Tara, 17, United States

Basic need(s):

Education, Shelter, Health, Food

Project:

"Turn Your World Around”

Galvanized by the sexism and poverty she saw while visiting India, Tara founded “Turn Your World Around” at the age of 13. “Turn Your World Around” works to provide all youth—regardless of sex, race or religion—with the opportunity to reach their full potential by meeting their basic human needs and helps increase youth volunteerism across the globe. Its social-change initiatives include an online portal to help youth design their own service projects; “H.O.P.E.” (Helping Orphans Pursue Education), which provides children in India, Sudan and Guatemala with access to basic necessities like education; “Connect a Kid,” which seeks to increase children’s access to technology in developing nations; and “Art Resilience Funding,” which empowers the daughters of sex-trafficking victims in India with a holistic education. To date, “Turn Your World Around” has raised nearly $40,000 and has engaged hundreds around the world. Tara has received numerous honors and awards for her project, including the CosmoGirl! of the Year Award, Grand Prize Taco Bell/MTV Teen Hero Award, Bentley Tomorrow25, Nestlé Very Best in Youth, and CNN Young People Who Rock. To learn more, visit www.turnyourworldaround.org or www.aandolan.org

Photo: Benjamin Quinto