This charity's approach to tackling poverty is game-changing.
An organization called The Magic Bus is turning the fight against poverty on its head — by using games.
While living and working in Mumbai, India, Magic Bus founder Matthew Spacie realized that simply providing jobs to young people in poverty isn't enough. Without the social and mental tools necessary for employment, these young people are often unable to keep jobs once they get them.
How does Magic Bus aim to teach children these important skills? Games!
The Magic Bus uses sports and other physical activities to mentor children in impoverished communities. Each of the 40 sessions per year teaches children about education, gender, health, and key issues affecting them.
Sports are easily translated into real life lessons:
GIFs via Magic Bus USA/YouTube.
And they don't only play sports.
After a game is over, mentors talk to the kids and teens about how real-life is like the game. They might discuss obstacles that kids face in getting to school and come up with ideas on how to help those kids make it.
Not only that, but many mentors come from the communities themselves, meaning kids can have role models who share their life experiences.
According to Magic Bus, "Nearly all the youth end up pursuing higher studies and/or enrolling in our employability program."
In India, it is estimated that 423 million people will be unemployed in the next 15 years.
That's a lot.
But even if they find a job, about 60% of the young people looking for work in India didn't have the skills to actually do the jobs they applied for.
These are skills like work ethic, confidence, and emotional intelligence. When children live below the poverty line, they often miss out on these skills. While most charities focus on job placement alone, Magic Bus addresses problems that help young people not only acquire jobs, but keep them.
Magic Bus' success is staggering.
The organization reported programs in 3,500 communities in 2013, teaching approximately 200,000 children and teens every week. The charity is set to reach an incredible 4,500,000 childrenin 22 states in India this year.
Wouldn't it be cool to get involved with a program like this? The Magic Bus is spreading its program to other countries too, including the U.S. and the U.K. You can check out their volunteering page for info about volunteering in a number of countries.
Don't just take it from me. Listen to some awesome young ladies share their success
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."