Epic Change believes everyone has the capacity to change the world.
Kids are especially great innovators because they're fearless and they've got great imaginations. From the US to Tanzania, children are participating in raising funds and awareness for Epic Change by holding lemonade stands, collecting change, writing penpal letters and, in Africa, by designing postcards, greeting cards, art and jewelry for sale to help raise money for their school.
Our biggest little Epic Changemaker has been Zoe; she's only 9, but she's leading a kid-powered revolution! Check out what the little redhead and her friends have been up to in the video to the left.
Here's a few ideas for starting a kid-powered revolution where you live:
Plan a kid-powered FUNdraiser
Idea #1: Set up a lemon-aid stand.
Zoe raised over $200 in one week; that's equivalent to tuition for three children for nearly three months, and she and her friends had a great time doing it - even in the rain. Ask your local hardware store to donate scrap wood and paint samples, and you can build your stand yourself. The local grocer will probably donate lemons, sugar and cups too. People want to help kids like you who are doing great things to change the world. Invite your friends, have fun, set a FUNdraising goal and don't quit until you've made it, come rain or shine!
Idea #2: Have a birthday (or UNbirthday) party in honor of a kid in Tanzania.
Let's face it, if you're like most kids in our country, you probably have plenty of toys. For your next birthday, consider asking for gifts and donations for some kids your age in Africa. Small books, puzzles and school supplies are best, maybe jumpropes and inflatable balls. Shipping to Tanzania is extremely expensive, so remember to ask for things that don't weigh much and ask for donations too so that you can raise the money to ship your gifts to Africa. Maybe your party can have a safari theme, and your guests can play in our story sandbox by creating art, videos or penpal letters to share with new friends in Tanzania.
Idea #3: Use your talents & rally your friends for a FUNdraiser.
Get your friends involved. Work with your girl scout or boy scout troop to hold a car wash, bake sale or other fundraiser. Get your dance class or drama club together for a dance-a-thon or benefit performance. Hold a benefit soccer, baseball or basketball game. Your imagination is the limit.
Whatever way you dream up to FUNdraise, remember to:
HAVE FUN!
Take photos, and upload them to our kids' Flickr group.
Create videos, and upload them to our kids' YouTube group.
Get your parents' help to submit any funds you raise through our online donation page, or mail your donations to EPIC CHANGE, 315 Jackson Avenue, Satellite Beach, FL 32937.
Idea #4: Introduce yourself.
How many children do you know in Tanzania? Here's an opportunity to meet a few great kids just like you who live on the other side of the globe. All you need to do is upload a short (under 2 minutes) video of you saying your name, one interesting thing about yourself, and a question for the children in Tanzania. On our next trip there, we'll record their responses and upload them to our site. Since many kids will be asking questions, make sure yours is unique and interesting. To get your video to show up here, just ask an adult to help you upload your video to YouTube with the tag "epicchangekidintro", and add it to our Epic Change Kids YouTube Group
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Idea #5: Share your story through art & video.
At Epic Change, we're really interested in understanding the similarities and differences between the stories of typical American and western children, and stories of the children at Shepherds Junior in Tanzania. One way we're exploring this theme is by asking children to share artwork that illustrates what makes them happy or sad.
If you'd like to participate:
Grab a piece of paper.
Create a masterpiece. On one side, write 5 things that make you happy with a drawing or drawings to illustrate your list. On the other side, write down 5 things that make you sad, and illustrate those too.
Scan your creation.
Upload your image to Flickr, and then add it to the pool on our Flickr group, with the tag "epickidhappysad", your first name, "age_" (fill in the blank with your age), and the city in which you live. You can see some of the creations other kids like you have made below, but don't look at them until you've created your own masterpiece! We want your artwork to be original and inspired only by you.
Send your art project to Epic Change! We'll bring it to Africa with us to share with the children there, and may use it in future Epic Change fundraising & marketing opportunities. Just address it to: EPIC CHANGE, 315 Jackson Avenue, Satellite Beach, FL 32937.
OPTIONAL - Create a video. On your video, show us your artwork, and explain what you've drawn in under two minutes. Once you've created your video, ask an adult to help you upload your video to our YouTube group with the tag "epickidhappysad".
Check out the videos that other kids like you have created on our YouTube group. If you plan on creating your own video, we want whatever you submit to be original & inspired only by your own feelings and imagination so don't look at these videos below until you've completed your own submission first.
