This is the story of 9 year old Caine Monroy. It shows how parental encouragement and a good samaritan’s kind gesture can change one’s life.
So, what is Caine's arcade all about?
In the summer of 2011, Caine built a do-it yourself cardboard arcade in his dad’s used-car garage. He worked on and improved the games over several months. A filmmaker - Nirvan Mullick had stopped by the store to buy a door handle for his car. He was awed by the kid’s creativity and made a movie of the arcade and Caine. The movie went viral and many people visited the arcade.
Nirvan decided to organize a surprise flash mob of customers to make Caine’s Day. Since then Caine’s Arcade has had visitors from all over the world! Nirvan setup the Caine’s Scholarship fund aiming to raise $25,000 for his education and donations over $60,000 were raised overnight! After first 2 months of the film's release, over 100 Schools in 9 Countries created cardboard arcades inspired by the story.
Caine was the youngest entrepreneur to speak at the USC Marshall School of Business. He was flown to France, where he became the youngest ever speaker at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. He also received the Latino Spirit Award from the California State Assembly in Sacramento .
Meanwhile, millions of kids and adults around the world have been inspired. Nirvan created a second documentary film, called Caine’s Arcade 2 and launched the Imagination Foundation, to find, foster and fund creativity and entrepreneurship in more kids! The fund has raised over $235,000 and has launched the Global Cardboard Challenge that is held each year.
The Global Cardboard Challenge
The Imagination Foundation’s 1st annual Global Cardboard Challenge was held on October 6th 2012. It had over 270 events in 40 Countries. This year’s Global Cardboard Challenge is on October 5th 2013. This is an opportunity for all kids to participate and show their creativity in cardboard creativity.
Media quotes:
“It’s amazing what our children can do when we let them think for themselves…It’s retro and counter-intuitive, in an era of Tiger Moms and competitive nursery schools…” -Los Angeles Times
“…The kids who are building and sharing their own cardboard creations can instantly see themselves as part of a real movement.” -MacArthur Foundation
Gem words
flashmob - a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, and perform an unusual act for a brief time
good samaritan - a charitable or helpful person
go viral - an image, video, etc that is circulated or sent around the Internet rapidly from one person to another
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