Everloop, a new social site aimed at kids 8-13, is not just another virtual world. Or social network site. It's not a kids' Facebook or alternative to Whyville.net or LEGO Universe, contrary to what's being reported (see Mashable). But it's also not just an online space. What it is depends on who's looking at it. To kids and parents, it's like a virtual-world and/or social-network mall that's … [Read more...] about Virtual world ‘mall’ now has online-safety ‘store’
online safety
Pink shirts in Canada: Ultimate social norms model
Today (Feb. 23) is Pink Shirt Day in Canada, marking a national movement and international model for defeating bullying – all started by two good guys in Nova Scotia, Travis Price and David Shepherd. You've probably heard the story by now, but – when, back in 2007, the then high school seniors noticed a freshman boy was being picked on for wearing a pink shirt – they figured "that's enough ... … [Read more...] about Pink shirts in Canada: Ultimate social norms model
New view of targets & bullies: Study
The latest research on bullying – a series of studies of 3,722 8th-to-10th-graders in three North Carolina counties – found that targets of bullying are not physically or socially weaker or marginalized students so much as social rivals. What's interesting about this is that the focus is shifting from individual traits (how strong or aggressive or marginalized kids are) to where they are in the … [Read more...] about New view of targets & bullies: Study
Kids skating ahead in Kabul – literally
Don't miss this beautiful 8.5-min. video, "Skateistan: To Live and Skate Kabul," depicting youth advocacy in its purist form. "Skateboarding's a fantastic way to get kids to communicate with each other and build relationships with each other," says founder Shana Nolan, and the main focus of Skateistan is to build kids' confidence and give them a voice." In this video, you can see how that happens. … [Read more...] about Kids skating ahead in Kabul – literally
The benefits of parenting with respect
When I read "6 parenting rules for raising a critical thinker" by parent, author and child advocate Marjie Knudsen – who I had the pleasure of meeting last fall at the International Bullying Prevention Association conference in Seattle – I loved the rules but at first thought the headline was a bit off, since there didn't seem to be anything there about how to raise critical thinkers. Then I took … [Read more...] about The benefits of parenting with respect