I hope your day of thanksgiving and gratitude was full of friends, family, and fun!
I am personally thankful for so much! I am writing from Togo! Seeing my daughter and husband fills my heart!! Amara has grown taller (she's now at my shoulders!) and her French continues to improve and she has also restarted her Mandarin lessons! She says she now has 4 friends! Love it! So proud of her :-)
Oh! And she really LOVES horses!
Kidogo Productions has been busy! We have a new clickable prototype. We need testers, reviewers, people to give feedback, etc. Outside eyes are incredibly appreciated and valued, especially at this early stage when we can make changes relatively easily! Please fill out our survey by December 1st to be eligible for our random drawing for a $100 gift card. THANK YOU!!
In early October, I celebrated SPARK FM's new studio opening with Founder Danielle Johnson. Y'all should check out her space. She's got recording studios to make content (I'm ahem'ing content creators who need space to create content for Kidogo).
A few days later, I traveled to NYC for EdTech Week! It was my first conference, which directly addressed the ed tech industry. I went to so many workshops, I almost lost my breath! I nerded out by asking questions and taking copious notes, which I sent to those who asked, and, most importantly, to my team. I learned crucial intel-- from privacy requirements for users to funding opportunities. This conference confirmed and affirmed that Kidogo is headed in the right direction.
The Museum of Science invited us to celebrate with them at their Bradford Washburn Award celebration and dinner. They chose to honor Dr. Robert Bullard. During last year's Black History Month, Kidogo Kids participated in a live Learn n' Play at the museum where we focused on Black climate scientists, activists, and policy makers-- one of whom was Dr. Bullard. Fast forward to this celebration and dinner, one of our Kidogo Kids got to meet Dr. Bullard in person :-) During Dr. Bullard's acceptance speech, he even gave our kid a shoutout!
I ended October with the BECMA conference, which was great, as usual. It is always so good to connect with friends. Highlight: I met two potential creators. I am forever on the hunt for good talent!
Speaking of being on the hunt, a couple weeks ago, I attended AfroTech in Houston, Texas. This was my first time at the conference and my first time in Texas, both of which were HUGE!! Out of 36K conference attendees, I wanted to find a game designer and game developer. I was certainly hopeful, but the size of this conference was overwhelming! Striking out on faith, I started talking to random people, moving strategically from one side of the expo to the other, attending workshops, socials, and milling in the hallways. Each night of the 4 all-day event found me knocked out, lol! I am so happy to report that my work paid off! I have two very promising leads! I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. You can see my video recap on IG here.
I rounded out this month with a pitch at Ujima's Business Investor Relations Gathering. I pulled in my niece AJ to introduce me and I pitched with my updated pitch deck. It was great practice! Pitching is an art and science, which constantly needs nurturing. I appreciate every opportunity.
As you can see, I am creating a season of being OUTSIDE. I am trying to attend more events, conferences, and networking events. I never regret getting out and meeting new people.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
I have now heard from more than a handful of people, since a certain political event occured, that Kidogo is "needed now more than ever before." Yes, and, more accurately, it is now evident to more people that Kidogo is needed more than ever. The underlying need has always been there, unfortunately. I can conjure up plenty of doomsday scenarios about what is to come, but the best that I can do is build a company that puts the well-being of children at the center of our purpose.
For the Kids, for the Culture,
Keeana
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