MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name

Rookie Reporter

One-line solution summary.

The Rookie Reporter project introduces children to inspirational leaders changing the world, in order to learn, relate and discover their passions, and make the world a better place.

Elevator pitch

What is your solution?

President Clinton decided he wanted to dedicate his life to public service the day he, as a boy, shook hands with President Kennedy. A singular moment like that can be a defining moment for a child, and by extension, a nation.

We aim to replicate experiences like those online to impact millions of kids.

The one thing we have noticed is that every person that the world views as "great" had the seeds of that "greatness" sown when they were children. At the same time, these great people were also children once - having the trials and tribulations that every child can relate to. By uncovering the backstory of their childhoods, and getting them to explain their work in ways that kids can understand, enjoy and relate to, we aim to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders.

We ask questions and interview inspirational leaders from the lens of a child. These videos are shared online for kids around the world to watch. Now, we are in the process of converting the videos into comic books as a more accessible way to communicate the same stories to a larger audience of kids.

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

The world is facing some of the most insurmountable challenges and today we need every human being to be able to contribute to the best of their ability. Today, the ability to contribute is a function of the education the person has had and the access they have. We want to enable every kid to dream big. Why do we have only one Elon Musk? Why can't we have 20? Why can't we have thousands? Why can't that one little boy on the Indian street achieve big dreams? For that, they need to be able to dream and believe and see themselves in some of the most iconic people of our times.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

This is targeted at underserved communities that represent a large number of people. We want to help kids, from all walks of life, be able to dream big and believe in themselves and chase their dreams. By doing this, we would allow the world to benefit from the ideas, creativity and energy of these kids, as they grow up and work on solving the myriad of problems that could benefit from such human capital which would otherwise be untapped.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

We have spoken to several kids, as well as parents of kids, who seem to be struggling to help their kids find their areas of interest and understand different career options/paths. We believe our program helps open their eyes to the world of possibilities.

Yes, we have incorporated feedback from our users, be it in the questions that we ask or the type of guest we want to interview.

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Improving learning opportunities and outcomes for learners across their lifetimes, from early childhood on (Learning)

Our solution's stage of development:

Pilot: An organization deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution—in other words, what have you accomplished to date?

We have been working on this project since dec 2017. We have released some of the videos, with one of them being broadcasted to more than a million children in India. We have received feedback from our users and have incorporated that into our solution. Now we want to be able to grow our user base and reach a wider audience.

Where our solution team is headquartered or located:

Singapore

Team Lead:

Chamonix Fernandes

More About Your Solution

About Your Team

Your Business Model & Resources

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The HP Girls Save the World Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes

If you selected Yes, explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The HP Girls Save the World Prize to advance your solution?

Our interviews expose kids around the world to inspirational leaders and new concepts, technologies, ideas allowing them to understand how the world is changing. While we interview in English, our video has been subtitled in Hindi, thus allowing for it to be viewed and understood by millions of kids in Bihar, India, thereby allowing us to understand the power of making it available in multiple languages. We will use the HP Girls save the world prize to continue to make our content available in various forms and formats (videos, books, etc.) so kids from various backgrounds can learn from them and feel more ready and equally able to tackle new opportunities.

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The Pozen Social Innovation Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes

If you selected Yes, explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The Pozen Social Innovation Prize to advance your solution?

Our interviews expose kids around the world to inspirational leaders and new concepts, technologies, ideas allowing them to understand how the world is changing. While we interview in English, our video has been subtitled in Hindi, thus allowing for it to be viewed and understood by millions of kids in Bihar, India, thereby allowing us to understand the power of making it available in multiple languages. We will use the HP Girls save the world prize to continue to make our content available in various forms and formats (videos, books, etc.) so kids from various backgrounds can learn from them and feel more ready and equally able to tackle new opportunities.