The topic that our group chose for this year's project is raising awareness about shelter animals and protecting animals of all shapes and sizes. The teens in our group felt this topic was very important because of the number of pets and animals people own daily. All animals deserve love, and we must help those who need it the most, like shelter pets! Our group will strive to increase the number of adoptions of shelter pets and decrease the number of pets without a fur-ever home. We plan to host various events ranging from having children read to dogs in the library to running a pet adoption day at the library. Other activities include guest speakers at the library talking about the wonderful effects of adopting animals and donation drives for supplies that will go to the animals in need. Through our project, we will strive to improve the quality of these beautiful animals' lives and create a welcoming and loving environment for all animals.

Hello! My name is Victoria M. I am a 15-year-old El Camino Real Charter High School sophomore and the author of this blog post! I am a bright and kind individual who loves to help our community. I enjoy participating in community service events and bringing a smile to many faces. I love participating in random acts of kindness and brightening someone's day, whether through a small gesture or even a joke. I believe the topic we chose for this year's project is beautiful and wonderful to bring awareness to. I have a dog, and she means the world to me. All animals deserve to experience and live a happy, joyful life no matter the circumstances. That is why I think participating in these activities and events will truly help so many animals in so many different ways. I hope you enjoyed learning about our project, and I cannot wait to see how this project progresses!

—Written by Victoria M.

Victoria is a volunteer at the Platt Branch and 10th-grade student at El Camino Real Charter High School.

—Jennifer Watson, Young Adult Librarian, Platt Branch

The Teens Leading Change initiative has funded and launched 52 projects across 60 branches with over 600 participants, including 9 projects across 10 branches that are happening now! Go to lapl.org/teens/tlc for more information.