MARLBORO — No longer will the Marlboro Teen Advisory Committee (TAC) strive to simply “do good” for residents who need a helping hand. Now, the group’s 1,500 members plan to “do just” by tackling problems that affect people nationwide.
“It’s important for individuals, especially teenagers, to be passionate about something, and to seek out social issues and try to fix them, regardless of politics,” TAC executive board member and Colts Neck High School student Danny Banks told the News Transcript.
The new initiative will not call for rankand file members to fight for political causes, he said. Instead, the teens will examine an array of contemporary issues — some hotly debated, others neutral, some local and others far-reaching, Banks said.
The new concept may take different forms, depending on the values and concerns of each TAC member, Banks said.
“‘Do just’ is something different for you and something different for me, based on what we think society should pay more attention [to],” he said.
Until recently, the heart of the organization centered mostly on community service and molding future leaders, Banks said.
TAC members kicked off the mission in December with a two-day hunger challenge. Participants battled growling stomachs on a budget of only $5 per day, Banks said.
Banks roughed out one day by eating a fried potato for breakfast, a can of pork and beans for lunch, and Hamburger Helper for dinner, he said.
Although the experience ripped the young men and women from their comfort zones, their unsatisfied bellies taught them how some individuals in the United States live every day, Banks said.
“We decided to do this to both enlighten ourselves as to the struggle that people go through and to call attention to an issue that may or may not be prominent in our area,” he said.
TAC leaders are currently considering ideas for future social-justice projects, he said.
Banks said the skills and confidence he has developed through the TAC have carved out what he believes will be a path to success.
Banks is set to graduate in June from the Freehold Regional High School District’s Law and Public Service Learning Center. From there, he will head to New Haven, Conn., to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Yale University.
As he immerses himself in his studies and various student organizations, Banks said he plans to continue to do both good and just.
Contact Jack Murtha at [email protected]