StampAuctionNetwork - Robotics for Kids???
Hi StampAuctionNetwork Friends,
If you follow my facebook posts, you may have seen I had the opportunity to meet Lonnie Johnson, the NASA and Jet Propulsion Rocket Scientist that became famous for inventing the SuperSoaker. That happened because Anita Jackson (the most connected woman in the world) and I happened to be in Atlanta at the time, and she invited me on a tour where Lonnie was showing Ambassador Andrew Young his Lab and what he was doing for kids with Atlanta's Lego First Robotics program.
Anita is a STEAM fanatic (enthusiast). She is also the first African-American otolaryngologist -- and I can say that without tripping up. She wants to put together 10 Robotics teams in NC like the ones she saw in Atlanta. The way to do it is to start with kids age 6-10. The money raised will go to pay for the kits from LEGO. Each kit is $319 and supports a team of 10. They have capacity with mentors and volunteers to support 10 teams. The organization that is doing this has been working with kids programs for a long time. They are legit and they know what they are doing.
This does seem random, but two things to consider. We (you and I) have raised $150,000 for Diabetes. I have some other efforts that I want to support and this is one of them. There is a connection to stamp collecting here. We need to support activities that are hands on, that grab a child's attention, and train their minds to enjoy doing things that are not as addictive as just playing computer games. In other words, we need our kids writing computer games not playing them.
Legos Robotics gets you building things that move and you can program. It is computer programming. These activities do draw you into them and the feedback loop of building, testing, fixing, keeps your attention in a very positive way, not with the negatives of computer games. If we want kids to like collecting stamps, we also need to support these other healthy activities.
...and I will not even go into the reality that the suburban white kids get these programs because of wealthy white school districts and parents....
Special Offer!!! If you donate $100 or more, I will either sign you up for a free year of extended features, or extend it a year.
- Tom Droege
I would like to close with some wisdom from Africa. You've probably heard the "it takes a village", but this is just as compelling.
And How Are the Children? by Patrick T O'Neill.
Among the most accomplished and fabled tribes of Africa, no tribe was considered to have warriors more fearsome or more intelligent than the mighty Masai. It is perhaps surprising, then, to learn the traditional greeting that passed between Masai ¨
warriors: "Kasserian Ingera," one would always say to another. It means, "And how are the children?"
It is still the traditional greeting among the Masai, acknowledging the high value that the Masai always place on their children's well-being. Even warriors with no children of their own would always give the traditional answer, "All the children are ¨
well." Meaning, of course, that peace and safety prevail, that the priorities of protecting the young, the powerless, are in place. That Masai society has not forgotten its reason for being, its proper functions and responsibilities. "All the children ¨
are well" means that life is good. It means that the daily struggles for existence do not preclude proper caring for their young.
https://www.uua.org/worship/words/reading/and-how-are-the-children
It will take you to the groups GoFundMe campaign
Can you do this today? They want to get all the kids signed up by Thursday.
