If you ask a teenager in Baltimore what she did this week, you’ll probably hear a pretty typical answer: school, homework, tests, friends, not enough sleep. The usual. Because the truth is, we’re busy. As teenagers, we are wrapped up in our own lives, juggling school, social lives, responsibilities, and everything in between. Most of the time, it feels like we barely have time to keep up with our own schedules, and yet, somehow, in our community, that’s not the whole story.
If you ask a
teenager in Baltimore what she did to help someone this week, suddenly the
answer shifts: “I dropped off food,” “I visited someone in the hospital,” “I
spent time with an elderly lady,” or “I learned the parsha with a child who
goes to public school.” These are small answers. Casual. Almost as though they
don’t mean so much, but that is exactly what makes them so powerful.
In Judaism, chesed
is something we are raised on. It’s part of our values, part of how we are
taught to live. But there is something unique about how it plays out in
Baltimore. Here, it’s not just that chesed exists, it’s that everyone is
a part of it. Look around any high school in our community, and you will see
it: teenagers involved in something so much bigger than themselves.
Some are helping
families facing medical challenges through organizations like Imadi or Chai Lifeline,
stepping in during times that are overwhelming and uncertain. Others are
helping Jews be more connected to their Yiddishkeit through programs
like JEP and NCSY. Some spend each week visiting the elderly in our community
through programs like CARE, simply sitting and talking and making sure someone
feels less alone. And then there are those showing up for new mothers, helping
entertain younger kids or make dinner, just giving the families the space to
breathe during exhausting weeks through organizations like AIM.
Each act on its
own seems small. It’s just an hour. Just a visit. Just a ride. Nothing
dramatic. Nothing that feels headline worthy. But that is the point. In our
community, we all show up every day with small acts that are not rare but are
constant.
Teenagers who
could easily stay focused only on themselves are choosing again and again to
make space for other people. We don’t think twice about giving up an hour – about
showing up, about doing something small. But those acts don’t stay small; they
add up. They turn into families feeling supported instead of alone, into people
feeling remembered instead of forgotten, into a community where needs are not
met by one person but by hundreds of quiet, consistent actions. And a huge part
of that comes from teenagers, from people who are busy, distracted, and are
living full lives but are still choosing to give.
We don’t always
recognize it. We don’t always realize how much is happening around us or how
much we’re contributing by doing what feels like “a little.” But that “little”
is everything. Because the strength of our community isn’t just built on one
big moment of kindness. It’s built on thousands of small ones, on simple
choices, on everyday actions, on teenagers who, without making a big deal about
it, keep showing up for others. And that is what makes small acts turn into big
impacts in Baltimore.
Ahuva Wise is a
student at Bnos Yisroel High School.
