1- Thomas Suarez : A 12-year-old app developer
Thomas Suarez’s interest in technology and programming led him to learn Python, Java, and C “just to get the basics down.” He built an app and then coaxed his parents into paying the $99 fee to get his app, “Earth Fortune,” in the app store. Thomas also started an app club at school to help other kids build and share their creations, and is now starting his own company, CarrotCorp.
2- Teen cancer survivor creates video and a social network for kids
Five years ago, 12-year-old Steven Gonzalez, Jr. found himself lonely and afraid while battling a rare form of cancer that gave him only a two percent chance of survival. Today, he is a survivor of the deadly disease and credits video games as what helped him get through the hardest part of his life. He’s created a video game to provide that form of relief to others who are now going through similar pain and seclusion.
3- Adora Svitak : What adults can learn from kids
Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs “childish” thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids’ big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups’ willingness to learn from children as much as to teach.
4- Birke Baer: What’s wrong with our food system
11-year-old Birke Baehr presents his take on a major source of our food — far-away and less-than-picturesque industrial farms. Keeping farms out of sight promotes a rosy, unreal picture of big-box agriculture, he argues, as he outlines the case to green and localize food production.
