Because I Can Because I Want To

All children have big ideas and share them easily. Once an adult in the workforce, 85% of people never voice their ideas. Although several factors contribute, this shift is often rooted in childhood invalidation. As we grow up, most of our ideas are systematically dismissed. We're educated out of our creative confidence. We become experts in boycotting our ideas and those of others ("won't work", "no budget", "won't meet the deadline", etc.). This reality is brutal, and in most cases, a lifelong torment: shattering children's youthful confidence crushes a lifetime of joy and purpose in pursuing dreams and ideas.

If we want to prepare our children for a world that is changing rapidly and dramatically, we must nurture their creative confidence by respecting their ideas. We should make them feel valued so they grow up understanding that it's worth investing in their own ideas.

Children innately hold the key to unlocking their creative confidence. They show us, the adults, the way. Because they can and because they want to! And so should we.

This book features a random selection of "Dream Machines" created by children from around the world within the MyMachine framework. Some children invent something fun, others something useful for themselves or to help a family member, and some have ideas for their local area or city. Others aim to address one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Some Dream Machines are small, others are large. Regardless of size or scope, it all starts with the creative confidence that your ideas matter and can make a difference.

We hope their ideas inspire you to regain confidence in your own. We trust we can persuade you to respect children's ideas. And in the grand scheme of things, if we genuinely desire breakthrough solutions, we must nurture those who dare to think differently to tackle the challenges we face in creating a prosperous, inclusive future for all. Those groundbreaking, often initially perceived as "crazy", ideas come from those with the courage to express and test them.