A new magazine by and for youth on issues of spirit
When Elizabeth Dabney Hochman, a New York–based opera singer by profession, decided to start KidSpirit magazine three years ago, her goal was to create a positive way to address the uncomfortable realities of the post-9/11 world, a world in which human conflict rages between people of different traditions, religions, faiths, and worldviews.
She hoped that by empowering adolescents to reflect on life’s big questions, as well as on their connections to one another and the larger communities in which they live, perhaps the young people themselves can guide all of us toward an alternative to the widespread dissension.
This spring, her hopes and their guidance make a real appearance in the world with the publication of the first issue of KidSpirit magazine . In the premier issue, titled “Roots of Spirit,” the editorial board, made up of 10- to 15-year-old girls and boys, guides an exploration of the human connection to the earth from many points of view.
Why start a magazine by and for young people about spirituality now? As founder Hochman reveals in an article for the upcoming Fall 2008 issue of New Directions for Youth Development , “KidSpirit was born of a belief that people on the cusp of adulthood need something to counterbalance the many superficial and obfuscating influences bombarding them from our culture at large.” Her goal has been to foster dialogue and understanding among kids of diverse backgrounds and traditions in a non-affiliated and ad-free forum.
Like the pluralistic society in which young people are currently growing up, the magazine itself strives to be inclusive of those who identify themselves as going to a church, temple or synagogue, as well as those who don’t. The inclusivity is both vital and intentional, Hochman notes. “If we don’t give them the invitation to explore their spirituality and the tools to do so, we shouldn’t be surprised if our kids wind up rudderless.”
KidSpirit magazine is not designed to supplant more traditional religious or spiritual avenues, but rather to address the modern need for more ways for young people to connect with their sense of spirit. Young people on the editorial board confirm this need.
As editorial board member Susan Yassky explains, “KidSpirit grabbed me because it’s a completely unique magazine; it covers big questions that kids don’t always get a chance to talk about, but I think a lot of kids, including myself, do think about.”
The chance to think, talk, and write about the big spiritual questions of life has an impact on the young people involved. “Looking at spirituality in regard to everyday life makes you think of life in a different way,” says Rebecca Brudner, author of one of the first issue’s articles. “You think deeper, stronger, about the entire essence of life.” She particularly enjoys that the magazine is not driven by trends and celebrities, or about what’s popular, but about the meaning of modern-day life.
Upcoming issues of the magazine will tackle such themes as spirituality and the media, spirituality and materialism, myth and meaning, science and spirit, and change and loss. Through the magazine’s Web site, other youth are also invited to weigh in on these themes and share stories of “Awesome Moments” in their own lives.
“I believe that in engaging each other on age-old questions, as well as on issues particular to their age, readers of and contributors to KidSpirit will have an all-too-rare opportunity to grow holistically—body, mind, emotions, and spirit—and in that process discover their inner wisdom and true voice.”
Visit www.KidSpiritonline.com to subscribe or to offer young people you know the opportunity to contribute.
