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Collaboration & sharing Young people communicate and collaborate every few minutes - it's an obsession. They text, MSN, BBM, Myspace, Facebook, Facebook message, Facebook chat and Skype. Note the absence of email and Twitter. Then there's Spotify, Soundcloud, Flickr, YouTube and Bitorrent to share, tag, upload and download experiences, comments, photographs, video and media. They also collaborate closely in parties when playing games. Never have the young shared so much, so often in so many different ways. Then along comes someone who wants to teach them this so called 21st C skill, usually in a classroom, where all of this is banned. I'm always amused at this conceit, that we adults, especially in education, think we even have the skills we claim we want to teach. There is no area of human endeavour that is less collaborative than education. Teaching and lecturing are largely lone wolf activities in classrooms. Schools, colleges and Universities share little. Educational professionals are deeply suspicious of anything produced outside of their classroom or their institution. The culture of NIH (Not Invented Here) is endemic. 

"But we can't help but feel that adults are passing the buck. How can people in their 40s and 50s -- in the prime of their careers, with connections, influence and cash -- be so quick to wash their hands of the world's many messes, such as inequality, global warming, homelessness, and the injustices experienced by aboriginals? They don't realize the power they hold. There is solid evidence that when parents -- as well as teachers and mentors -- show their helping side, children internalize and adopt these behaviours."

ctivating Empathy is a global collaborative competition to find the best ideas, programs, and learning-models from around the world that: Encourage social and emotional development Unlock new ways of viewing problems, opening the door to a new world of potential solutions Address bullying or aggression in ways that advance understanding of others' perspectives Promote community diversity and a respect for differences Champion children as real-world problem solvers rather than simply bystanders Prepare to Enter or Nominate an individual, organization, or partnership with a solution online starting now.

What's wrong with our world and what can we do about it? The shift is about to hit the fan...