Youth Trailblazers Ignite Inspiration at First Ever Startup Weekend Oakland

Feb. 16, 2014 “You know you have something special when your teen and his friend are up and ready to head in to code by 7:15 am! –Startup Weekend Oakland is changing lives”—Leah McGowen-Hare“Thanks … [Read more...]

Victim Blaming, “Asking For It” and Baiting Outrage-On the Radio

Sept. 2, 2016 Update Today's early release of Stanford student/campus rapist Brock Turner (3 months off an already lenient 6 month sentence) prompted this pithy video indictment by Elizabeth Plank on … [Read more...]

Year Round Media That Matters: Positive Picks for Kids

Nov. 26, 2012 With all the coinage and consumption swirling around Black Friday and Cyber Monday for people hunting “deals” I think it’s fitting to honor the organizations that deliver positive media … [Read more...]

Toy Joy or Consumption Junction? Critical Thinking for Holiday Fun

Dec. 7, 2016 Update Why not turn holiday gifting into a media literacy opportunity? Tomorrow I'll be signing up once again for Samaritan House sorting and stocking for kids less fortunate and I … [Read more...]

Talk To Me: Because Media Matters For Youth Outreach

Sept. 9, 2011 “Text, poke, like, or chat...” What about TALK? I love how this Trevor "Talk To Me" 3-word anti-bullying campaign by The Trevor Project goes back into time to cut through the social … [Read more...]

Harry Potter Alliance: Using Pop Culture Pervasiveness Positively

July 17, 2011 No, I haven’t seen the Harry Potter grand finale yet.Yes, it’s been covered from every angle, dominating Twitter streams, Facebook status lines and yielding the largest weekend box … [Read more...]

Reach & Teach: Global Goods That Do Good

May 23, 2011 "Where do you GET these things? How come I never find stuff like this?" Picture a coloring book page with Rapunzel's hair cascading down the castle tower, captioned, “This time, she … [Read more...]

Media Matters: SF Giants Are Champions Beyond The Field

Oct. 30, 2014 Update The Giants have won the World Series THREE out of the last FIVE years, and though I've seen a few "NoH8" tweets along with celebratory congratulations, it seems that today's essay … [Read more...]

Using Media With Mindfulness

Update Jan. 14, 2016 Fame focus...don't bite the hook! Adding this excellent post by Ryan Holiday of the NY Observer calling out the recent Rolling Stone ratings raunch along with a slough of … [Read more...]

Veteran’s Day Snapshot: Kids Speak About Military Family Life

Nov 11, 2010 As a global citizen coming from a lifelong military family background, Veteran’s Day is a touchy topic with me, as I’ve written before, “it’s not about mattress sales” and it’s not … [Read more...]

Summer Fun & The War Play Dilemma (+Online Gaming Stats)

May 22, 2014 Adding this article from The Guardian Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare; a non-gamer's guide and Jinny Gudmundsen's Common Sense Media's post, "10 Most Violent Video Games and 10+ … [Read more...]

Redefining Girly: Girls Rights Week W/Founder of Pigtail Pals

May 6, 2010 Call her a mompreneur, entrepreneurista, or "the original PigTail Pal," Melissa Wardy is a mama bear with a mission and a voice that roars when it comes to changing the way our society … [Read more...]

Meaningful Manga: Graphic Novels and Growth

Update: May 21, 2014 Our friends at Reach and Teach have added another clever manga style illustrated book called "A is for Action" which merits an update! I love the seeding of social change in a fun … [Read more...]

Nov. 20 A Vow of Silence for Children Without a Voice: IAmSilent.com

Nov.19, 2009 I was planning on posting a homecoming piece and also part one of the eModeration internet safety interview, when I remembered I signed the “Vow of Silence” from Free the Children to … [Read more...]

REVERB Rocks The Eco-Concert Scene: Green Teens?

Update: April 20, 2012 With Outlands SF tickets going on sale yesterday and Earth Day on Sunday, it's the perfect time to 'show and tell' why concerts are the perfect venue to teach stewardship of the … [Read more...]