Noticing kids

Ever since we had children I have been noticing kids. We have 4 grown children and 6 grandchildren. I try to keep up with what is happening in each generation as it comes along. Babies catch my eye in the grocery store, and I read the stories about kids in newspapers and magazines. I am more drawn to commercials featuring kids. And I am convinced that children can lead us in new directions.

Today's post features some kids I noticed online. First off, I want to credit a new website developed by a group of interesting young "geeks." The following links employ my neat new tool Clipmarks, (linked to the title of this post above). With Clipmarks I have highlighted a couple of outstanding young guys in today's news:

Getting off to a fast start - They are kids - a "twenty-something" and a teen - who should be given credit for their outstanding, and very different, accomplishments. Both saw unmet needs and worked very hard to change the realities they found. Their levels of energy and dedicated commitment are amazing and noteworthy.

The first is a young blogger, a whiz kid, a college student whose energetic and creative work has caught the eye of some very famous folks who report the daily news on television. He found a niche and filled it. "Brian," as people call him is variously described as, "earnest, unprepossessing, commands grudging respect, a news addict." Quoting from the original NYT story,

In the industry Mr. Stelter is generally thought of as a reliable reporter, despite his youth and inexperience. “He seems to be a trustworthy guy, a trustworthy source of information,” said Jeff Greenfield, a CNN commentator. “And the fact that he can barely vote and drink shouldn’t really bother anybody.”

The second is a kid working for peace and justice. Om Prakash is a teenager from India who had a very hard time as a child laborer. He organized a campaign to protect against such exploitation of Indian children through issuing birth certificates and making protective child labor laws. His leadership was an outstanding contribution to the welfare of kids in his country. For this he was awarded a $100,000 prize by a Netherlands peace organization. From the original BBC News story comes this quote,

Om was awarded his peace prize by former South African President FW de Klerk, who with Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Speaking through an interpreter, Om reminded adults that they have a duty to listen to children.
"This is our right - that they have to listen. This is children's rights. And if they are not abiding with that right, we will work harder to make them hear."

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