[Editor's note: This article first appeared on edRover. We appreciate being able to repost here.]
Three years ago, a then 9 year old MaryMargaret O’Neill asked her father Gabe to help her build a website to save animals. Today, the father-daughter team is leading the Kids Are Heroes movement, which brings young people together to make a positive difference in the world. Through executing mission-based tasks such as giving up birthday presents to raise money for important causes, the children involved with the heroic community are developing leadership skills, self-confidence, and learning the big picture benefits of giving back to those in need. We caught up with Gabe O’Neill and got the scoop on how far Kids Are Heroes has come and where it’s headed.
ER: How has volunteerism and activism among kids evolved sine you started your organization?
GO: I’m not sure that it has evolved just yet. There are many kids out there that for whatever reason have decided to do something amazing and we have so far in our three years of existence just scratched the surface to find them. What we have learned from these children has impacted us in many ways. We have seen first hand results that this activity shapes leaders and boosts confidence in children, so our goal help as many parents we can turn their children into leaders. The great thing is that some one or some thing will also be affected positively as a result.
Our ultimate goal is to create a generational shift where volunteerism becomes an accepted part of child development around the world. We know of some kids who have started this activity after seeing our site or meeting our heroes. We want kids to think of this activity as “cool” and look up to those who are doing it. This is the evolution we are hoping for.
ER: What are the most surprising things you’ve learned about kids and their desire to affect positive change?
GO: I still often get shocked when I hear about what a new hero has done to be featured on our site. The stories are so personal. Many would think the parent is controlling everything and doing all the work. But that is simply not the case, at least with most of our heroes. The reason why is because the idea originated from the child from his/her passion about something. The parents then supported this idea. That’s another thing we have discovered and is the reason why we don’t tell kids what project to work on. We let them find it themselves via their passion and then support them. What is amazing is how driven and knowledgeable they are about what they are doing.
ER: You have a Kids are Heroes radio show! How has your radio show impacted your nonprofit?
GO: Our radio show gives our heroes a venue to practice their speaking in public which is what I’m most grateful for. It also gives them a platform to get the word out, but when kids get these kinds of opportunities it is great for them as it boosts their self esteem and helps them to get better at it. That also holds true for my daughter and myself. Some of these kids will be on the radio for the first time through our show. This is a skill they will need as they progress, and a great one to have in life.
Another thing the radio show has provided us is more credibility which has led to still more radio interviews.
ER: What are the next steps to be taken to empower kids to do social good?
GO: We can only empower more kids if they and their families know about us. That is why we are on a perpetual mission to get the word out. We do as many interviews as we can, and are about to shop a documentary series to several TV networks. We hope to host events over time where they can get together. We have seen how quickly and deeply they bond once they meet each other. These are the leaders of tomorrow, so we are helping them build their network of leaders now. We also hope to offer them training/mentoring sessions for their work. We plan to develop resources for schools to get them more involved. All this will happen in time.
Related Posts
Tags: Gabe O'Neill, kid activism, Kids Are Heroes, MaryMargaret O'Neill
