Shaping Youth’s “Blogging With A Purpose” Award

As many of you know, I usually dodge the blog award lists of badges and accolades (bloggies, vloggies, webbies etc.) since analytics show it’s more of a popularity poll equating to ‘who has the most sophisticated viral marketing team.’ (yes, my skeptical marketing side is showing, as I tend to think these things are a bit ‘gamed’)…

But when people I respect are grouped together in a small cluster of names in a blog tag meme, it gets my attention…‘The Not Quite Crunchy Parent’ and Unplug Your Kids tapped me for this award, asking me to pick five other worthy bloggers that have NOT received it yet, then link back to the site of origin.

Tough one, since marketing/eco-media maven MC Milker pinged some of my faves already, like Outside the Toy Box, (temporarily on hiatus) Packaging Girlhood (Shaping Youth’s advisory board gurus) Parents for Ethical Marketing, (my cohort in the Target brouhaha) and JediMom (more marketing observations)…

Since cause-marketing biggies like Britt Bravo, Beth Kanter, and other “BlogHers” with a purpose are like fishing in an aquarium, I’m going to tap into some champions of change that are “blogging with a purpose” equal in tenacity, but not always overt…

So, drumroll please…Here are my five honorees:

Beauty and the Breast: Sybil & Mary’s body image blog slices up the cultural fixation on mammoth mammaries, from implants/plastic surgery to healthcare concerns (People Shaping Youth honoree Mary McDonough feature/profile forthcoming, delayed from the media madness of the Target brouhaha)

Izzy Neis: Izzy’s blog exudes energy, spunk and online community knowledge as this dedicated pro packs in the info on keeping kids safe on the web while keeping fun in the game (She’s particularly nuanced in ‘moderated chat’ and a VERY purposeful watchdog in the tween arena…a must-read joy for insights and a jolt of good ol’ fun)

Digital Destiny: Jeff Chester’s public interest blog funnels media news of privacy/monopoly concerns to keep kids buffered from corporate claws and government jaws (this COPPA pioneer was also given our Thinking Blogger award last year)

Global Kids Digital Media Initiative: This visionary collective blog single-handedly anchors the promise and potential of children’s interactive learning in virtual worlds like Teen Second Life and alternative new mediums like machinima. (Inspiring Minds honoree Barry Joseph forthcoming)

The Expatriate’s Kitchen: Chef Beth dishes on the health and well-being of our planet’s food supply with “a cynical wit as sharp as my ten-inch French knife”—Her purpose in serving up healthier choices beyond ‘kids food fare’ caught my eye long ago with her Childhood Nutrition Series. I’ve NEVER believed in the bland palate/kids meal mindset…so applaud her wildly for lifting the veil and bucking the tide…

Okay, so now that I’m rolling…

I want to name an additional five that serve as Shaping Youth correspondents, which is why I ‘separated’ them from the initial handful. (realize I need to revamp this site to have an easily accessible ‘blogroll’ to view some of the great folks in my ‘reader’)

Can I play twice? If not, tough…I’m gonna do it anyway…

These next five honorees are all Shaping Youth correspondents that are “Bloggers with a Purpose” themselves, but also helping OUR global mission of using the power of media for positive change.

Gamine Expedition: Sara’s gaming insights raise the bar on digital content and meaningful pursuits as she takes a magnifying glass to children’s policy and media trends that could alter future conversations in the gaming sphere

Anti-Racist Parent: Carmen’s collective blog folds into her other hubs like Racialicious giving us helpful insights and personal points of view from multiple sources

Balanced Health & Nutrition: Rebecca’s deconstruction and dietary analysis of food trends and governmental gobbledygook is a user-friendly way to make sense of it all

Don’t Believe the Hype: Shaping Youth advisory board member Audrey Brashich blogs all about girls getting real, and is teaming with ‘purposeful blogger’ Courtney Macavinta of Respect Rx for round two of their tour to promote their Guide to Getting Real community helping teens see through the media hype…a purposeful pursuit indeed. Now that I know they’re hitting the road on the book tour to instill media literacy for kids, we’ll move them up in the queue to feature pronto!

Save Hope: Finally, Shaping Youth director/producer Michaelene blogs about her Tapestries of Hope crusade keeping us uplifted in the move from awareness to active mobilization to help the plight of these children facing sexual abuse/HIV-AIDS daily in Zimbabwe… Here’s more about her new documentary Silent Bravery: The Women of Africa, via her Facebook group and YouTube video.

Congratulations to you all…

Here’s to ‘Blogging with a Purpose’ for positive change!

Rules listed below from the Blogging with a Purpose site:

1. Awarded parties must nominate five people who have not received the award.

2. The blogs that receive the award must serve some purpose.

3. In their post about the award they need to link back to this entry.

4. Awarded parties must post the award banner on their site. The banner must remain linked to this site.