While most kids his age are passing time in front of video games , watching anime, tweeting and Facebooking, 10th grader Avery Racine is overseeing the operations of Teen2Teen, a his very own non-profit, while balancing school work, volunteering, and participation in school sports (he’s on his school’s soccer, basketball, and lacrosse team). Teen2Teen is the youth branch of Phoenix Rising for Haiti, a volunteer non-profit group. The Arizona-based teen philanthropy mogul, who leads fellow teens in changing the lives of other teens in other countries including Haiti, took time out from his busy non-profit executive schedule to tell us about Teen2Teen Rise.
How did you come up with the idea for Teen2Teen Rise?
I came up with Teen2Teen while watching news coverage of disasters such as those in Haiti, Chile etc. I noticed a pattern of care and concern directed primarily at women and children. I understand and agree that they are the most vulnerable. However, the disconcerting part was that teens, which can also be a vulnerable group, were never mentioned. It was as if we did not exist. When my mother started her foundation and started going to Haiti we saw the same thing. She would come back full of tales of the “cute kids” but never mentioned the teens. When I asked her about the discrepancy she admitted that it was really not something that she thought of. So I decided that as a teen I needed to take action.
Have you been to Haiti?
Although my family is Haitian, I have yet to go to Haiti. My first trip is planned for June of this year. My goal for that trip is to hold a one week sports and peer counseling camp at Ile-a-Vache.
Do you have any plans and dreams for Haiti in the future?
My goal is that Haiti is fully rebuilt after the damage done by the earthquake, and that its economy becomes strong and self-sufficient. I would like to see teens finish school, go to university and be able to find jobs and stay on the island as adults and make it stronger.
Do you think that some kids your age take some things for granted?
Yes I feel that most kids my age do take many things for granted, including myself. Living in the United States, many are sheltered from the difficult things that happen around the world in places not as fortunate.
What has Teen 2 Teen Rise accomplished so far?
Teen2 teen got off to a great start. We launched the organization at a fundraiser for Phoenix Rising for Haiti and as our first project, we went to a half-way home in Phoenix AZ called Family Promise and had a fun day themed Make your Own Masterpiece. The event was the brain child of one of our youngest Regional Envoys, Cedric. Next, we went to an orphanage in Mexico and did electronics drive for the teens. It was fantastic. We had plenty of other fantastic people from our church bring clothing. But the teens were so happy to get true teens stuff such as MP3, video games etc. One of our Regional Envoys Danni Pietz is working diligently to set up a peer group in CA. The goal is to be a positive influence to teens in high risk areas. We are working on a partnership with another group in order to cover a wider area. We are also raising money for scholarships to sponsor students at some of the schools in Haiti and have many other short term and long term plans to really make a difference in the lives of teens affected by disaster and poverty.
