It is far too simple to make the stock claim that “children are the future” of the world. While this is not untrue, this is a dismissive statement— we wait for children to grow up before we, as “adults”, trust them enough to listen or allow them to enact any kind of change. However, the time for children’s voices to be heard and for their imaginations to be wielded is NOW. America is brimming with “lost Einsteins,” and we desperately need their help.

An article published in The Atlantic coins the phrase “lost Einsteins” to describe the unfortunate reality of children who were unable to live up to their potential simply as a matter of circumstance. Children from underprivileged backgrounds and neighborhoods in which they had none of the resources that a child in an upper middle class family would have easy access to are being left behind. Children are our greatest innovators. This inequity in their upbringing and the environment they have been forced to grow up in is limiting to their innovation. Inventors are much more likely to arise from high-income families than from low-income backgrounds. The Atlantic would even have us consider that this discrepancy has led to economic issues for the United States and all of its citizens, as the trajectory of innovation is on a tailspin downwards.

So take a second to imagine what it could be like to find our lost Einsteins, to give them all the right tools and a platform for their voice, to work towards narrowing the gaps of inequity from this generation forward, to provide nurturing mentorship, to trust in the power of imagination, and facilitate the endless possibilities posed by the new generation. What could we accomplish?

Dream Tank strives to undertake just that— and we would love it if you joined us on this incredible journey!

Dream Tank’s entrepreneurial accelerator programs can be designed for both kids and adults alike. Together, we will ignite ideas with social and environmental impact on the world. Dream Tank is working tirelessly to expand our franchise beyond the city of Boulder from coast to coast and even internationally! We want to empower children from all backgrounds and skill sets to dream, innovate, prototype, and launch their ideas into successes— not just the children from advantaged neighborhoods.

Here, we do not adhere to what society tells us we can and cannot do. Together, we can break through all Dream-Crushing barriers. Children have the inherent capacity to do anything, and these ingenious movements, products, and services will remain trapped inside their heads unless we give them opportunities like what Dream Tank can provide. Dreaming is for everyone, and we will continually venture to extend our resources and programming to as many children as we can worldwide.

So join us— if you dare to dream like a kid!

About the Author:

Pranathi is currently a sophomore at CU Boulder. She is majoring in Neuroscience and English with a focus in Creative Writing. She hopes to apply her love of the written word to her future career. You can probably find her petting a dog, typing away on a laptop or scribbling in a journal, and daydreaming about beautiful cities.

 

Reference:

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/12/innovation-income-chetty/547202/