The discussion began one afternoon at Maple Junior High School. The chairman, a boy named Kevin, stood up and spoke to the group. He said that their school, as an important institution in the community, had voted to publish a notice about a river cleanup project. Kevin believed that taking responsibility for the local environment was not just for adults—it was everyone's job.
There was some argument about which aspect of the project to focus on first. Some students supposed that removing the trash from the riverbanks was the most urgent task. Others tended to think that hanging posters around the neighborhood was a more appropriate way to begin. Anyway, Kevin suggested that the group could do both at the same time.
The total list of volunteers was posted on the school network the next day. Kevin gave each person a specific job to make sure that no rocks and dark corners along the riverbank were left unclean. He reminded everyone that piles of trash had existed there for years without anyone removing them.
On the day of the event, volunteers gathered throughout the riverbank area early in the morning. Kevin fired a starting gun to signal the beginning of the work. Teams walked along the river throughout the morning, picking up trash and putting it into large bags.
That afternoon, the team took a short break to treat nearby customers of a small café to some cold drinks. The truth was that the total bill for supplies had been quite high, but a kind teacher had helped pay for everything. The café owner was also very grateful for the volunteers' hard work.
In his closing speech, Kevin said that problems like polluted rivers exist in many places around the world. The solution is always specific and appropriate action taken by people who care. He said that taking responsibility throughout your life, as a student and as part of an institution, is what makes a community strong. He encouraged everyone to hang on to that proud feeling as they continued to grow.