Wednesday, January 06, 2021

TIME and Nickelodeon Reveal the First-ever Kid of the Year

TIME and Nickelodeon Reveal the First-ever Kid of the Year

Gitanjali Rao, 15, is Recognized as the 2020 Kid of the Year for Her Mission to Create a Global Community of Young Innovators to Solve the World's Biggest Problems

Kid of the Year TV Special, Hosted by Trevor Noah and Produced by TIME Studios, to Simulcast on Nickelodeon, TV Land, TeenNick and Nicktoons on Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 P.M. (ET/PT)

Special to Also Air on Comedy Central on Friday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) and CBS Television Network on Monday, Dec. 21, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

Sharif Hamza for TIME

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2020 -- TIME, TIME for Kids and Nickelodeon announced 15-year-old scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao from Colorado as the 2020 Kid of the Year, the multiplatform initiative recognizing extraordinary young leaders who are making a positive impact in their communities.

Selected from a field of more than 5,000, 2020 Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao is featured on the Dec. 14 cover of TIME, available on newsstands on Friday, Dec. 4.

Update (1/6/21) - Kid of the Year 2020 is now available to stream for free on Pluto TV!

In an interview with Angelina Jolie for TIME, Rao spoke about her work using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying: "I don't look like your typical scientist. Everything I see on TV is that it's an older, usually white man as a scientist. It's weird to me that it was almost like people had assigned roles, regarding like their gender, their age, the color of their skin. My goal has really shifted not only from creating my own devices to solve the world's problems, but inspiring others to do the same as well. Because, from personal experience, it's not easy when you don't see anyone else like you. So I really want to put out that message: If I can do it, you can do it, and anyone can do it."


Read the full interview and TIME cover story: time.com/kid-of-the-year-2020

Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao, alongside the other top finalists and honorees, will be recognized during the first-ever Kid of the Year TV special, hosted by Trevor Noah. The special will simulcast across Nickelodeon, TV Land, TeenNick and Nicktoons on Friday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT). It will also air on Comedy Central on Friday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) and CBS Television Network on Monday, Dec. 21, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

The Kid of the Year TV special will feature guest stars from entertainment, sports and pop culture to help surprise the top five Kid of the Year honorees and celebrate their work. Celebrity guests making appearances throughout the special include Kristen Bell, Simone Biles, Dixie D'Amelio, Billie Eilish, Rob Gronkowski, Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Hemsworth, Ken Jeong, Angelina Jolie, Chloe Kim, Brie Larson, Zachary Levi, Russell Westbrook and Malala Yousafzai, among others.

Each of the top five Kid of the Year honorees will receive a cash prize from Nickelodeon and have the opportunity to serve as a Kid Reporter for TIME for Kids with exclusive access to a Nickelodeon event. For additional information about the initiative, visit KidoftheYear2020.com.







Nickelodeon's Kid of the Year is sponsored by ©2020 The LEGO Group and Lysol®.

Nickelodeon's Kid of the Year TV special is a co-production of TIME Studios, Day Zero Productions, Mainstay Entertainment and Nickelodeon, with Rebecca Gitlitz and Jeff Smith serving as Showrunners. Executive Producers include Andrea Delbanco (TIME for Kids), Ian Orefice, Alexa Conway and Mike Beck (TIME Studios), Trevor Noah and Haroon Saleem (Day Zero Productions), Norm Aladjem, Derek Van Pelt and Sanaz Yamin (Mainstay Entertainment) and Rob Bagshaw, Stacey Carr and Paul J Medford (Nickelodeon). Production of Nickelodeon's Kid of the Year is overseen by Rob Bagshaw, Executive Vice President, Unscripted Content.

About TIME
TIME is a global media brand that reaches a combined audience of more than 100 million around the world, including over 40 million digital visitors each month and 45 million social followers. A trusted destination for reporting and insight, TIME's mission is to tell the stories that matter most, to lead conversations that change the world and to deepen understanding of the ideas and events that define our time. With unparalleled access to the world's most influential people, the immeasurable trust of consumers globally, an unrivaled power to convene, TIME is one of the world's most recognizable media brands with renowned franchises that include the TIME 100 Most Influential People, Person of the Year, Firsts, Best Inventions, World's Greatest Places and premium events including the TIME 100 Summit and Gala, TIME 100 Health Summit, TIME 100 Next and more.

About TIME for Kids
Since 1995, TIME for Kids has delivered age-appropriate news and current-events content to millions of students in elementary and middle school classrooms across the U.S, and, now, for the first time, to homes, to keep kids learning, help them understand the news, and connect them to the world. Each week, TIME for Kids presents news in a format that teaches young readers to become critical thinkers and informed citizens. As an educational publication, the mission of TIME for Kids is to help teachers and parents engage kids with the world around them and inspire them to join the conversation about current events.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 41st year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of ViacomCBS Inc.

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Meet TIME's First-Ever Kid of the Year

The world belongs to those who shape it. And however uncertain that world may feel at a given moment, the reassuring reality seems to be that each new generation produces more of what these kids—five Kid of the Year finalists selected from a field of more than 5,000 Americans, ages 8 to 16—have already achieved: positive impact, in all sizes.

Read about how we picked the Kid of the Year here. And watch TIME’s Kid of the Year broadcast special on Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Nickelodeon.

Kid of the Year: Gitanjali Rao, 15
Lone Tree, Colo.

“Observe, brainstorm, research, build and communicate.” That is what the brilliant young scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao told actor and activist Angelina Jolie about her process, over Zoom, from her home in Colorado, during a break in her virtual schooling. Just 15 years old, Rao has been selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees as TIME’s first ever Kid of the Year. She spoke about her astonishing work using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying, and about her mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over. Even over video chat, her brilliant mind and generous spirit shone through, along with her inspiring message to other young people: don’t try to fix every problem, just focus on one that excites you. “If I can do it,” she said, “anybody can do it.”

Jolie, a TIME contributing editor, is an Academy Award–winning actor and special envoy of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees

ANGELINA JOLIE: When did you know that science was a passion of yours?

GITANJALI RAO: I feel like there wasn’t really one specific aha moment. I was always someone who wanted to put a smile on someone’s face. That was my everyday goal, just to make someone happy. And it soon turned into, How can we bring positivity and community to the place we live? And then when I was in second or third grade, I started thinking about how can we use science and technology to create social change. I was like 10 when I told my parents that I wanted to research carbon nanotube sensor technology at the Denver Water quality research lab, and my mom was like, “A what?” [Editor’s note: they are cylindrical molecules made of carbon atoms that are very sensitive to chemical changes, and thus are good for detecting chemicals in water, among other uses.] It was just that changing factor of, you know this work is going to be in our generation’s hands pretty soon. So if no one else is gonna do it, I’m gonna do it.

AJ: I love that. So much of what my generation should be doing is just making sure we do as little damage as possible to ensure that the next generation can take the lead.

I know one of your latest innovations helps prevent cyberbullying. Could you tell me about that?

GR: It’s a service called Kindly—there’s an app and a Chrome ­extension—which is able to detect cyberbullying at an early stage, based on artificial-­intelligence technology. I started to hard-code in some words that could be considered bullying, and then my engine took those words and identified words that are similar. You type in a word or phrase, and it’s able to pick it up if it’s bullying, and it gives you the option to edit it or send it the way it is. The goal is not to punish. As a teenager, I know teenagers tend to lash out sometimes. Instead, it gives you the chance to rethink what you’re saying so that you know what to do next time around.

AJ: So you just put it on your kids’ phones?

GR: Yeah. I put out a survey to parents, teachers and students, and I honestly expected that students don’t want to be micromanaged.

AJ: Right. My kids would be like, “Don’t touch my phone, I’ll do it myself.”

GR: No, exactly, that’s what I would be like. But a lot of the teenagers were telling me that, you know, it doesn’t seem like I’m being micromanaged; it seems like I’m being given an opportunity to learn from my mistakes. So that’s what I was superexcited about, that they understood what the goal of it was.

AJ: The way you’re talking about technology as a tool to remind people and help them to grow seems like a very new and different thing. It’s so exciting to have such a forward-­thinking young, and female, inventor.

Does that affect you in any way? It’s surprising because I think of women as being brilliant, but there are so few women in the science and tech fields.

GR: I don’t look like your typical scientist. Everything I see on TV is that it’s an older, usually white man as a scientist. It’s weird to me that it was almost like people had assigned roles, regarding like their gender, their age, the color of their skin. My goal has really shifted not only from creating my own devices to solve the world’s problems, but inspiring others to do the same as well. Because, from personal experience, it’s not easy when you don’t see anyone else like you. So I really want to put out that message: If I can do it, you can do it, and anyone can do it.

AJ: I know you have these “innovation sessions.” Tell me about those.

Gitanjali Rao loves to problem-solve and experiment with everything from
artificial-intelligence technology to baking | Sharif Hamza for TIME

GR: I just looked at what worked for me and decided to share it with everyone else. So I made this process that I use for everything now: it’s observe, brainstorm, research, build, communicate. It started with a simple presentation and lesson plans, and then I started adding labs and contests that students could do. Now I’ve partnered with rural schools, girls in STEM organizations, museums all across the world, and bigger organizations like Shanghai International Youth Science and Technology group and the Royal Academy of Engineering in London to run innovation workshops.

The students that I work with, they just don’t know where to start. I think that if you give them that spark that they can then build off of, then that changes everything. That means one more person in this world wants to come up with ideas to solve problems.

At the end of every workshop, everyone has something that they can start working on. If you can do this in 45 minutes to an hour, imagine what you can do if you spend months and months working on it. I’m so excited when I get an email like, “Hey, I attended your workshop four months ago and here’s my finished product, I really love it, it’s a shoe that calls 911.”

AJ: That is insanely impressive. For so many young people, it takes a lot to find the confidence to be able to put an idea forward. You have a brilliant mind, clearly, but you are very, very generous with that mind, and that’s just really wonderful. What are you working on now?

GR: I’m currently working on an easy way to help detect bio-contaminants in water—things like parasites. I’m hoping for this to be something that’s inexpensive and accurate so that people in third-world countries can identify what’s in their water.

And I recently hit my goal of 30,000 students who I have mentored, which is superexciting. It’s like creating a community of innovators. I really hope the work that all of these kids are doing identifies innovation as a necessity and not something that’s a choice anymore. I hope I can be a small part of that.

AJ: I think you are. Your generation is unique. You don’t just accept what’s being put forward, but ­really question it, and that’s so important. I know there are many, many issues we’re facing today. With your work on water contamination, is the environment something that’s very much on your radar?

GR: Yeah. Our generation is facing so many problems that we’ve never seen before. But then at the same time we’re facing old problems that still exist. Like, we’re sitting here in the middle of a new global pandemic, and we’re also like still facing human-rights issues. There are problems that we did not create but that we now have to solve, like climate change and cyberbullying with the introduction of technology.

I think more than anything right now, we just need to find that one thing we’re passionate about and solve it. Even if it’s something as small as, I want to find an easy way to pick up litter. Everything makes a difference. Don’t feel pressured to come up with something big.

Most of my work with the bio-contaminants is based on a gene-based therapy solution which I’m still trying to figure out. I’m also working on a product that helps to diagnose prescription-­opioid addiction at an early stage based on protein production of the mu opioid receptor gene. I’ve been really, really interested in genetics. That’s what I like, so that’s what I’m deciding to work on.

AJ: You know, one of the things you pointed out which is so important is that there is so much, you can get overwhelmed. When I started working in refugee camps, there are so many different issues to deal with within a displaced situation. You get overwhelmed, and you don’t really move. I love what you’re saying: find what you’re passionate about, and don’t try to solve everything. Every solution is a part of the bigger picture of what we have to do. I really hear that and appreciate you saying that.

Where do you get your news or do your research?

GR: My pop-culture news is actually MIT Tech Review. I read it constantly. I think that’s really where inspiration strikes: hearing about all these amazing people at schools like MIT and Harvard who are doing such amazing work with technology. And I try to connect it back to what I see out there and put it together in a way that no one’s seen before.

AJ: When you’re not doing all of these amazing things—because I feel like I’m speaking to a 60-year-old scientist in ­Geneva—what do you do that’s just a 15-year-old thing?

GR: Actually I spend more time doing 15-year-old things during quarantine. I bake an ungodly amount. It’s not good, but it’s baking. And, like, it’s science too.

AJ: So the science of the kitchen is not your specialty?

GR: I guess not, no. To be fair, most of the time we don’t have eggs at home, or like flour, so I have to like go online and search eggless, flourless, sugarless cookies, and then I try to make that. I made bread recently and it was good, so I’m proud of myself.

AJ: Well, I’m just so happy to get to know you a little bit. I’m sure I’ll be using your inventions in years to come and just being in awe of you as I watch you do more and more in your life, and I can say, “I met her once.”

Tyler Gordon first made his mark with celebrity portraits Andrew Toth—Nickelodeon

Tyler Gordon, 14
San Jose, Calif.

High school freshman Tyler Gordon has faced more challenges than some people experience in a lifetime. He used a wheelchair for nearly two years after breaking bones in his legs and hips because of a vitamin D deficiency. He was born deaf and underwent a surgery at age 5 that gave him some hearing, but he still speaks with a stutter. In elementary school, he got bullied so much that he barely spoke.

“His escape was to not speak at all; he’d nod his head or point, he was so afraid,” says Gordon’s mother Nicole Kindle.

But at 10, Gordon found his artistic voice. After watching his mom paint, he decided to try it himself and won first place in a school art contest with a portrait he’d made of the principal. In the four years since, he’s painted more than 500 portraits of Black icons who inspire him, most recently Vice President–elect Kamala Harris, who called him right before Thanksgiving to tell him he’s “amazing” and has a “gift.”

“Sometimes I can’t talk and get words out, so I speak through my art,” Gordon says. Painting helps him move past the bullying, which he still experiences; he lost a front tooth in one incident earlier this year. “It helps me take my mind somewhere else. I don’t want to keep thinking about that same moment for the rest of my life.”

His big break came in 2018, when his portrait of NBA star Kevin Durant went viral and caught the eye of the player’s mother, who bought it for $300. Celebrities started calling for commissions. Among the stars he’s painted and met are Janet Jackson, Kevin Hart, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez. In 2019, a portrait of the Central Park Five fetched more than $100,000 at auction, and he won a 2020 Global Child Prodigy Award. This past summer, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Gordon used his canvas to raise awareness about victims of police brutality, feeling a particular affinity to 23-year-old Elijah McClain, who also had special needs and an artistic side.

Media interviews and speaking engagements have helped Gordon combat his fear of public speaking, and he hosts virtual painting classes every Wednesday on Instagram, where he boasts nearly 50,000 followers.

“Since he started painting, I can’t get the kid to be quiet,” says Kindle. “He’s not afraid of the stutter anymore.” Now, by starting his own online platform for video tutorials called Tongue Tye’d, he hopes he can show other kids how to overcome their challenges with art as well. —Olivia B. Waxman

Jordan Reeves runs Make Just Right, a youth design consultancy, through
her nonprofit Andrew Toth—Nickelodeon

Jordan Reeves, 14
Columbia, Mo.

For Jordan Reeves, having a limb difference has helped her envision a more accessible world. The 14-year-old designer and activist was born with a left arm that stopped growing beneath her elbow, a physical difference that helped ignite her passion for design. In the past four years, Reeves has created a 3-D-printable prosthesis for kids that shoots out biodegradable sparkles, consulted for companies like Mattel to create toys that affirm limb difference and even co-written a memoir about what she’s learned from growing up with a disability.

Reeves sees good design as an avenue to empower those with disabilities, which is why she and her mother co-founded Born Just Right, a nonprofit that celebrates kids with physical differences and gives them design and STEM resources so they can come up with their own solutions.

“A lot of kids with disabilities have a different point of view on the world, because the world isn’t made for us really,” she says. “We have this great design mindset because we grow up problem-solving. It’s a pretty cool thing.” But one of the biggest barriers she sees kids facing is finding the confidence to innovate. “It’s so important to believe in yourself,” she says. She found her confidence with the help of her mother, and by seeing the positive results of some of her early work. “[When I started,] I was just 10 and I was able to make an impact, which is so cool,” she says. “Go for it, don’t doubt yourself, don’t think about what other people think—you can make change no matter how big or how small.”

Although 2020 has brought new challenges, it hasn’t slowed Reeves down. She’s been hosting digital-design workshops for Born Just Right, appeared at the United State of Women conference to advocate for gender equity, and was the youngest of 30 global leaders recognized this summer at a 30th-anniversary commemoration of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. She also co-founded the Steam Squad, an online organization that gets kids involved in science, technology, engineering, math and the arts. Up next: working with Microsoft to design a guitar that anyone with mobility challenges can play.

She’s inspired, she says, by the tenacity of her generation. “It’s so sick knowing that I’m a part of a group of people who are working toward the future,” Reeves says. “The world needs a lot of work at times, and it’s important to be there to do as much as you can.” —Cady Lang

In addition to her work in the art world, Bellen Woodard also aspires to be
an astronaut and President of the U.S. Britton Orrange—Nickelodeon

Bellen Woodard, 10
Leesburg, Va.

Bellen Woodard is only 10 years old, but she’s on a mission for inclusion. She has created her own line of crayons in tones that reflect the wide spectrum of skin colors she sees in the world, claiming the title of world’s first crayon activist.

The idea came when one of Woodard’s classmates asked her for a “skin color” crayon. Woodard, who was the only Black student in her grade, says she knew the classmate meant the peach-color crayon. When she told her mother Tosha Woodard about what had happened, Tosha suggested that she pass her classmate a brown crayon instead next time. “But I didn’t want to do that,” Woodard says. “I told her next time I was actually going to ask what color they want because it could be lots of different colors.” Then she got to work making a set of 12 “skin color” crayons.

Although research shows that children can begin to understand and believe racial stereotypes by age 4, an August study by researchers at Skidmore College and Boston University found that parents often delay conversations about race with children because they under-estimate children’s ability to understand the concept. Tosha says her daughter’s crayons have proved a great age-appropriate tool to spread a message of inclusion.

In spring 2019, Woodard launched More Than Peach, a nonprofit that has donated more than $40,000 worth of multicultural crayons and sketchbooks to schoolchildren across the country. Her packet of crayons has been added to the permanent collection at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Woodard says she was surprised by how quickly her message spread. She started by simply talking to her teacher about the crayons, then they were picked up by the rest of her school, and now she gets calls to speak—and distribute her crayons—at schools across the country. In March, she received a special recognition from the Virginia state legislature for her work.

Woodard’s crayons are named for things found in nature—there’s “Sahara” and “Reef,” “Koko” and “Serengeti”—but each is also clearly labeled “skin color.”

“I wanted to have crayons for a purpose,” she says. “The peach crayon is a skin color … but is it the only one? No, it isn’t. My different shades of peaches and browns can hopefully match everyone including me and my friends and my classmates. Just everyone.” —Jasmine Aguilera
 
Ian McKenna’s favorite thing to grow is chilies, which he uses to make salsa Britton Orrange—Nickelodeon

Ian McKenna, 16
Austin, Texas

Ian McKenna was in third grade when he learned that nearly a quarter of the kids at his Austin school weren’t getting enough to eat at home. He wanted to help, but local volunteer organizations turned him away, saying he was too young. So he decided to find his own solution. For years, he had been gardening with his mother, and they often distributed their extra vegetables to the neighbors. Why not give the produce to a soup kitchen? “Then I thought, I’m good at gardening,” says McKenna, now 16. “Maybe I could try to start a garden that’s meant solely to help feed these people who are in need.” Better yet, he thought, why not plant a garden at school, so that kids in need could take food home?

McKenna persuaded his school to set aside space for a garden, then he asked the community for donations of seeds and equipment. Other students donated their time. Within months, McKenna’s garden was producing lettuces, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash for students and their families. Now, seven years later, McKenna’s Giving Garden project has expanded to five area schools in addition to his own backyard garden, and he has provided more than 20,000 lb. of organic produce (enough for 25,000 meals) to Austin families and food pantries.

For most of his gardening activities, McKenna wears the same T-shirt in different colors, emblazoned with what has become a personal motto: BE A GOOD HUMAN. To him, that means helping in any way you can, no matter your age. Even a smile can make a difference in someone’s life, he says. “It lets them know that they are important. It can change their day.”

When COVID-19 hit the U.S., McKenna redoubled his efforts, cooking up to 100 meals out of his home to distribute to the hungry on the weekends, so that he could give them one less thing to worry about. When social distancing meant that volunteers couldn’t work on community garden plots, he started offering online tutorials and a gardening hotline so families could grow at home. Once he realized that some people didn’t know how to prepare the more unusual vegetables in his gardens, like the 100-lb. bullet head wax melons he distributes by the slice, he started offering virtual cooking classes (the melons cook, and taste, like zucchini). While gardening is his core focus, McKenna says he is always looking for new ways to help the hungry. “Hunger doesn’t stop,” he says. “So I won’t stop until it does.” —Aryn Baker


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How We Picked the 2020 Kid of the Year

For the past 92 years, TIME has named a Person of the Year. In 2019, then-16-year-old Greta Thunberg became the youngest ever Person of the Year, and the first individual under age 25 to receive the title. Her movement to stop climate change, among other world-shifting youth movements of recent years, make clear that young people carry tremendous influence today, and that they are using that influence to shape a world that matches their vision.

This year, in partnership with Nickelodeon, TIME is recognizing in the U.S. its first ever Kid of the Year, a barometer for the rising leaders of America’s youngest generation. To choose the most influential kids of 2020, we looked across social media and school districts, at actions big and small. “Small steps can lead to big change,” says TIME for Kids editor Andrea Delbanco. “These are everyday kids making change in their communities in a fun and accessible—but very impactful—way.”

Panelists including representatives from the Special Olympics and Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA formed an advisory committee to help judge the more than 5,000 U.S.-based nominees on the positive impact they’ve had this year and signs that they’ll continue to lead in the future. A committee of kids, including Nickelodeon stars Young Dylan and Chinguun Sergelen, Disney star Sky Katz, Little Chef Ivy, and Time For Kids kid reporters Tiana Sirmans and Raunak Singh, then worked with comedian Trevor Noah to narrow down the finalists and select the ultimate Kid of the Year.

The five finalists have grown food for those in crisis, designed better toys for kids with disabilities, and started new conversations about racial justice. They include Tyler Gordon, 14, from San Jose, Calif.; Jordan Reeves, 14, from Columbia, Mo.; Bellen Woodard, 10, from Leesburg, Va.; and Ian McKenna, 16, from Austin.

Exceptional leadership is what made the ultimate Kid of the Year, 15-year-old scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao, stand out. Rao not only researches scientific tools such as artificial intelligence and carbon nanotube sensor technology and applies them to problems she sees in everyday life, like cyberbullying and water contamination. She also shows other kids how to tap into their curiosity, aspiring to create a generation of innovators.

Each of this year’s five finalists will be designated a TIME for Kids Kid Reporter, given opportunities to contribute to TIME, and will receive a cash prize from ViacomCBS, Nickelodeon’s owner.

“I really hope the work that all of these kids are doing identifies innovation as a necessity and not something that’s a choice anymore,” Rao tells Angelina Jolie in an interview for TIME. “I hope I can be a small part of that.”

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From WrapPro:

Just 1.4 Million People of Any Age Watched CBS’ ‘Kid of the Year’ Airing

Special ran on some ViacomCBS cable channels earlier this month

Very few kids and adults tuned in to watch CBS’ airing of the “Kid of the Year” special on Monday, when “The Bachelorette” led ABC to a very easy primetime win.

“Kid of the Year” ran across some ViacomCBS cable channels earlier this month, but its 0.2 rating/1 share and 1.4 million total-viewer tally last night were still pretty soft.

Gitanjali Rao was named Kid of the Year for 2020, if you were wondering. Rao, pictured above, is a 15-year-old scientist and inventor from Colorado, according to the Time magazine and Nickelodeon competition (of sorts, they’re still just kids).

ABC was first in ratings with a 0.9 rating/5 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 4 million, according to preliminary numbers. “The Bachelorette” from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. averaged a 1.2/7 and 4.9 million viewers. The broadcast channel, which carried “Monday Night Football” in the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati markets, then re-aired “CMA Country Christmas” at 10 p.m.

CBS, NBC and Univision tied for second in ratings, each with a 0.3/2. CBS was second in total viewers with 2.6 million, NBC was third with 1.4 million and Univision was fourth with 1.2 million.

For CBS, the “Kid of the Year” special, which was hosted by Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah, ran from 9-10 p.m., sandwiched between reruns.

NBC merely re-aired its “Grinch” musical and a “Weakest Link” repeat. Neither had much of an impact.

Fox and Telemundo tied for fifth in ratings, both with a 0.2/1. Fox was fifth in total viewers with 1.1 million, Telemundo was sixth with 891,000 viewers.

For Fox, “Next” at 8 p.m. had a 0.2/1 and 1.2 million viewers. An episode of “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” at 9 p.m. got a 0.2/1 and 913,000 viewers.

The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.1/1 and in viewers with 697,000. Following a re-airing of”Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” the “Greatest Holiday Commercials Countdown” at 9 p.m. had a 0.1/1 and 702,000 viewers.

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Sky Katz, Chinguun Sergelen & Dylan Gilmer Help Choose 'Kid of the Year' In Exclusive New Clip!


The Kid of the Year special is coming up in just ONE DAY!

The special is hosted by Trevor Noah, with a kid committee helping to choose the TIME magazine’s “Kid of the Year,” and we have an exclusive clip.

In the clip, we see Raven’s Home‘s Sky Katz, All That‘s Chinguun Sergelen and Young Dylan‘s Dylan Gilmer, as well as Little Chef Ivy and TIME for Kids kid reporters Raunak Singh and Tiana Sirmans narrowing down the choices to the top five.

The TIME and TIME for Kids’ first-ever Kid of the Year TV special will introduce the top five Kid of the Year honorees, along with kids performing incredible “acts of awesome.” It will also feature many more celeb appearances by Kristen Bell, Simone Biles, Dixie D’Amelio, Billie Eilish, Rob Gronkowski, Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Hemsworth, Ken Jeong, Angelina Jolie, Chloe Kim, Brie Larson, Zachary Levi, Russell Westbrook, Malala Yousafzai, and more!

The TIME magazine “Kid of the Year” was actually JUST announced this morning – 15-year-old scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao!!

Check out the exclusive clip right here, and be sure to tune in to the Kid of the Year special TOMORROW (Decmeber 4) at 7:30pm ET/PT on Nickelodeon.

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From J-14:

Exclusive: Young Dylan and Chinguun Sergelen Spill the Tea on Nickelodeon’s ‘Kid of the Year’


To celebrate Nickelodeon’s first-ever Kid of the Year Awards, Dylan Gilmer — otherwise known as Young Dylan — and Chinguun Sergelen caught up with J-14 and opened up about what it was like being a part of the Kid of the Year Kid Committee. The boys spilled behind-the-scenes set secrets and dished on what it was like working alongside Trevor Noah.

Nickelodeon’s Kid of the Year honors young leaders who are making an impact in their communities. Dylan, Chinguun, Little Chef Ivy, Sky Katz and TIME for Kids Kid Reporters Raunak Singh and Tiana Sirmans teamed up with the network to help pick this year’s winner. Make sure to watch our exclusive video above and tune in to see who wins 2020 Kid of the Year on Nickelodeon, TeenNick and Nicktoons on Friday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT.

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TIME names 15-year-old scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao it's first ever Kid of the Year

Time magazine has selected 15-year-old scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao as its first-ever Kid of the Year.

The magazine has named a Person of the Year for 92 years and in 2019, Greta Thunberg became the youngest person to ever receive the honor. Before Thunberg, the youngest recipient was 25-year-old Charles Lindbergh in 1927. 

This year, Time partnered with Nickelodeon to search social media and school districts across the country to find the most influential kid of 2020.

The list was narrowed down from 5,000 young Americans to five finalists who will each receive a cash prize and be given a chance to contribute to the magazine. The short list includes artist Tyler Gordon, 14, designer and activist Jordan Reeves, 14, world’s first crayon activist Bellen Woodard, 10, and youth hunger activist Ian McKenna, 16.

2019 Person of the Year: Time names teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg

“Small steps can lead to big change,” TIME for Kids editor Andrea Delbanco said in a statement. “These are everyday kids making change in their communities in a fun and accessible—but very impactful—way.”

Rao told Angelina Jolie in an interview for Time she was ten years old when she became interested in carbon nanotube sensor technology, molecules which can detect chemicals in water. At age 11, she won the Young Scientist Challenge for creating a device that can detect lead in drinking water with the help of a mobile app. Last year, she was named to Forbes 30 under 30 list.

Gitanjali Rao, 11, holds her invention Tethys, a portable device that quickly detects lead in water. MELANIE BALAKIT / THE TENNESSEAN

She's also developed an app and Chrome extension called Kindly which uses artificial-intelligence technology to detect cyberbullying at an early stage, she told Time. 

Rao said she has developed an interest in genetics and is working on a way to detect bio-contaminants like parasites in water and a product to diagnose prescription-­opioid addiction early on.

She told the magazine she has also partnered with rural schools, STEM organizations and museums around the world to run innovation workshops to help young students develop their own inventions. She said she's mentored more than 30,000 students.

"My goal has really shifted not only from creating my own devices to solve the world’s problems, but inspiring others to do the same as well," she said. "Because, from personal experience, it’s not easy when you don’t see anyone else like you."

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Time Magazine, Nickelodeon reveals first-ever ‘Kid of the Year’

(CBS) — A Colorado teenager has been named the first-ever “Kid of the Year.”  Time Magazine and Nickelodeon gave Gitanjali Rao the honor. CBS’ Nancy Chen caught up with her.

The 15-year-old is a scientist and inventor who has tackled issues from water pollution to cyberbullying.  

Gitanjali Rao’s insatiable curiosity has landed her on the cover of Time as the magazine’s first-ever “Kid of the Year.”

“This is such a great point in my journey.  So beyond exciting, unlike anything I could have ever imagined,” says Rao. 

The 15-year-old beat out more than five thousand other kids for her extraordinary accomplishments.

She caught the attention of CBS News 3 years ago after winning a national science competition. 

Adriana Diaz visited Rao at her home outside Denver and witnessed first-hand her prize-winning invention that detects lead levels in water within seconds.

She created her device after closely following the flint water crisis.

Rao has also developed apps to identify cyberbullying and opioid addiction.

But Time Magazine and Nickelodeon pointed specifically to Rao’s leadership skills.

Even while being a full-time student, she runs workshops and has inspired more 33-thousand people around the world.

“There are students who do want to make a positive impact, they just don’t know where to start  and I want to give them that starting point, that boost of encouragement,” says Rao.

As for what’s next, she says more curiosity about anything and everything and finding new ways to make the world a better place.

Gitanjali will appear on the cover of Time’s weekly edition that hits newsstands Friday.  She’ll also be on a Nickelodeon special tomorrow night.

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Colorado Proud: Lone Tree girl named Time magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year

Gitanjali Rao chosen from a field of more than 5,000

A 15-year-old Lone Tree girl has been named Time magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year for 2020.

Gitanjali Rao, a young scientist and inventor, was selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees to be named Time’s Kid of the Year.

“I was beyond surprised,” Gitanjali said Thursday afternoon in a phone interview. “Just the idea…it’s something you dream about, but something you don’t expect at all.”

Gitanjali, in a zoom interview with actor and activist Angelina Jolie announcing the award, covered a wide-range of topics, from water pollution, to opioid addiction to cyber bullying. Gitanjali has created an app to combat cyber bullying.

“She is super cool,” Gitanjali said of Jolie. “Her activism is beyond inspiring.”

Gitanjali, in 2017, earned the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” while attending STEM School Highlands Ranch. At that time, Gitanjali won the award for inventing a device named Tethys, after the Greek goddess of fresh water, and entering it into the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. She told The Denver Post she entered the contest, in part, looking for a solution to the Flint, Mich., water crisis.

“Everyone should know what is in their water and everyone should have access to clean water,” she said on Thursday.

Gitanjali is now a sophomore at the STEM School. She attends virtually because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is obviously such a tragedy, so many people are being impacted in a negative way” by the pandemic, she said. At the same time, response to COVID-19 is driving “leaps in technology on literally every platform.”


Gitanjali isn’t quite positive about where her future education and career may take her. “I change my mind everyday,” she said. Perhaps, she’ll pursue biotechnology and product development. “I know I will continue to create positive change in the world and make a difference, hopefully.”

A broadcast special on the Kid of the Year will air on Nickelodeon on Friday.

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From NPR:

'Time' Names Its Kid Of The Year: Water-Testing Scientist Gitanjali Rao

Gitanjali Rao, a Colorado teenager who invented a mobile device to test for lead in drinking water, is Time's Kid of the Year for 2020. The magazine announced the award Thursday, citing Rao's ability to apply scientific ideas to real-world problems — and her desire to motivate other kids to take up their own causes.

It's just the latest recognition for Rao, 15, who was named last year to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. She won praise in 2017 after she responded to the Flint, Mich., water crisis by creating a device named Tehys, using carbon nanotube sensors to detect lead in water. The Lone Tree, Colo., native was named America's Top Young Scientist when she was in the seventh grade. She went on to collaborate with scientists in the water industry to try to get the device on the market.

More recently, Rao has developed a phone and Web tool named Kindly, which uses artificial intelligence technology to detect possible early signs of cyberbullying.

"You type in a word or phrase, and it's able to pick it up if it's bullying, and it gives you the option to edit it or send it the way it is," Rao tells Time. "The goal is not to punish. As a teenager, I know teenagers tend to lash out sometimes. Instead, it gives you the chance to rethink what you're saying so that you know what to do next time around."

The debut Kid of the Year award comes from a partnership between Time and Nickelodeon. Rao was chosen in part because of the way she has followed up her technical work with efforts to get other young people to work on solving the problems they see.

"I don't look like your typical scientist. Everything I see on TV is that it's an older, usually white man as a scientist," she told Time. "My goal has really shifted not only from creating my own devices to solve the world's problems, but inspiring others to do the same as well. Because, from personal experience, it's not easy when you don't see anyone else like you. So I really want to put out that message: If I can do it, you can do it, and anyone can do it."

In one week, Time will select its Person of the Year, which was won last year by another teenager: climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Thunberg was the first person younger than 25 to win the long-running award. Time says the new Kid of the Year recognition is a way to highlight young people who are having a positive influence on their communities and using their innovations to help solve problems. Five finalists were selected from more than 5,000 candidates between 8 and 16 years old. A committee of kids then made the final choice, along with comedian Trevor Noah.

Each of the finalists will get a cash prize from Viacom, Nickelodeon's owner, as well as appearing with Noah on an upcoming TV special. The candidates are responsible for a wide range of positive work, from guiding discussions about racial injustice to growing food for the needy and making toys that all kids can enjoy, regardless of their abilities.

The other finalists, who are also profiled in the Time article, include Tyler Gordon, 14, from San Jose, Calif.; Jordan Reeves, 14, from Columbia, Mo.; Bellen Woodard, 10, from Leesburg, Va.; and Ian McKenna, 16, from Austin, Texas.

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San Jose teen artist wows Kamala Harris, wins national acclaim

Tyler Gordon, a big basketball fan, displays one of his pieces. (Nickelodeon)

Tyler Gordon, 14, is among the finalists for Time magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year honors

(Nickelodeon) San Jose teen Tyler Gordon has become a whiz with the paint brush.

A San Jose teen artist who recently won raves from Kamala Harris for a portrait he painted of the vice president-elect is now earning national acclaim.

Tyler Gordon, 14, was named a Top 5 finalist for Time magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year honor and will be among the talented youngsters featured in a Nickelodeon television special Friday night, Dec. 4.

“I feel really grateful that, out of the thousands of kids who were considered, I made it this far.” Gordon said Thursday. “And I’m grateful for my family for helping me along the way.”

Time, which has named a Person of the Year for 92 years, decided now was a good time to honor a youth, as well. The magazine partnered with Nickelodeon on a nationwide search to find the “most influential kid of 2020.” The list was winnowed from more than 5,000 young Americans — ages 8 to 16 — to five finalists, who will appear in the “Kid of the Year” special (7:30 p.m. Friday, Nickelodeon and TV Land) hosted by Trevor Noah.

Time announced on Thursday that Gitanjali Rao, a 15-year-old Colorado scientist and inventor, had earned top honors. All five finalists will receive a cash prize and be given a chance to contribute to the magazine.

Gordon was praised by the selection committee for overcoming major personal challenges and using his art to advocate for anti-bullying and social justice issues, as well as helping children with speech impediments. He was born deaf and underwent a surgery at age 5 that gave him some hearing, but he still speaks with a stutter. He also used a wheelchair for nearly two years after breaking bones in his legs and hips due to a vitamin D deficiency.

Although Gordon, a freshman at William C. Overfelt High School, missed out on the ultimate Time accolade, he has plenty to celebrate these days. Last month, he painted a portrait of Harris and shared it on social media, hoping the incoming vice president would see it. Chelsea Clinton and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo were among the Twitter users who helped to spread Gordon’s message.

On the day before Thanksgiving, Gordon received a phone call from Harris, who told him, “I’m overwhelmed with the magnificence of your artistry. You really have a gift. … I was so touched to see it.”

“I was in complete shock,” Gordon said. “I didn’t really expect her to call me. We had a nice, chill conversation that was cut short only because she was cooking cornbread and the (oven) timer went off.”

Gordon followed that up by painting a portrait of Joe Biden, pointing out that he has a personal connection to both the president-elect and vice president-elect. He admires Harris, an Oakland native, for breaking barriers like he has, and Biden for overcoming a stutter.

“He really inspires me,” Gordon said of Biden. “Even though he has a stutter, he’s not afraid to do public speeches. That gives me more confidence to accept my stutter and slow myself down.”

Meanwhile, the honors keep rolling in. Four of Gordon’s pieces, including the Harris and Biden portraits, are now on display in Los Angeles at the Beverly Center as part of an “Heirs to the Throne” pop-up exhibit featuring work from Black contemporary artists. He has also been awarded with a major assignment from Time that he can’t yet announce.

Considering all his success, it might be difficult to believe that this talented Kid of the Year candidate was bullied so often in elementary school that he barely spoke.

“His escape was to not speak at all; he’d nod his head or point, he was so afraid,” Gordon’s mother, Nicole Kindle, told Nickelodeon.

But at 10, Gordon found his artistic voice. After watching his mom paint, he decided to give it a try and won first place in a school art contest. In the years since, he has painted more than 500 portraits, mostly of Black icons who inspire him.

“Sometimes I can’t talk and get words out, so I speak through my art,” Gordon said.

A big break came in 2018, when his portrait of Kevin Durant, then with the Golden State Warriors, went viral and caught the eye of Durant’s mother, Wanda, who bought it for $300. Celebrities then started calling on him. Among the stars Gordon has painted and met are Janet Jackson, Kevin Hart, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez.

In 2019, a portrait of the Central Park Five fetched more than $100,000 at auction, and he won a 2020 Global Child Prodigy Award.

This past summer, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Gordon used his canvas to raise awareness about victims of police brutality. Looking to the future, he would “love to attend NYU, open my personal gallery and have my art all over the world.” Oh, and he’d like to have a presidential portrait hanging in the White House some day.

Despite all the starry-eyed attention, Kindle insists that Gordon, the youngest of five kids, remains grounded.

“He still gets in trouble for a messy room and not making his bed. … He still goes crazy for Skittles and Pop-Tarts,” she said. “And he still does his painting with cheap acrylics from Walmart.”

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Colorado student, scientist named Time’s ‘Kid of the Year’

ONE TREE, COLO.

A 15-year-old Colorado high school student and young scientist who has used artificial intelligence and created apps to tackle contaminated drinking water, cyberbullying, opioid addiction and other social problems has been named Time Magazine's first-ever “Kid of the Year."

Gitanjali Rao, a sophomore at STEM School Highlands Ranch in suburban Denver who lives in the city of Lone Tree, was selected from more than 5,000 nominees in a process that culminated with a finalists' committee of children, Time for Kids reporters and comedian Trevor Noah.

Rao told The Associated Press in a Zoom interview from her home Friday that the prize is "nothing that I could have ever imagined. And I’m so grateful and just so excited that we’re really taking a look at the upcoming generation and our generation, since the future is in our hands.”

Time said in a statement that, along with Nickelodeon, it wanted to recognize “the rising leaders of America's youngest generation” in making the award. For 92 years, Time has presented a “Person of the Year,” and the youngest ever was Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was 16 when she graced the magazine's cover last year.

Time said Rao stood out for creating a global community of young innovators and inspiring them to pursue their goals. Rao insists that starting out small doesn't matter, as long as you're passionate about it.

Rao's innovating started early. At age 12, she developed a portable device to detect lead in water.

She's created a device called Epione that diagnoses prescription opioid addiction at an early stage. She's also devised an app called Kindly that uses artificial intelligence to help prevent cyberbullying. It allows teens to type in a word or phrase to find out if the words they’re using are bullying and lets them decide to edit what they’re sending or to proceed.

“And currently, I’m looking back at water, looking at moving things like parasitic compounds in water and how we can detect for that,” Rao said after a day's remote schooling.

She told actress, activist and Time contributing editor Angelina Jolie in a Zoom interview that her science pursuits started early as a way to improve social conditions. The drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, inspired her work to develop a way to detect contaminants and send those results to a mobile phone, she said.

“I was like 10 when I told my parents that I wanted to research carbon nanotube sensor technology at the Denver Water quality research lab, and my mom was like, “A what?” Rao told Jolie. She said that work “is going to be in our generation's hands pretty soon. So if no one else is gonna do it, I'm gonna do it.”

The sensor technology involves molecules of carbon atoms that can detect chemical changes, including chemicals in water.

Rao has partnered with rural schools; museums; science, technology, engineering and mathematics organizations; and other institutions to run innovation workshops for thousands of other students.

In a world where science is increasingly questioned or challenged, Rao insisted that its pursuit is an essential act of kindness, the best way that a younger generation can better the world. Science and technology are being employed as never before to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, global warming and a host of other issues, she noted.

“We have science in everything we’re involved in, and I think that’s the biggest thing to put out there, that science is cool, innovating is cool, and anybody can be an innovator,” Rao said. “Anybody can do science.”

Time was planning a Kid of the Year broadcast special at 7:30 p.m. EST (5:30 p.m. MST) on Nickelodeon.

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Evergreen Mill Elem. student named 'Kid of the Year' finalist

Nine-year-old Bellen Woodard, a fifth-grader at Leesburg's Evergreen Mill Elementary School, has been named one of five finalists for the Nickelodeon/Time Magazine Kid of the Year Award.

After hearing fellow students commonly refer to peach-colored crayons as "skin-colored," Bellen, who is Black, created the More than Peach Project, which creates — and aims to normalize the use of — differently colored crayons that represent diverse skin tones.

"There's different types of ways to be a leader. I do it by making sure no one feels left out," Bellen said in a video announcing her placement as a finalist.

More than Peach has achieved national recognition since its creation, leading Nickelodeon and Time to recognize Bellen as one of a group of "extraordinary young leaders who are making a positive impact in their communities," according to Loudoun County Public Schools.

"It feels more like a movement than a project, because a project would be something that's done one time," Bellen said. "A movement means you keep on moving forward."

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles delivered an elated Bellen the news of her selection as a finalist, which includes a $5,000 grant to further her nonprofit's mission, as well as the opportunity to serve as a yearlong correspondent for Time for Kids.

"I wish, whenever I was younger, I could be your classmate and have your palette," Biles told Bellen. "I think it's beautiful, and what you're doing is amazing."

Atop her Kid of the Year honor, Bellen was also one of three honorees at the Anti-Defamation League's Concert Against Hate in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

More information on the More than Peach Project is available at morethanpeach.com.

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From DOGOnews:

Gitanjali Rao Is Time Magazine’s First "Kid Of The Year"

Gitanjali Rao uses technology to tackle social issues

Most teenagers are still trying to find their passion and purpose in life. However, not Gitanjali Rao. The 15-year-old sophomore at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Douglas County, Colorado, has been coming up with innovative solutions to worldwide problems since she was ten. It is, therefore, not surprising that the youngster was selected from 5,000 equally impressive nominees — ages 8 to 16 — for TIME Magazine’s first-ever "Kid of the Year."

"I am so humbled and so grateful for this opportunity," Rao told CBSN, following the December 2, 2020 announcement. "It's so honoring and humbling to be among so many fantastic people who have appeared on the cover of the Time magazine, but along with that, just to be among the fantastic 'Kid of the Year' finalists as well."

In addition to the accolade, Rao and this year's four finalists Tyler Gordon, 14, Jordan Reeves, 14, Bellen Woodard, 10, and Ian McKenna, 16, — will also receive a cash prize from Time Magazines' partner Nickelodeon.

Rao won the Young Scientist Challenge in 2017 for her prototype that helps determine lead levels in water

The young girl, who knew she wanted to bring change and positivity to her community since 3rd grade, was just ten-years-old when she heard about the lead-tainted water in Flint, Michigan, in 2015. After spending two months researching how the area's drinking water became contaminated, Rao began designing a device that used carbon nanotube sensors to instantly detect lead in water. Called Tethys, after the titan goddess of freshwater, it attaches to a cellphone and informs the resident via an app if their drinking water contains traces of the harmful metal. The prototype earned her the 3M Young scientist Challenge in 2017 and a spot in the Forbes’ 30 under 30 list in 2019. The budding entrepreneur is currently working with scientists and medical professionals at the Denver Water Facility to test Tethys' potential and hopes the device will be ready for commercial use by 2022.

In 2019, Rao took on another social issue — opioid addiction. Her app, called Epione, which won the “Health” Pillar Prize at the TCS Ignite Innovation Student Challenge in May 2019, is designed to catch drug addiction in young adults before its too late. “There were so many teens getting into prescription opioids, and before anybody knew about it, it was too late to do anything about it,” Rao said. “I wanted to come up with a way to diagnose prescription opioid addiction at an early stage so you can take action earlier.”

More recently, the teenager has created an app called Kindly to help prevent cyberbullying. “I started to hard-code in some words that could be considered bullying, and then my engine took those words and identified words that are similar. You type in a word or phrase, and it’s able to pick it up if it’s bullying, and it gives you the option to edit it or send it the way it is.” Rao told actress, activist, and Time contributing editor Angelina Jolie in a Zoom interview. “The goal is not to punish. As a teenager, I know teenagers tend to lash out sometimes. Instead, it gives you the chance to rethink what you're saying so that you know what to do next time around."

When not working on improving the world, Rao likes to bake, play the piano, and mentor youngsters in STEM. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? “If I can do it, you can do it, and anyone can do it.”

Congratulations Gitanjali Rao!

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Chester Springs student is Nickelodeon's 'Kid of the Year' finalist

Eighth-grader Ronak Suchindra, a member of the Clover Rovers 4-H Robotics Club in Chester County, was one of 20 finalists selected from 5,000 nominees in the first-ever “Kid of the Year” contest presented by Nickelodeon, TIME and TIME for Kids this year.

According to Nickelodeon, “Kid of the Year” is a multiplatform initiative recognizing extraordinary young leaders who are making a positive impact in their communities.

Suchindra, of Chester Springs, was selected for his work with his nonprofit organization, Kids Connect, a learning platform he developed during the pandemic. Using Zoom, Kids Connect allows older kids to teach younger children various skills, such as coding, math, chess and origami.

Since its creation in March, Kids Connect has racked up more than 3,500 interaction hours with 800 students attending 20 different courses. Youth have joined from several states and even other countries.

Suchindra is no stranger to teaching. In previous years, he has spent his summers exploring robotics and coding with other kids in his neighborhood. He said not being able to do that this summer was part of the inspiration behind Kids Connect.

“I noticed many kids weren’t getting enough activities and other enrichment during the pandemic,” said Suchindra. “I also saw other kids helping in their communities, and I wanted to do something to help kids in my community. Our mission is to spread the love of learning to every corner of the world.”

Suchindra and other youth volunteers with a variety of interests and talents teach classes in the evening after school. He noted that it is not only learning fun and educational skills that can be applied to other areas of life, but also a cool way to connect with kids all over the world.

“I love teaching,” Suchindra said. “I’ve always been passionate about it, and working with kids really motivates me. I want to use the fact that I was a finalist for ‘Kid of the Year’ to reach more kids now that people are becoming more familiar with the organization. My overall goal is to reach out to more kids around the globe and teach them new skills.”

Suchindra is a member of the Clover Rovers 4-H Robotics Club, a program offered through the Chester County office of Penn State Extension. The club competes in robotic competitions around the state. He said being part of the club was another factor that inspired his passion for volunteer work.

“I’ve learned so much about coding and robotics and made so many friends and connections,” he said. “This club is so much fun and I enjoy it a lot.”

Toni Stuetz, 4-H extension educator, has known Suchindra and his family for five years. “Ronak really found his niche in our robotics program,” she said. “He’s been on the team for five years, and he emerged as a leader early on. He’s mature, well-spoken, responsible and conscientious.”

Stuetz said science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lessons have been a critical part of 4-H’s science focus in recent years. Concepts are coupled with real-world lessons to help youth make connections between agriculture, school, community and work. 4-H STEM programs provide an opportunity to learn through a variety of projects, contests, challenges and clubs. Nearly all 4-H projects offer some sort of STEM programming.

“The kids learn to problem-solve and analyze data,” said Stuetz, who added that about half of the counties in Pennsylvania have a 4-H robotics program. “They also get experience with computer coding, computer-aided design, construction work and even improve their math skills. It’s a hands-on opportunity for the kids to learn skills they can take into other parts of their lives and a chance for some career exploration.”

Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a community of more than 6 million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. More information about 4-H can be found online at extension.psu.edu/4-H.

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From Patch:

Lionville Student Among Finalists For Nickelodeon Kid-Of-Year

Ronak Suchindra was among a short-list of 20 applicants for Nickelodeon's Kid of the Year. (Suchin Rengan)

Nickelodeon's Kid-Of-The-Year shortlist named a Lionville Middle School 8th grader to its list of 20 finalists for connecting kids.

CHESTER SPRINGS, PA — Five thousand kids applied to be named Nickelodeon's Kid of the Year, and when the list was trimmed down to 20, Ronak Suchindra of Chester Springs was still there.

The Lionville Middle School eighth-grader stood out for his work starting up a nonprofit named Kids Connect as the pandemic closed schools last March.

Lionville Middle School eighth-grader Ronak Suchindra joins a Kids Connect workshop session, part of the nonprofit he started this year. (Suchin Rengan)

"It was about getting kids involved," Suchindra said. He saw a problem arising, that kids were home, not seeing each other, not connecting, so he set about finding a way to solve the problem. He said he asked, "What am I going to do to get kids involved who are sitting at home, disconnected?"

Kids Connect brings online workshops free to kids. It's a network of volunteers, he said, "a way to gather friends with cool talents and put them to work." Kids from all over the world are participating, he said.

It grew out of an earlier capstone project at school, given in place of a midterm. But, his idea was just bigger than that. He's corralled friends who are able to teach what they know. They put together video workshops and kids can join in. The fun and educational workshops are being picked up by schools, youth groups, and libraries, he said. "People started telling people," Suchindra explained.

"Through our first few classes, we received some excellent feedback. The kids who took part in our classes gave us some great advice which helped me improve Kids Connect's classes," he said.

He advertised the program and created a Facebook page so parents could stay up to date with all of the classes and information.

The workshops have taught origami, coding, games, robotics, and other topics like how to solve a Rubik's Cube. He said coding has been really popular.

So far about 800 kids have attended the Kids Connect workshops. The volunteers helping make it happen have logged around 650 hours, and the workshops themselves add up to about 3,000 hours of interaction.

Suchindra did the nonprofit application process himself but has involved others along the way, whom he said he hopes are awarded for their work. "We also have around 30 youth volunteers who are working constantly to teach their classes to others."

He considers the work a success because the kids in the workshops are "engaged with something to do, and they are learning different subjects in a fun way." He said he found inspiration in Albert Einstein's words, "A crisis creates a new opportunity."

Suchindra said he hopes to keep expanding the programs and involving more kids and volunteers. So far, Kids Connect workshops have seen attendance from the U.S., India, Canada, and Singapore.

Suchindra wants to study aerospace engineering. "I watch movies about colonizing Mars and other planets, and I want to do that," he said. But, he's really very down-to-earth. His interests are in helping people connect, get educated, and to help everyone use their talents.

The final-five list of Nickelodeon's Kid of the Year was named on Monday, and Suchindra wasn't on it. He said he's not disappointed.

"It was really good to make the list of 20," he said. "Our mission is to spread the love of learning to every corner of the world."

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From CGTN:

TIME's Kid of the Year says she just loves science

At age 15, Gitanjali Rao is already a promising young scientist and inventor. 


“This is what I love to do,” Rao told CGTN in a Zoom interview this week. “I love innovating and love coming up with problems and I think that you can never go wrong with doing something you love to do.”

That passion has helped make her Time magazine’s first 'Kid of the Year.'

“I was so excited and I was so surprised because it was almost like a dream come true,” the teenager said. “Because being on the cover of Time is almost like something people just dream of constantly and then you see yourself on the cover of Time, you’re like wow I actually did that.”

We first met Rao three years ago. The 7th grader had just won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge for her device that detects lead in drinking water.

“I have just been interested in science in general, no matter if it’s biology, chemistry, physics or even aerospace,” she said then.

That interest has only grown with her age. She designed a tech-based solution for prescription opioid addiction. She’s launched an anti-cyberbullying service based on machine learning. Now she’s looking for bio-contaminants in water.

“I’m using genetically engineered microbes, so essentially living things to detect living things, which is a fairly new concept but sounds super fun,” Rao said.
In an annual tradition, for the past century Time has chosen a Person of the Year, someone who in its judgment has done the most to influence events, for better or for worse. This year’s honorees are President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.

Rao was chosen from a group of 5,000 nominees to be Kid of the Year and was recognized in a recent Nickelodeon channel special. That show helped blow up her Instagram account overnight.

“I woke up that morning to 23,000 more followers than I did the day before which kind of gave me a lot of self-validation as well as being tweeted out by a lot of people,” she said. 

Back in 2017 we asked Rao if she was famous.

“I don’t know,” she said. “My friends think I am.”

She’s only stepped up her pace of public and media appearances since then.

“I’m glad to be at least slightly well known,” she said. “I’m socially accepted, we’ll call it that.”

Next up is her first book, what she terms a prescriptive guide to getting kids into the world of innovation. It’s part of her mission to spread the importance of STEM education. Rao said studying from home during the pandemic has given her time to brainstorm ideas with other young innovators and follow her curiosity.

“I was born just like any other kid out there,” she said. “I just decided to pursue what I love to do, so if you do want to make positive change in the world, go for it because there’s no one stopping you except yourself.”
She’s now learning how to fly, like aviator Charles Lindbergh who was Time’s first Person of the Year in 1927. She also speaks Mandarin. As for college, the high school sophomore said she’ll see what best aligns with her interests.

We’ll check back with her in a couple of years.

###


TIME’s 2020 Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao: ‘I’m Hoping That I Can Prove Anyone Can Be an Innovator’

TIME magazine has named young scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao as ‘Kid of the Year’ for the first time in its history. According to TIME, the 15-year-old Indian American from Colorado, has developed a device that can warn of lead in drinking water. She is moreover responsible for an app that detects “cyberbullying” on the internet. I spoke with Rao about democracy, educational equality and how can science regain peoples’ trust.

Gitanjali, you were named TIME’s “Kid of the Year” just a few days ago - and now you are our 100th Face of Democracy. How significant are democracy and democratic values to you personally?

It is how we have been brought up, so it is the core value for the common good of people.

During the selection process for TIME’s 2020 Kid of the Year, you triumphed over competition from 5,000 other applicants. What was the first thought that went through your head when you heard that you had won?

It was a surreal moment. I’m honored, humbled, and beyond excited to be named Kid of the Year! There’s something so exciting about being able to share your story and I’m representing kids from all walks of life, no matter their gender, their age, or where they come from. I’m hoping that I can prove anyone can be an innovator.

Time and Nickelodeon have done an amazing job highlighting optimism, kindness, positivity, especially in these tough times, especially highlighting the work of our generation. Each of us has different talents and we try to light up the community with whatever we can.

You said you hope to inspire others to come up with ideas to “solve the world’s problems.” In your opinion, what are the most pressing challenges facing humanity and how should we attempt to solve them?

I believe basic human rights such as clean water, clean air is our biggest problem. We need to solve the problem of contamination of natural resources by treating, preventing, and detecting them.

You are a young scientist and inventor yourself. In an interview with Angelina Jolie, you said: “Everything I see on TV is that it’s an older, usually white man as a scientist.” Does science need to become younger and increasingly “female”?

I believe the ingenuity of youth needs to be harnessed and universities and organizations should open up their doors for us. Research labs, internships, and other opportunities to explore should not be limited to adults if we want to encourage a problem-solving mindset. Traditional education needs to start incorporating innovation at an early stage.

In terms of females, there are several girls in STEM organizations, but the majority of them are introduced to coding and programming. I believe there needs to be a shift in how girls are introduced to STEM. They need to see a connection to the real world and should be introduced to the latest technologies broadly. They can then choose their areas of interest and go deep into it.

Educational equality is one of the achievements of democracy. Nevertheless, in the USA it’s often not ability that counts, but money. What can your generation change to make education in the USA fairer?

I recognize there is an inequality in education. Some schools barely have internet access while others have 3D printing labs. My innovation workshops are a small step in sharing with rural schools and other underprivileged schools that you can start anywhere, start with a simple idea, and reach out to mentors who may provide you more access to materials and experts. You need not be limited to what the school provides. If you have a phone, there is no excuse to not reach out or say that we were not given a fair chance.

In these coronavirus times we need science more than ever. But the pandemic has also shown that part of society mistrusts research. How can science regain peoples’ trust?

I believe science is a fact, but it needs to be communicated well to bring about a social change and a feeling of trust. The more we educate and bring awareness to people with facts, causes, and effects, the more it gains trust.

For example, when I started researching for Tethys, the lead detection tool, people knew about the lead in drinking water in Flint. Just three months into my research, I found that there are several states, communities, and part of the world with the same issue, but it just didn’t gain enough attention. As we try to solve problems using science, bringing awareness to these problems are equally important. When universities work on research, I believe awareness should go hand in hand for people to gain trust.

(Sven Lilienström is the founder of Faces of Democracy and its Faces of Democracy and Faces of Peace initiatives.)

###


Mia Tomasino (’23) featured on Nickelodeon’s Kid of the Year


A heartfelt congratulations to Art Education student Mia Tomasino for her amazing portrait work of the 5 finalists for Nickelodeon’s Kid of the Year Award!

The 5 nominees were: Tyler Gordon, Jordan Reeves, Bellen Woodard, Ian McKenna, and Kid of the Year Award winner, Gitanjali Rao!


###


Indian American Gitanjali Rao named Faces of Democracy’s 100th face

Time ‘Kid of the Year’ hopes to prove anyone can be an innovator!

Time magazine’s first ever ’Kid of the Year’, Indian American scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao has been named by Germany based Faces of Democracy initiative as its ‘100th face of democracy’.

The 15-year-old young, who won the Time honor for developing a device that can warn of lead in drinking water and an app that detects “cyberbullying” on the internet, has described democracy as a “core value for the common good of people.”

“It is how we have been brought up, so it is the core value for the common good of people,” Rao told Sven Lilienström, founder of Faces of Democracy in an interview focused on democracy, educational equality and how science can regain peoples’ trust.

Asked how she felt on learning she had won Time’s 2020 Kid of the Year title over 5,000 competitors, Rao said, “It was a surreal moment. I’m honored, humbled, and beyond excited to be named Kid of the Year!

“There’s something so exciting about being able to share your story and I’m representing kids from all walks of life, no matter their gender, their age, or where they come from,” she said. “I’m hoping that I can prove anyone can be an innovator.”

Time and Nickelodeon, Rao said, “have done an amazing job highlighting optimism, kindness, positivity, especially in these tough times, especially highlighting the work of our generation. Each of us has different talents and we try to light up the community with whatever we can.”

Describing basic human rights such as clean water, clean air as “our biggest problem”, Rao said, “We need to solve the problem of contamination of natural resources by treating, preventing, and detecting them.”

Asked if  science needs to become younger and increasingly ‘female’, Rao said, “I believe the ingenuity of youth needs to be harnessed and Universities and Organizations should open up their doors for us.”

“Research labs, internships, and other opportunities to explore should not be limited to adults if we want to encourage a problem-solving mindset,” she said. “Traditional education needs to start incorporating innovation at an early stage.”

“In terms of females, there are several girls in STEM organizations, but the majority of them are introduced to coding and programming,” Rao said. “I believe there needs to be a shift in how girls are introduced to STEM.”

“They need to see a connection to the real world and should be introduced to the latest technologies broadly,” she said. “They can then choose their areas of interest and go deep into it.”

Asked what can her generation change to make education in the US fairer, Rao said, “I recognize there is an inequality in education. Some schools barely have internet access while others have 3D printing labs.”

“My innovation workshops are a small step in sharing with rural schools and other underprivileged schools that you can start anywhere, start with a simple idea, and reach out to mentors who may provide you more access to materials and experts.”

”You need not be limited to what the school provides. If you have a phone, there is no excuse to not reach out or say that we were not given a fair chance,” Rao said.

“I believe science is a fact, but it needs to be communicated well to bring about a social change and a feeling of trust,” she said when asked how can science regain peoples’ trust in these coronavirus times.

“The more we educate and bring awareness to people with facts, causes, and effects, the more it gains trust. For example, when I started researching for Tethys, the lead detection tool, people knew about the lead in drinking water in Flint,” Rao said.

“Just three months into my research, I found that there are several states, communities, and part of the world with the same issue, but it just didn’t gain enough attention.”

“As we try to solve problems using science, bringing awareness to these problems are equally important,” Rao said. “When Universities work on research, I believe awareness should go hand in hand for people to gain trust.”

###

 
Originally published: Thursday, December 03, 2020 at 19:27 GMT.

Press release via PR Newswire; H/T: @NickSchedules, @Kancsn01; Additional sources: PA Media, WSB-TV 2 Atlanta.
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