Press Release -- THE
SOLUTIONS SITE FOR KIDS
HORIZON Solutions Site for Kids ... of All Ages
New Haven, CT, May 11 - HORIZON Communications announced today the launching of a Solutions Site for Kids...of All Ages, dedicated to young children, to adolescents, and to all who enjoy a fun way to be part of an effort to help in the world. The Solutions Site for Kids, located at http://www.solutions-site.org/kids, is a subset of the HORIZON Solutions Site at http://www.solutions-site.org.
HORIZON Communications is an international organization devoted to providing readily accessible peer-reviewed answers to environmental, health, population and development problems.
Through this new Site the imaginations of children will now have an outlet where they can offer solutions to affect positive change to conditions in the world and profit from knowledge of successful initiatives of others.
The HORIZON Solutions Site helps to meet the crucial need for systematically researched, documented and disseminated information about solutions and provides the background for their replication in whole or in part. The organization's commitment to providing information about solutions through innovative, effective communication and user-friendly design continues as an integral part of the new Solutions Site for Kids...of All Ages. As HORIZON says in the Solutions Site brochure, "Too often a good idea never reaches beyond narrow borders and is virtually lost to the rest of the world. At other times, there is wasteful duplication of time, effort and funding spent searching for answers already available. And, too often, these available answers are not found soon enough."
The Solutions Site for Kids...of All Ages is an educational -- and fun -- resource to promote active learning both inside and outside of the classroom. It is an in-home learning center and a creative outlet that places solutions to local and international concerns at the fingertips. As they read about the preservation of the European otter in Hungary and new methods of biological control for outbreaks of dengue, students, teachers, and other individuals will have a special opportunity to gain and impart knowledge on an international scale. Combining elements of interaction and multimedia tools, this version of the main Solutions Site will attract young and old with games, puzzles, chat rooms, contests, and many other features. Projects aimed at entire classrooms, from kindergarten through high school, enable groups of children internationally to actively contribute to the creation of areas of the Solutions Site for Kids. Ongoing contests for classrooms to research a particular topic presented on the Solutions Site, for example, will encourage them to send in their results, including illustrations, text, and ideas for presentation on the web. Each submission will receive a space on the site, with winners receiving special recognition.
By providing a chance for young people to present their own ideas about the case studies provided and to share their own stories about experiences, by offering a multimedia glossary and study guides, and by giving young people an opportunity to work on puzzles, brainteasers and other interactive activities, this site directly engages the youthful mind and augments their ability to become more aware of problems, solutions, and resources that affect them. The Kids Site will enable young people to make positive changes in their lives, in their communities, in their nations and for the world as they share their solutions and their ideas with others.
Ms. Selendy, Chairman and President of the organization, says, "Children readily learn about or are directly confronted by so many problems in our world. It is vital for them to have an appreciation of what can be and is being done to better conditions in the world and to realize their own potential to make a difference no matter in how small a way."
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and Unicef are collaborating with HORIZON on the Site along with Yale University and HORIZON's colleagues at Harvard University. More than 125 other organizations are already cooperating and more than 500 Web sites link to the Solutions Site. Participation in the Solutions Site and the Solutions Site for Kids ... of All Ages is welcome from individuals, institutions, and kids of all ages throughout the world.
Ms. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director, United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) wrote, "The right of children to be informed and to make their voices heard is not only crucial to their personal development, but to confronting the daunting global challenges of the 21st Century. In its diverse and interactive way, the HORIZON Solutions Site for Kids affirms that a better future for all its truly within our power- and that children can be enlisted to help build it in the best possible way: by piquing their curiosity and firing their imaginations."