Tuesday 9 August 2011

Amazing children and what they can teach us

I am sure I'm not the only person who's disgusted with the mindless looting and violence parading as a social expression that's going on around the country at the moment; nor that so many of them are 'youths'. To restore any lost faith here are a few inspiring children that reaffirm my hope in the next generation.


Jack Draws Anything
I love Jack. He started drawing pictures to sell to raise money for the children's hospital where his brother was treated. 6 year old Jack started last year with a target of raising £100 and (as of this morning) has raised £23,404.50. Go Jack!!!
You can see his drawings, request one, and make a donation at jackdrawsanything.com.
 

Felix Finkbeiner
Felix is now 13, but when he was 9 he learned about the Green Belt Movement whilst doing his homework. Inspired by their simple principle and level of success, he started a campaign to plant 1 million trees. It's called Plant For The Planet. 3.9 million trees have been planted, and 7 million pledged. The new targed is 132 million. I love the slogan: Stop Talking. Start Planting. 

Dylan Carlyon
Dylan is a local 6 year old who climbed 3 Welsh peaks on 6 Aug: Skirrid (1601ft), Sugarloaf (1955ft) and Pen-Y-Fan (2907ft). He aimed to raise £500 for the Noah’s Ark Appeal, and has raised £2,700 so far. What's impressive about this is not just the amount he's raised, but the physical effort he put in to do it. 3 peaks in 24 hours would be too much for some adults, but Dylan did it.
He was inspired by seeing the benfits of the hydrotherapy pool treatment his little brother had for his hyper mobility, and concerned that the resource was shared and children's sessions were limited.
More information is here 

What I love about these 3 children is that they saw an opportunity to make a change for the positive. Instead of feeling helpless they felt powerful. They felt frustrated by a situation but instead of showing that frustration as mindless violence and aggression, the showed it in a way which benefits themselves and their cause.

Children cut through the rubbish that adults get bogged down in. They don't look for excuses as to why something can't be done. They find a way it can be. Like Felix says: Stop Talking. Start Planting. I'm grateful to them, and children like them, for teaching me things I have forgotten. 


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