Seeds of Compassion: Youth Who Care

With a Healthy Neighborhoods mini grant, local youth found tangible ways to improve the lives of those around them, and fostered a more neighborly environment across generations.

When Maine Community Integration asked 11 local youth how they wanted to support their neighbors, they designed a project focused on two important ideas: self-care and mindfulness are essential to being a healthy person, and everyone in our community deserves to feel seen, cared for, and remembered.

They identified two groups often overlooked: the unhoused and the elderly. Community Engagement & Youth Coordinator Ashley Medina noted that the students “wanted people who might feel forgotten to know that others care and think about them.”

“These youth wanted people who might feel forgotten to know that others care and think about them.”

With that mission, the teens worked on the following projects:

For their unhoused neighbors, they partnered with Olive Garden to donate a warm meal, along with cleaning supplies and coffee for the local warming center.
For the elderly, they hand-painted vases and placed plants that thrive in water inside, creating small but meaningful gifts of life and beauty. They personally delivered the plants to residents at the Bates Street Senior Housing Development, offering both the plants and their presence as a reminder that these neighbors are valued members of the community.
The students also assembled “Mental Health Matters” gift bags, filling them with coloring books and colored pencils. These items promote mindfulness, relaxation, and self-care for anyone who might need a gentle reminder to pause and take care of themselves.

Led by youth who care, these young people envisioned the project, made decisions rooted in empathy, and saw it through, modeling exactly the kind of leadership, care, and community spirit that builds stronger neighborhoods.

With guidance from Maine Community Integration and support from Healthy Neighborhoods, 11 youth proved that big change often starts with small, thoughtful actions. In doing so, they not only supported their neighbors, they gave back to their community.

Images courtesy of Maine Community Integration.