And if they don't want to reach out, don't push them to. 5th graders are incredibly capable and should be given agency to make their own decisions.
Appreciate the reminder that it should be self-directed from the student and his role is to support that direction.
Very sudsval.
A
Contacting a company that has children as its user base is a great idea and I can see how that could be a useful exchange, beyond that it seems like I need to meet an individual who has a personal interest in helping kids.
Great points all around and I am taking them all to heart.
Smart creators of any type will be curious about what children are up to.
Various wisdom traditions have observed this as well.
From the Tibetans selecting a Dali Llama to Christ saying "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
One of my psychedelic mentors, perhaps it was Ann Shulgin, said that the state an adult enters on a psychedelic is the default state for the child... That the "return to the garden of eden" is to return to the pre-traumatic self without shame.
Spending time with kids is a great way to reconnect your Self with the possibility of possibility and the essenence of who you are.
Perhaps you could ask the kids who they really admire, or what products or things from their own lives are impacting them. I'll bet there are unknown engineers and scientists behind just about every single man made thing they come into contact with on a daily basis.
Reach out to those companies and see if they will put you in touch. Try the PR department possibly for the intro. This will give the kids a real connection to the people.
If these are products where the kid is the end user, the engineers might love to spend an hour a month on skype with them just to gain insight into their lives to make better products.
Some people might agree to help kids because they want to, and that is great, but you will 10x the value for BOTH the kid and the scientist if you find a way for them to really help each other (and it's massively possible).
I've mentored high school / college kids into pro athletes, wildly successful entrepreneurs, activists and non-profit leaders and it's always been rewarding.
Finally, the process of finding a mentor is a skill that most people lack -- what a great chance for you to involve them in finding their own mentors and letting them reach out, send emails, and otherwise discover the power of their own voice and agency.
Fun Fact: When I was in 5th grade back in the late 80s I had a secret pen pal / mentor I found in the back of 2600 Magazine who was in federal prison for hacking ;)