2 Jewish teens harness the power of their peers to address social problems - and spark a movement

In mid-2021, as the COVID pandemic raged, high school student Lily Messing noticed that the social ills plaguing her native Tucson, Arizona - including domestic violence, drug abuse and homelessness - all seemed to be getting worse.

Meanwhile, Jake Hammerman, a teenager in Lafayette, California, a suburb in the San Francisco Bay area, saw firsthand how the pandemic exacerbated the challenges facing homebound seniors, many of whom were isolated to begin with.

Determined to do something to help, the two Jewish teens put their respective skills to use: Lily as a grassroots organizer, Jake as a te...