Chelsea Clinton talks service at panel with teens at Clinton Center

Chelsea Clinton leads a panel discussion with teens Friday at the Clinton Center.
Chelsea Clinton leads a panel discussion with teens Friday at the Clinton Center.

Chelsea Clinton on Friday moderated a panel for Global Youth Service Day in Little Rock, telling a crowd of local high school students to make service a "template for your life."

Clinton, the daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, led the discussion during a lunchtime event with 175 local high school students at the Clinton Presidential Center.

The overriding theme was service, but Clinton talked at times of her famous parents. She described her dad's recent new venture onto Twitter and joked about how her mom and dad have applied public pressure in pursuit of becoming grandparents.

Before sitting down to lead a discussion with four teens from local high schools, Clinton told the audience they should always make room for service.

"There's nothing more rewarding or more fun than making a difference in someone else's life, whether they live next door or if they're the proverbial little old lady in the church or the kid that you tutor or someone who can help make healthier choices in your life," she said.

Clinton then sat down for the panel with the teens, asking them about topics ranging from the exercise and healthy food options they get in school to their relationship with new technology and how that can be used for service.

Chelsea Clinton led a discussion on service with teens from local high schools and then opened the floor for questions.

Chelsea Clinton answers teens' questions at event

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One teen on the panel said he uses social media all the time and his dad doesn't get it.

"He says his Facebook is his phonebook," the teen said. "That's all he needs."

Clinton told the group her famous father is just beginning to find a voice on social media.

"My dad joined Twitter 36 hours ago," she said. "So this is something I think about a lot."

She later summarized her father's initial reaction when she showed him YouTube: "He was like 'wow! You can watch all this stuff," Clinton recalled.

After the panel, Clinton took questions from the teens in the audience. They asked what it was like for her to be the president's daughter, what her daily schedule is and whether she'll ever run for office.

On the latter: No current plans in her busy life — which includes working as a correspondent for NBC News — but it's not out of the question down the road.

"If at some point in my life I didn't like my local council member, or I didn't like my state assemblyman and I thought I could make a difference, I'd have to ask and answer that question," she said.

Clinton later drew laughs when she complained how her parents at the dedication of George W. Bush's Presidential Library mentioned how they hope to be grandparents soon.

"Which is just like unbelievable," Clinton said with a smile. "My parents. They're unbelievable in private and in public."

Global Youth Service Day, which was established in 1988, is said to be the largest service event in the world and the only day of service dedicated to children and youth.

The local event is a partnership between the Clinton Foundation, City Year and the City of Little Rock's Little Rock Serves program.

Clinton then joined students for a service project at the Rice Depot. Students from local high schools and City Year volunteers packaged meals to be sent to public schools and food pantries across central Arkansas.

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more details and photos from the event.

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