Soulgineering Resources to grow your soul

It’s hard to define love.  Poets, philosophers, gurus, teachers and sages have tried to describe it throughout the ages but we’re still not any closer to having one definition that everyone can agree on. It’s often said that children are wiser than adults.  They are very observant and often notice things that grown ups have stopped noticing.  Maybe we should ask them.  What do kids think love is? When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love. — Rebecca- age 8 “Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” — Chrissy – age 6 “Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” — Bobby – age 7 “Love is when your ... Read More »

I recently ran across photographer James Mollison’s book “Where Children Sleep”, a photo essay depicting children around the world and the places in which they sleep.  It is a visually stunning book that left me with a sense of awe and respect for the world these children live in. When Fabrica asked me to come up with an idea for engaging with children’s rights, I found myself thinking about my bedroom: how significant it was during my childhood, and how it reflected what I had and who I was. It occurred to me that a way to address some of the complex situations and social issues affecting children would be to look at the bedrooms of children in all kinds of different circumstances. James accompanies a picture of every child’s bedroom with a picture of the child in a neutral background.  You can also read a part of the child’s story.  Here’s the story of the three children pictured in ... Read More »

Raising children in the internet age is difficult.  Parents have to worry about a whole new set of issues: cyberbullying, predators, identity theft, health effects, and time spent away from the family, to name just a few.  However, one of the top concerns for a parent is ensuring that their children don’t have access to inappropriate material at an inappropriate age.  What would you do if you knew that your child was able to freely access porn sites at your local library? A New York Post article released on May 9, 2011, states that a teen over the age of 13 can simply bypass the security question on the New York Library’s computers and gain access to any site they choose. Children 13 and older can easily access hard-core porn in the city’s public libraries by simply claiming to be of age on the software and clicking off the filters that block XXX-rated content.  And library patrons say it happens ... Read More »

In 1992, 12-year-old Severn Suzuki addressed the United Nations Earth Summit as a representative of the Environmental Children’s Organization, which she founded at age nine.  She gave a dramatic speech which was received with great acclaim, not only by the delegates present at the time, but also as an internet sensation: the video of her speech has over 4.7 million views on Youtube. Severn went on to write a short book entitled Tell the World, received a Bachelors degree from Yale University in ecology and evolutionary biology, and helped launch the Skyfish Project – a think tank focusing on the environment. Here is a transcript of her historical speech: Hello, I’m Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O. – The Environmental Children’s Organization. We are a group of twelve and thirteen-year-olds from Canada trying to make a difference: Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg and me. We raised all the money ourselves to come six thousand miles to tell you adults you ... Read More »

Today’s children are becoming known as the Entitled Generation.  Kids today feel like they deserve the best toys, the best clothes, the best video gaming system in town.  But have we stopped to wonder if these things are really making them happy? Gina Toothaker from the Craig Daily Press believes that environment plays a big role: So how do we help our kids be happy and successful, without becoming what many experts dub the “Entitled Generation?” Maybe the better question is how much do we control our children’s happiness? We know temperament is partially genetic, but most experts believe environment plays a bigger part. There may be a genetic predisposition for anxiety and depression, but research indicates a variety of factors contributing to a child’s happiness and resiliency in today’s world. Most people deal with children every day.  You might be a child’s parent or aunt, or you may run across them in the supermarket or mall.  You may be ... Read More »