Sometimes, we need a healthy dose of optimism — something that reassures the psyche that Hawai'i's future is in good hands. For me and my Editorial Page staff, that optimism came through our 12 high schoolers who answered a call to serve on The Advertiser's Teen Editorial Board.

These kids knew the score. They talked about having to leave for the Mainland after graduation to find higher-paying jobs; they lamented the lack of recycling in Honolulu; they held lawmakers accountable for making smart choices that would ultimately affect their futures. And they forged friendships with one another that are sure to last.

They held their own in meetings with Mayor Mufi Hannemann, House Speaker Calvin Say and others, giving Honolulu's movers and shakers plenty to think about. They talked about the sky-high housing prices that would edge them toward moving to the Mainland. They asked why something more can't be done for the homeless on the Wai'anae Coast — these are our neighbors, after all. They explained how tired they were of sitting in traffic in the wee morning hours just trying to get to school. And asked why environmentally conscious Hawai'i, with so much invested in preserving its natural resources, can't seem to pull together curbside recycling as many Mainland cities do.

The mayor credits our teen board with helping move the needle on the city's curbside recycling pilot program. After meeting with the teen board, the mayor decided O'ahu's youth had plenty to say and added a special meeting for high school students to his series of community discussions on recycling.

And House Speaker Say was so taken with this batch of students that he asked them to "autograph" their commentaries that appeared in The Advertiser. Say said he counts their signed work among his "treasured" memorabilia displayed in his office. He also invited them to the state Capitol during the legislative session for a behind-the-scenes tour — which he personally conducted. How often does that happen? "I was so impressed by them and by their questions and concerns about the future — they are our future," Say explained.

The teen board meets monthly on Saturday mornings, with plenty of writing assignments in between. Our teen board "slippers-and-jeans" meetings were the sessions my staff and I most looked forward to. To be sure, we got just as much out of these sessions as our teens did.

Shamelessly, like an empty-nester, I sent them off at the end of their tenure in May, with hugs, lei and plenty of hope for their success.

Now, it's time to find a new group of teens for our 2007-08 Teen Editorial Board. The next teen board begins with the start of the school year and continues through May.

Interested? The box alongside this column has information on how to join our board. Better yet, to get your own fix of optimism, check out a video clip of our Teen Editorial Board online at honoluluadver tiser.com/opinion.

One last shout-out. Christopher, Cydrienne, Marcie, Sean, Jonathan, BJ, Sarah, Malie, Kevin, Paul, Victoria and, of course, Kimberly: Thanks for the inspiration.

Jeanne Mariani-Belding is editor of The Advertiser’s editorial and opinion section and national president of the Asian American Journalists Association. Reach her at jmbelding@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Reach Jeanne Mariani-Belding at jmbelding@honoluluadvertiser.com.