Call for support - kids as partners in the future

If you haven’t seen my previous articles, recently I called for organizing a TEDChildren conference and started gathering a community using Twitter. Unfortunately the events unfolded into a somewhat unexpected direction.

Instead of just being idea promoter relying on the power of TED as a global platform for change to take upon it, I now feel I need to assume a more sizable role and connect with like minded people to try and implement the idea ourselves or with few smaller partners. I decided to use this article as a reset point for the initial call and reach out to the community for support.

I have posted this originally through Twitter (this should explain the format) and this serves as a condensed form with improved readability!

My call for action for TEDChildren hit a little snag: TED will not organize a TEDChildren conference in the near future.

I didn’t get discouraged! They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and I can be stubborn at times

I am now more than ever passionate about turning the idea into a reality — and I want to tell you why!

Try to imagine a future without kids! It hurts to even think about this, right? It’s a nightmare we better never see!

How about kids without future? — and I am not just talking runaway climate change roasting the biosphere.

The world in which many kids have no future already exists — we live in it every day.

From poverty, to no access to clean drinking water, to diseases, to no basic human rights — examples of this kind abound.

But the kids also face problems like outdated school systems, inefficient healthcare, junk food leading to diabetes…

In our world, adults decide for the kids — from chocolate milk during school lunch to opting out from vaccines…

From school budgets and teacher rating schemes to the choices of renewable energy sources and CO2 limits…

What right do we have to make these decisions for them? More experience and knowledge?

Maybe, but our experience and knowledge is limited to the world of NOW!

We and our kids learn the world of tomorrow together — they have to catch up on history but they’re quick learners!

In our world, we like to categorize and label — men, women, gay, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Christian, Muslim, Atheist…

We do this with kids too — infant, toddler, preschooler, grade-/middle-/high- school student, teenager…adult!

What purpose do these labels serve? To justify the right to make decisions if your sticker says “adult”?

They only help segregating into groups, leading to groups distancing from each other and starting their own cultures!

I am sorry, but the right to make decisions is earned — and we have done little to earn it so far!

It is time we take the stickers off and help the younger among us engage with the older ones in making decisions

We should get the help of the curios minds of the younger population if we’re to change our perspective on the problems of the future

We should use the creative power that the school system so diligently tries to kill and use it to seek for novel solutions to problems

We should bring walls down and build bridges instead to allow the local group cultures to enmesh into a global vision for the future

This is what @World4Children is about. This is why I need your help! Let’s build a platform where all generations partner in change

Long time ago, I was inspired by Severn Suzuki (at age of 12) speaking at the UN Earth Summit in 1992 http://youtu.be/uZsDliXzyAY

Today, I am inspired by Adora Svitak (12) speaking at TED http://on.ted.com/8aHs and organizing TEDxRedmond http://tedxredmond.com

By Brandon Wood (10) saving chimps and other Great Apes held in captivity in labs and alike http://ow.ly/2HY1J

By all the kids I meet everyday, as they’re engrossed in learning something new and excited about every new day

By all the young people finding ways to be creative and innovative on their way to the future *despite* the school system

By every single one of you trying to engage in this new brave and flat world in which participation is valued over consumption

Let’s make a difference and start a truly open platform that let’s all generations partner in change — no labels, no limited views

If you think you can help, or simply want to give your vote of support, please join the @World4Children followers on Twitter!

Thank you!!!