Full Transcription of our episode featuring the work of Kids4Kids
Regina Larko 0:05
Kid, you’ll move mountains. And will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed. 98 and three-quarter percent guaranteed. Do you recognize these quotes? They are from one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books.
The book’s title is Oh, the places you’ll go. It’s a popular bedtime story in our house very much appreciated by our three small kids. It’s such a great reminder for us grownups too, don’t you think? We had to move mountains, especially in this past year, as we had to adapt to new life reality is going through a global pandemic.
I am Regina Larko, founder of #impact, where we leverage the power of voice to drive positive change. You’re tuning in to our new year’s special that can be enjoyed all year round, as we take all the learnings from this past challenging year 2020 and turn it into something meaningful, something that can motivate us something that can give us direction on how we can make this world a little bit better with the talents and interests we have.
Personally, what always gives me so much energy and helps me put things in perspective is when I get to work with young people, they inspire me so much. And they remind me of myself, the younger version of me that was convinced that one day this world will be one where everyone lives safely and peacefully. No wars, no hunger, no climate crisis.
The reality, of course, looks different. And as we grow up, I think we tend to forget about that childlike wonder of believing that we all have the power to change things. I was lucky enough to be invited as one of the speakers at the 2020 Kids4Kids Powered by Youth Forum to be reminded of exactly that.
We all have the power to change things. Taking part in that forum was for sure one of the highlights of this past challenging year for me. And in this episode, you meet the people that brought the Kids4Kids powered by Youth Forum to life: The organizers, the volunteers, the young participants, you’ll hear their voices. And let me assure you, their messages will help you set the tone for 2021. And all the ones that follow.
Find more information about these episodes, and all the ones we are featuring in this exciting Season 5 at www.hashtagimpact.com/season5
Let’s begin. I stumbled upon the Kids4Kids work. Or maybe they stumbled over mine. I think it was one of my former guests on the show that was involved in their programs. And that’s how we first connected.
The first thing I always do when I want to get to know a charity that reaches out to me is to look at their website and find their mission and vision statement. And as I read through their website, I already hear in my head how I would want to amplify that message, like using a megaphone.
So young people, everyone power in the whole world could hear their vision and mission. Kids4Kids ignites the power of kids to develop social responsibility, take positive action, and inspire other kids to make the world a better place. They provide all young people equal opportunities to acquire important skills and values to develop stronger connections with the community.
It’s one thing reading about their vision on their site. But magic always happens when I connect with the people behind the organization. Get to know them better. Ask them my questions. So I checked in with Mabel Sieh, Executive director of Kids4Kids, to find out how exactly they empower children to become changemakers. Here’s Mabel:
Mabel Sieh 5:06
Kids4Kids is a platform for young people who want to be a part of building their own community. We believe in the power of children and youth, no matter how young, they can utilize their strengths and make a difference in the world they live in. We also believe in learning by doing, giving students hands-on experience and the freedom to try things out are very important for us.
Through the process, they build character, develop communication and collaborative skills, and learn to be resilient. What to do when things don’t work, how to regain confidence when they fail, and how to be accountable for what they do. More importantly, they learn about the needs of others, and what it means by serving others, how to build trust with beneficiaries, and make their community projects more impactful.
There’s a lot of reflections involved, and reflections are good for us. They allow us to think deeper, learn about ourselves more, and grow as a person. So when students come to Kids4Kids, they’re going to experience this journey of positive change, and they will be empowered to lead the change in the world.
Regina Larko 6:07
With half the world’s population under 25 Kids4Kids mission is to help all young people find their voice, take action, and make an impact on vital community issues. Season Five of #impact highlights the Sustainable Development Goals.
We are so thrilled that starting in 2017 Kids4Kids already has been focusing all assets and outcomes on achieving the UN’s 17 global goals by 2030. Goal 4 quality education, Goal 5 gender equality, Goal 17 partnership for the goals, are all tackled by one of the Kids4Kids signature programs: they are annual Powered by Youth Forum.
In this forum, students meet peers and industry leaders to discuss diversity and the needs of vulnerable communities. They start working on their own community projects. And just looking at what came out of these two days as all these young changemakers started their own initiative – it just blows my mind!
This past year was challenging. And Marina Monterosso, Partnerships and Development Director at Kids4Kids shares why.
Marina Monterosso 7:33
Wow, this year was unique. Due to the COVID-19, it was the first time that we run the Powered by Youth forum online. Lots of challenges, searching for the right online platform, motivate 120 students to be on the screen during two Saturdays, engaged 64 corporate volunteers to join us, and support during the breakout rooms discussions. Lots of behind the scenes work to make people believe that it was as easy as setting up a zoom link, but worth every minute. We could feel during the event the power of bringing like-minded people together to inspire and be inspired and the positive influence between peers. So glad that we could make the forum this year and give a platform for youth to believe that they are never too young to change the world.
Regina Larko 8:33
Yeah, so so true Marina for me. Looking at it from the outside as a speaker and participant it seemed effortless. Throughout the whole preparations, I experienced how well the whole team briefed everyone involved, just to make sure that the program would run smoothly on the days of and would have as much impact as it could.
I will never forget the prep call I had with Marina leading up to the event. I told Marina about my idea that I would like to record voice messages with the kids on the day of, on the spot. They would not have much time to prepare. And quite frankly, we both were not quite sure how that would turn out. It could really go either way. But we took the risk and made this part, the voice recording part, one of the main features of my voice workshop with the kids.
The kids fearlessly took on the challenge as I asked them to send in their voice messages to share what they think everyone could do to make the world a better place. I was so excited to receive the wonderful voice messages from the kids, as well as the volunteers. And I just want them to speak for themselves. What could we all do right now?
Lucia 10:15
What could we all do right now, to make the world a better place? Well, I think that everyone should stop thinking and start acting. So here are three top tips on what you could do. One, stop using single-use plastics, say no to straws, or even just take your own bag. Two, believe you can be the change you wish to see in the world. Three, smile, share a smile with someone that has just helped you, or even just a random stranger. So no matter how small your action is, it will make a difference.
Yannis 11:03
Hi, everyone, I’m Yannis. And I’ve been if we can make the world a better place, by taking good care and be confident of yourselves. The Bible teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves. So in order to give love to others, we must first learn to love ourselves. If we have no self-confidence, we may easily have conflicts when communicating with others, and others will feel very stressed. On the other hand, if we accept our characters, we can also accept others. And people will feel very nice when they are with us. So they can feel happy, and we can make the world a better place. That’s why I’ve believed, we must first love ourselves before loving others and changing the world. Thank you.
Ekta 11:53
I think that’s to make the world a better place. Just talk to someone, talk to any random person, talk to your close ones, and just talk to them. Because what in busy life today we need someone to talk to. So just by talking to someone about their day, about their life about their career, that might make them feel better. Because today, what we need is a companion. And yeah, just talk to someone about anything, so they might feel better. And we might end up getting a world about a place.
Alpha 12:43
In my opinion, what everyone could do right now, to make the world a better place is to start living green due to the fact that green living is so important, because of the following two reasons, the environmental benefits as well as how it creates a better life quality for ourselves. Firstly, regarding the environmental benefits, this actually can include very small things such as recycling, pollution reduction, such as using less paper and plastic, using more renewable products, etc. And these will all contribute to creating a much more sustainable world for us, as well as future generations to come. Regarding the second benefit on how this will actually create better life quality for ourselves. Through living greenly, we can actually improve our relationships, our self-worth, as well as our self-actualization. And through these aspects, green living is actually one of the most important ways in which we can make the world a better place right now.
Regina Larko 13:39
There were so many more voices and messages that we heard that very day. And I, I’m in awe for everyone actually being brave enough to send in a message. Also the grownups. I think the volunteers, the grown-ups, we’re encouraged by the fearlessness of the children and sent in some messages as well. So here are some of the volunteers that took part in that workshop. And, of course, without volunteers like them, a program like that would also not be possible. So it was, for me very touching also to see that they all took time out of their busy weekends to be part of this.
Claire 14:28
To make the world a better place I believe we should spread the act of kindness. Be the person to go the extra mile to help others. Be the person to hold the door. Be the person to thank the bus driver, be the person to share that compliment, and provide positive feedback. A simple smile can change the way that somebody’s day is going and it’s free. Be that person to make that change.
Tejas 14:54
Hi, I feel that animals deserve a better place than what we treat them. Just don’t hurt or harm them, just try to save their lives. And just let them be in their natural habitat. I mean, don’t just be selfish, that there be some room for them as well. And when you visit them in the zoos, it’s a very frightening scene. And when you look at them in their natural habitat, it’s a completely different experience. So just go for that experience, just try and enjoy that moment.
Regina Larko 15:33
We have a beautiful feature coming up in #impact Season 5 with Dr. Ying Ying Liu, the founder of LumiVoce. We love LumiVoce’s innovative solution to positively engage and educate people, especially the next generation through music, and emotive stories to inspire the love and protection of wildlife. They seek to turn today’s wildlife consumers into tomorrow’s wildlife protectors. And you will hear in one of our upcoming episodes, how they do that. Don’t miss this episode, hit subscribe on your podcast player from wherever you are listening right now. And better yet, make sure to also subscribe to our newsletter at www.hashtagimpact.com/subscribe.
That day, when the Kids4Kids Powered by Youth Forum ended for me on that early Saturday afternoon, I went back to playing with my kids. It was a sunny weekend and I was happy to get some quality time with my children. I’m not sure what bedtime story, my husband read the older kids that day. Maybe it was that favorite Dr. Seuss book that we usually pick out of the shelf. But I do remember that I looked at my young children differently. They will also grow up to share their thoughts in the way these kids I worked with that they could.
That thought made me really happy. And as I kissed my kids Good night, I got ready to unwind as well.
Just one quick look at the phone. Yeah, I’m totally guilty of that. So I really intend to leave the phone outside of the bedroom more often. But that day, I am happy I did check my phone just one more time. And there was a new message in my inbox blinking a voice message that I missed earlier. I was lying in my dark bedroom, making sure not to wake the baby in the crib. I put in my earphones and I hit play.
Mia 18:27
Today was just a normal day for you. Right? Well, let me just recap. Do you remember that compliment? Did you give that little girl? Her grandma just passed and that brightened her day. What about you not buying that single-use plastic water bottle? Well, you just saved an endangered sea creature’s life. Remember that dollar you donated today? A young boy was just fed three meals with that. And what about those baby clothes, you handed into that charity shop? Those are given to an underprivileged pregnant mother. You see, you may not have noticed. But these small acts of kindness not only can make someone happy but can save a life. You don’t need to spend lots of money, nor take time out of your day. But if you just think about your daily choices, you can change the environment in a positive way. This starts not with me, not with you. It starts with all of us.
Regina Larko 19:27
I got goosebumps listening to this message. It felt as if Mia spoke right to me. And every time I really listened to this message, it still resonates as if I hear it for the very first time.
This is the impact of Kids4Kids. They empower children to use their voice. They encouraged them to be changemakers. They give them confidence, resources, and a platform to launch their impactful ideas.
They empower them to move mountains. What mountain are you moving to this year? And will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed 98 and three-quarter percent guaranteed.
Connect with the Kids4Kids team at www.kids4kids.org.hk If you’re looking for the show notes to this episode, you can find it at www.hashtagimpact.com/season5 Thanks so much for listening today. Talk to you soon. Bye.
Get in touch with the Kids4Kids team.
- Official Website of Kids4Kids.
Helpful resources to educate yourself on the Sustainable Development Goals
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