Each year, The Barron Prize celebrates outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment. These inspiring, public-spirited young people from across North America are doing amazing work for their communities and the environment. I am deeply inspired by the work of these young people,…
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Merlin has been a part of my life for more than 20 years. Though he may be but a mythical being to some, and a great character in an epic story for many more, after 12 books devoted to his life and the telling of his story, he is truly much more than that for…
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“Belief is a powerful elixir. It offers strength, renewal, and peace to those who drink it. And your cup can be forever refilled.” Belief, one of Merlin’s seven most magical words in the universe, can give us comfort in times of chaos, strength in moments of weakness, And direction when we feel lost. Our beliefs…
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Hope requires courage. Darkness, despair, anger, destruction—the images of these things feature daily in our media. No matter where we look, we’re met with images that leave us questioning. We’re left feeling hopeless, without options or solutions to the things that plague us. The many enemies that challenge our hope—doubt, fear, sorrow—bind together with our…
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“The important thing is not to stop questioning.” —Albert Einstein Knowledge, one of Merlin’s magical words, is so much more than just the things you learn by sitting in a classroom. The truth is, Knowledge is just as much about what you don’t know than what you do, and it’s about your journey to fill…
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Wonder, one of Merlin’s Seven Magical Words, is more than just something that we stumble upon from time to time. There is intentionality in Wonder, though it is not something you seek. It calls you to question, to explore, to investigate. To wonder is to open the doorway to imagination. Wonder is that breathtaking sunset…
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Since 2001, The Barron Prize has been awarded to more than 100 young people whose projects make a positive difference in the world. This national award is meant to highlight the idea that every single one of us — regardless of gender, race, age, or anything else — can find great qualities in ourselves. Can…
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When you think “summer” you likely think of long lazy days… maybe it puts you in mind of holiday beaches, or fun family camping, or perhaps it simply signals it’s time to shed your winter layers and savor the warm weather. But when you’re a parent, summer can also bring challenges, including a chorus of…
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On April 15th, 1817 students gathered in Hartford, Connecticut for the opening of the very first school for the Deaf in the U.S. It was here, and at other subsequent Deaf schools across our nation, that students intermingled Native American Signs, French Sign Language and Martha Vineyard Sign Language, and together developed the language we…
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These are dark times. In our country and our world, we’re surrounded by divisiveness, greed, mean-spiritedness, hatred, cynicism, fear, and rage. So much so, the darkness sometimes threatens to cover us all in shadows. That’s why we need to double down on goodness. Each of us has that power. Even if we don’t remember that,…
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