PURPOSE

Children our Future

When the idea of this group started I had no real idea as to what its primary purpose would be. I knew I wanted to help children and that’s about it. The inspiration for starting the group came at thanksgiving 2013. 
I was at a thanksgiving party with my ex-wife. The hostess June had invited us both as the only none family members of what was a special family get together. The people at the party were very nice, everyone was relaxed and having a really nice time  Some guests had brought babies and children which made the evening even more relaxed and a family celebration. Before we began to eat, June started by asking us to join hands and say what we were thankful for. This may well be a tradition that happens at thanksgiving celebrations, but in my 10 years in the US it was the first time I’d been asked that question.

I really didn't know what to say and looked around the table, then I realized what I was thankful for“children, because they’re our future”. That started what has become www.childrenourfuture.org. So then I thought about what can the group could achieve?  What was its purpose? We had/have zero resources, I’d just lost my job, I had some connections on LinkedIn and Facebook, so why not start a group on LinkedIn. I already had a small group I founded on LinkedIn called “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to” a quote used by Richard Branson years ago that had become something of a mantra for me.

So I started our group, still wondering, what is our purpose. What is our mission? I wanted it to be a new tool and not simply add to the already huge resources helping kid’s but being of some use, and not just some sort of ego trip for me. There are indeed many organizations out there, and lots of resources all over the world. Some of the Buddhist principles I so greatly admire and support are being made available on the internet but how do you get to them? I thought maybe we can build a network of links for kids, parents, teachers and counselors so they are able to look and see what's happening with kids in different parts of the world (So take a parents situation, my child has ADHD I’ve checked out everything in the US, I wonder what they’re doing about it in say Ireland or India or the UK).

This exchange of information should grow exponentially so we can access other alternatives and read success stores, decide for ourselves how to help our kids, home schooling? Who knows, but the links “the bricks” would be there.

So why bricks? Anyone who knows the story of Pink Floyd's “The Wall” will know it’s about childhood, it’s about the effect others can have on the “development” of a child. The bricks are built around the child during its life (in this case Roger Waters). Our bricks hopefully represent  the answer to your questions, and over time when “the content” gets better then it will be the place where we can check out for help, and in many cases that would be help for parents who are at the end of their tether, they need help.

I’m a very proud father and grandfather and great grandfather and I love to see kids happy, Children our Future needs to be in the hands of someone who can make sure its mission will continue whatever happens to me and I will always welcome ideas as to how we can ensure that happens. We have a website www.childrenourfuture.org  OK well I did pay for that, and now we have a mission.

 “A resource for those wanting to Support, Advise, Validate Encourage our children, our own or the worlds.