I came across a great blog that is dedicated to helping shape how we communicate and market to the youth of America. http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/index.php. Amy Jussel started Shaping Youth a few years ago as a nonprofit organization addressing media & marketing’s impact on kids and teens. Here’s a quote from the website

“Shaping Youth is a nonprofit concerned with media & marketing’s impact on kids. We have NO political, religious, or censorship agenda. Our focus is to shift harmful messages in a more positive direction with the help of industry insiders.”

Her focus is to help drive a shift away from harmful Deficit-Based Thinking (DBT) messages to a more positive ABT approach by bringing about a change in perspective among the industry professionals responsible for the messages.

Sign me up, Amy!!

Amy has found a great way to turn her  “advocacy into action” by using the power of her message and her personal passion to get people to believe in and become engaged in her Mighty Cause. It’s precisely these kinds of grassroots efforts aimed at influencers that will create the much needed big shift in the way we market to kids.

As a marketing communications professional I have long been an advocate for positive messaging in marketing communications, especially to the Youth Market. In the long run negative messages simply do not work as well as positive messages…no matter how cleverly they are packaged. (More on that later in future blog)

So, if you’re concerned about making a positive difference in the lives of kids and teens, please check out Amy’s blog. Lots of very stimulating conversation and I know you will be as inspired as I was.

Hank