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Carly Gillis

I've written about all sorts of things, but nothing's quite as satisfying as writing about things that really, really matter. I think there are great stories everywhere — it's finding the right words to tell them that's the hard part. Find more of my Upworthy-ness on my Facebook page or enjoy what is basically an RSS feed of my brain on Twitter!

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When comedians and puppets perform stories written by kids, the smiles are contagious.

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In the world of Story Pirates, it's not at all unusual to watch a play featuring a talking carrot on Saturn or flying cats.

That's because the playwrights may seem a bit unconventional: They're kids.

Story Pirates is an organization that pairs actors and comedians with stories written by young students. The results are fantastical productions that celebrate the power of imagination while also empowering kids for a lifetime.

Check out their story:

This group takes stories written by little kids and turns them into into theater. And the results will make you smile.
Posted by Upworthy on Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Story Pirates is based on the belief that literacy and education aren't rooted just in ability, but also in self-expression and imagination.

And the results are real.

Founded in a single Harlem elementary school in 2004, Story Pirates has since traveled to schools across the United States to bring kids' stories to life on stage.

All images via Story Pirates/Cricket.

"Over and over again, we'll be in a classroom and teachers will come up to us and be like, 'Wow, this kid is often one of our most reluctant writers,'" executive producer Sam Reiff-Pasarew says. "But in the world of Story Pirates, where we sort of encourage them to use their imagination and be creative, it frees up some of those reluctant writers to become really enthusiastic writers."

This kids-first ethos is even rooted in the name Story Pirates itself.

"With Story Pirates, we wanted a name that sounded awesome to kids," CEO Benjamin Salka says. "We wanted it to be kids-centric. We wanted kids to hear the name Story Pirates and feel like rock stars were coming into their classrooms, not teachers."

And Story Pirates' productions feel a lot different from your typical school talent show.

That's because the organization connects schools with big-city producers, creatives, and improvisors who know how to put on a professional-level performance.

And when the kids see their own words brought to life with big, thoughtful productions? That's when the magic happens.

"I'm so thrilled that I'm with them," says Amber Castillo, a young writer who participated in the program. "I felt, like, really positive for myself and my story."

Beyond encouraging students to write, it helps them understand that the things they produce are worthy, exciting, and unique.

"In addition to just being a celebration, it's really a validation of them," Kasru says. "The idea that these talented professional actors are, like, taking their work and treating it like it's an amazing theatrical text that we can make great art out of."

Anyone can relate to wishing to be understood and accepted when they're a kid. Story Pirates taps into that idea, specializing in giving kids the validation and confidence they deserve while also embracing a love of writing and learning.

"Story Pirates treats kids as creative peers," artistic director Lee Overtree says. "And I think everyone secretly remembers a little bit of what it’s like to be a kid and be in the world as a kid."

If you wish you had a program like this when you were a kid, check out the Story Pirates' donation page to get them into more schools or get your kid involved by submitting their own story.

Correction 6/26/2017: Sam's last name, Reiff-Pasarew, was incorrectly stated as Kasru.

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What is that happy feeling that comes from scratching an itch (real or metaphorical)?

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Finding little ways to incorporate joy into our days can make a big difference for our overall happiness and well-being.

Breaking up a long day with simple moments of joy and happiness can really make a difference. Take it from this bear who found the perfect tree to scratch an itch.

GIF via Cadbury.

Here are four little ways to add a lot of joy into your day — sans romping through a forest.

1. Getting a dose of fun cuteness actually does a body good.

I mean, how can you resist the cuteness?

A 2015 study suggested there may be real benefit to watching cute cat videos — participants reported more energy and positive feelings and less negative feelings after watching them.

We think that extends to cat GIFs, as well — right?

2. Seeing things in their "perfect place" feels so satisfying.

Beyond good organization, we've all felt that odd sense of satisfaction when seeing images and GIFs of things fitting perfectly into other things. If you've experienced that feeling, you're not alone — there are even whole Tumblrs and subreddits dedicated to it.

A perfect gum holder.

Why the heck does it feel so good to even just look at things being where they're seemingly supposed to be?

One psychological theory discussed in an article in The Atlantic is that it might create a sense of relief in relationship to the jumble of everyday life. It's no secret we all have tons of responsibilities and pressures to deal with daily. But these simple acts of success can be deeply satisfying in the chaos of it all. Don't you agree?

3. Making others happy is infectious!

The simplest acts — holding a door open, surprising a co-worker with their favorite snack, even a hug — can come with a sense of overwhelming personal happiness.

It turns out there's a ton of science behind why it feels so plain great to be kind to others: Studies have shown there are very real physical rewards for kindness, such as reducing social anxiety, lowering blood pressure, and even recharging our gut bacteria.

This helpful girl picks up a wallet ... and our hearts. Awww. GIF via Japanese Red Cross.

Yes, your body is physically rewarding you for doing good things — no wonder it feels so great!

4. Maybe it's that satisfied feeling from your favorite snack.

Have you ever wondered why we feel that happy satisfied feeling after we eat a really satisfying meal or snack?

Pancakes can be a meal or a snack, right?

When it comes to being satisfied, it goes beyond just filling up your actual stomach to the "satiety signals" sent to the brain.

These satiety signals are influenced by your food — the aesthetic quality of the food as it relates to your personal tastes. The amount of delight you get from the sight, smell, texture, and so on of your meal relate to actual hormones in your body. The more "satiation power" in what you're eating, the stronger the signal of satisfaction is.

GIF by Cadbury.

So that's why when you bite into, say, your favorite Cadbury bar, it is so very and truly satisfying.

Why not add one of these little happy activities to your list of to-dos?

It might be time to take a cue from this awesome bear and go for it!

A CPA's biggest piece of advice? Everyone needs to talk about money way more.

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Do you ever wonder where you stand among your peers when it comes to money?

It's safe to say that most — if not all — people are curious as to where they stand.

Kelley Long, CPA/PFS, is a volunteer spokesperson for the Feed the Pig campaign. Safe to say, she spends a lot of time talking to people about money. She sat down with us to offer some of her own perspective when it comes to the youngest generation coming into financial maturity — millennials.

First, the good news: Young people know a lot about money.

"It's really interesting — research shows that the generations after me are much more financially literate than my own," she said.

Long credits this with a lot more access to information and resources on the Internet. Even employers are introducing these concepts to millennial employees, providing counseling and other financial wellness benefits.

In this way, financial literacy is working — people know the right things to do in terms of saving, living within their means, and so on.

Image by Tax Credits/Flickr.

But they're getting in their own way, in two ways.

She explains that there are two problems setting young people up for failure.

First, they're not actually doing the things they know they're supposed to do. And that's because they're entering a new normal when it comes to what financial priorities should be in terms of how much and where.

Living through recessions and financial crises has caused some uncertainty in terms of figuring out how to apply financial literacy to everyday life.

"But the size of the millennial generation is creating a demand for change," says Long. "New business models will be borne out of that."

And as for the second thing? Stressing out.

Long says there needs to be a shift in the way people feel guilty about student loans — yes, she's a financial planner advising people to stop feeling so bad.

Because they're more aware of what an ideal financial situation looks like, a lot of young folks have "unnecessary stress about the present reality."

"It's not that they can't make the payment, it's often just the big number and the fact that they have student debt causing stress," she explains.

High student loans are a big source of stress — but should they be?

"One of the things I coach is that you have to remember that this is an investment you made," says Long. "Every monthly payment is a payment toward your career, much like your mortgage is toward your house, which is often a bigger number and yet people don't freak out about that number!"

"Not all debt is 'bad' debt, some debt is considered 'good' debt!" she says. "If you have it for the right reasons [like getting an education so you can earn money in a career], that's OK. There needs to be a mind shift away from that kind of guilt. If you didn't have the degree your debt bought, where would your finances be then?"

So, if you're worrying about the mere amount of your total student loans but are comfortably able to make the payments — don't stress or feel ashamed.

"They payoff plans are designed to get them paid off [unlike credit card minimum payments] — just make the payments and try to remember it's an investment in your future."

Image by Joshua Poh/Flickr.

She shared three pragmatic tips to help young people get started toward financial health.

First, if you're deciding whether to pay off your loans or put money away, examine your job's 401(k) plan. If they have a matching plan, prioritize it — it's "free money" you're just throwing away otherwise. Then prioritize the loans you have with high interest rates.

If you're looking for a service or consulting company to help you figure out your financial health (such as during this coming tax season), pay attention to any perceptible biases. Think about their motives. If they're selling you stuff right out the gate, they might not have your interests in mind. And if your workplace offers a financial wellness benefit, take advantage of it.

And one pro tip that seems obvious but is great advice: Once you pay off a big debt, keep budgeting the payments but put them into your savings account. Use force of habit for good!

But her biggest piece of advice? Everyone needs to talk about this stuff way more.

"Money is still taboo," says Long. "We all want to know where we stand in comparison to other people, and we use money to buy stuff to make us look rich, but we don't talk about where the money came from. There's this desire to be rich because we don't want to worry about money. But we also tend to have almost a bias against rich people. Like we want to be them, but we also feel disdain for people who appear to be doing well."

"Just talking about it and the ability to be totally honest will help all of us get better about money because we'll realize we're all more alike than we think."

Image by Matus Laslofi/Flickr.

For more resources, check out Feed the Pig!

Feed the Pig is a national public service campaign sponsored by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and The Ad Council. They have tons of resources created specifically for people in their late-20s and early-30s — what a relief!

Image from Feed the Pig.

For instance, you can create a savings plan to help get you on track, get free savings tips, or find an interesting variety of calculators to see how your financial plan actually plays out.

And if you use the program IFTTT — you're in super luck. They just rolled out a bunch of new recipes to incentivize savings in slightly embarrassing or socially motivated ways. If that sounds provocative, it's because it is — be sure to learn more.

Young people may feel lost when it comes to finances, but they don't have to be. And they're already on the right track.

It's just about putting all that knowledge to use. If you know someone who could benefit from a pep talk, why not share some resources and tips? It's all about starting a conversation!

What did Bill and Melinda Gates tell a room full of teenagers from around the world?

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If you had 75 minutes to talk to a room full of super smart teenagers, what would you say?

The next generation is inheriting quite a few problems on ol' planet Earth. What advice do you have for them as they grow up and lead our future?

Would you try to inspire them? Encourage them? Lecture them?

This year's "annual letter" from Bill and Melinda Gates was written specifically for the next generation.

After releasing their highly anticipated annual letter, Bill and Melinda Gates decided to throw an event for the people they wrote it for: teenagers.

Moderated by author and awesome Internet person John Green in YouTube's New York City studios, Bill and Melinda fielded real questions submitted by a group of about 50 teens from all over the world.

As the 75-minute conversation continued, the powerful couple also used the time to go beyond the main themes of time and energy (please be sure to read about them!) to drop some really important life lessons and big ideas to consider.

Here are four of 'em.

1. When you're solving a big problem, it might be helpful to turn it into an actual problem — a math problem!

All photos from TheGatesNotes/YouTube.

In their annual letter, Bill honed in on energy supply being one of the most imperative problems to solve for our future.

But figuring out a true solution is super hard and super scary. So Bill broke down how we can work toward a solution with a straightforward math equation.

Image via Bill and Melinda Gates' 2016 annual letter, used with permission.

Let's work backward. What's causing all the CO2, which is represented as the result of this math problem? It's a combination of people (P), services they use (S), the energy those services need (E), and the carbon dioxide produced by that energy (C).

When it's broken down like this, the priorities not only become clear but sort of comforting in their simplicity. Bill goes into more of the nuances in both the letter and a video explainer, but this kind of problem solving exercise can be applied to many problems.

This solid formula serves as a blueprint to follow and provides some solid guidance on how to achieve a solution, while leaving the bulk of the creative journey to those taking on the challenge.

"Don't forget to be awesome." — John Green

2. The world is not always what it appears to be.

Melinda shared a personal story of seeing pictures of Africa as a child that portrayed the whole place as just one giant dustbowl.

"It's anything but," she said. "It's this thriving economy."

In Ethiopia, which is Africa's second largest country, they talked about getting to know a "health army of women" who are actively creating better access to health care by setting up small-yet-mighty clinics that especially cater to maternal health.

It's a portrait of an African country that you don't see often in the media — empowered, successful, thriving. We must continue to challenge the stereotypes of developing countries to lift each other up and truly collaborate the world over. Solutions are happening everywhere.

"When we share our story, we share our humanity. And when we share our humanity, that's when we connect." — Melinda Gates.

3. Diversity in our leadership matters.

At one point during the conversation, Melinda put a quote from the annual letter up on the screen: “Most girls don’t think they’ll be stuck with the same rules that kept their grandmothers in the home … if you think that, you’re wrong.”

What does this mean? She explained that a lot of girls grow up only to repeat what they tried to fight against in their youth simply because they don't know what a different future looks like. The more women — and diverse women across cultures — achieve leadership roles, the more girls can see and choose a future they feel empowered to pursue.

That is the reason we need more diversity overall in our leadership. It's so people can see what real success looks like — and then make their own paths.

"This is a great time to be alive and we ought to be hopeful." — Bill Gates

4. “We need you, and we are counting on you.”

When one student in the audience asked about what message they'd like to give to the world, it followed suit: hope.

"The world is improving, not for everyone at the same rate, but it is improving," said Melinda. "We need to focus on the fact that the world is getting better. The amazing science that we’re talking about is a part of that."

"This is a great time to be alive and we ought to be hopeful," added Bill.

And why do they feel this way? Because of the teens.

At the end of the event, John Green talked about a very common opinion among adults that see young people as overly self-centered and selfish. But he said that couldn't be further from the truth that he sees. Bill and Melinda agreed.

"I see young people using social media in unique and clever ways," says Melinda. "And they're using it to connect. I see a generation that is saying to us, 'I want to give back' and they value doing something for this world."

"We're turning to you for the solutions to the big problems — for big solutions," says Bill. "We're not just here to encourage you, but because we need you and are counting on you."

So, who were these teens in the audience that they're counting on?

The teens in the room were selected from the Global STEM Alliance of the New York Academy of Sciences. It's a program that pairs youths from all over the world with mentors in their desired fields to not only help them learn skills but also apply their creative thinking to big problems.

But as the letter said, this is a message we need to instill in all of our children — as well as all of us.

The overall message is this: We have to work together to create change. And ain't that the truth.

Working together can bring about real change — and teens are on the front line. Now is the time to remember to work together and, as John Green says, "Don't forget to be awesome."

To see a full replay of this live event, check out this recording of the YouTube live stream. And just for kicks, why not watch John Green break down some of the biggest themes of Bill and Melinda's annual letter in this super fun video:

If you believe the world is only getting worse, this one's for you.

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What does your future look like?

In the wake of recent tragedy, it's easy to feel hopeless. Sometimes, it seems as though the world is meant only for bad things to happen.

That's what it seemed when a couple of filmmakers asked a bunch of grown-ups what the future looked like to them.

All GIFs via "Ainda dá Tempo"/Vimeo.

But what does the future look like to kids?

When the filmmakers asked their kids a similar question — about what their future looks like — their visions were starkly different and full of possibility.

From creative passions...

...to making the world a better place...

...to just having a rad time.

The effect of their optimism on their parents? Inspiring!

Love the emphasis on good care. <3

Happy tears!

Heck yes you do — they are awesome!

Because really, our future is for them, isn't it?

These kids remind us why we need to make the world a better place. And there is still time!

Sometimes it just takes young voices to remind us where our priorities should be: to make the kind of globally connected and empathetic world that our kids deserve and demand.

So, what does our future really look like?

There's a lot of speculation, but there's also a lot of hope — and a lot of world leaders, organizations, celebrities, and everyday folks who are actually trying to make it happen.

You may have recently heard about the Global Goals. Back in September, nearly 200 world leaders committed to work on three broad goals that could truly make the world a better place: ending poverty, fighting inequality, and fixing climate change.

This December, the world is uniting again at COP21 in Paris to center its attention on that third goal of fixing our warming planet — a goal that actually is 100% achievable.

These may seem huge, but looking into the faces of what's at stake — this ambitious and energetic and wonderful next generation — can revitalize us to unify our voices and work together toward real change. It's happening!

Need a pick-me-up? Listen to their hopeful voices. :)

Feel the feels here:

Can you think of someone who needs this kind of encouragement? Pass it on. :)

Heroes

What's the difference between a dwarf and red giant? Just listen to the starlight.

The light of stars tells their stories.

Scientists have found a way to transform light from stars into sound — then they use the sound to understand them.

The sounds range from something like the sizzle of bacon to that uncomfortable noise that happens when you mistakenly switch to AM radio.

But the coolest part is what they can tell us about the stars themselves. Listen here; it's oddly soothing:

What the heck?

Yeah, I know. From what I can tell, it's the frequency of flickering starlight detected by the mighty Kepler telescope that is transformed into sound.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Dr. Bill Chaplin, an asteroseismologist (or star scientist, roughly) at Birmingham University, explains it for us normals by way of musical metaphor:

"Essentially stars resonate like a huge musical instrument. Stars make sounds naturally but we can't hear this as it is has to travel through space.

Like a musical instrument, stars are not uniformly solid all the way to their core, so the sound gets trapped inside the outer layers and oscillates around inside.

This makes the star vibrate causing it to expand and contract. We can detect this visually because the star gets brighter and dimmer and so we can reconstruct the sounds produced from these vibrations."

Turns out these vibrations can tell us some stuff about stars, like their size.

Stars come in all sorts of sizes, but let's talk about the "sounds" of three common ones and how they relate.

A dwarf star is a star that's roughly the size of our sun.

(I'll just let that sink in a bit, there, as you digest that in comparison to the other star sizes above.)

Anyway, dwarf stars spin faster than large stars because they are smaller. When light from these stars are turned into sound, the lack of "hiss" means the surface area is very small (thus, very little granulation). But because it spins so fast, the sunspots will make the light more irregular — meaning the tone is inconsistent. Go to 1:10 in the video to see what I mean; you can very easily identify how the low tone changes gradually.

Following this pattern, larger sized sub-giants have less of that irregular sunspot flickering because they spin at a slower rate. So the tone is less all over the place, but they have more of that hiss because they're bigger. You can hear this at 1:28 in the video.

Big, ol' red giants are crazy loud because they have tons of granulation and spin very slowly. This results in the maddening static sound you can hear at 1:45.

The coolest part? These sounds also give us insights into other worlds! (Maybe.)

For the brightest stars, our space buddy Kepler can detect when planets cross over the stars based on how the light is disrupted. And the measurements can be very, very accurate — which can give us some hints toward exploring planets that may support habitable life.

So there you have it: how star music helps us understand our universe. Science is rad!

From Your Site Articles

Lunch lady makes an awesome cart to help boy with dwarfism - Upworthy ›

"Accepting yourself as you are is an act of civil disobedience." Whoa.

What even is "normal"?

We're constantly shown pictures of what "normal" is through media, but is that accurate? And more importantly, is it helping us ... at all?

Francesca Martinez has cerebral palsy (although she prefers the term "wobbly," which you'll hear in the video below). Feelings of being "abnormal" or "faulty" seeped into her everyday life and drained her of creative energy.

If the world treats you like a mistake or an exception, how can you find your value?

But then she had a realization: Who really is normal, anyway?! Reality is completely warped on every kind of media platform imaginable. Everyone is told to push toward ideals that are often impossible, unhealthy, or unappealing. Who needs that!

She thought about how this pretend idea of "normalcy" relates to our everyday life. We're not made out of cookie cutters, but we're often treated that way, especially by the products we buy.

Think about our shopping carts, our TV screens, our status updates — how much of it has to do with creating a fictional version of our own individual reality? Could the idea of "normal" be something that's actually working against us?

Could "normal" actually be a distraction from the stuff that really matters?

Listen to Francesca's excellent speech on how it relates to the way we buy stuff, how it's affecting climate change (?!), and how accepting ourselves as we are is actually one of the most important things you can do. Like for real.

I just have to quote the last bit of her speech because it is wonderful:

"We won the lottery in life and life is such a beautiful, precious gift, and we have to savor it, because as far as we know, we are the only living things in the universe, so it is our duty to protect it." — Francesca Martinez

Share if you agree with this beautiful perspective!