Yes I can see what that would be Difficult. What if you wanted an unbalanced playing field, and selected the good with dominant character and personality would it influence the bad and bring them up a level? Speculation won't get us anywhere what we really need is what Beth Alluded to that it starts with the family. I Want to get back on track see if I can find any community services that GOOD kids are doing. I would love that there a solution For the kids that fell off track.
My county has an Ag Fair every year. The last event is the livestock auction, where businesses and other folks bid top dollar x2 for the critters that the kids have raised, so the kids can start a college fund.
The majority of kids I know are neither good or bad, just trying to find their way in life. I think much like us old folks. We are just trying to find our way through the jungle of life that becomes more entangled as we go forth. Since this thread is about "good" kids or kids trying to do the extra to make society a better place, then I will dispense with any stories of mentoring or how "rodeo" kids are better than other kids. I know some rodeo kids that are arrogant, mean, and dishonest little shits. This thread isn't about what we have done for kids, but what have kids done for us. While I have many stories of kids doing wonderful things for me and the community, the below story is one of my favorites since it wasn't church, civic, or group sponsored. A few years ago when a big wind storm downed trees and had the power off for days with streets blocked and everyone with a chainsaw was busy sawing, a couple of the purple haired, ear ringed, baggy panted local skateboarders came over to where I was sawing for a neighbor that didn't have a chainsaw, to clear his driveway, and asked if they could help. I said sure but the guy that owned the place was a cheap skate and wouldn't pay them much. They said they weren't accepting any money but out doing community service on strict orders from their granny since no electricity equaled no video games and their folks had confiscated their skate boards. They put in 6 hours and did a nice job stacking the branches and the sawed logs for easy pickup. I had them pose by the wood stacks and took a photo of them to show to their granny. I also chatted with them while we were all working and when finished they both said they felt good about themselves. The cheap skate actually had pizza and pop delivered for them, but true to his style, said he was disgusted looking at their baggy jeans hanging off their butts with some top crack showing. I guess he thought I would agree, but I said it didn't matter to me because of the work they did and the attitude they left with. Their helping was no benefit to me since I didn't have any thing to clean up at my place and was just out sawing to help out neighbors, so he should be glad he had to look at butt crack and not pay $250 for the many clean up crews out making money. He learned many years ago not to make comments about my butt cheeks hanging out of my shorty shorts, especially when I was wielding a chainsaw.
I can’t remember where I saw it or I’d reference it for better details, but I saw something about a clean cut, well spoken 14 year old young man who basically starting putting some life in a nearly defunct, almost ghost town. The town looked like something I’d seen on Rt. 66. The once thriving town had a shuttered grocery store, pharmacy, movie theater, restaurants etc. and the nearest access to groceries (and work I imagine) was some 12 miles away. The teen had apparently saved every cent his mother gave him plus the money he earned by working on his grandfather’s farm during the summers and re-opened the small grocery store. The venture became a hit so much so that his mother quit her job and started working and managing the store so the lad could keep up with his school work. From what I remember, most of the customers were seniors and he knew them all and saw another need for the community which was to reopen the pharmacy. When asked about it he said he didn’t want to personally open the pharmacy but he was contacting a couple of universities to find someone who would be willing to do so. At the time of the interview, the young adult was around 17 or so but the venture started when he was 14 so I do imagine that his grandfather or mother co-signed for credit applications and licensing but to have that kind of get up and go and vision at such a young age instead of nintendo or school dances is something very extraordinary.
I didn't want to interrupt the birthday celebration under Happy Talk but just found this uplifting place on youtube. With all the negatives in the world, this is a place for hope for humanity. It shows what we too need to do in many cases.