to read it or visit that newspapers homepage.

Time for Kids
Timeforkids.com is the online version of Time for Kids magazine. It offers you the latest news, a homework helper, and lots of great links for kids on the internet.

What Kids Can Do
This website supports and documents the value and effort of young people working with teachers and other adults on projects that combine powerful learning with public purpose. WKCD believes in expanding current views of what constitutes challenging learning and achievement, fostering more spacious expectations and opportunities for youth of every description.



Education

Student Voices Resource Center
The Student Voices Resource Center is a place for students to share their views and opinions about technology in education and contribute their unique ideas about how technology can make a difference in their school and education.



Environment, nature, and animals



For kids

Chet the Cheetah
Visit Chet's site to learn how you can help the environment in your community by recycling and creating less garbage.

Children's Tropical Forests
Read about how kids around the world are working together to protect tropical forests and find out what you can do to help. This site includes facts about the plants, animals, and people who live in these regions and explains why rainforest conservation is so important.

EduGreen
EduGreen makes learning about the environment fun. The site offers explanations, games, and video clips to teach you about energy, water, and pollution. Youll also find e-cards you can send to spread the word about saving the planet.

Global Response—Young Environmentalist Action (YEA)
Become an environmental activist through Global Response's website for kids. On YEA you'll learn about an environmental emergency somewhere in the world and the issues behind the problem, what local people are doing to stop the environmental damage and how you can help.

Greenpeace Kids – Italy
Take a fun trip to Ecoville (in Italian).

HORIZON Solutions Site for Kids
The next time you hear about a serious problem in the world, ask yourself, How can I help solve this? The HORIZON Solutions site was created to help people who live in different places work together to solve problems related to population, health, development, and the environment. Visit the site to learn more about these important issues and find out how you can share your ideas.

KIND News
KIND News, a project of the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education, was created to teach you about animals and the treatment of animals. On KIND News you can ask questions about animals, take the KIND News Quiz, and explore the KIND News Clubhouse.

National Geographic Kids
Explore this website to learn about nature and wild animals by reading fun facts, conducting simple experiments, and playing online games. Need help with your geography homework? This site has a great online atlas and a daily geography quiz.

National Wildlife Federation's Kid Zone
Kid Zone is the home of Ranger Rick and his buddies. You can find out more about endangered species, water, wetlands, and the national parks. The Kid Zone has ideas for outdoor activities, games and information about "EarthSavers," a club for kids who want to help preserve the environment in their community. The site is divided into four sections for different age groups.

Rainforest Alliance
Learn about the 4,000 different species of frogs that live in the rainforests, download pictures of rainforest animals to color, read stories written about rainforests, and try some of the activities suggested on the Rainforest Alliance's website for kids.

The Fund for Animals—Kids
The Fund for Animals focuses on protecting all animals through education, legal advocacy, and care facilities. The kids' site features coloring books, stories, and comic books.

The Rainforest Action Network's Rainforest Heroes
What is a rainforest? Do people live in the rainforests? What types of animals make their home in rainforests? What can you do to help save the rainforests? To find out, visit the Rainforest Action Network's website for kids.

World Wildlife Fund
Learn more about wild animals and protecting them on the World Wildlife Kids site, which has an "Endangered Species" fact sheet, games, quizzes, and a newsletter for kids.



Teens

Global Response Youth Action
Become an environmental activist through Global Response's website for teens. With GR Youth Action you'll learn about environmental emergencies in the world and the issues behind the problems, what local people are doing to stop environmental damage, and how you can help.

Humaneteen
Interested in animals and the environment? The Humaneteen site, a project of the Humane Society of the United States, can help you start a club devoted to protecting animals and the environment. There's also lots of information on preventing animal cruelty.

The Fund for Animals – Teens
The Fund for Animals focuses on protecting all animals through education, legal advocacy, and care facilities. The Teens' site features pamphlets, newspapers, comics, and other teen-oriented resources.

Earth Tomorrow – National Wildlife Federation
Earth Tomorrow is an online magazine and community for teens nationwide. Learn about hot topics and current events in conservation, develop community conservation projects, build environmental literacy and leadership skills, and explore environmental careers. Join the Earth Tomorrow network to share your individual and group successes with other students across the country!

National Geographic Homework Help
What do King Cobras eat? Who was Genghis Khan? What is the full story behind the attack on Pearl Harbor? The next time you have to write a report for school, visit this site to jazz up your paper with some fascinating facts. It's a collection of informational features on a variety of subjects including nature, animals, history, geography, and art.

Origins
The Origins Project invites you to take virtual "field trips" to some of the most famous scientific laboratories around the world, including the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, the Las Cuevas Research Station in Belize, and the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. These field trips are designed to give you a behind-the-scenes look at how scientists in these laboratories are using the latest scientific tools, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, to pursue the questions of how the universe began and origins of life on earth.



Government and politics

Ben's Guide
Ben's Guide is a U.S. government website for kids, which provides a variety of links to government sites for kids on subjects that cover everything from health and safety to foreign affairs.

Kids Speak
"Where Kids Speak up for Free Speech!" Learn about censorship and join the fight for free speech!

Kids Voting USA
Kids Voting USA encourages students to get involved in and understand the democratic process in the United States. On the site you'll find a Constitution Quiz, a Wish Tree, and information about their National Student Panel. To learn more about participating in the Kids Voting project, find your state chapter's contact information under the "USA Network" link.

PBS Democracy—Kids
Designed to teach you about democracy in the United States, on this site by the Public Broadcasting Service you can be the president for a day, learn how government is involved in your daily activities, and why voting is important.

Student Voices
Student Voices focuses on giving students the resources you need to learn about and connect with your government and your community and to express your opinions about government policy and other issues that matter to you.



Health and body

Kids Health
Have any questions about your health? Your body? Your feelings? This site has answers to questions you might have, from finding out what causes nosebleeds to the worries of starting school to learning about bodily functions.

Teens Health
This site is a great place for teens to find information and answers to questions on topics ranging from pimples and stress to feelings about school, jobs and relationships, eating well, exercising, and sexual health.

Teen Wire
Teen Wire is a project of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The site covers all subjects relating to reproductive health and other issues that concern teens and their bodies, from understanding your body, to questions about sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and your emotions.



Human rights

The United Nations has created an interactive version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights specially for young people.

For a "Kids Version" of the Convention of the Rights of the Child click here.

Amnesty International Kids
Amnesty International works to protect the human rights of people around the world. One of the ways they do this is through letter writing campaigns to governments where people are being held in prison for political, not criminal reasons. On the Amnesty Kids site you can get involved in their latest campaign. For information on how to start an Amnesty International group in your school, please click here.

Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services was created to help poor and disadvantaged people outside the United States. Find out more about the organization's work and how you can get involved by reading news stories about what life is like for kids in Zimbabwe or the food shortages in Southern Africa, or by playing games like the African Countries Word Search.

Cool Planet, Oxfam UK
Take a virtual visit to the homes of kids in Ghana, Russia, India, and Brazil to see how each spends his or her day. Learn about the countries where Oxfam works and how you can get involved in helping stop hunger and poverty in your community and around the world.

Global Citizen Corps
The Global Citizen Corps (GCC) gives young leaders in the United States the training and resources they need to raise awareness and take action in the fight against poverty. GCC student leaders take part in an innovative training program designed to deepen their understanding of globalization, poverty, and international development, and to help them develop the skills necessary to mobilize their peers to effect lasting social change.

Global Gang, Christian Aid
Find out what sports are played by kids around the world, learn how different religions are practiced, and share your ideas and stories with other kids around the world.

Human Rights Internet Children's Centre
The Human Rights Internet Children's Centre offers information about laws passed in Canada that affect young Canadians. In addition, the Children's Centre has a useful "Charting Your Rights" link in their library that can help you understand how young people are affected by international human rights laws.

UNICEF Voices of Youth
Are you interested in the rights of children around the world, or what other young people are saying about children's rights? Unicef's site for young people has information, activities, games, and resources designed to teach you about children's rights. You can take a child labor quiz or learn the importance of a birth certificate. In the Voices of Youth section, you can share your ideas about children's rights.

United Nations Cyber School Bus
The Cyber School bus is designed to introduce you to the many different issues that the United Nations works on. You'll find games, activities, research materials, information on participating in the Model United Nations, and much more.



Music, arts, theater, and expression

National Gallery of Art—Kids
Learn about some of the art works that live in The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC on their website for kids.

New York Philharmonic Kidzone!
This site has lots of fun stuff for you to play around with, including a "Musical Sketch Pad" where you can compose your own tunes (and drive everyone around you crazy!). Visit this site to learn about composers, instruments, and making music.

PBS Kids
Visit the internet homes of Clifford, Mister Rogers, Zoom, Teletubbies, and all the other characters that you watch on public television.



Nonviolence and crime prevention

McGruff the Crime Dog Homepage
Think learning about stopping violence and crime in your community is boring? Think again! This site has a bunch of games from mazes to connect the dots to word searches that will teach you how to be aware of crime in your neighborhood. This is the National Crime Prevention Council's site for children, featuring Mcgruff the Crime Dog.

Teens, Crime, and the Community
A joint project of the National Crime Prevention Council and Street Law, this site offers resources (websites, hotlines, materials), advice, and support on how to deal with issues ranging from dating violence to weapons, information on drug and alcohol abuse, and project ideas on curbing violence in your community.

The Pledge
The Pledge encourages young people to take a proactive stance in reducing gun violence. Visit the site and learn more about the Student Pledge and the Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence.



Philanthropy

Youth in Philanthropy
Youth in Philanthropy, a website run by the Foundation Center, gives you a way to explore the world of giving, volunteering, and helping. According to their definition, philanthropy is anything you do to make the world around you a better place and they want to help you find ways to do that. Read all about foundations and research scholarships for your education or for starting a service project. Visit their Get involved section for more ideas on volunteering. Submit stories about how you are involved in philanthropy and you may see them published on the site.



Poverty and hunger

Fair Shares for All, Save the Children UK
Sometimes we take for granted how easy it is to get clean water from the kitchen faucet or bathroom sink. Children living in drought-stricken villages in Africa sometimes miss school because they need to help their families fetch water to drink, clean, and cook with in order to survive. Fair Shares for All helps you understand the link between poverty and the lack of clean water, and offers activities and information that you and your friends can use to learn more about conserving water and how to help children in drought-stricken areas around the world.

Cool Planet, Oxfam UK
Take a virtual visit to the homes of kids in Ghana, Russia, India, and Brazil to see how each spends his or her day. Learn about the countries and people where Oxfam works and how you can get involved in helping stop hunger and poverty in your community and around the world.

NetAid
NetAid's programs educate young people about global poverty and international development, and provide opportunities for them to take concrete actions that make a difference in the lives of the world's poor.