]]> http://cause4kdz.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/12-year-old-elliot-mast-a-home-run-for-children%e2%80%99s-hospitals/feed/ 0 cause4kdz http://cause4kdz.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/ideate-innovate-inspire-implement-invest/ http://cause4kdz.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/ideate-innovate-inspire-implement-invest/#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:54:32 +0000 cause4kdz http://cause4kdz.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/ideate-innovate-inspire-implement-invest/ ]]>

I am humbled and excited to join some of the most creative and innovative minds in the field of “doing good” as a speaker at the 2011 !deation Conference.  This year’s theme is “Love Human. Invest Good,” with conversations centered around how both the non-profit and for-profit sectors can work together for better human care.

A true “un-conference” in its’ design and layout, Charles Lee — CEO and Founder of Ideation Consultancy– is committed to cultivating the best conversations in social innovation.  Look at the line-up of speakers and you’ll see a long list of people who have made radical impact on the world.  But the gem here is that the speakers are purposed to spark conversation, while the participants are meant to carry the dialogue. 

Through this approach, the conference enables attendees to consider the implementation ideas of our peers against or own organizational problem-solving practices. 

For  many Americans, holidays are a time for family, joy and tradition, but for the tens of thousands of soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, it means being away from the ones they love.

Right now, the American Red Cross is wrapping up it’s “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program, which has provided Americans with the opportunity to personalize cards with messages of gratitude, thanks and encouragement in support of members of the U.S. military.  A single card or letter from “home” lets the soldier know we support them and appreciate all they do to protect our freedoms and liberties.  Troops who have been away from their families say getting mail during the holidays, even from people they’ve never met, makes a world of a difference.

Each year, the program goal of Holiday Mail for Heroes is to provide a million cards.  So far, three million holiday cards have been personalized.

Recently, KooDooZ partnered with Hartnell Fashion and the American Red Cross of Santa Monica to collaborate on making “Caring Cards”, where they challenged kids to create cards for veterans, in honor of September 11th. This workshop not only connected kids to an opportunity they might never have experienced, but it utilized their talents and creativity to honor the armed forces.  Bringing awareness to the cause, they learned that their voice is powerful and appreciated by the men and women who have fought and continue to fight for our country.  By engaging our young people in service work that respects good citizenship and patriotism, it encourages them to be engaged in  issues affecting their community and country.

Over 150 cards were hand-made during the workshop with notes like, “Thank you for keeping us safe!” and “You’re a true American hero.”  Some of cards were personally delivered by KooDooZ kids to aging heroes at the West Los Angeles VA Hospital.  More KooDooZ kids from across the nation answered our call to create cards and pledged to mail them directly to soldiers overseas.

Since its inception, three years ago, “Holiday Mail for Heroes” has sent three million cards to those serving our nation.  We encourage you to participate in this special project for our American service members, their families, and veterans all over the world.

Cards must be sent by December 10th, 2010 to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD
20791-5456

The U.S. Department of Defense gives this advice to those sending packages to troops:

• Citizens who want to send care packages, cards and letters to deployed service-members should identify troops through family and friends. Individuals may also partner with some of the America Supports You home-front groups listed at http://www.ourmilitary.mil/help.shtml. They have direct contact with many of the service-members and units and can tell you about desired items and shipping frequency.
• Safety and security reasons no longer allow packages to be addressed to “Any Soldier” or to an entire base in general.
• When thinking of support for our service-members, do not forget their families or local veterans. You can show support by helping military families in your community and by remembering the hospitalized veterans in local Veterans Affairs medical centers.

About KooDooZ:
KooDooZ is a cause-based social networking site for kids who want to make money while making a difference.  The site offers a variety of community & humanitarian “challenges,” authored specifically to help kids between the ages of 9-15 learn how to become social entrepreneurs and agents of change.  Kids get their friends and family to “invest” in the challenges they do, and are rewarded these investment dollars with each challenge completion.  With easy-to-follow mile-stones and methodologies, the time dedicated to each challenge is tracked and awarded appropriate service credits.
To learn more about how to apply your passion to a cause, visit www.koodooz.com

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

Home sick from school, 10-year old Tyler Page was watching an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” featuring a story on child trafficking in Ghana with his mom, Laura.

It was February, 2007 — the date significant only because it ignited Tyler’s beginning as a youthpreneur.

Tyler was aghast to learn that children, his age and younger, were being sold by their own parents into slavery. For as little as $20-dollars a month, fishermen could “buy” these children and force them to work twelve hour days with just one meal and little or no water.

Tyler wanted to “do” what he could to save at least one child from becoming a slave for an entire year. He told his mom his goal was to raise $240-dollars (one child $20/month X 12 months = $240/year).

To do this, he recruited friends and opened a roadside business — a hand car-washing service which they intended to run until their goal was met. In just one weekend, Tyler raised more than $1,000. It was to be his first taste of success as a social entrepreneur.

Inspired by the ability to save more than one Ghanaian child’s life, Tyler and his team of friends, family and community members tried out a variety of business models. From rummage sales to hair-cuts, Tyler Page found new ways to incorporate the community into his mission of saving children halfway around the world. In just six months, $20,000 were raised, and a local news station picked up his story.

“Entrepreneurship should become the fourth “R” right alongside reading, writing and arithmetic.”  I agree with Richard Florida.  Entrepreneurial creativity has always shaped the landscape of opportunity and wealth — not just for the innovators, but for the countries in which they live. 

Consider the free-thinking of Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.  Each brought economic and infrastructure greatness to these United States.  Although this last decade has given birth to Facebook, Google’s search algorithm and Apple’s iPhone, American creativity and innovation are reportedly on the decline.  Our slip to 4^th place in the 2010-2011 Global Competitiveness Report and our fall to 3^rd place in a study on global entrepreneurship issued by the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, punctuate this fact. 

The loss of these global footholds means new technologies and occupations will exist outside our borders, potentially further contributing to our economic duress. 

Creative Thinking & Our Children

Entrepreneurial creativity is defined by an individual’s ability to convert creative ideas into value-producing profitable business activities.  While there’s no question that the 20^th century was largely pioneered by enterprising Americans, future generations can not rest on the laurels of yesteryear and expect an easy road ahead.       

Once an international leader in high school graduation rates, the U.S. is now ranked 18^th out of 25 industrialized countries.  While other nations are heralded for teaching their kids how to create jobs, U.S. public schools are too often criticized of only preparing today’s youth for jobs.  We need to re-think our cultural support of entrepreneurship, if we hope to capitalize on the passion and energy this next generation has to offer. 

Just three years ago, a Harris Interactive survey revealed that 4 in 10 young people (ages 8-to-21) would like to start their own businesses someday, especially if that means they can use their skills and abilities to build for the future.  Although aspirations are high, action, execution and support for budding entrepreneurs in that age-group is embarrassingly low.

Educational Psychologist, Kyung Hee Kim (who was interviewed for a Newsweek article, entitled: The Creativity Crisis), believes that our current student body will be less prepared to deal with the future challenges that await them, if innovation and free thinking aren’t fostered and encouraged in schools.

“Future leaders will not be ready to accept risks, even though the population may expect the rewards that the previous generations enjoyed as their legacy.”

According to Dr. Kim, creativity in America is punished and discouraged by parents and teachers who perceive creative behavior as inconvenient and difficult to manage. (And I shouldn’t even open up this can of worms, but research also shows that many children diagnosed with ADHD are creative, and many creative children are misdiagnosed as having ADHD.)  As Dr. Kim points out, the very qualities that facilitate individual’s creative accomplishments can be the same ones that may cause them to struggle in what we have defined as “normal” and “acceptable” behavior in school.

Sir Ken Robinson’s “Changing Education Paradigms” speech poignantly endorses this assertion by examining the problems we have created with standardized curriculum, rote memorization and nationalized testing: 

The intersection between youth, activism and new media technologies continue to grab the attention of brands, educators and policy-makers with growing interest.  ”Green” has become the new face of youth activism and millions of young people around the world are participating in environmental initiatives discovered through online portals.

Here in the United States, there’s also a growing movement connecting the natural environment to traditional school subjects including math, science, reading and writing.  As we guide our youngest generation towards environmental literacy, how much of a role should social media play (given the “brand dominant” nature of the conversations) — and is it in conflict with the social and environmental justice sought by our parents, educators and policy-makers?

On Saturday, September 25^th, 2010, KooDooZ founder, Lee Fox, will moderate a free workshop entitled: “Social Justice, Social Media & Environmental Education.”  The purpose of this blog post is to offer some context for anyone interested in adding their voice to the conversation. 

#1: Are we on the brink of experiencing a new generational divide…
that’s green in color?   

It should not be lost on any of us that today’s kids have been witness to the most severe environmental disaster our country has ever seen, that climate change has become a big part of our national dialogue and that the lives of millions of people, irrespective of age, geography or socioeconomic status have been directly affected by — as stated in the 2010 Cone Cause Evolution Study — “the irresponsibility of big business.”

82% of kids polled by Scholastic News stated they were concerned about the BP oil spill, and 48% said they were most concerned about its effect on the animals and the Gulf ecosystems.  Kids of all ages demonstrated their commitment to the environment by joining their voices with the public’s out-cry:

• 14-year old Lauren Spaulding who confronted BP representatives at a town hall meeting about its lack of initiative to educate children about the spill.  She pointed out that kids were “worried about the environment and their parents’ livelihoods,” and wanted to learn more about how they could help. 
• 11-year old, Olivia Bouler, who contacted the Audubon Society looking for ways she could help fund relief for the wildlife impacted by the spill and raised $175,000 dollars.
• 13-year old and 16-year old Toth sisters who collected dishwashing soap to be used to clean birds and animals affected by the spill.

While there’s overwhelming evidence that youth want to make a difference, it’s also apparent that our scholastic infrastructure has of yet to provide kids with the educational basis to translate their green altruism into leadership. 

Last year, a groundbreaking study revealed that U.S. students ranked 34th out of the 57 countries surveyed in both environmental science and geosciences.  Being that school is the main source of eco-education for 85% of kids (13-17 years old), isn’t it clear we need some kind of an upgrade to help support the youth values of:

• LIVING GREEN:
  87% recycle; 84% turn off lights; 80% reduce water use; 73% user energy-efficient light bulbs
• GREEN BRANDS: 
  76% feel it’s very important or important for brands to get involved in the green movement (though not all are willing to pay the higher prices for the luxury).

#2: If there’s a sense of collaboration and conversation, will youth turn to brands they trust to get information?

Luckily, trust is earned, never bought.  It comes from years of doing rather than saying.  Still, it’s extraordinarily important that parents, educators and policy makers understand that brands are committing larger and larger budgets to building trust, and that cause-marketing is one of the vehicles.  When youth have high trust in a brand, they use the resources the brand gives them to advocate and spread the word.

BP is going to be an interesting case-study in the years ahead.  Though their brand-value was “destroyed” by mal-handling many aspects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP does have a viable opportunity to rebuild trust by staying committed to the community’s needs and working closely with the people of the Gulf to rebuild their livelihoods and restore the environment that supports them.  BP’s best asset is that it had a name consumers once trusted.  Now is the time for BP to exhibit profound green-leadership.

It bodes well for the oil giant that in recent years it has spent heavily on green education initiatives in California.  Just last week, BP completed a 7-year project which culminated in a 13,000 page curriculum designed to update California’s Environmental  Science Education offering for its’ K-12 public schools.  The curriculum is expected to be taught to over six million pupils in some 1,000 districts.  While many people support the investment California is making in environmental education, others are questioning the practice of allowing a brand — that has paid to avoid prosecution, more than $370-million dollars in fines after admittedly breaking environmental and safety laws — to shape the curriculum intended to foster critical thinking and open-mindedness on this subject. 

#3: Will environmental literacy extend past the classroom and into our homes?

Eco-friendly behaviors are measured in a variety of ways — by people’s transportation patterns, household energy use, consumption of goods, and what’s being done to minimize the impact these activities have on the environment.  

At the surface, Americans do appear to be environmentally literate and capable of making sustainable choices.  According to the 2009 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey, 70% of Americans pay attention to what companies are doing in regard to the environment.

Sustainability has crept up the corporate agenda, now higher than ever before.  A company’s commitment to social and environmental issues has undeniable weight in the marketplace, and transparency has become a key component to building public trust and managing consumer expectations.

However, when it comes to practicing what’s preached, everyday Americans are not taking the same action-oriented approach to environmental stewardship that they demand of their brand counterparts. 

According to National Geographic’s Greendex, (a survey tracking global consumer choice in regard to the environment), U.S. consumers continually ranked last among 17 countries surveyed.  This is perhaps not all that surprising being that a Roper Report revealed 80% of American adults are environmentally illiterate.

A potential for discord exists between the next generation and the rest of us, if a higher commitment is not soon made to embrace social and environmental literacy.

#4: Is the social web, as a real-time medium, a viable tool for environmental education?

Join KooDooZ,  Green My Parents,  Alliance For Climate Education, Team Marine, Real Curriculum and ReUse Connection as we explore whether or not the time is ripe with opportunity to incorporate 21^st century skills in our schools to heighten relevance in the classroom.

The roots of social change and the need for peace run deep in youth movements. Cycles of violence engendered by war and terrorism have unleashed young activists with surprising force across the world. 

Here in America, where our turbulence is more financial in nature, we are witness to a compassion boom, powered by youth philanthropy.

Youth is our country’s largest population group – reportedly 70 million strong.  In fact, 1 out of every 4 Americans is under the age of 18.  Over 13 million American teens volunteer an average of 3 hours per week, totaling over 2-billion hours of service per year.   

Far less information is available about kids 12 and younger, yet this group makes up nearly 18% of the world’s population and is characteristically just as civically charged.

Whether it’s a result of the most dismal job-market in decades, or an outgrowth of  the high availability of information about world events and issues, both Generation Y (“Millennials”) and Generation Z (“Homelanders”) are finding their identities as agents of change.

Even though GenZ is at a tender age of 12 or younger, they’re digitally wired and more conscious of their global counterparts, the economy and political happenings.  For example, kids as young as 7 can explain what a recession is, and how state budget cuts have impacted their school programming.

Frustratingly though, due to ageism, many of these young minds and able bodies are under-utilized in helping with the humanitarian challenges they care about the most.  This is perhaps why we’re seeing more and more pint-sized philanthropists founding their own philanthropic organizations in order to have impact.

The truth is, the concept of empowering the youngest generation is still relatively recent in the social entrepreneurship world.  For the most part, the general public regards youth-activists — like 11 year old Olivia Bouler, who has used her artwork to help save birds affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico — as anomolies.

Kids of all ages have the capacity to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars and move tens of thousands of people into a deeper position of awareness.  Point in case, within a matter of months, Olivia’s efforts raised $175,000 to help the wildlife impacted by the spill, and she also earned just shy of 30,000 Facebook “likes” — impressive by anyone’s standards.

In a recent article, the press secretary at the Corporation for National and Community Service (@nationalservice) remarked of today’s youth: “They’ve been through 09/11 and Katrina and an economic recession, and all of this has forced young people to look around them and reassess their place in the world.”

According to recent PARADE poll findings, respondents were almost unanimous in the belief that it’s “important to be personally involved in supporting a cause we believe in” in our communities (94%) and in the world at large (91%).  More than 3 out of 4 (78%) think that the actions of one person can improve the world, and 78% also believe they’re move involved in making a difference than their parents were.

Generation Z is proving that no one — no matter their age — is powerless to help.  As the world strives to break the cycles in an economic-survival mode, KooDooZ strives to broaden the public’s definition of “philanthropist” beyond the reach of a deep pocket.  Helping youth recongize that they can tap their passions for acts of compassion is paramount. 

For the last month, KooDooZ has been challenging kids across Southern California – from Santa Monica to West Covina — to create “Caring Cards” inscribed with messages of peace.  On Saturday, September 11th, a handful of girls will hand-deliver a portion of the 150 hand-made cards to fallen heroes at the West Los Angeles VA Hospital.  Kids from other parts of the nation have committed to mailing their cards directly to soldiers overseas.

Being that this Saturday earmarks the 9^th anniversary of the 09/11 attacks, the cards are a symbolic tool to drive awareness to the import of peace and the voice of youth in this conversation. 

Can a single day alter our perceptions, change our attitudes or bring about a global movement?

I hope so.

International Peace Day is on September 21^st and again, there is a global call for ceasefire and non-violence.

But this year, the United Nations’ General Assembly has proclaimed 2010 as the International Year of Youth, a campaign designed to encourage policymakers and communities to recognize that youth is a valuable – but underutilized – resource.  In fact, the UN goes as far as stating that “failing to invest in children and youth triggers substantial economic, social and political costs resulting in negative outcomes.”

As young people represent at least 18% of the world’s population, we must recognize their potential by giving them a role to play in issues that affect them (i.e. education, reproductive health) as well as involving them in the world’s most significant humanitarian challenges (i.e. peace, the environment).  By engaging youth in volunteerism, we can open a dialogue and mutual understanding which will serve to shape young leaders for today and tomorrow.

It is with great pride that KooDooZ enters a strategic alliance with Roots & Shoots to engage youth in online & real world challenges relating to universal peace.

Although the definition of “peace” can vary between religions and cultures – it’s most commonly described as “an existence free of conflict or violence.”  Unfortunately, this definition doesn’t always extend to animals or the environment.

By helping kids connect the dots that deforestation and fossil fuels use have measurably decreased the availability of nutritious food and clean water – resulting in malnutrition and health challenges for some parts of the world – we can assist activists like Dr. Jane Goodall redefine the relationship our sons and daughters have with Mother Earth.

As part of our alliance with Roots & Shoots, KooDooZ will seek to educate youth that the practice of non-violence should apply not just to human beings, but to all living things.

Accepting that Earth itself is alive and that every living and inert organism plays an important role, is a critical first step towards achieving universal peace.  Humankind is but a single species among the 5.5-million sharing our planet.

In 2002, Dr. Goodall was appointed as a Messenger or Peace and used this esteemed appointment to urge her audiences to recognize their personal responsibility and ability to effect change through consumer action, lifestyle change and activism.  Since then, Dr. Goodall has travelled an average of 300 days per year, speaking about environmental crises, and her reasons for hope that humankind will solve the problems it has imposed on the earth.

To honor her appointment, Roots & Shoots members have been creating Giant Peace Puppets with recycled materials on the weekend of the UN’s Day of Peace.

Will you spread the message of peace by building your own Peace Dove?