Great Idea: Yala Young Leaders

http://tinyurl.com/7dbpd9e            

           Israel and Palestine have been in conflict for over sixty years since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Both Israelis and Palestinians want to occupy the land that Israel currently occupies, which is a controversial issue because this land is holy to both the majority Muslim Palestinian population and the Jewish Israeli population. Both Israeli and Palestinian governments have not been able to reach a resolution, and at times have literally refused to communicate with each other at all. For decades now the two governments have been unable to broker any sort of peace deal.

          
             However, there is hope. Uri Savir, a former peace negotiator for Israel, has created a Facebook page called Yala Young Leaders (“yala” means “let’s go” in Arabic) where young Israelis, Palestinians, and other Arabs are conversing and interacting with each other about issues like peace between Israel and Palestine and even more jovial things like soccer and music. This is a huge deal because due to security barriers that have been erected to protect Israel from terrorist attacks, as well as general, mutual dislike between Israelis and Palestinians, many of this generation’s Israelis and Palestinians have never even had any contact with each other. This simple Facebook group is, for some young Israelis and Palestinians, the first time they have ever interacted with each other. Unlike the entire governments of these two states, these young men and women are having deep, intellectual, and productive conversations with each other on Facebook (I know; crazy right?).

            

          Uri Savir’s Facebook group is such a great idea that he has already gotten recognition from the Presidents of Israel and the Palestinian Authority as well as Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook. It’s amazing to see that even though there is so much tension because Israel and Palestine, a group of kids on Facebook is having no trouble at all talking to each other about mutual interests and desires for peace. It’s a good example of how technological advances like the internet and social media are helping mankind take a step forward because decades ago this interaction would not have even been possible. Yala Young Leaders is definitely a great idea, and one that government leaders and people in general could definitely take a few notes from.  

Great Idea: Bilibo

            Suppose you were suddenly given four hours of free time, put in your house, and told to find a way to entertain yourself.  How would you choose to fend off the boredom? Undoubtedly, you might resort to electronics; iPads and HD TVs are an easy way to kill a few hours, right?  You might choose to entertain yourself with books instead, perhaps a magazine, and get lost in literature for a while. You might even choose to use your email or your cell phone and communicate with friends or family for a few hours. But, what if you didn’t have any of that? What if you were given four hours of free time, and given only this thing:



            What in the world is it, you ask? Why, this is Bilibo. This revolutionary children's toy is taking a few notes from the past, offering the simplest possible platform for play: a plastic shell.

            
            You may be wondering, how anyone (especially children, with their small attention spans) could possibly be entertained by this. Well, that is the magic of Bilibo. The philosophy of the company that makes this toy is that children will take simplicity and transform it with their incredible, untainted imaginations.

            
            At first, I didn’t believe this for a second. I was a child not too long ago, and the idea that I would be stupid enough to mistake this boring plastic shell for an actual toy was insulting. But, I was proven wrong. This company experimented and found that children found all sorts of ways to interact with the Bilibo shells. They used them as sleds, as seats, as containers, as train cars, and even as houses. They balanced on them and built with them and even turned them into drum sets.  Instead of questioning  the Bilibo, I started to question myself; had I become too jaded with  time to see the entertainment value of my own imagination?

           

           The initiative to stop overloading kids with bright screens and shiny gadgets and start cultivating their own imaginations with simple, clever toys is definitely a great idea; and in more ways than one. By making a simple plastic toy like this, the company that makes Bilibo can save millions in comparison to how much they would spend manufacturing some new electronic gadget for kids to stare at (not to criticize all electronics, there are definitely some good ones out there, even for kids). All in all, a pretty great idea.

More on Bilibo: http://www.bilibo.com/en/intro/

Image:

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