Could you introduce EXPLR to the community?
EXPLR is a relatively new company with a 20-year history. I've created under 10-minute content that helps kids understand their world beyond their community for two decades. Think of the Explr platform like Netflix for education. There are under ten min-content for teens and tweens that are education-focused, featuring everything a kid needs to learn or wants to know.
What inspired you to create EXPLR?
During my first career, I worked in an investment bank in the HR department responsible for creating videos for MBA candidates encouraging them to apply to jobs at this investment bank. That's where I learned how to produce, to film, to edit.
When 9/11 happened, I lost my job like many people in the financial world, and of course, companies were not hiring. I didn't know what to do with my life, but I had these video editing skills.
I knew I didn't particularly appreciate that kids were constantly exposed to media that made them feel afraid of the world. So why not create media that embraces kids' curiosity about what it is like to be a kid in another country, culture, or community.
When I started this in 2003, a non-profit was the precursor to this, called Project Explr, where we first started creating under 10-minute videos. This was two years before Youtube existed. So we were one of the first players to create videos just for kids that could be consumed online anywhere in the world. But with no ads, age-appropriate, and everything rooted in education. So if you're a parent, you can have your child on a subscription and be reassured that every single thing they watch is educational.
There are Emmy nominated videos on there. Academy award-winning artists and even people like Desmond Tutu has collaborated with us. It's really incredible.
Why is it essential to empower young people with knowledge?
When half the population is under 30 years old, you know that they are the change agents. I'm not too fond of the mentality of "you're too young to learn that, or you'll only be able to change the world when you grow up". This is the generation of 12-year-olds doing a march on Washington and trying to save our lives. Those kids are already change-makers, so why not just empower them with the information they need and then let them lead.
The videos on Explr are the lessons that spark that curiosity and interest to become leaders, activists, and allies. Quite honestly, we've got some significant global challenges, so the younger we question ourselves, how can we help solve these challenges and what role do we play? The better.
Can adults also enjoy EXPLR content?
100% we say it's tween and teen-focused, but it's really family-focused. So you will find things of interest even if they're not incredibly academic. Just think of terms of language and who's in front of the camera that it has a family focus to it.
Head to the Juno Platform to order you EXPLR Subscription