Teen Volunteers: A commitment to serving

Full Frame

Mike Walter, Eliana Stanislawski, Steven Rosenthal, Riley GallagherMike Walter talks with a panel about volunteering around the globe.

While people choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons, most say they do it because they simply want to do something good for others. That desire and commitment to volunteerism holds true for this week’s Full Frame panelists.

Steven Rosenthal is the executive director of Cross-Cultural Solutions, which he founded in 1995. A New York native, Steven is an expert in international development and volunteerism.

“Today, building bridges and understanding across cultures is more important than ever,” explained Rosenthal. “You can see it in the global challenges that we face, that understanding people of other cultures is what really leads to world peace in the end.”

Riley Gallagher is a teenager who’s committed to serving India’s most vulnerable children. Last summer, she participated in the Cross-Cultural Solutions’ High School Volunteer Abroad program and considers India her “home away from home.”

Teen Volunteers: A commitment to serving

Steven Rosenthal, Riley Gallagher and Eliana Stanislawski discuss their commitment to serving.


“Being able to take back things that I learned from the children in India using them and applying them here, like their sense of family and community, we really need that more here and that’s something that Cross-Cultural Solutions really emphasizes,” said Gallagher.

Eliana Stanislawski is a campaign chair for the U.S. Day of the Girl movement. She works tirelessly for girls’ human rights and to celebrate the unique and important contributions of girls.

“We want to view this as an opportunity to make activism and volunteerism accessible to young girls, because they are told that they can’t do these things and we want them to know that they can,” explained Stanislawski.

Steven Rosenthal, Riley Gallagher and Eliana Stanislawski joined Mike Walter in our New York studio to discuss their commitment to serving.