Activating a Teen’s Spark to Serve: Why it Matters & How We Do It

It’s not a regular Tuesday in health class. It’s Teens Make Health Happen (TMHH) Tuesday. This is the day a college mentor from a local university arrives to engage students in conversations about physical, mental, and community health.

This month’s campaign theme is Spark to Serve, and today’s lesson looks nothing like a lecture. “We’re having a Passion Potluck,” the mentor announces, gleaming with enthusiasm. In that moment, they’re living out one of their own passions: helping the next generation thrive.

Students begin crafting physical representations of their “dishes of passion,” sharing what they love to do and learn about. Soon, the conversation shifts from interests to impact. How could these passions be used to serve others in their community?

Love animals? The local shelter needs volunteers. Enjoy running? The school’s PTA 5K offers opportunities to help.

As ideas build, so does momentum. The list of tangible ways students can contribute their time and talents grows, and the spark to serve begins to catch.

The mentor then introduces a bigger goal: leading a service activity in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, January 19, 2026), a day dedicated to service and community action. Students vote on the project they want to host, break into small groups, and begin planning. They talk through logistics, roles, and how they’ll market the event to their peers.

The energy in the room shifts. Students realize that their ideas matter, and that their efforts can make a real difference.

This is what it looks like when youth are empowered to contribute.

Students are naming what they care about and beginning to take ownership of solutions. Mentors provide guidance and structure, but the vision belongs to the students. Their ideas shape the work. Their passion drives the impact. Research underscores why this matters: adolescents have a growing, developmentally rooted need to feel useful and to contribute in ways that have real consequences for others (Fuligni, 2019). When young people are positioned as active agents rather than passive participants, contribution becomes more impactful.

HealthCorps named our program Teens Make Health Happen for a reason. Teens in our clubs aren’t just learning about health; they’re using that knowledge to meaningfully contribute to the world around them. Service-learning is a core pillar of our program design because contributing to others doesn’t only strengthen communities, it also supports adolescents’ well-being, identity development, and sense of purpose (Fuligni, 2019). During adolescence, experiences of contribution can become self-defining, shaping how young people see themselves and their role in the world. As teens’ social worlds expand, they become especially attuned to questions like: Do I matter? and How can I make a difference? When paired with reflection, as in TMHH, contribution’s benefits are amplified.

This aligns with what we are seeing happen in over 175 TMHH clubs nationwide. In our 2024–2025 survey, 49% of participants said the program motivated them to take action in their community, and 84% improved at least one health behavior by year’s end. What starts as a classroom activity becomes a catalyst for personal growth and real-world engagement. 

How can we nurture these flames? 

“Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” 

— Martin Luther King Jr. 

In that same spirit, you don’t need to build a nationwide program (like we did!) to support a teen’s need to contribute. Everyone can play a role. That might look like partnering with or supporting organizations like HealthCorps that offer structured, student-led service-learning on school campuses. Or it could be as simple as helping a teen in your life explore their interests and connect them to ways they can give back in their family, school, or community. Check out our FREE "Spark to Serve" activity here, to help!

As we honor Dr. King’s legacy of service, we invite you to take one action today. When we create meaningful opportunities for teens to lead, they don’t just help others; they fulfill a powerful developmental need to contribute, belong, and matter. 

Follow @healthcorps on social media to stay inspired by the college mentors and teens who are making health happen. 

References: 

  Fuligni, A. J. (2019). The Need to Contribute During Adolescence. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(3), 331–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618805437