New challenge sparks positive change

The term challenge sounds dangerous, but not in this new viral challenge that could be changing the world for the better. The cleanup challenge or the #trashtag challenge is pushing people to find a place filled with trash and clean it up. After the area is cleaned up and everything is recycled, the people then post pictures on social media with the hashtag #trashtag. There have been over 25,000 posts on Instagram of people showing how they were participating in this challenge. Most challenges target kids in the wrong way, but this challenge is targeting kids to stop complaining that they are bored and to make a change in their community and other’s communities no matter where they are.

The Big Spring community has its own way of keeping things clean. There are various clubs that deal with the upkeep of the school and the neighboring areas. TEMPUS club cleans up alongside the road twice a year which is very similar to the cleanup challenge. E-club does all of the recycling in the school and makes sure the right things get dumped where they need to be. TEMPUS president Faith Swarner said, “Even though I know people will once again litter, I still feel accomplished knowing I made a change.” The TEMPUS club cleans up from the Newville Sheetz to the Big Spring Masonic lodge which is equivalent to 4.8 miles there and back. E-club members thought that this challenge would be helpful in this society and community by spreading an overall awareness.

Samantha Sheaffer an E-club member said,  “A challenge like this would have the possibility to help wildlife near the Big Spring area such as ducks and overall just make Big Spring look nicer.” One of the teacher advisers of E-club, Amanda Frankford, said, “This could bring awareness to kids and keep the local water areas cleaner.” In Pennsylvania, water areas tend to be popular which causes a lot of traffic in these areas which leads to mass amounts of trash being left behind. The cleanup challenge has been an innovative way of motivating teens to clean up an area that is potentially important to them.

Social media stars aren’t always promoting positive challenge, but a reason this challenge went viral was because of the several social media influencers that promoted it. When a person thinks about a challenge, they often think of teenagers eating tide pods and chugging milk not cleaning up for the greater good of humanity. This has been a way to connect communities in deeper ways, in some areas there were up to 500 volunteers helping out with this amazing cause. Anyone could help with this challenge by going to a local park, spring, or street area getting a group of friends or family together and cleaning up the area. This could make such a huge difference in any area and could benefit the Big Spring area as a whole.