This has to be the most inspiring story I've stumbled upon out of all my coverage of the Gulf spill: Last night, at a tense town hall-style meeting that gathered fishermen, federal officials, and BP reps to discuss the latest on the disaster, one participant took all of the parties by surprise. A 14-year old girl named Lauren Spaulding confidently stepped up to the mic during the Q+A -- the only young person to do so -- and confronted BP about its lack of initiative to educate children about the spill.
Spaulding was polite but direct when she asked BP what it was doing to educate young people about the spill or to provide teaching materials to schools, and she quickly won over the crowd. She pointed out that kids are concerned about the spill too, and want to learn more about what's going on and how they can help. They're worried about the environment and their parents' livelihoods, she said.
