Youth Step Out With New "Thons"

AIDS Walk. Race for the Cure. March of Dimes. The concept of walking to raise awareness is a beloved and effective tool for supporting a cause.

While there are no specific figures on the number of walks sponsored each year by the 1.5 million registered charities in the United States, it's safe to say that populist fund-raisers -- like the walkathon and its cousins, the bike-a-thon, and the jog-a-thon -- are top picks. In fact, the top 30 "thon" programs in 2009 had nearly 11.3 million participants and raised more than $1.62 billion in gross revenue for charity last year (fact source).

The fact that anyone can join in to help remedy a societal pain is one of the reasons walks are so successful. From kids to senior citizens -- people with different backgrounds unite. In this way, nonprofits can engage the public in walks for visibility, participation, education and fundraising — all important factors needed to produce a powerful promotional tool for a cause.

But in the 42 years since the first U.S.-based walkathon -- yes, I was surprised by that date too (fact source) -- the format of walks has been transforming with the new strut of our youngest generations.

Both GenY and GenZ have added their own innovative citizen-spun styles to this old popular standby, and nonprofits should take note. No longer is the face of youth simply the poster-child for a fundraising campaign. More and more, kids today are emerging as innovators capable of "stepping up" as the new darlings of the nonprofit world.

Take for example 12-year old Zach Bonner, whom KooDooZ interviewed a few months back. Since the age of six, Zach has implemented a number of techniques to help raise awareness of, and money for, youth homelessness. He has organized sleepouts to give his peers a first-hand experience of sleeping without a roof overhead. He has stuffed backpacks and solicited donated goods for shelters. Most importantly, he has walked thousands of miles since 2007 for his cause.

Though he could have followed the footsteps of a nonprofit already addressing the same issue, Zach instead established the Little Red Wagon Foundation with the assistance of his mother in 2005. Since that time, this pre-teen has garnered priceless media attention, raised considerable monies, and has donated truckloads of aid to homeless youth.

Today, Zach has a camera crew following him as he steps into a 2,478-mile March Across America. In addition, a major motion picture is in development so that the story of this young philanthropist can be eternalized.

Few adult-led (or adult-founded) nonprofits are ever so lucky.

Another youth-led example includes 24-year old Melissa Williams who was recently interviewed by a KooDooZ youth advocate. Like Zach, she has not rallied people to walk alongside her, but has opted instead to touch tens of thousands of lives by personally delivering her message to the people. As a result her nonprofit, CA Wellness Walk, has harnessed the physical act of walking as a path to fitness—core to her cause of diabetes prevention.

Does it not beg the question: Why didn't Melissa simply participate in conjunction with a walkathon such as "Step Out" put on by the American Diabetes Association? After all, last year this organization afforded 164 walks across our nation, earning 120,000 participants.

Partly, the answer lies in the signature of Melissa's generation. As a Millennial, she is more likely to "mash-up" her own version of a walk. The way her generation sees it, Melissa's own quest for better health, coupled with her previous experiences of mentoring kids (11 to 13 years old), totally makes her an expert in educating people about diabetes because of how personal the cause is to her.

In just one class period, Melissa instructs students on the facts and figures that make diabetes relevant to them, then encourages them to unleash their own creative ideas regarding:

• the healthy habits they have yet to adopt
• the reasons why they may not be practicing these habits already
• the ways they can most easily incorporate these habits into their lives

As Melissa passes through schools, kids from each workshop contribute panels to her “wellness banner,” a visual representation of lessons learned about health and wellness. Long after her walk is done, the banner will serve as a visual representation of her physical walk: the distance traveled, the minds and bodies touched, the potential lives saved.

Personally, my biggest concern is that nonprofits are not paying close-enough attention to our youngest change-makers. Instead of having a public relationship with people like Zach and Melissa (arming them with the facts, figues and connections for change), it's the corporate brands (who might be focused more on "kid" versus "cause") that earn the glow of support.

This is pontificated in Zach's TV interview:

ANCHOR: In all of the things that you've done, all of the time that you've donated, what's the coolest thing that's happened to you through all of this?
ZACH: Well, ah - on our walks we have a couple of different sponsors. And McDonald's is one of our food sponsors. So one day we stopped at McDonald's for lunch (on one of the first days of our last walk), and a man came up to us, and he was talking to us, and he said, "Do you remember me?" and we said, "Well, not really." And he said, "Well, you held a holiday party for the kids at the shelter that I was living at. And you gave gifts to some of my kids." And even though this guy was only working at McDonald's he had so much pride in his job. And, you know, so much pride that he had gotten himself out of the shelter and into this apartment. And so there are tons of stories like that that just really inspire you and want to make you keep going.

I deeply believe cause leaders today need to take a closer look at how everyday people -- especially youth -- are reinventing philanthropy.

Ask yourselves: What would it mean if my organization supported a "thon" like Zach's or Melissa's? Remember, in Melissa's 6-month walk, she will engage 10,000 kids with diabetes prevention materials that they will take home to their parents. Over that same period of time, using a walk as a means of engagement, Step Out in 2009 earned roughly 60,000 participants.

A thought nonprofit readers might want to take in stride!

Posted via web from KooDooZ

Walking for Wellness, Youth & Diabetes

Melissa Williams is the self-described “fat kid who couldn’t run a mile.”  It’s easy to look at that statement and think that she’s being much too hard on herself, but it’s a realistic look inward that may have eventually saved her life.

After a lifetime of being technically obese, this 24-year-old Californian is walking 750 miles across the state -- from San Diego to Sacramento -- to raise awareness on the risks of type 2 diabetes.  Type 2 is the most common form of the disease, where the body is unable to really break down sugars for fuel.  When that happens, frightening complications can occur that may affect a person’s eyes, feet and skin.  Shockingly, nearly 6-million people in the U.S. have this disease and don't know it.

Melissa is touching as many lives as possible through wellness workshops delivered in middle and junior high schools.  She is additionally promoting healthier living through diet and exercise, and demonstrating the ways you can actually help prevent this disease by taking better care of your body.

Reaching out to teenagers and getting them to engage in healthier habits will, she hopes, leave a life-long imprint on them.

With 57 million Americans at risk for type 2 diabetes, current trends show one-in-five people are at risk for getting this disease.  For kids, Melissa estimates that the risk is even higher.  According to her, one-in-three children born in the year 2000 will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the next 40 years!

Although Melissa is delivering some hard facts for kids and the adults in their life to consider as she moves up the coast, she is also leaving behind the hope and understanding with these kids that 95% of diabetes is preventable.

Tuesday, March 23rd is American Diabetes Association Alert Day.  KooDooZ is encouraging kids to get their parents to take a simple test to determine their family's risk of having pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes.

Already on Day 70 of her walk, Melissa’s CA Wellness program has touched thousands of lives.  To learn more, check out Melissa's website and blog, follow her on Twitter @cawellnesswalk, and join the CA Wellness Walk on Facebook.  More importantly, listen to Melissa explain the risks you might potentially face through the body choices you make in your daily lives.

Posted via web from KooDooZ

Turning Volunteers into Leaders, One Warm Coat

Imagine a non-profit organization that has gained enough speed in only a few years that it has been able to touch — literally — hundreds of thousands of lives. Now imagine that same organization, far reaching across the country as it is, being a virtually “leaderless organization.”

How is that possible?

It’s all the more intriguing when the national organization’s president is the one making such an observation.

Sherri Lewis Wood, president and national coordinator of One Warm Coat, is making such a designation. As Sherri puts it in her blog, “EACH coat drive has a leader — someone who said ‘I can do that!’”

This kind of bottom-up structure is exactly what keeps One Warm Coat, through all its growth and hot media attention, a fundamentally local operation. Empowerment on such an individual level allows of a great degree of involvement, and makes leadership in community service more accessible to young people. So accessible, in fact, that in the last seven years, youth community service leaders have gathered a predicted 250,000 coats in their own local drives!

On the national level, growth has come organically for the San Francisco-based organization. A strong partnership between Burlington Coat Factory and Good Morning America for the nationally-run “Warm Coats & Warm Hearts” drive has certainly helped, keeping One Warm Coat in the public eye every winter while consistently breaking previous years’ records.

This year’s drive, which ran the course of the winter months, produced 219,762 new or gently worn coats—a 24% increase from last year—delivered directly to an individual in need.

Numbers generated by One Warm Coat researchers lead us to believe we truly are embarking on a new era of youth empowerment. Thousands of young people have taken it upon themselves in the last seven years to host coat drives—462 reported youth operated coat drives in 2009, adding to the running total of 2500 youth-led drives over the past seven years. Through the inspired “leaderless organization” scheme One Warm Coat employs, any child has the power to break down a visible problem in his or her local community and tackle it with tangible solutions and action.

An increase in the number of charitable donations to the folks at One Warm Coat reflects a national trend, where the Corporation for National and Community Service has spotted an increase in volunteer service.  According to a 2009 study, the number of volunteers in 2008 increased across the board by approximately one million. The role youth play in that number also boasts an increase: Numbers jumped from 7.8 million youth (ages 16-24) volunteers in 2007 to 8.2 million in 2008.

Here’s hoping this is a solid indicator of not only a growth in youth involvement, but in youth volunteer leadership. The KooDooZ Outstanding Youth Interview project though our sister blog, Cause4KDZ, has led us to some amazing teens with inspirational stories of generosity, determination and know-how.

KooDooZ recently interviewed Sherri Lewis Wood and Addison Graham, a member of the KooDooZ Youth Advisory Board.

Posted via web from KooDooZ

The Link Between Innovation, Youth and Social Entrepreneurs

On Monday, November 16^th, 2009 thousands of thought-leaders from top universities, non-profit organizations, corporations and social businesses engaged youth in various activities for Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Joining the celebration, KooDooZ was invited into a NFTE classroom to engage high school students in the principles of social entrepreneurship and social intrapreneurship.

KooDooZ GEW Presentation

View more documents from KooDooZ.

The KooDooZ team engaged students from Soledad Enrichment Action Girls Academy with case study examples of how social intra/entrepreneurs have executed their good work – both from within the existing framework of an organization, as well as on their own laurels. Students also heard firsthand from field innovators who are tirelessly instituting change around United Nations Millennium Development Goals such as:

• Millennial Development Goal #1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
  Mark Horvath, founder of InvisiblePeople.TV, who will put a magnifying glass on U.S. homelessness and the advocacy tools he is using to encourage public and corporate support


• Millennial Development Goal #2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
  Scott Fifer, founder of GO Campaign, who will share his experiences of working with grassroots organizations to provide access to education and help vulnerable children worldwide


• Millennial Development Goal #6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
  Nedra Weinreich, president and founder of Weinreich Communications, who will reveal which innovative social marketing stratagems have effectively been implemented in the health sector to advocate awareness and behavioral change around disease prevention


• Millennial Development Goal #7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
  Alexandra Teklak, creator of Aquamantra, who will share her experiences about the new rules of business sustainability and why she decided to create an energy enhanced natural spring water bottle in the world’s first 100% biodegradable, recyclable and compostable container

Young activists have long been the vehicle for change in this country. KooDooZ believes KDZ will define the next generation of social entrepreneurs. By unleashing their creativity and ingenuity, they will naturally become agents of change on the path of empowerment and innovation.

Redefining a kid's relationship to knowledge

Youth need to see that they are an influential and vital part of the community. When we don't include our youngest members of society in conversations of innovation, we loose an opportunity to cultivate a great mind. Today's schools need to tap into the creative and collective mindshare of kids who have already identified an ability to strengthen their community vision and inspire change.

I am proud that Tara Treffry, Community Research Coordinator at KooDooZ, was invited to speak about her career in teen empowerment to the students at the Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) for the Third Annual Environmental Awareness Career Day (10/26/09 ). Of special import to ECHS students is how different careers impact the environment and the world’s resources. The goal of the day is to further the school’s emphasis on college readiness, environmentalism and social justice.

ECHS believes in the power and passion of youth and has created a program that fosters and engages its students. The school sports a never ending list of accomplishments highlighting their committment to the idea that education outside of the classroom is just as valuable as education in the classroom.

ECHS holds students to a high standard of social responsibility, requiring 80 hours of community service before graduation. Students are encouraged to develop meaningful relationships with non-profits and organizations in their community as a way to complete their hours.

Public charter schools educate 1.25 million students across 4,300 different campuses throughout 40 of our United States. Chartered with building on the academic strengths and passions of their students, schools like ECHS have been redefining a teen’s relationship to knowledge by teaching him and her to make the world a better place.

Since its inception in 2000, ECHS has integrated environmental education in its' curriculm – though back in the day, the school held classes in the basement of a local church. Now 460 students rich and with a 50-year lease from the Lawndale Elementary School District, students in 9th through 12th grades have the space to use the compost corner and nurture a self-sustaining vegetable garden, which they tend entirely on their own, even using the edibles as part of their lunch program. Leftovers are often converted into biodiesel.

Required for all students to take during their 10th grade year, the Green Ambassadors class is a grassroots program with the aim of empowering youth to be agents of change in their communities and the world:

• One Billion Bulbs: this project involves youth empowering youth to imagine the possibilities of mobilizing the world to replace one billion standard incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs.


• Plastics are Forever: is another initiative where youth empowering youth create cleaner oceans by banning plastic bags and Styrofoam (polystyrene) in Los Angeles with Algalita Marine Research Foundation, Bring Your Own, Heal the Bay and other non-profits. Most notably, in 2008, students finished building a “Flotation Machine” and earned first place for having made it out of 800 used plastic bottles. Did you know their vessel actually sailed from Santa Barbara to San Diego?


• Public Recognition: Green Ambassadors are trained in Biofuels, Organics, Biodiversity, Remediation of our soil, and constructing buildings and structures out of earth friendly materials. The school’s students and teachers have won EPA awards, Environmental Hero awards, urban poetry awards, and many more. Of import here is the “Big Ideas for a Small Planet” documentary series which presented forward-thinking designers, products and processes that are on the leading edge of a new green world. Each episode revolves around a different green theme as it spotlights a specific innovator or innovation that has the potential to transform our everyday lives.


• Environmental Educational: includes trips to places such as Catalina Island, Joshua Tree National Park, the Sespe Wilderness Reserve, and multiple green enclaves around Los Angeles. In 2007, students raised funds to go to Brazil and studied the giant river otter with the group Earthwatch.

KooDooZ hosted a booth and engaged with students who have proven that they have developed a life balance of heart, mind, body and spirit -- a balance KooDooZ hopes to inspire more kids to find.

Other invited speakers included Lisa Sarno, Executive Director at Million Trees LA ; Ana Maria Sanchez, Program Coordinator at Generation Earth / Tree People ; Lisa Cox Wildlife Biologist at Fish & Wildlife Service ; Gretchen Lewotsky VP State and Local Government Affairs and Environmental Operations at Fox Entertainment Group ; Juan Devis Director of Production at KCET ; and two dozen other speakers from socially conscious organizations.

How Can Kids Make A Difference?

Experts ascribe different traits to different generations. Based on my personal and professional experience, I would agree that members of “Generation Z,” (born mid-1990s through the first part of this decade) are just as anxious as their older "Gen Y Millennial" siblings to make a difference.

Gen Z is the “Look At Me” generation who enjoy social networks, text messaging and keeping in virtual (if not virtuous) contact with their friends. Social researchers anticipate a strong social conscious and work ethic.

Typically, their heroes are close to their hearts, many naming grandparents, teachers and mentors over entertainers or politicians.

True, many of the Gen Z youth are still in their tweens and early teens, thus in a stage of evolution. But these kids will be leading the world in a couple of decades, so why not invite them to share their strong opinions now?

In partnership with Dreams For Kids and Split Pillow, we decided to ask:


The above video was shot, produced and edited entirely by kids in the Dreams Leaders program, with the professional equipment and guidance from Split Pillow.

Wanting to tap into the savvy technology skills of these kids, KooDooZ proposed to the Dreams Leaders Director, Abby Kritzler and Dennis Belogorsky, Executive Director of media literacy non-profit Split Pillow, the development of an online KooDooZ site challenge for kids across the nation to share their thoughts on video about how to make a difference.

Local Chicago youth in the Dream Leaders program were educated about how they can use media as an influential tool for social innovation and drive awareness to humanitarian issues.

How are you making a difference? Share with us! Here's how:

1. “Get In” KooDooZ by registering for an account
2. On the challenge board, find the “To Get Focused on Philanthropy” challenge
3. Click the “Subscribe” bulls-eye button to subscribe to the challenge and view all requirements
4. Upload your video directly on the KooDooZ site

About Split Pillow: Split Pillow is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the development of emerging filmmakers, the production of collaborative motion pictures and the promotion of media literacy through events, projects and workshops that foster education, appreciation and artistic innovation. In addition to providing creative opportunities for emerging film-makers in the Midwest, Split Pillow is also one of the region’s foremost advocates of Media Literacy education. Motion pictures are undeniably one of America’s greatest contributions to world culture and one of our most powerful tools for expressing the diversity of the human experience.

About Dreams for Kids: Founded in 1989, Dreams for Kids is a volunteer based, registered non-profit 501(c)(3) children’s charity that works to break down social barriers and end the isolation of children in need. Our mission is to empower young people of all abilities through dynamic leadership programs and life-changing activities that inspire them to fearlessly pursue their dreams and compassionately change the world. Through various initiatives from global awareness workshops to adaptive sporting events, Dreams for Kids unites children of every ability, race, religion, and socio-economic background and inspires them to realize their full potential and serve as active members of their communities and citizens of the world.

Also see: Focusing on Philanthropy with Kids

• Today’s young generation deeply cares about impacting their local and global communities.
• 54% of teens support a cause online
• 34% volunteer, according to a recent Common Sense Media poll.

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.