Blogging for a Cause
One common characteristic of gifted students is their intensity. Gifted students frequently wish to find ways to help others, and perform good deeds. In Judaism this is referred to as Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. In the 21st Century there are so many ways for gifted students to become involved in repairing the world. Activism is just one of those ways. Gifted students frequently look for important causes to support. My daughter recently created a cookbook and sold it donating the proceeds to a local non-profit, CSAW, engaged in helping to resettle and support Sudanese refugees in Boulder, Colorado.
Yesterday was Blog Action Day. Jamais Cascio says “Blog Action Day is an interesting concept: make the environment a topic of conversation by making it essentially unavoidable for people who read blogs. If it’s successful — and in this kind of effort, success is measured not in practical results, but in levels of participation — I’d expect to see this become a regular type of event, across a variety of issues…. We’re still in the early days of figuring out how to use this Web thing for good.”
It’s so simple, gifted kids need to make a difference. Blogging is easy, fun, and accessible. We need to encourage gifted students to find a cause, and blog about it. Others will read their blog, comment, forward the link to the blog to others… the cycle continues. Students can connect with others interested in the same cause by searching Technorati for other blogs on their cause. Social action or community service, needs to be part of all GT programs. Students need it, the community needs it, our future needs it. Blogging is such a simple way to start, to get connected to others doing good in the world.
