>> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm siena. we'll start with our top story. >> if you think you're too young to do something about the problems our world faces, get ready to think again. diyu reports there's an organization that's ready to help you help others. >> planting a community garden in the middle of a city... delivering food to a soup kitchen... or cleaning up a street near a school in faraway india... programs like these have two important things in common. they're run by people like you and me, and they got a helping hand from youth service america, y.s.a. >> y.s.a. is a global nonprofit that reaches out to young people around the world, now in over 106 countries, and asks them to change the world. >> i help the senior citizens locally through a charity. >> i'm an adviser for prep for prep on saturdays, which is this program that helps low-income kids get into independent schools. >> i'm going to nicaragua to build for a community. >> i definitely want to start a charity for people and children in the world who don't have everything that we have, but i don't really know how to. >> we often report on service projects kids are doing. that's how we found out about y.s.a. it helps great ideas find support and funding. according to y.s.a., there are four ways kids can change the world. >> the first is through awareness, where they raise awareness about big issues. second thing is service, where they intervene. they provide their time and their talents to a big problem. third is through advocacy, where they might do letters to the editors, have their voices heard. and then finally, philanthropy, 'cause sometimes it just takes money to solve a problem. >> which means that even simple fundraising events like car washes and bake sales can play a big role. >> [ singing indistinctly ] >> speaking of big roles, miley cyrus is a longtime y.s.a. supporter. she's a partner in a program called "get ur good on." >> every little thing we do has the potential to make our world a better place to live. >> miley has lots of ideas to help you get started. you can find them through the link on our "tkn" website. >> join now to share ideas and get info from me and my friends at youth service america. >> whether it's a single project for global youth service day or a year-round effort, you don't have to wait to start changing the world. >> we have a lot more to tell you about. >> so, stay with us. >> one of the ways to make driving safer is to make cars safer. carina learned how ford is using virtual reality to do just that. >> all right, we're gonna go into the virttex driving simulator lab here. >> okay. sounds good. >> go through this set of doors. >> thank you. >> go off to the right here. >> wow. [ chuckles ] >> here's a control room for the virttex. >> impressive. >> so, this is virttex over here. virttex stands for virtual test track experiment, and inside that dome, there's a vehicle, and we're gonna get you in there. you're gonna drive that vehicle. you're gonna drive through a virtual world. and this dome is gonna move to give you the sensation that you're actually driving. >> wow. >> okay? >> that's incredible. >> we do things like measuring driver distraction, a lot of safety-related studies. we're gonna do studies in here that we would never want to do out on the open road, much less the test track, okay? >> before we got started, i was asked to watch a short safety video. >> welcome to virttex, ford motor company's virtual test track experiment. thank you for your participation in this important research. virttex is really a laboratory, and it's actually safer than driving your own car. >> all right. now that we've seen the safety video, we're actually gonna go for a drive in virttex. so, why don't you go in front of me here? >> okay. >> we'll walk you in. we'll go around to the front of the vehicle. so, as you can see in here, we do a full 360 degrees of the visual, so the visual's wrapped all the way around us, right? and you're gonna be driving through this virtual world. you're gonna be in control, so with that, why don't we get inside the vehicle? >> sounds good. >> this is just like an actual vehicle -- seat adjuster, seat belt, everything. all right? [ car door closes ] okay. so, once we get ready to go for a drive, we're gonna wait a couple minutes because rads in the control room has to start us up, but it's gonna be just like driving an actual vehicle. >> while we waited, the bridge connecting us to the door was moved away. it was kind of like removing the gantry from a rocket waiting to take off. >> ready to start. >> so, it sounds like we're ready to go, so go ahead and put your foot on the brake. >> okay. >> put the vehicle into drive and give it a nice acceleration forward. get up to about 70 miles per hour. >> okay. [ chuckles ] >> there you go. >> oh, my gosh. this is so real. >> there you go. nice job. perfect. so, what we're gonna demonstrate now is some of the different lane-departure warnings that we've investigated in the past. so, what a lane-departure warning is, is say you're not paying attention. you're getting sleepy -- whatever -- or you just start drifting out of your lane for whatever. if you go too far out of your lane, what we want to do is provide a warning or an alert to you to let you know that that's happened so you can take your corrective action. so, we've looked at a number of different types of warnings over the years, and this first one is just an audio cue. so, if you just slowly drift off to the right outside that solid white line... >> okay. [ low-pitched beeping ] oh, yeah. >> okay, so, an alert that lets you know you're drifting outside your lane. get back in your lane, right? wake up. [ chuckles ] so, we have this small seven-inch lcd panel down here by the shifter. you're gonna hear a voice-over that's gonna sound something like, "please read the numbers now," okay? when you hear that, there's gonna be six numbers that flash on this screen. what i want you to do is just read those numbers as you see them. you don't have to add them, subtract them, memorize them -- just read them as you see them, okay? >> okay. >> all right, rads. >> please read the numbers now. >> 3, 6, 7, 4, 1, 4. >> good. okay. that was good. think you got them all right? that took three seconds to do, and that's getting into the dangerous amount of time to be looking away from the road because something can happen out in front of you, right? >> please read the numbers now. >> 3, 9, 9 -- aah! oh, my gosh! [ gasps, chuckles ] >> all right. great job. >> [ chuckles ] >> you did just fine. >> that was scary. [ chuckles ] >> well, that was good, so why don't you come back over to the right lane? >> okay. it was easy to forget that i wasn't really driving a moving car. it all seemed so real. >> just go ahead and put it in park, and just put your hands on your lap, relax. >> [ chuckling ] okay. >> get your heart rate to come back down. all right. >> [ chuckles ] i wasn't ready for that. >> yeah. [ chuckles ] >> [ chuckles ] >> and then, uh... >> the alert definitely helped, though. >> yeah. so, you know, when we're looking at alerts for something like that, we might bring a person in and have them experience what you experience. another person might come in and experience a different type of warning. and then we can actually measure your reaction time, right, to see which one was faster, which one is more appropriate for those types of things. >> why does ford do this? >> that's a good question. it's not just all about playing games in here, right, even though we had you go for a fun little drive here. it's really about creating safe and innovative products here at ford motor company. we don't want to just put a device on a vehicle that's gonna be a gizmo that does a bunch of bells and whistles. we want to make sure that those devices, those safety warnings, those alerts, those driver-assistive technologies are actually beneficial and help the driver avoid accidents. >> so, how does this actually help teen drivers? >> that's a great question. one of our very first studies, in fact, looked at handheld versus hands-free devices. so, we studied teens that had less than one year's driving experience, and we asked them to dial a handheld cellphone number. and what we found is that the teens never looked up from dialing the cellphone number, and they were missing tons of things out in that driving environment, which is a very dangerous thing to do, right? >> so, all you young drivers out there, listen up. you don't want to take your eyes off the road even for just a couple of seconds. >> please read the numbers now. >> 3, 9, 9 -- aah! oh, my gosh. [ gasps, chuckles ] the experience truly feels like you're driving. it's a great way to test-drive your safety safely. at ford's research and innovation center, i'm carina for "tkn." >> flags tell stories. you just have to know how to read them. here's this week's "flag facts." [ drum cadence plays ] >> you might not want to have a close encounter with a beehive, but you have to admire how much work goes into making that honey. it's that spirit of industry that puts a beehive in the middle of the state flag of utah. >> the beehive is a symbol of industry, commerce, and hard work, and would seem to be a perfect symbol for a state like utah, which was so difficult to settle. >> it did take a lot of hard work to create a state in the middle of the desert. it took a lot of faith, too. mormons were seeking a place to practice their form of christianity, which was new and controversial. >> in 1830, joseph smith began the mormon religion in upstate new york. they quickly had to leave upstate new york because of religious persecution. and after a brief stop in the midwest, they settled in the territory that would become utah. >> the mormons arrived in 1847. the date is right there on the flag, along with 1896, the year the state entered the union. at first, mormon leader brigham young wanted to claim a much bigger territory and call it deseret. congress didn't go for that. so, the state was smaller and named after the ute indians who were there first. >> but one thing that's very interesting about the state is that, of all 50 states, it boasts the youngest population, with an average age of 27.1 years. >> utah is also famous for amazing natural wonders, with two great national parks -- zion and bryce canyon. but they're too big to put on the flag. i'm brandon with "flag facts." >> this report is brought to you by crayola. america's landfills are overflowing with garbage. that's why recycling is so important to our future. >> it's important to recycle to reduce waste. >> pretty much, in general, we're using too much materials. it's not good. we're gonna run out of materials, and our earth is gonna get covered in trash. >> it's important to recycle because i want my kids and my grandkids to be able to live on a planet that isn't dying. >> you want to help the environment. you don't want the landfills, you know, filled up and then, you know, extended. and it's just really -- you know, it's really important to make sure that we can have enough resources and all that. >> clearly there are many reasons why we need to recycle. and now, thanks to crayola, there's a way we can all help. >> at crayola, we're all about engaging students in environmental solutions. that's why we're thrilled to launch the new color cycle program. >> basically, crayola's color cycle program takes used markers like these and turns them into clean energy. in fact, one box of eight markers can create enough energy to cook an egg, make toast, and heat up two cups of hot chocolate. crayola has partnered with a company that developed this ingenious process. >> so, the markers get dumped into the hopper through these bins. they're about 600 pounds. that works out to about 60 gallons of fuel. the markers are then carried up the conveyor. the plastic from the conveyor ends up in this first hot tank. we essentially convert the plastic, which is a solid, intoe liquified plastic is conveyed over into this tank, which is even hotter. and this is where the liquid plastic is converted into a useable fuel. what you're sampling here is actually diesel fuel, and this will be used to power a schoolbus, all from a bunch of used crayola markers. >> how can students become involved in color cycle? >> well, carly, schools across the country can register for the color cycle program. they can then go online, and crayola will fund the shipping of all of the used markers that they accumulated during the course of the year. the other nice part of the program is that schools will have access to teacher-written lesson plans that will help teachers to educate students on environmental solutions and social responsibility. >> so, students and teachers can help to save the planet right from their classroom. to get started, go to crayola.com/colorcycle. there's also a link on our website. for "teen kids news," i'm carly. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america... and to the republic for which it stands... one nation, under god... indivisible, with liberty... and justice for all. our disabled veterans pledged to sacrifice life and limb to ensure our way of life. now, they deserve our support. find out how you can help disabled veterans in your community. visit dav.org. tell you about a new medical website designed especially for older folks. website you say! i can't work on computers, they're not senior-friendly. blah, blah, blah. but the national institutes of health fixed all that. now you can make the type bigger, increase contrast, even make it talk to you. just go to nihseniorhealth.gov and get the best medical information available anywhere. nih seniorhealth.gov. built with you in mind. >> it was the setting for a historic speech, but this memorial usually leaves visitors speechless. lauren visits a site in washington that you probably see every day. >> got a penny? then you have a copy of one of our most moving national memorials. [ cash register dings ] the image of president abraham lincoln and his memorial are also etched onto the $5 bill, but the contribution lincoln made to this country can't be measured in dollars and cents. >> lincoln was the person who persevered the most. he's the one who was the glue, in essence, that kept this country from falling apart and separating into two very different countries. >> lincoln saw the nation through its biggest crisis -- the civil war. he decided the only way to survive as the united states was to abolish slavery. his most famous speech, the gettysburg address, is inscribed on the south wall. national parks spokesperson bill line says visitors are visibly moved by the power of lincoln's words. >> part of what is written there as to how he realizes that the nation is on the precipice of possibly falling apart, of possibly dividing into two nations and how much that is causing angst and worry and how much he's wrestling with that comes through in the words that he uses in the gettysburg address. to see that in stone, to see that in the area where lincoln is causes great emotional reaction on many people. >> as a great orator, he would have been pleased to know that another great speech was given here 100 years later. >> five score years ago, a great american in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the emancipation proclamation. >> dr. martin luther king jr. honored lincoln when he chose the memorial as the backdrop for his famous "i have a dream" speech in 1963. >> i have a dream today. [ cheers and applause ] >> he had the bravery, the fortitude, and his speech resonated so strongly and so widely with african-americans but also with all americans. it was time to recognize that our past practices were wrong and that they needed to change. >> like dr. king, president lincoln was assassinated for standing up for change. countless speeches, protests, and celebrations have been held here since the memorial's dedication in 1922. it's clearly one of the most popular monuments in washington. >> i like his speech, the gettysburg address, and he's my favorite president. >> i just sort of think it's cool. it's got all his sayings, and it's got a big statue of him, and i just think that's cool. >> there are a couple of myths about the statue. some people think the face of robert e. lee is carved into the back of lincoln's head. it's not. that's just very wavy hair. another myth is that the sculptor cleverly positioned lincoln's fingers to send a message in sign language. supposedly, the hands form lincoln's initials, "a" and "l." also not true. >> let's get that clear. they are myths and nothing more than myths. >> what is true is that this tribute in stone honors a man who stood like a rock against forces that would have torn our nation apart. at the lincoln memorial, for "teen kids news," i'm lauren. >> for all of you who hate getting shots, listen up. it's better not to look. researchers say that watching as the needle is prepared makes you more nervous, and that can increase the feeling of pain. so, the next time you have to get a shot, try looking away, and take a tip from peter pan -- "think pleasant thoughts." >> ♪ stand up for yourself ♪ stand up for what you believe in ♪ music i want some more. what's he doing? please sir, i want some more. more? he has asked for... thank you. well he did say please... yes he did. and thank you. please and thank you. pass it on. (crowd of children) thank you. ♪you fill up my senses ♪like a night in a forest ♪like the mountains in springtime♪ ♪like a sleepy blue ocean ♪you fill up my senses ♪come fill me again ♪come let me love you ♪let me always be with you ♪come let me love you ♪come love me again >> whether people are marching for civil rights, better working conditions, freedom, or peace, a song can make a big difference. so, when a band of teenagers starts making music with a message, it's worth tuning in. harry tells us about a band that says a lot when they sing. [ rock music plays ] >> going dark is a really tight band with a hard-rock edge. they've performed at major music festivals and shared the stage with stars like steve winwood. [ music continues ] so, it might surprise you that these guys are all under 16, but they've been playing music for more than half their lives. >> i started playing when i was 8 years old. >> i got my first drum set when i was, um, 8 years old. >> four years later [laughs] i found him, and we started this up. >> then l.j. and alex found oliver. he was even younger than they were. >> i had just played my school's talent show, and i put up a video -- or my dad put up a video of me playing it, and alex and l.j. saw the video, and then they called me up. and then one day after school, we just played together. >> all three of them write songs. they chose the name going dark because their songs shine a light on serious issues. >> you know, lots of people think that we write only about dark things, but there's always hope in the world... and in our songs. >> so, listen more closely, and you'll discover this song, "stand up," is about standing up to bullies. >> ♪ stand up for yourself ♪ stand up for what you believe in ♪ ♪ don't start what you can't finish ♪ ♪ if you think you're a tough guy, you better keep dreaming ♪ >> the music video makes the point even more dramatically. oliver says he wrote it after he was picked on at school. >> ♪ the only thing you have is that you're a disgrace ♪ ♪ stand up for yourself ♪ stand up for what you believe in ♪ >> we just try to write songs that people can relate to. people like a song better if they can relate to it, and they say, "oh, that happened to me." >> i completely agree. [ chuckles ] >> the boys not only write music... >> what if we did a different picture there? >> ...they also edit their own videos. they know that's how to get more attention for their songs, like "i am." >> ♪ i beg, i steal, i bleed ♪ i feel ♪ i cheat, i lie ♪ i live, i die >> of course, they're still teenagers. [ cheers and applause ] so, after a busy summer of performing, alex and l.j. head back to high school. oliver is still in middle school. but they'll make time to practice and write more songs and think about where going dark might take them. >> hopefully, madison square garden. that would be really amazing. >> if they get there, remember you saw them here first. for "teen kids news," i'm harry. >> that's all for this week. thanks for joining us. >> we'll see you next time with more "teen kids news." >> write to us at info@teenkidsnews.com. ♪ >> the following is a paid advertisement for the medical doctors research group. ♪ >> do you miss feeling young, vibrant, and on the ball? what about your libido? have you seen it lately? why do some people stay active as they get older while others just seem to fade away? are you ready for a little secret? order mdr's vital factors now. two tablets in the morning in a glass of water will give you a whole new lease on life. and rather than explaining why it works, we're willing to show you. we're gonna let you try it for yourself for no more than the cost of shipping and handling. that's right. try it for free. >> hi, i'm shannon miller. we all age, but it doesn't mean that we have to slow down. vital factors gives me the energy and vitality i need to keep up with my demanding schedule. i feel as good today as when i won my gold medals years ago.

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