This Friday, we’ll be discussing the importance of “You Matter” and how we are connecting students with mentors in the workforce, to leverage the wisdom of both.

The segment is part of a 21-hour program hosted by The United Way on Google Hangout. It’s a modern-day version of a telethon, but it seeks to raise volunteers, rather than money.

The “You Matter” message is at the heart of our work as educators and, more importantly, our lives and the lives of our students. When we individually and collectively inspire others to remember who they really are, to educate them about the many ways that they matter, and empower them to make their greatest contributions to the world- we change their lives and the change the world.

I stand in amazement at the depth and breadth of our young people. They have a way of looking at the world that gives me hope and excitement. Students are willing to lead the change. They are not asking for permission. They are asking for respect. They want to express their passions in meaningful ways. They want to show the world that in spite of their years, they are a force to reckon with.

Visit the United Way site to join us on June 21.

Guest post: this post is from Carly Shields and Jennie Shaw, two rising juniors at Downingtown STEM Academy, which we visited in early June. Read it and you’ll understand why I feel so blessed to be able to work with students such as these. There are, indeed, Brighter Days ahead for this world.

When Angela Maiers visited us, it was the final week of school, and we had finished finals. We thought we were done for the year, but little did we know that we were about to change the world.

On the first day, we all met in the auditorium, and Angela spoke to us and inspired us all. It was the first time that everyone in our grade was on the same page.

It only took two words — you matter. The meaning behind these two words is so powerful, and it changed our outlook on life. Well why were these words so important? For some, these words could simply put a smile on their face, or brighten up their day. But for others, it could save their lives. Just having someone tell you that you matter can make that big a difference.

Angela then gave us our mission. She wanted us to use our genius and skills to create something that would change the world. And so we did. Seems too simple, doesn’t it? Well with a room full of young, innovative people, we knew we could do it.

Usually, everyone thinks that it’s only adults who have control to change the world; but what a room full of us teenagers accomplished in a mere two school days will surely change that thinking.

Over the next two days, we worked rigorously and passionately to create projects that addressed what we felt were important issues in the world. Angela connected us with several people via Twitter and other social networking sites, and this taught us that adults take our ideas seriously and want to help us succeed. At least 10 organizations were launched.

This blew our minds. How could we make such an impact? Were people really willing to help us change the world? The answer was yes.

For example, we created something that is very near and dear to our hearts – an organization called Brighter Days that seeks to put an end to suicide. Since we have both lost someone to suicide, we know the terrible effects that it has on family, friends, and the community. Watch our launch video.

• Brighter Days will strive to save the lives being lost by showing people their purpose in life, and that they do matter.
• It’s amazing how a community can come together when a valuable life is lost, and we want to tell people how to handle that.
• We will share our experiences in order to assure people that everything will be all right in the end, and that there will always be brighter days ahead!

We’d like to thank our teacher, Mr. Staub, for introducing Angela to the STEM community, and for all of the hard work he put into making all of this happen. And of course, Angela Maiers, for being such an inspiration to us all individually and as a school. What we have accomplished in one week is unbelievable, and we hope she comes back to see our progress soon!

Two weeks ago, I pitched Choose2Matter and the Quest2Matter to a room full of passionate educators at EdCampPhilly.

Justin Staub, social studies teacher at Downingtown S.T.E.M. Academy, reacted enthusiastically. A few hours later, he sent me a pitch for me to present a two-day Choose2Matter event to his sophomore class to end the school year. As in, two weeks away.

This led to two days that I will never forget.

Justin is blessed with the support of a “can-do” headmaster in Art Campbell and a Superintendent, Larry Musoline who trusts the judgment of his staff.

By Monday night, we had approvals and were planning the event. Because today’s students respond best when they are active participants, on Wednesday, I Skyped with a dozen enthusiastic students to plan.

Nevertheless, we arrived to find students slumped and scattered around the auditorium, mostly near the back.

I explained to the students that when I ask first-graders if they think they can change the world, the response is nearly always unanimously, emphatically,”YES.”

I then asked their estimation of what percentage of them would respond in the same way. The answer? Two percent. Six of the 300 students believed they could change the world.

I then told the students that they mattered, and that they were geniuses and the world needed their contributions.  Many of them sat up and began to take notice.

I then read words of inspiration from members of the business community and our partners in the innovation community on Twitter, and we had three innovators Skype with advice and wisdom. We played the video of a Ted Talk by a 13yo Kenyan boy who used a car battery and old flashlights to harmlessly stop lions from killing his livestock.

The students then disbursed to begin working on their world changing projects. Two hours later, they were already presenting their initial ideas.

That evening, one group Tweeted that it was collaborating at Chipotle at 10 pm and didn’t want to go home. The following morning, several students Tweeted that they couldn’t wait to go to school.

When we kicked off the second day, the students filled the first few rows of the auditorium and listened with rapt attention.

By the end of the second day, at least ten companies had been formed, with names, logos, mission statements, websites and launch videos.

For each group, we arranged connections with several mentors who were experts in the topic area:

• Students interested in animal rights were connected with a zoo;
• others interested in cancer research were introduced to a prominent cancer researchers;
• a group dedicated to suicide prevention was supported by the Executive Director of “You Matter, Don’t Quit,” a suicide awareness effort headed by famed actress Mariel Hemingway.

These students – 98% of whom did not believe they could change the world just the morning before – began to Tweet phrases such as:

• “It’s amazing, wonderful and overwhelming how quickly this came together, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

• “I have never been prouder to be a student at STEM than I have these past two days.”

• “Very excited to take this project further. Thank you for showing us the change we can make.”

• “It’s unbelievable how much a group of teenagers can do.” 

At the closing session, Justin asked the students to stand if they believed they could change the world. A photo of the response:

To see the two days “play out” in full on Twitter, YouTube and other online media, check out the Storify we made.

Do I need to explain further why these were two days I’ll never forget?

Lesson Learned: when kids say they want to change the world, LISTEN!

Next year, we will scale Choose2Matter into tens of thousands of schools around the world. Will your school be a part of it? Will your students begin to believe that they CAN change the world?

Post note: even after I published this post, it just kept getting better; a large group of students gathered at a home, late on a Friday night on the last day of school, to explain what these two days meant to them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJHdU0ZgT-A

Choose2Matter is a call action that invites you to ACCEPT that you matter, to ACCELERATE the message that everyone matters, and to ACT to solve problems that break your heart.

How do you ACCELERATE the message – how do you let other people know they matter?

You take a multi-layered approach that I discuss in my latest column in the Huffington Post:

• You See Them
• You Listen Earnestly
• You Ask Meaningful Questions
• You Believe They Can
• You Dwell in Possibility
• You Celebrate Them
• You Do Small Things With Great Love
• You Show Up
• You Choose2Matter

Read more about each of these points in my column, “People Know They Matter When…“

No one knew quite what to expect from the first-ever Bammy Awards, presented by the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences to educators, last September.

The Executive Producer, Errol St. Clair Smith, set modest expectations and delivered well beyond our wildest dreams, leaving us wanting for more. So are the Bammys people resting on their laurels, and merely pushing the “repeat” button this year?

Not by a longshot.

This year, the Bammys will honor someone even more integral to the education system – a student.

We are thrilled that the Academy is partnering with Choose2Matter to bestow the first Student Initiative Bammy Award on a student that participates in the Quest2Matter.

While other organizations give awards to students, the Bammys once again breaks new ground by creating a major student award to be presented at a black-tie, red-carpet “adult” ceremony. It’s a powerful recognition that students are the reason we all do what we do, and Choose2Matter could not be happier to be working with the Academy to make it happen.

What are the Bammys? It’s an awards shows that honors members throughout the entire education community. So who can better explain it than members of the community?

• Lisa Nielsen, who blogs as The Innovative Educator, writes, “Envision a world that values education like it values entertainment….The Bammy Awards were created to help reverse the negative national narrative that dominates the education field.”

• Peter DeWitt, in a column for EdWeek, “Why Should Educators Pay Attention to the Bammys?, noted that in recent years, “education has felt more like a battleground than a place to educate and inspire students…. The Bammy Awards want more for teachers and administrators. The awards are meant to focus on everything that it is good about education, and we all know that there is a great deal of good in education.”

• Tom Whitby, who was part of a group to receive the Outstanding Education Blogger Award, noted that the Bammys often awards educators who receive little notice elsewhere. As he writes, “the very people who connected educators look to as the contributors of ideas to the global discussion on education are not recognized by their own peers. They have to fight in their own districts for the same things we all fight for.”

• A skeptic-turned-convert is Karen Seddon, who wrote on her Tuesdays With Karen blog about how her initial skepticism for the event turned quickly to delight: “I think this is one of the greatest gifts to the teaching profession because we want to build our teachers up, not burden them….The Bammy Awards are the coolest Teacher Appreciation event I have ever seen.”

• Similar sentiments came from Dr. Spike Cook, who wrote, “I applaud the Academy for having the determination to roll out the red carpet for the people who are most dedicated to the future of society – educators!”

Dr. Cook credited John Merrow, one of the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, with “one of the best lines of the night…‘Ask students how are you intelligent, not how intelligent are you?’”

Consistent with this plea that educators recognize the different types of student genius, the Quest2Matter gives students the opportunity to express their passions in their own unique way.

Choose2Matter is so proud to partner with the Bammy Awards and looks forward to an enduring partnership that powerfully recognizes the unique genius of students.

This is a guest post from Jana Scott Lindsay, an educator and learner in Saskatoon, Canada.

This is a cross-post from her blog, Driving Me to Think.

Photo Credit

Why is it that we are often our own greatest obstacle to overcome?

I love being a dreamer.  Of imagining a world of possibilities that will shape and guide me.

So then, what does it mean to dream big … I mean really?

I hear these words all the time… and yet I am not sure if I really understand what they mean. Or is it I don’t value enough my own desires to actualize them?

That is exactly what it was … until now.

This new year I have taken more than one step into uncharted territory.

Going back to school as a full time student after twenty years was no small feat. No small challenge but in many respects offered the incentive to really dream big.

I have long been looking for a passion that could rival both being a teacher as well as mother and wife.  I knew that while I could utterly feel fulfilled in these roles I really felt I owed it to who I am to explore who I hope to become.  Envisioning the future isn’t only for the young, but probably most especially, for the young at heart.

Here is where the footsteps of my quest have taken me…

I have found my passion in one of the most unlikeliest of places. I can’t give myself any more credit that the simple fact that I stumbled upon it.  Hiding in the shadows of my existence, it has become a part of me without me even knowing it was happening.  I have been immersed in this culture and life for years now, but only recently could I see it calling to me with fresh eyes. I know that to dream big is to follow in the direction I am being led.

My passion is the martial art of Muay Thai. The word Muay is derived from the Sanskrit Mavya which means “to bind together”. Those simple words completely encompass how I feel when I am training. I am bound to the learning in a way I never thought was possible.  The confidence I feel is only matched by the competence I gain from each new training session.  It consumes many of my waking thoughts and, for the first time, I revel in knowing that this learning is a part of who I am.  It has empowered me as a learner and given me a focus that compliments every other aspect of my life.  Muay Thai has been an amazing teacher … combining humility, assurance, skill, tenacity, and intelligence as part of the curriculum.  My own teachers, each and every kru (sensei), continue to offer me the challenge I need to grow in my skill, understanding, and learning.  Most importantly, they instil in me the confidence to continue on.

I have never looked back and now truly understand what passion and fire feels like as it burns inside of me. I know that my journey has only just begun … mastery may very well be a minute speck in the far distance, but with discipline and passion as my compass, I know I am headed in the right direction.  Someday mastery might very well intersect my future.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” ~Bruce Lee

And so continues my passion and desire to learn…

We are thrilled to announce that The Academy of Education Arts & Sciences has announced it will award the first Student Initiative Bammy Award to a student that participates in the Quest2Matter.

The award will be presented during the black-tie Bammy Awards on September 21 in Washington, D.C.

The Bammy Awards is an event to not only honor our educators, but also offer our support as members of the educational community to one another. The idea behind the Bammy Awards is “to help reverse the negative national narrative that dominates the education field” and celebrate the extraordinary work of fellow educators.

The Quest2Matter gives students the opportunity to express their passions in meaningful ways. 

Students are willing to lead the change we need to see in this world and we are so proud that we will celebrate our students’ passions by honoring their efforts of one of them at this year’s Bammy Awards. 

One of the many reasons that we encourage schools to promote authentic learning – that is, where students take on real-life problems and solve them the way that employees of a company would – is because the world is changing too quickly than any curriculum. How many schools still include Powerpoint lessons at the core of their “technology” classes?

In promoting Choose2Matter, I’ve had to stretch my thinking about effective presentation today when promoting a multi-layered message and a call-to-action to a time-stressed audience.

I attended EdCampPhilly this weekend, and, as is always the case with EdCamps, I learned an awful lot of useful information. For instance, the brilliant librarian Elissa Malespina told me about Smore, a site that makes it easy to create and share digital flyers. It is very flexible, enabling you to “build” your flyer one section at a time and embed links, audio and video.

I used Smore to create this flyer, which tells the story of the Quest2Matter and how to participate in it better than any tool we’ve previously used. After a short learning curve, I found it very easy and intuitive to use.

Please let me know what you think of the flyer, and also please share it with everyone you know!

Thank you,

Angela

Do you wish there was an app to collaborate with other teachers, communicate with parents, or engage your students?

In need of a new website for your school or class?

Have you identified a pressing need in your district that you think new software could address?

On the weekend of June 1 & 2, 100 top developers, brought together by Dwolla, will meet in Des Moines to help students, educators, and administrators build the software, app, or website that will address a challenge found in their school.

All you have to do is teach Dwolla about the challenge.

If selected, you’ll have 36-hours and a team of developers to create the kind of software, website, or app that will not only solve your challenge, but the challenge for potentially thousands of others.

Winning teams will split a minimum $4,000 prize!

This “hackathon” is free and requires no technical experience.

To learn more head to: http://hacktoschool.com/

More:

Lt. Governor video: http://youtu.be/QPHcZImuP7Q

Blog post: http://blog.dwolla.com/hack-to-school

Website: www.hacktoschool.com

Registration: http://hacktoschool.eventbrite.com

Call for Challenges form: https://dwolla.wufoo.com/forms/r7p5w3/

Our Quest to leave no genius behind is coming to fruition! We have had an extraordinary flow of good news this week and will be announced many terrific partnerships and ventures in the next few weeks.

On Friday, May 17, Choose2Matter was featured on a segment of “Tech Game Changers” on HuffPost Live. CLICK HERE for a link to the recorded session.

I was joined by our partners Saul Kaplan of Business Innovation Factory, several of the “troublemakers” who help form BIF, and Brian Cuban, also a noted troublemaker, First Amendment lawyer and TV talk show host.

Prior to the segment, Saul and I had a chance to sit down and discuss the game changing elements of our partnership. We also explained in a joint blog post today on Huffington Post about the incredible rewards to be gained from breaking down generational barriers when it comes to innovation.