I am a very active teen and I love it. I'm active in my school and church. I play basketball I'm an FCA Officer, Beta Vice, Yearbook commity,and I'm on the Prom commity. I am also on the Drama team at my church and we go all over TN and do ministry work and My family and I also help feed the people in our church's under-the-bridge-ministry.

I love being so active. I also think that if you are an active teen than you are not going to get into all the stuff that teens our age get into like drugs, smoking, drinking, and having sex. I mean I know a girl who got pregant in eighth grade, what is happening to our society.

So I think that being an active teen is good that every teen in the world should be active so that they don't want to do that stuff so they can fit in.

I believe that being an active teen in great. I work in community organizations, I on the bowling team, and I love to write poetry and such.

My only problem is that sometimes parents/society views teens who are not as active as others as "nonchalant" "indifferent" "troublemakers". Not everyone is interested in joining many things.

Our peers today are so caught up within their own lives and how to become the best that only THEY THEMSELVES can be, and so a lot of times being involved within the community is about just one doing what everyone else is saying is right. In other words, yes it's great that one is participating in so many community things, but are we really doing anything truly because we want to help others, or because we want to feel better about ourselves for what we are doing.

Don't get me wrong though, it's really good to find an outlet and do what you love because it makes you feel like you have a purpose or generally just good about yourself; but, still, there are so many issues out there that should be attacked and moved forward and really be of help to someone.

One who is able to care about a cause or someone else more then about themselves is a wise being. One who is able to help someone else or move a great cause forward and not announce it all over the news or world is a courageous, humble, brave, but most of all a person that really did something because they truly cared for the civilization existing today.

Ok, I really don't mean to disparage any of you who are so involved within your communities and schools, but just think sometimes about how much are you actually doing for others that need help in a unselfish way, instead of just because it makes you feel good.-(although I know that is a huge part of what inspires one to help others, as well.)

I just want to respond to the initial question -- I think it's great when teens get involved in their communities. They are just as much members of their communities as the adults, senior citizens and little children.

There is a wave of youth empowerment sweeping the nation right now, and it's a very hot topic. You can see a lot of different groups reaching out to embrace that, although they may not quite know how it is that you empower youth.

What matters though, is that they're trying. What's significant about this, is that any teens who want to get involved in their community are having as good a chance as ever to offer their opinion and share their voice.