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"For most seniors, the last year of high school is filled with college applications and as much BFF hang time as you can possibly squeeze in. For Madeleine Lippey, senior year is also about changing the world. Seriously. The 17-year-old founded the Do Write Campaign after volunteer trips to India and Africa exposed her to the power writing holds for girls across the world. Read on to learn about her work, in her own words:\n\n\"The summer before my freshman year of high school, I taught English to sexually abused women and their children in Dharamshala, India. It was an experience that changed my life, and upon returning to the States, I made a film about my time there. Soon after, I was introduced to the Ubuntu Education Fund, a non-profit that supports vulnerable children in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. I traveled 7,000 miles to visit the Ubuntu Center and film their work. I met a group of young girls there, many of whom had been sexually abused, raped, or orphaned, who also struggled with the challenges of HIV/AIDS. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, the girls were able to address their fears through writing. I remember listening to a 13-year-old girl read a poem entitled 'I Am a Woman, But Not a Punching Bag,' about her experiences being abused by her grandfather.\n\nIt was the power of her words and the emotion behind them that inspired me to found The Do Write Campaign, a movement toward global problem solving through a community of online writing exchange and annual conferences for female leaders. Since starting the organization three years ago, we've reached thousands of young people in 23 countries. We've created an online literary magazine and global summits that give young people a way to strengthen their voices and raise awareness about the challenges they face.\n\nDo Write is the passion that fills me up each day. The most rewarding part of starting the organization has been watching it grow to a point where I am no longer the one driving it. Other teens around the world have become just as passionate about this project as I am and have found new ways to address difficulties in their communities.\"\n\nSo, how can you get involved? The Do Write Campaign accepts writing and art submissions from teens all over the world. Madeleine also wrote a children's book, A Little Peace of Me, the proceeds from which benefit the Ubuntu Education Fund. (Fun fact: Desmond Tutu wrote the book's foreword!) As Madeleine explains, \" I want young people around the world to see that together we are capable of rallying others and making a difference.\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.teenvogue.com/story/madeleine-lippey-do-write-campaign>