Team Kids is a youth development non-profit organization that empowers our children to change the world. Team Kids' school-based and community-wide programs are delivered alongside police officers, firefighters, educators, parents and business leaders. Through this innovative public-private partnership of stakeholders for youth, Team Kids nurtures the innate compassion of our children, gives them the opportunity to improve the lives of others today and encourages them to become the leaders, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists of tomorrow. WHY TEAM KIDS? Team Kids' mission is to empower our children to change the world. Our children are often discouraged from community participation. They are told they are too young or too small to make a difference. Research shows that only 1 in 4 children in the U.S. feel valued by adults and feel they are given meaningful roles in their community. (Search Institute). Every child deserves to know (s)he is significant and has the capacity to change the world. Team Kids helps kids, and adults, realize the power young people have to improve conditions and the lives of others in their community. Since 2001, over 70,000 Team Kids participants in public schools throughout Orange County, CA, Los Angeles County, and Arlington, Virginia have contributed over $550,000 in funds and resources to other charities and community members in need. Team Kids programs are based on the Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets and are designed to promote healthy attitudes and behavior in our youth and protect them from high-risk ones. Team Kids programs increase the confidence of our young citizens by emphasizing their importance to society and their ability to make a difference regardless of age or socioeconomic status. Team Kids brings our kids hands-on, service-based lessons and youth-led activities that build empathy, leadership, collaboration, creative problem-solving, prosocial behavior, and the connection to real-world issues.