Ashoka’s Youth Venture and Changemakers is partnering with Staples to launch their first global competition to recognize young leaders who are finding new ways to create positive change in their communities. They are seeking the most inspirational ideas and projects led by young people between ages 12 and 24. Spread the word about this initiative and nominate young leaders with fantastic ideas! Now through October 15, 2008. Winners will be announced November 12, 2008.
Laurie Thompson
WooHoo!
I just got back from my first ever SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, and besides all of the:
- inspiration and information to be soaked up “like gravy on a biscuit,”
- wonderfully creative, talented, generous, and adorable people,
- frivolous fun with friends old and new…
the best part of the whole conference is that my teen nonfiction manuscript about how to save the world got nominated for the Sue Alexander award!
So, now I’m feeling this awesome pressure and responsibility to GET TO WORK! (Along with an irresistable urge to break into my happy dance.)
Busy, busy, busy…
I haven’t posted any new articles for quite awhile now, so you’re probably thinking I’ve been sitting at home all day eating bon-bons and watching Oprah. No way! I’ve actually been taking a conscious break from article writing to focus on a book… or two. What started out as an idea for one middle grade book has now become a picture book biography of Emmanuel Yeboah AND a teen how-to guide for Youth Venture! I’m not sure working on two so totally different books at the same time is a good idea, but they’re slowly moving along.
I also joined the Advisory Committee of our regional SCBWI chapter last year, and was very busy helping to organize our 17th Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference. It was one of the most daunting, eye-opening and rewarding experiences of my life, and I truly can’t wait to do it again!
And now, back to work…
Wheel‑y cool!
What has more kid appeal than a gigantic truck that drives from town to town looking for tires to chomp? One that cleans up the environment at the same time! Here’s one company’s latest invention intended to help clean up waste tires in the U.S. and Canada.
Child specialists
No, not the specialists who know a lot about children. Rather, the children themselves who know a lot about their chosen specialty. Is it better for today’s kids to be well-rounded generalists or hyper-focused elites? That is the question I examined over the summer. You can read all about it here.
The risks and rewards of ‘specializing’ early, LearningMap, October 2007
KONO Magazine — Bones of Steel article
KONO is a brand-new martial arts magazine for kids ages 5–12. My article about nutrition tips for healthy bones, “Bones of Steel,” appeared in their May 2007 premier issue!
WeeOnes — Extreme Treasue Hunting
Extreme Treasure Hunting, which introduces kids to the fun of geocaching, was the first article I wrote for children. It was accepted way back in April 2006, but finally made its appearance in the May/June 2007 online issue of Wee Ones Children’s Magazine for ages 4–10.
FACES Magazine — Riders for Health article
FACES: People, Places, and Cultures is a Cobblestone Publication for kids ages 9–14. I profiled an organization called Riders for Health for their March 2007 global health issue. By using fairly simple machines, Riders for Health has solved a complex problem. They use motorcycles to deliver medical supplies and services to regions of Africa with little or no infrastructure. Simply elegant.
Put those kids to work
You certainly can’t tell by looking, but our kids love to help clean the house. Unfortunately, this is one thing I’m sure they didn’t learn by example. If I enjoyed it even half as much as they do, we could probably do something crazy like invite people over for dinner once in awhile. Maybe someday they’ll be able to do it all by themselves, but until then, here are some helpful techniques.
Choosing age-appropriate chores, ParentMap, January 2007
Unprecedented victory against measles
Here’s some encouraging news. The Measles Initiative partnership recently announced that worldwide measles deaths fell 60% from 1999 to 2005, from 873,000 down to 345,000 deaths per year. That’s 528,000 lives saved every year.
“One of the clearest messages from this achievement is that with the right strategies and a strong partnership of committed governments and organizations, you can rapidly reduce child deaths in developing countries,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
We’ve seen that it can be done. What’s next?