My 2011 New Year’s resolution list includes an item from last year’s line-up. I wanted to help invent a word. This year it is going to happen.
At work, we are working to connect teen girls with the needs of adolescent girls around the world. There is real need, and the teen U.S. girls are a major part of the solution. What fascinates me most is what we are learning about these U.S. teens. They are smarter, more connected, and more prepared to give and mobilize their friends to give than any generation before. They are the new face of giving and philanthropy. Girls today are smart and have a cell phone and a credit card. They are the PHILANTHROTEENs. Behold the new word.
This is more than an idea. It is a proven trend that research, focus groups and countless examples of girls around the U.S. proves true. While the word seems to have existed before (and I nod to the earliest examples of it I could find on the Internet), it does not appear that journalists or commentators or philanthropy-watchers have given them a name. That’s changing. Just this year, people started taking note. It’s about time. If we can get the word in the public discourse, we can help girls embrace the movement that so many of them are helping create.
So it’s early in 2011, and I may have to start moving down my New Year’s resolution list. Time to join that gym…