By Jessie Desvarieux,
Aaron Duffy,
Jenna Mamorsky

New York City, March 5, 2002 -- Don’t let her small size or youth fool you - Alexandra Govere is already accomplishing big things. The 14-year-old was recently one of 20 honorees at the annual Teen People 20 Teens Who Will Change the World event in New York City and has set her sights on helping AIDS orphans in Africa. Having lived in Zimbabwe for the first 9 years of her life, Alexandra became involved in her community’s struggle to fight AIDS. She became so adamant about her cause to help young orphaned children stricken with the disease, she initially began funding her project with her own money.

“Teens need peer role models, or hero models,” said Teen People Publisher Anne Kallin Zehren. “They need people besides role models who are older than they are.” Ten thousand trend spotters across the United States helped Teen People identify this year’s teen role models. There were so many good candidates, Teen People was “hard-pressed” to whittle down the list to just 20 teens. “This generation is the most proactive,” Zehren said. This remark was certainly supported by the range of projects these teens assumed to make a huge difference in the world. Cancer research, making movies, preparing to educate teens in Afghanistan about the values of Western civilizations, becoming a professional dancer were just a few of the huge projects that were undertaken by this year’s teens who are already making a difference in our world.

Statements like, “You’re too young! or “Get your head out of the clouds!” have no meaning to these teens that range in age between 13 and 19. In fact, 18-year-old Matt Dalio spoke of adults who supported his goals in founding China Care, an organization that helps Chinese handicapped orphans get adopted. “When adults see that you’re a teen trying to help, they will actually be more encouraging. They will see that you are serious about your goals and that will motivate them to work with you.” Adult support is essential, admits 19 year-old Roxanne Tingir who was recognized for her research in the treatment of colon cancer. “It doesn’t matter how old you are,” she says. “Anyone can do it. It’s a matter of finding the right people to help you get there.”

“Changing the world begins with setting goals,” says Solange Knowles, another achievement oriented teen. “I know that my goal is to become a successful singer and songwriter.” But, as Knowles points out, goals and dreams cannot be achieved alone. Unity was her message. “I think that it’s really important that teens come together when trying to reach important goals - uniting with other teens to start organizations in your community,” she said.

Ordinary teenagers uniting together to do extraordinary things is an exciting concept. All of the teens honored by Teen People, are excellent examples of the leaders of tomorrow. Their accomplishments should be an inspiration to us all.