Adora Svitak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adora Svitak
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Svitak for the Wikimedia Foundation, 2019.
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| Born | October 15, 1997 Springfield, Oregon, U.S.
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| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) |
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Adora Svitak (born October 15, 1997) is an American writer, public speaker, and activist. She was known as a child prodigy. Adora has shared her ideas with many people around the world. She believes that kids have important things to say and can make a big difference. She also worked for the Wikimedia Foundation.
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Adora's Early Life
Adora Svitak was born in Springfield, Oregon. Her mother, Joyce, came from China. Her father, John, was a software engineer. Adora got her first computer when she was six years old. She started writing short stories on it right away.
Public Speaking
Adora Svitak is a very popular public speaker. She has given many talks around the world. Her most famous talk is called "What Adults Can Learn From Kids." She gave this talk at a TED Talk event in February 2010. Millions of people have watched it online.
Adora has spoken at many important events, including:
- The INK Talks in India in 2010. She talked about how young people use technology.
- The United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth Forum in New York in 2013. She spoke alongside the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
- The Girls' State of the Union in Washington, D.C., in 2013. Famous activist Gloria Steinem introduced her.
- The Mashable Social Good Summit in New York in 2012.
- The ECIS (European Council of International Schools) in France. She also visited students in Dubai.
In 2015, Adora spoke to the National School Boards Association. She talked about how important it is to encourage students to read and write.
Organizing TEDxRedmond
From 2010 to 2013, Adora helped organize an event called TEDxRedmond. A TEDx event is like a TED Talk, but it's organized by local people. Adora's event had a planning team made up entirely of young people.
The conference took place at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond, Washington. Over 700 people came to the first event in 2010. Adora hoped that young people would feel powerful after attending. She said she wanted kids to know it's okay to take action. She believes that a kid's voice is important and should be used.
Writing and Journalism
Adora Svitak is also a talented writer. Her first full-length novel is called Yang in Disguise. She started writing it in 2006, and it was published in 2011. She also helped edit a novella called The Pickpocket Princess.
Her second book, Dancing Fingers, was published in 2008. Her older sister, Adrianna, who is a musician, helped her write this book.
Other Writing Work
Adora has contributed to many different publications and websites:
- She edited Green My Parents: Join the Youth Movement to Seed the Green Economy in 2010.
- She wrote poems for the Redmond Centennial Poetry Anthology in 2012.
- Adora was a featured blogger for the Huffington Post. She wrote about topics like women, education, and teens. One of her articles received thousands of comments.
- She was the Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Political Review while attending the University of California, Berkeley.
- She also wrote for Mashable and Edutopia.
- Adora reported for the online news site VICE. She interviewed astronomer Jill Tarter about the SETI organization.
- She was a special columnist for Gulf News. She wrote columns for parents about how technology affects families.
- She also blogged for the Gates Foundation and the Women's Media Center.
Activism
Adora Svitak is a strong activist. She worked as a Literacy Champion for the Verizon Foundation from 2005 to 2009. She appeared with actor James Earl Jones to promote reading.
In 2012, Adora wrote scripts for Google's "Teach Teachers Tech" videos. These videos helped teachers learn about digital tools for education.
Adora also supports feminist values. She spoke about these ideas at the Girls' State of the Union. She also gave a speech at the Orange County Girls' Conference in 2014. Forbes magazine even wrote an article asking if she was a new Gloria Steinem. Adora has spoken out about how important it is for girls to have healthy body images. She believes that beauty should be about kindness, smarts, and confidence, not just looks.
Awards and Honors
Adora Svitak has received many awards for her work:
- In 2011, the National Education Association Foundation gave her an award for her great service to public education.
- The Huffington Post named her one of the "18 under 18 Most Amazing Young People of the Year" in 2012.
- She was named a Redmond Rotary Club Student of the Month in high school.
- Her "Girls' State of the Union" video won first place in a contest. This led to her speaking at the National Press Club.
- In 2013, the We Are Family Foundation named her a Three Dot Dash Global Teen Leader. This was for her work with TEDxRedmond and raising awareness for the United Nations World Food Programme. As a Global Teen Leader, she attended a leadership summit in New York City.
