The first day my class received our Kid Power Bands, our faces beamed. Questions were shouted out loud as scholars squirmed in their seats ready to get their bands so that they could start making a difference!

The band, which resembles a blue Fitbit, gets kids to engage in physical activity to “earn points that unlock donations and funding that is used by UNICEF to deliver lifesaving packets of therapeutic food to severely malnourished children around the world,” according to the site unicefkidpower.org. This means for every 2500 steps a scholar takes, a meal will be donated to a needy child somewhere around the world.

“This is a great opportunity to help kids around the world while at the same time helping kids realize how much more active and healthy they can be,” said Mr. Ulibarri, an eighth-grade history teacher at Democracy Prep Endurance.

Scholars have been forming teams and running laps during recess. They are engaging in competitions such as a simple game of basketball or football. Personally, I am planning a relay race so we can get as many kids running while also having fun!

Many of our teachers also feel the same way. If my calculations are correct, there were 12 teachers already making more active choices within the first two weeks of receiving these bands. They came up with things like running in place for a minute or students walking around class if there’s enough time.

Despite the initial enthusiasm of many scholars, a few of my classmates needed more convincing that this little blue band on our wrists could change the world. Bintou D., a radiant 8th-grade scholar, told me that at first, she didn’t understand how getting points would help starving kids. She wanted to get out and do something immediately. However, after about a week of wearing her Kid Power Band, her attitude changed. She earned three food packets. “I felt proud of being able to possibly save a life,” she says.

Campbell W., a very intelligent and down to earth scholar, loved the idea from the start. When asked her first impressions of the project, she enthusiastically stated, “I liked that we got free electronics as that’s always a plus, but I also thought that it was a cool way to help others. I like free stuff and I like helping people.”

Despite the fact that every teenager lives and breathes technology these days, my classmates aren’t just thinking of the band as another toy. They are digging deep in their hearts, doing the best they can to help others.

So far, the Kid Power Bands have been a gigantic success at our school. We are learning so many new things. For example, they are teaching kids not to be so selfish by encouraging them to get off the couch and change the world. We’re learning communications skills with all the time we are spending with each other trying to gain steps. It is helping us build character and not be robots trained to keep our eyes glued to a screen. The Kid Power Band not only impacts the people in need, but the person using it as well!

About The Author:

This post was written by Migdalia O., an eighth-grade scholar at Democracy Prep Endurance Middle School where she is a proud member of the scholar senate.