After last week’s look at YPulse and its resources, I wanted to focus on finding websites for tweens about empowering tweens. Using YPulse as a springboard, and a google search for tween webpages, I began looking.
One website I found was called Koodooz: A social network for kids who want to make a difference. Although not soley meant for tweens, the webpage allowed young adults to get together in a forum to start and run social causes. The site allows users to perform acts of kindness to others, raise money, get rewarded and make a difference. The site is social in the way that users can create their own room to track challenges, their achievements, savings earned, rewards achieved, and follow “fans.” Users can also receive service hours for their work.
I thought that this was a creative site, but not being a member created problems in totally understanding the site as a whole, how challenges were completed, and exactly what age group did the site really look to. I thought it was cool that the site could be used as service hours as many schools are now requiring volunteer hours for awards, scholarships
and graduation requirements.
Another article I found was a dated link for an event that took place in 2009 called Make a Mark on ww.mark-it.org. The event, which was specifically for tween girls and their mothers, looked to empower youth and their perception of self. I really liked this idea, and supposedly the event was a success. Tweens today need to be able to feel comfortable in their own skin. Unfortunately, it does not appear that the event has continued.
After this I became stuck, Google, continued to think I meant “teen” and not “tween.” Discouraged, I went back to YPulse and looked at the tween page for more webpages for tweens. For me this was a bit of an issue. It means that wording plays a huge role in the types of materials available online. If parents commonly refer to their children as tweens, finding resources might be a bit of an issue if you don’t know what to look for. Perhaps young adults or pre-teen or teens would have been more effective.
Resources
KooDooZ, Inc. (2011). KooDooz: A social network for kids who want to make a difference. Retrieved from http://www.koodooz.com/Homepage.aspx?sesid=d337640f-61ef-4c2c-976d-0a0c83c1470e
Make A Mark. (2009). Make a mark. Retrieved from http://www.mark-it.org/home.html.
Youth Pulse, Inc. (2011). YPulse. Retrieved from http://www.ypulse.com/category/tweens/
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