Over the past decade, technology has dramatically changed how we discover information and connect with people around us. Research shows that many of our community problems today can be solved by actively engaging members of the respective communities in volunteering.

See:Volunteer for change . Volunteering builds empathy for community issues and helps everyone brainstorm and contribute to helping our fellow citizens. Personally, virtual volunteering helped me build moments of gratitude and purpose during the pandemic.

We also know that civic engagement among teenagers is on the decline. Surveys such as these, are now starting to ask questions to teens about civic engagement. The results show that teens actually care about the world – see GenZ: Pg 16. Teenagers would love to see positive change in the world! In addition, according to  Pew Research nearly all U.S. teens (95%) say they have access to a smartphone – and 45% say they are “almost constantly” on the internet.

I believe a great way to solve a variety of social issues would be, to get GenZ more engaged and excited to volunteer in our communities. Today’s teenagers will be tomorrow’s social entrepreneurs, socially conscious CEOs and leaders. We can harness the power of this group, by building mobile apps and community building experiences that engage teenagers. This is what motivated me to build Treefish. The app allows for a peer-incentivized model on volunteering. It builds on experiences similar to social media apps that are visually appealing to keep users engaged. It also allows for non-profit organizations to engage directly with community members that can learn about their causes, volunteer with them and help spread the word. These organizations have analyzed the social causes they support and have found ways to help the community. They are looking for volunteers to engage and help them achieve their mission. Check out the app and send me your feedback!

We need to make it easier for our youth to engage in causes that are important to them. I believe the best way to use technology to do this is by bringing apps and experiences that are meaningful to teens, to engage them in ways they are used to communicating.