World Awareness Wednesday: Disney’s Green Games

© Disney

Reminiscent of the once annual Disney Channel Games, a new model has come to the world of cable television.  “Disney’s Friends For Change Games” is very similar in feel, but with a whole new message.

The original summertime games were a way to promote physical activity in our younger generation.  We thought they were here to stay, but in 2008, the Disney Channel sports took a hiatus.  2011 brings the same concept: physical activity presented in a fun, team-building way.  Kids at home can become invested in the teams in which their favorite characters are playing, and the hope is that they will be inspired to leave the couch and try some of the sports themselves; maybe even getting the neighborhood involved.

The new games take it even further, however.  Disney has fully embraced the platform of environmental awareness.  “Friends for Change” has been around for several years now.  Disney channel stars have hyped ideas on how to conserve, they’ve written songs and raised awareness.  Now it has grown to a summer extravaganza in which the physical “games” themselves reflect ways to help out the environment.  Challenges like washing a load of clothes using only human power on a bicycle and intense recycling races.  In the end, money is donated to the winning team’s conservation charity of choice.

A huge company such as Disney can have a world changing effect.  Their angle to focus on ingraining these earth saving ideas in our children will have years of pay-it-forward impact.  I have to say, it’s brilliant.

My twelve-year-old daughter has benefitted from Friends for Change due to her impressionable age.  She has the songs on her ipod and takes to heart the suggestions made to better our environment.  In honor of the games, airing this Friday, June 24, she wrote this poem:

If you pollute, don’t come in

Change your mind, put trash in the tin

Reduce, reuse, recycle –that’s my plan

If it’s not yours, I’m not a fan

Think about the earth and what’s gone wrong

Try to make a change,

With everyone it won’t take long. ~ Lexi

XO, Ami

 Disney's Friends for Change

 http://disney.go.com/projectgreen/