Sammie Vance, 14, is a community activist. She started a buddy bench program at her school in the third grade. Now she helps other schools set up buddy benches. “You don’t have to be an adult to make a difference,” she says.

Nirvaan Agarwal, 12, is an animal-rights advocate. Since he was 3, he’s been on a mission to stop the mistreatment of animals. “It’s never too early to help animals,” says Nirvaan, “or any cause.”