June 15, 2015

Give a little.

There’s a board game I owned about a decade ago that included a box full of cards; on each card was a deep, philosophical question. They were questions that challenged the player to think deeply and widely at the same time, and to answer in a way that reflected not just our answer to the question, but how we came to that answer in the first place.

It was an exercise in philosophy, disguised as a board game.

I don’t remember the name of the game, but I do remember that it was targeted at adults. At the time, I never questioned that targeting, but recently I’ve been wondering: why couldn’t those same questions be asked of children?

Brila, a charitable organization based in Montreal but with programs across the country, has been wondering that same thing for several years, now. The premise behind Brila is simple: young people have the capacity to think deeply and articulate those thoughts in creative ways, and we need to encourage that kind of thinking and articulation.

Brila is philosophy and creativity for children, but it is we as adults who benefit from the diversity of thought and discussion that comes when our younger generations are engaged in this kind of critical thinking.

If you believe, like I do, that young people need to engage with philosophy, critical thinking, and creativity, here’s a way you can help foster this kind of thought: donate your old electronics to Brila.

As part of their programs for children and teens, Brila requires the use of cameras, phones, computers, and other kinds of devices for creative output; if you have some old electronics around, they’d be more than happy to use them. Here’s a quick list of the kinds of things they need:

  • DSLR cameras
  • Point-and-shoot digital cameras
  • Laptops
  • Tablets
  • iPod Touch devices
  • iPhones

(Brila is happy to provide a tax receipt for the fair market value of the item donated. Of course, if you’d rather donate some cash to help them purchase these devices, you can do that too, on their website.)

I don’t usually use this platform to solicit donations or advocate for organizations, but I believe in Brila and the work that they do, and know that the donation of old electronics is something that’s easy for many of us and would mean so much to a charity that does such great work with young people across Canada.

If you have any questions about Brila or how to donate, check out their website, or feel free to send me an email.

Thanks for your help, in advance; let’s make sure philosophy isn’t just something we engage with when we play board games as adults.