While students take a break from classes over the summer, most young people remain fully connected to social media everyday, all year round.
In fact, many teachers and parents are not fully aware of the extent to which teens are plugged into their digital devices.
So the question is – Who leads young people in this virtual realm? Who inspires them?
If we leave it up to kids to figure out networks like Instagram, they quickly discover that a filtered selfie may be the only way to get likes or followers. But that’s the problem. Should a person with a ton of likes on a selfie be what inspires you? Does it all come down to a race to be perfect, instead of finding an opportunity to be real?
These are the kinds of questions that my business partner, Braden Pyper, and I, have presented to students in junior and senior high schools across Winnipeg over the past year.
Recently, the two of us developed and launched a social media app called Posi. It’s meant to be an engaging social tool that encourages people to share positive content and inspiring stories that help make the world a better place.
Our purpose is to show young people the benefits of approaching life with a positive and optimistic mind. We regularly visit schools throughout the city in order to inspire young people and motivate them to do great things.
The reactions we have received on our school speaking circuit have gone way beyond rewarding; they are overwhelming, to say the least.
Our entire message resonates with the students. Most take pictures with us individually and give us shout outs on their Instagram or Posi accounts, while some send us personal messages.
Whether it be the personal experience, the things we wish people talked to us about in high school, or the virtual life component of our speech, our message sticks with the students. This is why we are very excited to continue our school speaking tour this coming fall.
The most inspiring types of responses we receive are when the students use Posi the way it is intended to be used; to inspire people, to be more open and positive, and to add value to other people’s lives.
It’s eye-opening to see how much a 12-year-old understands this concept. Here is Burke from College Beliveau’s first ever Posi Post:
How does that make you feel? Pretty incredible right? You have just been inspired by a 12-year-old because he chose to focus on the good in a situation, which hopefully put a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart.
