Our Children Will Save The World!

    To quote my friend, Mike Gibbs, CEO and Co-Founder of Camp BizSmart, "today's young people were born with an iPhone in one hand and an iPod in the other. They have a natural instinct for the next new thing, and a very clear vision of what they want and need; like and don't like. Further these members of the Millennium generation not only have a drive for doing well, but also a heart for doing good. They will create the next generation of innovative, and socially conscious, double and triple bottom line companies that will have an impact well into the next century."

    Hallelujah! Our children will save the world! Don't laugh. This is not sarcasm veiled as praise. This should come as a relief to those who feel that the world as we know it, with America as the global economic leader, is coming to an end. There is hope beyond the bailout. The current economic drama, most recently brought to life in last week's serial, "The Big 3 Go To Washington", reminds me that, in some ways, our country has become a BIG dysfunctional family!

    The "children": individual consumers (with unwieldy amounts of credit card debt and homes furnished thanks to "buy now/pay later" interest free schemes), homeowners (with mortgages they never really could afford even before the subprime debacle), financial institutions, or auto makers, have all acted irresponsibly. Any good parent would tell their children to take personal responsibility for their actions, which should include living within their financial means. Now saddled with debt and fear of expulsion from their financial institutions, their mortgage companies, or their shareholders, the kids are turning - with no shame - to Mom & Dad, in the house and the senate, and asking for help. Mom & Dad, who cannot bear to see their flesh and blood suffer have come to the rescue. So - what lesson is this? Spend wildly, overextend yourself, exercise no discipline, and the future will take care of itself???

    Since the parents are no longer setting the example, I - for one - am extremely grateful to the net generation. This generation of natural innovators, has embraced and continues to exploit innovations made possible as a result of the rate of change in the world of technology. As Don Tapscott illustrates in "Grown Up Digital", this is the first time ever that children are teaching their parents!

    There is so much to be learned from the young, not the least of which is how they view the world, think and collaborate. Looking at the world through their eyes may make us all better innovators. At World Innovation Forum New York, attendees will have the opportunity to hear about the journey of six young Silicon Valley "teenpreneurs" and how they, while participating at Camp BizSmart last summer, developed a winning marketing plan for a beverage company named Wateroos. Check out this video to hear the elevator pitch from a Wateroos team member.

Comments

[Mike Gibbs]

America needs to restock it's pool of talent in order to drive future innovation and growth. We should all encourage the new President and his administration to invest, not in failed business models, but in the young entrepreneurs and small business owners in each community that risk, every day, their own time and hard earned savings to bring new and exciting ideas to the market. The next "new thing" will come from these idea pioneers to fuel the engine for the next great cycle of business and innovation. The "teenpreneurs" mentioned here will be among them. We appreciate HSM highlighting their accomplishments

[Abhinav Dev]

Go Children! As a fellow member of this current generation, I agree that parents should give more responsibility to their children when it comes to finances and such. The earlier they can make decisions for themselves in this ever-changing world, the better. The idea's that young people have, as is obviously seen in the creativity of these young men thinking of a new idea of Wateroos Inc., are most definitely world-changing.

[Brian Moran]

Just seeing this youtube video makes me proud to say I've met these young thinkers. Well done! Inspiring... Keep it up! - you are the future.

[Bill Reichert]

Current events demonstrate dramatically that our children will need to be entrepreneurs, in the broadest sense of the word, to thrive in the world of the future. The old static business structures are becoming increasingly fluid, with good and bad effects, and only an entrepreneurial approach -- flexible, scrappy, collaborative, unafraid of risk and failure -- will succeed in this new world. We owe it to our children to help them develop these skills and attitudes with programs like Camp BizSmart.

[Harry Motro]

When our society was agriculturally dominated, children started working in the fields at a very young age. It was just part of life. Now, why are we surprised to see young kids (middle school age) engaged in the business world? Having a basic understanding of how business works will help them gain valuable insights as they grow up. What a great program for these kids to be involved it!!

[Mythili Sankaran]

Kids certainly demonstrate over and over again that given the right resources, exposure and encouragement, they can come up with some phenomenal stuff. No wonder it is said that 'Child is father of man"

[Marc Lefkowitz]

Very cool! It's great to see kids getting involved in entrepreneurship at such a young age. Kids really will be saving the world.

[Anna Sturge]

Sometimes I feel like we are loosing touch of what really matters in our childrens' lives. And then sometimes I catch glimpses of how we still haven't forgotten. I saw this when my son attended camp Bizsmart this summer. I was in awe of all the kids' enthusiasm and great accomplishments. I am sure they all learned something valuable about the entrepreneurial spirit that I know they will carry with them forever.

[Susan Copperman]

Thanks to all for your comments. I would like to hear what you have to say about this recent post: http://hsm.typepad.com/inspiringideas/2008/12/some-scary-stuff.html

[Elaine Wu]

This video clip certainly reflects teenagers' ability to flourish intelligently, thoughtfully and creatively. We should look to organizations such as Camp BizSmart to help students develop the skills to not only support themselves but also to improve the world around them. These kids are doing a great job!