“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead

Driven to personify the Mead quotation that hangs on their homepage’s wall, SSFS Juniors Haley Crim and Sirah Bah of Team Change have taken the initiative to create a meaningful impact on the world. Every Thursday afternoon during the 2012-13 school year, Haley and Sirah participated in the LearnServe International program at The School Without Walls in Washington D.C. Their aim was to prepare themselves to be social entrepreneurs and global citizens. Within the LearnServe International program, Haley and Sirah wanted to develop a nonprofit that combated issues involving the lack of access to clean water, and the growing problem with malaria. LearnServe taught them how to develop the entrepreneurial skills necessary to get their venture off the ground. They put together a 3-year plan, and learned budgeting skills, how to develop a website, and how to raise funds to make Team Change sustainable.

Team Change aims to educate, volunteer, fundraise, and donate to charities that deal with malaria and clean water. “We accomplish this through our club at school, which has 20 members,” says Haley and Sirah. “We are planning movie nights, speakers, and volunteer days. We had a table at Winterfest, where we raised over $600 to send clean water to the people affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Our next project is sending malaria nets and life straws to The Gambia.” With so many people suffering in the world, it is uplifting to see rising members of our community take positive steps towards change. Go Team Change!

See their website here: http://teamforchange.weebly.com/