It's Up to Us: Making a Difference in a Challenging World: For Teens: From the Giraffe Heroes Project

It's Up to Us, written by Giraffe Heroes Project President John Graham, inspires teens to lead meaningful lives. It assumes that kids have concerns about the world they're living in and that, given the chance, they want to have a positive impact on that world. It shows kids how to pick a problem that concerns them and to carry out their own service projects to address that problem. It helps them build the personal courage they need to stick their necks out for the common good, even when that means they might be embarrassed or criticized-or might fail. Some of the chapters deal with profound topics-meaning, courage, compassion and responsibility-in words and graphics that appeal to teens. Other chapters build specific skills, such as handling stress and conflict, planning, making decisions and giving presentations. It's Up to Us is for the full spectrum of teens, no matter how they've been categorized or stereotyped.