Kids are interesting.
They just are.
We live in a very tumultuous, very fast, very quick-paced world these days where it feels like as if we're being bombarded left, right and center with all kinds of information, be it important or not so important. As a result, we can sometimes lose track of what's directly in front of us.
And I'll tell you one thing that may get overlooked at times.
What kids are capable of.
Another thing I've noticed, being a news journalist for as long as I have, one of the most consistent - and very surprising - things that I've discovered over the years is that kids LOOOOOOOVE being in the news. I can't tell you how many times I've driven over to Outlook Elementary School, or the high school, or over to LCBI, or maybe I've driven out to one of the other local schools in the area in Dinsmore, Loreburn, Beechy, wherever, and I've encountered many kids who were excited to have their photos taken or for me to write a story on something that they've done or created.
Maybe it was the school's science fair, or a school play that kids put on, or an eye-opening small business exhibit; it really could be anything.
Kids are capable of some very cool things, and they love being able to show off those things in their community's local newspaper and online for all to see.
What exactly are kids capable of, you may ask? Well, let's take a look at what youngsters have been up to all around the world.
Amber Kelley was only nine years old when she started her culinary journey in 2012 with her own YouTube channel, ‘Cook With Amber’. The fame she got from creating healthy recipes on her channel was then amplified with her 2016 victory in the televised cooking competition, Food Network Star Kids. From there, not only was Amber’s culinary expertise recognized by former First Lady Michelle Obama, but she was also featured as a ‘Kid Coach’ at Mashable’s 2016 Kid Talks. Furthermore, she was dubbed a ‘Culinary Wizard’ at the 2015 Academy Awards’ Live From the Red Carpet on E!, and a ‘Kid Coach’ at Mashable’s 2016 Kid Talks.
Alina Morse was 11 years old when she got her business idea. It started when she was offered a sucker by a bank teller during a visit to her local bank with her dad. Her dad informed her that sugar was bad for her teeth, but unlike any other child, Alina persisted and insisted her father help her create a lollipop that she and others could enjoy without rotting their teeth.
The first few batches all had their flaws, but changing the recipe and the measure of ingredients several times finally got Morse a good batch. Her use of $7500 from her savings turned out to be a solid investment, as 'Zollipops' proved to be a hit. Now, 10% of all profits earned from the business is devoted to bring oral and dental health education to local schools in Alina's area.
Pretty impressive kids, right? So then, knowing what youngsters are capable of doing with their time and what seems like an endless amount of creativity and outside-the-box thinking, I've had an idea in my head for a while surrounding a possible story series.
Do you have a son or daughter who might be "newsworthy"? Are they working on some cool at-home project that might grab attention? Are they doing something in their community that should be written about?
If so, talk to me! I'd love to sit down and interview them in a special story series!
Kids are smart, they're interesting, and in this day and age, they're also much more in-tune with the evolving world around them, so they're also doing some very inventive things in their young lives. I've covered such things at local schools, where I've seen their creativity and inventive spirits on full display.
That said, I also believe that what kids are doing sometimes gets overlooked by some of us in the media just because of the young ages that may be involved. To me, it doesn't matter if a kid is 8 or 18; they're doing some impressive things in our world that deserve to be talked about.
So with that, I'll leave it up to parents and guardians. Talk to your kids and see if they're interested in talking to me about the impressive things they're doing in their lives. If you believe it warrants a story, reach out to me! Let's spotlight the incredible things that younger generations are doing today!
You can reach out to me on Facebook, shoot me a text, or email me at [email protected].
Cheers.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
