As wildfires swept through Central Texas earlier this year it was a reminder to us all of how quickly a crisis can strike and take away everything—and of the need to ensure communities have the tools and resources to bounce back.

Recovering from a disaster like the wildfires, or from everyday crises, requires resilience. But strong and resilient families and communities do not just happen; they are the result of hard work. The ability to bounce back requires access to the education, income and healthcare people need to live stable and secure lives. United Way Capital Area provides the support needed to build resilient communities. We help people in crisis regain their footing in society and become productive community members once again. We focus our efforts on the three pillars of a resilient community—education, income and health.

Highlighting just one of our successes in 2011, in just one of our pillars—education—our Middle School Matters Program brings teachers, principals, campus coordinators, non-profits and parents together to enhance the skills students need during the critical middle school years. We invest in evidence-based strategies and work with our partners to check-in regularly on student progress. We adjust programs and services to ensure these students finish middle school on a path headed for a successful, productive future.

Webb Middle School is one of our Middle School Matters schools where we launched a new pilot program. We are helping 20 7th graders become the next generation of community leaders by hosting a nationally-recognized Volunteer Project Leader (VPL) training program on campus. These dedicated 12- and 13-year-olds regularly get to school early every Thursday to participate in training and they are eager to learn how to make their school and neighborhoods better.

The VPL course is a national initiative to turn casual volunteers into active community leaders. While UWCA has trained hundreds of adult volunteers, this is the first time we have brought this course on a school campus and we adapted the training to fit the needs of middle school students. We’re training students to identify school and neighborhood needs and lead volunteer projects that address those issues and they interviewed other students, teachers, family members and neighbors to figure out what they will work on. Ideas for projects included volunteering at soup kitchens, cleaning up local elementary schools, constructing play areas like a soccer field and whitewashing graffiti.

These young leaders have completed their first projects: beautifying their campus by cleaning litter, recycling and completing art projects to hang in the hallways. In December students will gather donated materials and construct 90 fleece blankets for area non-profits. All in all, they will complete at least seven volunteer projects this 2011-2012 school year from start to finish.

"These projects have helped kids realize that there’s a world outside of the St. John community that's interested, engaged and willing to help," said Valerie Torres-Solis, Assistant Principal at Webb Middle School. "They're inspired and motivated to make a difference, which is an amazing thing to see in anyone, particularly middle school students."

Lasting change is made when students take ownership of their actions and make their school and community a better place, we are training students who will be the next generation of leaders improving Austin communities. The VPL program furthers that work by helping student leaders hone their skills and empowering them to make positive change. After an initial pilot year at Webb, UWCA hopes to bring the VPL program to the two other campuses served by Middle School Matters, Decker Middle School and Mendez Middle School in 2012.