环球英语 — 239：Top 20 Under 20

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Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight 1 program, I’m Joshua Leo

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And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.

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“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

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“What will you do when you are older?”

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“Wait until you are an adult, then you will understand.”

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These are the kinds of words that many young people hear from adults every day. Young people may feel as if they are not important until they become adults. But this is not true. Today’s Spotlight is on young people who are doing amazing things.

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Since 2004, a group called Youth in Motion 2 has given awards to young people. This group recognizes young Canadians who have shown leadership, innovation 3, and achievement. These are young people that are doing amazing things.

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Every Year, Youth in Motion chooses twenty [20] young people who are under the age of twenty years old. They call these young people the “Top Twenty Under Twenty”. In 2007, nine young men and eleven young women won the Top Twenty Under Twenty award. The winners of the awards range in age. The youngest is twelve years old. The oldest is nineteen.

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These young people have done many different things. Some have started their own businesses. Some have helped people in their community. And others have started aid groups. Let’s look at a few of these twenty amazing young people.

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April Dutheil lives on the Queen Charlotte Islands in Canada. The Queen Charlotte Islands are just off the coast of British Colombia, on the far Western side of Canada. Only six thousand [6000] people live there. April noticed a problem in her community. There were not enough emergency health care workers. If a person needed to go to the hospital, it took a long time. There were also not enough hospitals in the area.

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April asked her community government for some money. She wanted to teach people simple emergency health care. This way, people would be able to help each other in emergencies. She formed two classes to teach CPR. CPR is a method of helping 4 a person who is not breathing. The program taught twenty four [24] people how to give CPR. April hopes to continue improving health care. Today, she is in school to become a doctor.

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Another award winner also cares strongly about health care. Cody Clark is twelve years old. When Cody was younger, doctors told his parents they had cancer. On a visit to the emergency area of the hospital, Cody had an idea. He knew that visiting the hospital could be a frightening experience for children. He decided 5 to do something about it.

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Cody started collecting things for children who were staying in the hospital. He put these things together and called them “Cody’s Comfort Kits 6.” These kits are for children from the age of one to sixteen. The kits contain things such as blankets, toys, games, films, and books.

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Cody has given his Comfort Kits to over one hundred [100] children. He has also created kits for old people who are in the hospital. And he continues to help people. He believes he can make a difference in the world one person at a time.

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Samantha Milner is changing the world with her own business. She started this busines when she was just eleven years old. Samantha sells gifts and jewellery 7. Over five hundred [500] stores carry her products. Samantha also sells things on the internet. Samantha’s business has made over one million [1,000,000] dollars.

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But Samantha does not keep all this money she makes. Over the past five years she has given over forty thousand [40,000] dollars to aid groups. This money helps homeless people, children, and animals. Samantha is also selling a special bracelet 8. This is worn 9 on the wrist 10. She will give half of the money she makes from this bracelet to fight AIDS in Africa.

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Gavin Bennett is also helping people in need. He wanted to help young people in his community of Brampton, Ontario. He saw that many children in his community did not have computers to use. Gavin started a group that gave children access to computers. The group teaches children how to use these computers.

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But children there learned 11 about more than just computers. Gavin wanted to make the lives of these children better. In his program, children learn many skills. The children develop problem solving skills. They learn how to behave better, and have fun while learning 12. Gavin wants to give these children a better future. He wants them to grow and learn, even though they do not have a lot of money.

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Gavin’s work has given him more possibilities to help young people in his community. He serves on the mayor’s youth council 13 in his local government. He helps the government serve young people in Brampton.

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Samantha Whiteside had a different way of helping young people. Samantha suffers from Juvenile 14 Arthritis 15. This is a painful condition that affects the material between her bones. Samantha wanted to help young people with the same problem.

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Samantha is very good at swimming. She decided to use her skill to help others. In the summer of 2006 Samantha swam fifty–two [52] kilometres across lake Ontario. She was second youngest person ever to do this.

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You may be asking, “How does swimming help people?” Well, Samantha had people sponsor 16 every kilometre she swam. People gave a particular amount of money with each kilometre Samantha swam. In the end, she collected over twenty five thousand [25,000] dollars to fight Juvenile Arthritis.

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Many people may think that young people are not able to do great things. But April, Cody, Samantha, Gavin, Samantha and the other winners prove that is wrong.

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There is a similar idea in the Christian 17 Bible 18. In the book of Timothy, a follower 19 of Jesus named Paul writes this to his friend:

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“Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and in how you live. Also set an example in how you love and in what you believe.”

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God knows that young people are able to do great things. He wants the good work of young people to encourage other people to do good things.

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Remember the stories of these young people. They show that a person can do great things, no matter what age they are. Do not let anyone look down on you because of your age. Instead, be an example that young people and adults can follow!