Imagine a Childhood You Don't Have to Recover From. We Are.
A Safe Childhood Isn't a Luxury. - Join Us: We're Building a World That Doesn't Break Kids.
The world we live in today is full of social hierarchies and forced social norms that can be cruel and traumatizing for all of us, but especially NeuroDivergent and marginalized/vulnerable populations.
Too often, assimilation is pushed and cruelty is rewarded, while Kindness and compassion are punished. Being raised in a world like this can cause people to grow up hating aspects of themselves that are beyond their control (that they cannot help).
Kids deserve better than we're giving them right now. They deserve a chance to grow up with childhoods they don't have to recover from.
I've spent the past nine years of my adult life recovering from a childhood that left me broken and scarred... but it shouldn't have to be this way.
Earlier this year, Cristina (one of my amazing community members, whom I now consider a friend) approached me with a bold idea that could provide a solution not currently available anywhere in the world for children (and vulnerable marginalized adults alike). Ever since, we've been dreaming of a better world together.
I met Cristina years ago, virtually as we followed each other's journey through healing from the traumas we both endured. I have come to know her more personally since collaborating with her on her project KOZ over the last seven months.
Cristina is a 30-year entrepreneur, and her latest ventures have been social projects designed to help the underdogs in various situations.
Cristina is as scrappy and determined as any rising underdog gets when she's hyper-focused on a purpose dear to her.
As a multiply neurodivergent and disabled person, Cristina is a Vulnerable in this life too, and it's this fact and her life of trauma and hardships that drive her passion to create the solutions we need to see for a kinder, safer world for us.
As an entrepreneur, I've seen that Cristina is not driven by wealth or fame; she's strategic and ethically thoughtful about what she creates (because I ask a LOT of ethics questions). She and I are both driven by the fact that this type of solution is sorely needed for us. I also believe Cristina has the right (and very well thought-out) solution (in KOZ) to make it happen.
Through Cristina's brilliant startup concept (KOZ), the aim is not only to find a way to keep kids safe online but also to provide a solution that benefits the broader community of underserved adults.
When you read the letter "K" in this context, think "Kindness," because being Kind (not fake "nice") is a cornerstone of this fantastic project.
Cristina and I both dream of creating a safer, kinder world, where children can grow up safe and unharmed... but we can't do it alone.
Cristina, the KOZ team, and I believe that with inclusivity, respect, Kindness, and goodness at the forefront, we can build a strong Kommunity that is empowered to create the changes we need to see in the broader world.
To bring this dream to life, we're creating a private, invite-only global Kommunity (through the talK) to help us build KOZ.
More info:
The Kommunity will be hosted in a private Facebook group and will serve as a platform where we can share ideas about making the world, our lives, and a sliver of the World Wide Web in KOZ (and beyond)…safer, kinder, and gentler in all ways.
To bring this dream to reality, KOZ's mission is to work with talented individuals who are too often pushed into the margins of society.
Right now, we are looking to kick this project off with people who:
Want to be part of a safe, feel-good project and space where we can make new friends with a shared purpose.
Believe that when we amass like-minded people, we can create the changes we need to see.
Believe that the vulnerable and marginalized people among us need more equitable support to thrive, and a workplace that is designed for us and our specific needs.
Want to build a kinder, gentler world for all of us.
If this sounds like "you," please reach out to Cristina (who is the architect of KOZ) with any questions or to inquire about how you can be part of this groundbreaking project via her email thetalkpodkast@gmail.com.
I'm helping to get the word out, but Cristina is the "point person" who has all the answers to your questions.
For more information, be sure to follow thetalK podcast (created to amplify what is being done with KOZ to keep kids safe online, and how we plan to work with underserved populations to deliver it) here on Facebook.
Please note that a screening survey is required before entry, as this is a closed community group of like-minded (and like-lived) individuals (who want to come together and be part of a movement towards making meaningful change) with a specific purpose in launching this project.
We know some who are interested may have specific support needs to complete the survey. Please email the team for alternative ways to connect.
KIDS stands for Kommunity Initiative for Diversity and Safety, and KIDS was created as one of many ways to get closer to building our startup concept, KOZ. KOZ's purpose is to keep kids safe online, and our mission is to work with talented, under-supported Vulnerables, Disabled, and Divergents to help us deliver it.
Through KIDS, we hope to build a Kommunity that can help us fine-tune our vision for KOZ as a place for the kids of our members, and a place of work for our members themselves. KIDS will be a private Facebook group to start, and it will be a place where we can share ideas, philosophies, and thoughts about KOZ, Equity for those who need it the most, and create a safer, Kinder, and gentler pocket in the world.
From sharing some of our proprietary plans, to eventually looking to KIDS' members to help us as Kontributors through volunteering or as our earliest hires as we ramp up, to participating in our future micro-equity-ownership KROWD funding initiatives by contributing, or by spreading the word, we are looking to create many different ways that our Kommunity members can participate in the building of KOZ.
THANK YOU, Lyric. True change makers like you can see the vision, and I’m so grateful! Looking forward to getting emails from fellow rising underdogs! 🩵🙏