Meet Kim Karr

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kim Karr. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kim below.

Hi Kim, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I was a Physical Education Teacher for 13 years and only used technology for basic essential uses. When we started the nonprofit Digital4Good in 2013, I was getting invited into a room full of celebrities, high profile lawyers, famous activists and powerful united nation leaders at large tech companies. It was intimidating to even speak in the room because I only saw myself as a PE teacher from Byron, CA that only educates 500 students.

Once I started realize my worth in the room and reminding myself that I am not just speaking for my 500 students but also for all the students we have spoken in front of with our nonprofit organization. I had to be their voice in that powerful room since they could not be there. Most of these tech employees do not know how to relate to an average student or educator in their explanation so I was needed to help make sure their safety policies would make sense to every teenager, educator and parent. I found my worth and turned off the negative talk in my head that I did not belong.

I am needed at the table and on stages to represent the voice of students in the digital safety space.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
After an incident on social media targeted a school teacher and spread like wildfire, Digital4Good + #ICANHELP 501.3C nonprofit was dreamed into fruition to ensure nothing like that would happen again. We actively develop online safety, digital wellness, digital citizenship and positivity programs to train students how to be Digital First Responders.

Since 2013, we have trained 380 thousands of students while being headstrong with our mission to empower students and educators around the globe to use digital for good. Students are the first line of defense against cyberbullying attacks, which is why our organization is full of student interns and volunteers.

Digital4Good is powered by 3 things:
1. #ICANHELP Educate: Curriculums, Courses. Training
2. #ICANHELP Engage: Community Engagement on Social Media, Events, Webinars
3. #ICANHELP Lead: Interns, Volunteers + Mentors
Each arm supports the other, working together to help us grow and deepen our impact.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Networking with like minded people who have the same passions and ambitions as you to bounce ideas, learn and grow from is critical. I found mentors along the way because if you focus on “How am I going to do that?” It becomes overwhelming so focus on, “Who could I reach out to and ask how they did that?” This way I could adapt what they did to what I was building in my nonprofit work.

Routine is so important and a skill I developed by being a teacher and working to bells. I am super efficient with a 35min time block since that was how long my prep was so that was my only time I could plan all of our school events and activities. My morning routine is my personal time since it is the best time that has less chance to be effected at the start of the day so it is where I go work out and get my mind clear for the day. I create 3 main tasks I want to accomplish for the day so it keeps it small and I will feel productive when I accomplish them.

This last one took a lot of practice and experience to learn how to fail forward. We don’t have time to look back and be upset if you feel like you failed. I use to always be disappointed because things didn’t turn out like I wanted them to and I had to train myself to find what did go right so I could move forward. Sometimes I did reflect in order to pivot and move on to the next goal. I started celebrating small wins which then lead to bigger wins.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Everyone can help our mission to delete negativity online the questions is will you? We are always needing volunteers, interns, mentors, sponsors. Our steering committees are * PR, Marketing and Communication
* Business Development and Finances
* Program Development and Events
* Outreach and Curriculum Development

Our Digital4Good Summit Feb 4-5th,2024 in New York City at Google. We are looking for sponsors, influencers and organizations to attend. It is a week before Safer Internet Day so would be a great collaboration as a Press Release, social media campaign and video.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Lisa Schaffer Photography

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