Cultivating Kidpreneurs

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.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADzCacx0zdY] 

Turning inspiration into action, Tyler’s family created Kids Helping Kids Leadership Academy, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating children on how to transform their passion into purpose, while helping children in need. Their mission is to create global transformation one child at a time...all while using entrepreneurship as a foundation.

Meeting monthly to discuss topics such as integrity, accountability, time management, leadership skills, conflict management, communication and goal setting, Tyler's leadership academy focuses on cause, community and kids.

By allowing kids to contribute ideas, create their own fundraising campaigns and be in charge, Tyler's Leadership Academy effectively cultivates and ignites kidpreneurs.

To date, more than 300 local kids from his hometown have participated in Tyler’s vision of how to make the world a better place.

Some, like Brianna Howell, have expanded on Tyler's ideas, by collecting Christmas gifts for each rescued child. Brianna's initiative resulted in a team from Kids Helping Kids assembling her collected items into 500 bookbags filled with personalized Christmas cards, school supplies and candy.

In an effort to cultivate more kidpreneurs, KooDooZ and Kids Helping Kids have co-authored an "Education - Roadside Entrepreneur" challenge to coincide with Global Entrepreneurship Week.

From goal setting to budgeting, and location to marketing, kids are given step-by-step processes so that their ideas can be implemented as successful social enterprises.

For more information on Tyler’s leadership academy visit www.kidzhelpingkids.org and to join Tyler by opening your own Roadside Business, visit www.KooDooZ.com to create a free account where you can track your hours of service, funds raised and network with other kids.

Posted via email from KooDooZ

Social Media, Social Justice & Environmental Education

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.

Posted via email from KooDooZ

Generation Z - the new philanthropists

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. 

Huge thanks to KooDooZ community partners:  the American Red Cross of Santa Monica and Hartnell for supporting and nurturing youth philanthropy in refreshing new ways.

Also see:

•  PRESS RELEASE American Red Cross (Santa Monica Chapter)
• KooDooZ "Caring Card" CHALLENGE

Posted via email from KooDooZ

Youth Homelessness

Homelessness is an extraordinary challenge in the United States, mainly due to the fact that the majority of the people affected are “invisible” victims.  That's to say, they are functioning members of society who happen to be experiencing such extreme poverty that they simply can’t afford to keep a roof over their heads.

This situation of quiet desperation is experienced by an estimated 1.5 million youth and a collective 2.3 to 3.5 million Americans at least once each year.

*** The Facts ***
34% of the homeless population are made up of women and children

• of which, 84% are female headed (on average the single mothers are in their late 20’s w/ 2 young children)
• 640,000 of homeless children are under the age of 6

42% of homeless youth are school-aged and enrolled in school

• of which, 77.3% (697,130) are in grades K-8
• of which, 22.7% (204,978) are in grades 9-12
• of which, 43% repeat a grade

Not since the Great Depression have so many kids stood at poverty’s door.  But even more than the debilitating effects of being impoverished, homelessness is profoundly destructive to the educational outcomes of these youth.

Children in families experiencing homelessness are unable to attend school regularly.  Alarmingly, poor attendance is a significant predictor of dropping out of school and the impact of interrupted schooling can have long-term consequences. 
 
Statistically, by the time a homeless child is in secondary school, they are left on their own without structured academic help.  By the time they’re in their teens, most homeless youth are “couch surfing” or one of the 50,000 youth in the United States who sleep on the street for six months or more.  Field experts are quick to point out that there are far less family and teen shelters than there are for single sex shelters, an issue which clearly needs to be addressed.

There are approximately 110 homeless shelters in California and only 3 are for teens.

According to a First Focus report the number of homeless public school students nationally rose 41%.  In fact, the number of homeless students (preK-12) increased in a school year from 679,724 (2006-2007) to 956,914 (2008-2009).  A recent article in the NY Daily News says, “At 19 of the 20 schools that the Education Department announced last month it plans to shut down, the number of homeless kids jumped by more than 100%.”  

“School is a refuge for homeless children and youth, providing safety, structure and services.  Education is also their surest path to economic and stable housing in adulthood.” 

In order to raise awareness of the challenge of youth homelessness, KooDooZ and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Monica is hosting a Sleep Out from 6 pm on Friday, August 27th to 8 am on Saturday, August 28th.  Up to 150 kids are invited to make no-sew blankets, watch a movie on this topic and learn how to help in meaningful ways.
 
EVENT SPECIAL GUESTS:
·         7-year old Jonas Corona will discuss how he has been able to help homeless youth through his nonprofit organization, Love in the Mirror with the donation of backpacks filled with supplies for middle school students.
 
·         Ehecatl Rojas of Los Angeles Youth Network will discuss some of the characteristics and traits traditionally seen in homeless youth.  Many are frequently shy and withdrawn.  Homeless students are likely to have lower self-esteem and higher levels of anxiety than their peers.  Overall, their academic performance is compromised.

While the recession has certainly refocused our attention on the plight of the poorest families, our nation doesn’t yet understand what actions every day people can take to help.  This event is an important way for kids and their families to learn what to do to help a worthy cause.

Posted via email from KooDooZ

The Importance of Social Fitness

In our world today, there is nothing that occupies a kids' time more than media -- not family, not school, not extra-curricular activities. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study showed that students (between the ages of 8-and-18) spend an average of 53 hours on media each week -- more time than most adults spend at their full time jobs.

While it's a certainly a parent's prerogative to "turn off" these portals or limit the time spent using them, it's also imperative that we don't completely de-value the social, fun and learning opportunities which can couple these virtual worlds.

In a post I recently wrote entitled, "Empower Kids With Service To Their Community," I asserted that social interactions (such as project-based learning and community service) are the keys to unlocking a successful 2.0 migration for our classrooms, libraries and youth groups. Social interactions are defined as the actions two or more people do collaboratively to affect each other's experiences.

Interestingly, the need for social interaction is a signature of our "Homelanders" (GenZ), whose generational characteristics keep them in-tune with technology and innately eco-conscious. On a positive side, having grown-up in a world of anti-discrimination and pro-family legislation, it is believed that GenZ will be more diversity aware. On a negative side, their willingness to experience the world virtually suggests GenZ will be the most unhealthy and least physically active generation yet.

Study after study has focused on determining how much media has played a role in the nation's dramatically increasing rates of childhood obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of obese children ages 6 to 11 increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008 and the percentage of obese children ages 12 to 19 increased from 5.0% to 18.1%

Three years ago, a report was issued by Nick Christakis (Harvard School of Public Health) and James Fowler (Univ. of Calif., San Diego), which revealed that weight gain by a friend increases your odds of obesity by 57%. Further, they asserted, the risk of obesity rises 171% for the closest mutual friendships.

This implies that social norms -- shared experiences and similar environments -- might be more important in weight gain than underlying strict biologic or genetic factors. If this is true, then perhaps not only do we need to heighten our investment in physical activities as a group, but also in the "play your way to fitness" products such as Zamzee, Playnormous and Wii which serve to use social and peer-group efforts to reduce obesity and spark a kid's interest in fitness.

This year First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Let’s Move nationwide initiative to teach GenZ how to reverse this dangerous trend. Last year, KooDooZ formed a strategic partnership with O2 MAX Fitness, a youth fitness media company whose mission is to make fitness cool, fun and social. Together we produced an interactive city-walk entitled "Tour De Fitness" (TDF). Similar to the Let’s Move campaign, TDF shows kids new ways to eat healthy and exercise, all while having fun with their family and friends. Click here to view our video overview of TDF ‘09:

The purpose of TDF is to raise awareness for the importance of both youth health and youth wellness. Obesity impacts more than health -- social isolation, guilt and even self-loathing can become wellness issues that follow obese people through their lives. Fortunately, obesity is both preventable and reversible. Even small changes to diet and exercise routines can positively affect health and wellness. Families in greater Los Angeles can meet and learn from Daniella Monet, star of Nickelodeon's Victorious, who will be hosting TDF'10 on August 14th, 2010.

• See the outline of activities planned for our TDF'10 city walk
• Register online today at www.bit.ly/tdf10 because participation is capped at 300 sign-ups!

Kids who would like to plan a family fitness event in their own community can learn the steps to do it in the KooDooZ Fitness Challenge!

Posted via email from KooDooZ

Sustainability: Our Challenge. Our Future.

Today is August 12^th – International Youth Day. Designated by the United Nations one decade ago, this day is purposed with raising awareness of youth-related issues around the world.

Sustainability: Our Challenge. Our Future.

This year the United Nations is encouraging youth to prove themselves to be key partners in sustainable development. “Young people often lead by example,” said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. “Sustainability is the most promising path forward, and youth can lead the way.”

According to the UN, sustainability does not only mean keeping our environment safe for the future, “sustainability encapsulates three facets of life: the environment, society and the economy.” That means that everything we do -- every action we take – can have a ripple effect expanding beyond local communities clear to the other side of the world.

One way in which KooDooZ is embracing the United Nations’ Sustainability Challenge is to encourage KDZ (our site users) to put a sustainable message on a bottle. Literally.

“We’re asking KDZ to design an image or a message that effectively communicates the importance of water as a source of health and wellness for both people and planet,” said Lee Fox, founder of KooDooZ.

The winning “Ripple Effect” design will be produced on white stainless steel water bottles, earning the creator $125-dollars PLUS $1 per bottle purchased on the KooDooZ website for the first year. Additionally, $1 from each bottle sold will also be donated to KidShape, a non-profit organization that builds healthy families.

Sponsoring this challenge is EcoUsable, a company with the mission to save our planet one bottle at a time. “Every day, 60-million water bottles go into landfills,” said Joey Mendelsohn, EcoUsable President and Founder. “We team up with other environmentally friendly companies with similar visions because we can’t do it alone. If we combine our efforts, we will be able to make the difference the world needs for the success of future generations.”

One hundred community friends in Southern California will be gifted with an EcoUsable water bottle on Saturday, August 15^th during a KooDooZ co-sponsored walk to raise awareness for youth health & wellness.

As guardians of tomorrow, youth must be listened to, included and engaged today. It will be with their creativity and energy, that our challenge with sustainability will be turned into an achievement of stewardship.

To Create an EcoUsable “Ripple Effect” Design: (Challenge Ends: 09/30/09)

This challenge serves as a call to action for KDZ (kids & families using KooDooZ) to make a difference by focusing on a global sense of social responsibility. NOTE: “Ripple Effect” is also a term used to describe how one action can trigger another.

• Go to KooDooZ: http://www.KooDooZ.com/
• Click “Get In:” on the landing page and “Log In:” on your KooDooZ desktop
• Click on “Global” on the left side of the bulletin board
• Click on “To Do A Water ‘Ripple Effect’ Design” challenge (Note: you may need to scroll down)
• Click on the “Subscribe” button (the red bulls-eye)
• Complete the challenge To Do List and turn this challenge into an achievement!

Together, KooDooZ and KDZ can celebrate 10 years of International Youth Day while inspiring health and wellness for both people and planet.

OBESITY IS A CHALLENGE KDZ CAN OVERCOME – WALK FOR AWARENESS.

Obesity in America

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 9 million children (between the ages 6 and 19) are considered obese in the United States, equivalent to the entire population of the state of North Carolina. Something needs to be done to trim down the expanding waistlines of American youth.

This summer KooDooZ challenges us to raise awareness about the obesity epidemic and help the public understand that for the first time in history, this next generation will not outlive their parents unless we make a change.

Being overweight means greater health risks:

• According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 1 in 3 American kids will develop Type 2 Diabetes in their lifetime
• Tens of millions of Americans suffer every day from preventable illness and chronic disease, and we spend over $2 trillion annually trying to reverse this serious health trend

Obesity impacts more than health: Social isolation, guilt, and even self-loathing can become wellness issues that follow obese people through their lives.

Fortunately, obesity is both preventable and reversible. Even small changes to diet and exercise routines can positively affect health and wellness. Here’s an easy call-to-action you can take now:

Tour De Fitness (Santa Monica, CA 08/15/09)

O2 MAX has partnered with KooDooZ to redefine fitness for youth by empowering them to embrace exercise, nutrition, and healthy living with a “power walk.” Branded Tour de Fitness (TDF), this walk enables youth and their families to enjoy a day of activities while promoting the importance of fitness, exercise and nutrition. TDF was created by O2 MAX to raise awareness about the youth obesity crisis.

We are providing three ways you can help us turn this healthy challenge into an achievement:

1. Take on the Tour de Fitness challenge in your own community:

• To organize your own TDF, visit http://www.KooDooZ.com/
• Click "Get In:" on the landing page and "Log In" on your KooDooZ desktop
• Click on "Global" on the left side of the bulletin board
• Click on the “To Do A Tour de Fitness 09” challenge
• Click on the "Subscribe" button (the red bulls-eye)
• To be eligible for prize consideration: build in stops to refuel, document your group talking about healthy eating habits, share fun exercise methods by inviting local sports and fitness personalities to spend a few minutes training your group, and upload your TDF video documentary to the KooDooZ video portal

2. Walk on August 15th in the Santa Monica Tour de Fitness:

• Go to KooDooZ: http://www.KooDooZ.com/
• Click "Get In:" on the landing page and "Log In" on your KooDooZ desktop
• Click on "Global" on the left side of the bulletin board
• Click on "To Do TDF '09 in Santa Monica" challenge
• Click on the "Subscribe" button (the red bulls-eye)
• Complete the challenge To Do List and turn this challenge into an achievement!

3. Over 18? Volunteer at the Santa Monica Tour de Fitness:

• Volunteer to help register kids and their families in the morning, walk with groups of kids and/or help coordinate activity stops along the way
• Register via Meetup at http://walkers.meetup.com/676/calendar/10926551/ or send an email to info@KooDooZ.com
• Indicate if you would like to volunteer for an AM or PM shift (the event is scheduled from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm)

Watch a video from last year's Tour de Fitness!

The Gift of Giving with KooDooZ

On December 22^nd KooDooZ organized a “KDZ Giving” event for members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica. Our purpose was to introduce kids to the KooDooZ philosophy (and software) by providing them with a series of online and offline challenges and rewarding them for their efforts.

For me – after two years of intensive research, analysis, development and testing – this event stood out ... Not because it was monumental in comparison to any other product launch I've been a part of, but because the KooDooZ prospects ("KDZ" aka "Millennials") were so enthusiastic about a tool developed to increase their ability for "making a difference" in their personal, local or global lives.

As an aside, I have to share my passion for Millennial change-makers. The concept of “doing good” is a rationale Millennials don't only impose on themselves, they extend it to their peers, parents, neighbors, communities and just as significantly, to companies (as pointed out by a recent Cone Study.) As the first global generation ever, Millennials care strongly about justice and the problems faced by their society. Not only are they engaged in some kind of civic activity at school, they also have a deeper sense of “community.” Additionally, no generation understands new technology as intuitively as the Millennials do. So it was such a compliment to earn their verifiable vote of confidence by way of enthusiastic participation with KooDooZ.

On this day, we engaged 50 young minds (the youngest still in elementary school and the oldest just beginning to embark on their career) and while it was no surprise that most of these kids were more interested in “the doing” of a challenge than in “the prize” of a reward, it did spread my smile wide to see it in person.

The “KDZ Giving” event very specifically reaffirmed the fact that Millennials:

1. Prefer to learn by doing, within a framework of organization
2. Crave challenges and have a high motivation for turning them into achievements
3. Thrive in structured team activities where they can build new relationships and foster new dialogue
4. Partner well with mentors
5. Care less about personal rewards and more about benefiting a social cause

Equally as important, the KooDooZ biz dev team targeted some forward thinking companies to sponsor specific challenges which allowed us to further prove that there is an emotional link that connects Millennials to causes and ultimately to the companies that support and/or benefit those causes.

According to research, there are an estimated 15.6M Millennials in the United States who are actively engaged in helping humanity and sustainability. This represents a huge potential opportunity for companies embracing Cause Marketing / Branding.

Sponsors from around the country who contributed to this event included: Albertsons, AMF, Ask Kids, Avery Dennison, Best Buy of Santa Monica, Color Me Mine, FedEx Office of Santa Monica, Pacific Park, Pavilions, Perricone MD Cosmeceuticals, Ralphs, Santa Monica Playhouse, Ultimate Arcade and Vons.

Because the event was themed around “giving" these corporations supplied products and prizes for the offline challenges so that kids could create some personalized gifts for the holidays. I’ll highlight two of my favorites: (i) “To Get Fueled Up” in which the kids measured then layered ingredients into jars for a meal to share with friends, family or to donate to a homeless shelter and (ii) “To Get Sweetly Soft” with all natural ingredients for a sugar body scrub which they mixed by hand.

What sold the “KDZ Giving” event to corporate sponsors was KooDooZ ability to add that third dimension into the brand marketing experience of fostering a relationship between the cause and the consumer. For example, KooDooZ challenged the kids “To Do Something Noteworthy” by either (i) writing a letter to Santa in support of Macy’s Believe campaign to raise up to $1M for the Make-A-Wish Foundation; (ii) designing an image centered around “change” for President Obama through the SecretBuilders contest; or (iii) composing a letter to a solider whose sacrifice for his/her country deserves constant recognition.

As I write this blog, it strikes me that I have not shared the KooDooZ mission, which is to "turn the good will & passions of "KDZ" (kids) into skills & strategies for creating change." KooDooZ was built as a “virtual meets virtuous” social networking site where KDZ are rewarded for subscribing to, designing and collaborating on goals that address a social mission. KDZ challenge themselves both online and offline, giving them the opportunity to impact people within their family, school and community as well as the worldwide web.

To prove that these young people constitute a potentially powerful force for good, KooDooZ engaged three other organizations: Iridescent, Centro Latino for Literacy and A Star Inside to continue to challenge KDZ throughout our private beta.

KooDooZ is committed to strategic partnerships with ethical brands and institutions, foundations, non-profits, schools and families. Parties interested in participating in our private beta program should send all requests to info@koodooz.com

Getting in the Spotlight

While this blog has primarily been set up as an informational resource for parents, mentors & families of the kids participating in the KooDooZ beta, I have decided to include a very indepth interview with the founder of REGARD VENTURES, Steve Beauregard, who has been a guiding light in shaping, funding & incubating KooDooZ.

It is my sincere hope that anyone who has the stamina to take their amazing ideas into the public light will have someone as good as Steve to guide them. None of us really does anything completely alone.

There are always helping hands, inspiring ideas and a community behind the achiever.

Interview performed by Tech Zulu

Thanks Steve.

How To Bridge The Gap

The gap between today’s parent & child is digital in nature.

As long as they’ve been alive, the world has been a connected place. They text, they IM, their iPods are continuously in their ears… if they’re not watching their favorite show on TV, they’re watching it on the net. This is the generation of young people who prefer to learn by doing rather than being told what to do.

Poor parents. Most of us don’t truly “get” the phenomenon that our kids can be standing just a few feet away from each other, and still choose to text or IM rather than walk over to initiate a conversation. Adults are less likely to value an online interaction the same way we would a face-to-face conversation.

Sociologists refer to these kids as “iGeneration” (born after 1996), “Generation Z (born after 2000)” and “Net Gen” (born between 1977-1997). They only know digital, and are growing up with easy access to information.

Even though some of our future “Zeds” have not been born yet, experts understand the key challenges they will face in their life, and can predict their key traits. For example, because this generation will be exposed to marketing at a young age, they will demand relevance.

I recently read an article which stated that babies 6-months of age can recognize mental images of a company’s logo. This means that brand-loyalties can be established at the age of 2-years, and when these children go to school, high numbers can recognize these brand logos. (see article)

But I digress.

The point of this blog entry was to take a closer look at how to bridge the gap.

When it comes to children, any degree of risk is seen as “unacceptable.” Today’s parent lives in a “risk-averse culture” and it has been argued that children’s immersion into the “virtual world” is partly due to the limited encounters of today’s children outside the home. If our kids can’t play alone outside, they shouldn’t venture unaccompanied on the internet. (see “Safer Children In The Digital World") Correct?

Yes. But while aiming to protect our children, we might actually be thwarting their developmental need to socialize and establish risk identifiers, assessment and management skills that can help keep them safe. (see Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid)

In an interview with Larry Rosen (author of “Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation”) he spoke to the importance of proactive parents. The challenge, Rosen said, is that most parents he talks with “have absolutely no idea what their kids are doing. They don’t even understand what MySpace is and what function it plays.” As a result, too many parents skew to extremes. They ban video games based on parental buzz, rather than knowledge. (see full interview)

Few parents believe that online games encourage collaboration among players and provide a context for peer-to-peer teaching. Most are of the opinion that online gaming is addictive and dangerous. Don’t forget, just shy of a year ago, the American Medical Association tried to label video-game addiction as a mental illness. (According to a Harris Interactive Poll conducted last year, the average “tween” plays 13-hours of video games each week.) The “Zeds” look at gaming as a social outlet. They are playing in groups, online communities form around games, and players literally “add to” existing games to share their vision with others. (see more about “Net Gen”)

The reality is, computer-based activities play a central role in today’s youth culture. As parents, what we need to do is find a healthy way for kids to blend these two worlds. And until KooDooZ is ready for you to bridge that gap, there are a few simple things you, as parents, can do:

1. Knowledge is power. With the internet, 80% of it is going to be parenting, and 20% of it is going to be your understanding of it. Parents need to do their research – just like they would check out any other activities your kids were selected in the real-world. Not all sites are dangerous, not all games are bad -- but some are. Set limits & rules that your kids can understand... monitor them!
2. Don't dismiss their way of doing things. If your kids text, then use that tool as one way to communicate with them. (See the 04/16/08 article “Text messaging improves parent-teen relationship”)
3. Play games with your kids – board games and interactive. Learn to appreciate the age-appropriate online games your kids like as much as the board or card games that you grew up with. (43% of parents who have gamer children never play along)
4. Learn to see the kid in front of you, not the kid you wanted to have. The aspirations of your kids are unique to them. Take a moment to stop & listen to their dreams.
5. Promote a sense of family by making the kids responsible for specific household decisions and chores. A dinner for example can involve a kid's participation in the shopping and preparation as well as enjoying the meal with you.