Can you tell us how you came to develop KidSpirit?
I started KidSpirit because I felt that in our society the media reflects the values we pass on to teens. If we want kids to develop into global citizens who are aware of the values and spirit that connect us all, I believe they need a new vehicle. KidSpirit is one way to empower kids from many backgrounds and traditions to explore values, spirituality and big ideas. In our pluralistic society, it is particularly exciting to create a non-affiliated forum.
If we are going to break through barriers and create better mutual understanding, we have to look to the young. By the time young people are 18 or so, many of their attitudes are already formed. The traditional ‘rite of passage’ stage seems to me one in which kids are still quite open and yet they are able and eager to engage each other about serious questions and ideas.
KidSpirit is about airing the questions and reflecting on big ideas, not about trying to answer them. That is for each individual to do. KidSpirit stresses values which we think have a place in thinking empathically and globally—listening to each other, being inclusive and bringing to light people who give selflessly of their time to their communities.
Would you agree that today's modern teens are hungrier for spirituality more than ever? What are some of the challenges young people are facing when trying to explore life's bigger questions?
Yes, I would agree that they are hungrier for spirituality than ever, and I think part of that is because they are rarely included in dialogues about their spiritual beliefs and yearnings. Search Institute in Minneapolis has a project called the Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence. In a recent major study, they found that about a third of the kids surveyed described themselves as "pretty" or "very" spiritual, but 18% of kids surveyed say that no one helps them with their spiritual development. www.spiritualdevelopmentcenter.org
This research hadn't been done when I started KidSpirit, but I felt intuitively that there was a need among kids for this kind of dialogue and self-discovery. One major stumbling block is that while many kids feel innately spiritual, they don't have an outlet for that part of themselves, and if they do, it may feel disconnected from their daily life. By giving kids ownership of the process and connecting them in an explicitly un-affiliated and open forum, my hope is that KidSpirit will provide a missing outlet for youth everywhere. Kids from all traditions and backgrounds are welcome in this new community.
For some kids, the challenges may be feelings of isolation and disconnection. They may feel that no one in their lives shares their perspective or values it. We want teens to be able to share openly, respectfully and deeply about what they care about, and in doing so, allow their spirituality to flourish.
How can youth advocates encourage teens to slow down, disconnect and contemplate the world around them? Is this still possible in this hyper-connected world of instant gratification?
I do think it's possible, and very important. We all, adults included, need to try to slow down and youth advocates can help by modeling what they hope kids will want to emulate. Our KidSpirit editorial process is a fine balance of action and reflection, but it is all focused on substance not surface. One way to engage kids in slowing down is to talk about things that actually matter to them--suddenly the conversation is way more interesting than text-messaging. If teens feel like they are in a safe place where they can talk and really hear each other, and where they don't have to be concerned with everyday appearances, they are immediately more contemplative. The social networking aspect of our web site is meant to create just such an environment, within the context of the Internet. We want to create an online refuge for youth to have meaningful conversations and step back from the everyday hum of life.
KidSpirit's Teen Editorial Board
Can you discuss the production process of KidSpirit Magazine? How do your teens participate?
KidSpirit really took hold with the creation of the Editorial Board--a group of kids that meet at my home once a month to decide on future themes, select and edit submissions to the magazine and discuss life's big questions. The process begins with them and has been going for five years. We have about twenty kids ages 11 to 16 and the editors generally work on five to seven articles at each meeting. In addition to coming up with themes for each issue, they also decide on the central question for each theme, called the "Big Question," which becomes the focus of an article. They also write "Listen Up" questions which we post on the web site and invite comments from kids everywhere.
What makes the process dynamic is the conversation between the Editorial Board and kids who submit their work. Sometimes articles come from editors, sometimes from kids around the country and occasionally they come from unexpected places--even as far away as Calcutta, India. One writer found us on the web in India and submitted a fantastic article for an upcoming issue. Over the course of several months, she edited the article three or four times, each time responding to the comments of the Ed Board. By the time it was ready for publication we all felt like we knew her and she in turn felt connected to the kids reading her work thousands of miles away.
In KidSpirit teens collaborate on developing, writing and editing a magazine. What unique skills, strengths and lessons have you witnessed teens embracing from this experience?
Over several years I have witnessed remarkable growth in many of the kids on the Ed Board, and even in kids I have never met. Sometimes the growth has been primarily in terms of clearer self-expression, better organization of ideas and generally improved writing skills. More often though, I notice a shy teen becoming more open, a big talker becoming a better listener, and I witness many kids trusting their inner voices more. I am often amazed by deeper shifts that take place--a sense from many kids that participating in this process is empowering and life changing; that they feel more connected to each other, as well as to what they value and hold true.
Do you have any tips or advice you would like to share with youth professionals who would like to develop their own student magazine?
I think that giving kids ownership of the process sends a message that what they think and say matters. An interactive group editorial process hones everyone's skills and ensures personal involvement. Having smaller groups with special talents and interests is a good way to recognize individual interests. Above all, at least for KidSpirit, the aim is to create an atmosphere in which the magazine is just an end-result, not the goal, per se. Then the whole process becomes fun and deeply satisfying.
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