How It All Began
A simple idea: every child needs their village to work together and support their growth.
Junga began as a personal response to a common family challenge: to raise healthy, self-minded, and resilient children in the midst of incredible busyness.
The first spark: a family challenge
The concept for Junga started brewing in late 2020, as our first-born (Junga One) was nearing three years and our second (Junga Two) was reaching the six month mark. With the introduction of preschool, life was no longer contained inside the home, and interactions with kids of various upbringings introduced new challenges for parenthood that we hadn't anticipated. When these new behaviors began finding their way home, we realized things were about to get much more difficult.
The search for a magic solution
We scoured the internet in hopes of finding some magic method for raising "good" kids when we stumbled across a book called The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child[1]. Dr Alan E. Kazdin Ph.D., then Director of the Yale Parenting Center And Child Conduct Clinic[2] and an innovator in child behavior. Dr Kazdin had developed a behavioral coaching method based upon the results of decades-long research into the inner workings of reinforcement and the efficacy of punishment. This method had legs.
The first points chart
Our first points chart was a small magnetic whiteboard. It had enough space for a few tasks, and points were tracked with puffy monster truck stickers upfitted with magnets, allowing them to be easily added and removed. We found the process of reinforcement and applying points for achievements effective and rewarding for everyone. Compliance was good and there were tangible results when the method was properly utilized.
Can points tracking become a mess?
Why yes, my fellow Keeper. It can indeed.
Fast forward to our Jungas at five and three years old. We realized scaling was going to be an issue not long after adding the stickers for Junga Two - Mini Mouse (of course) - to the existing scoreboard. We often forgot to track points earned, missed points payments for rewards, forgot what we had on the rewards list all together, and had limited task options.
The beginnings for Junga
In 2024, our first-born and I teamed up to draw mockups of our lead character, Junga itself. We had thinktank sessions at bedtime, at the breakfast table, even in the gym. We drew up crude interfaces with paper and pencil and talked about new ideas. You might be surprised how much a (then) six year old can contribute to the design phase of a platform until you sit down and listen. He has been a highly invested partner in the evolution of Junga ever since.
From concept to prototype
I wrote the first few lines of code for Junga in May of 2024. Since that time we've expanded our own catalog to include social rewards such as kindness or sharing. Emotional awards for bravery or maintaining composure. Leadership awards for self starting and leading others. Experience tracking is used to monitor the emotional state of our Jungas to help identify patterns and conquer daily challenges. We share all of these concepts with our community as a baseline for your custom system.
All three of our Jungas have been actively involved and pivotal in the evolution of our platform. I hope your village experiences the same enjoyment while integrating Junga in your day to day lives. As you work together to design the perfect system for your unique village, remember to enjoy them now. One day they'll have something more interesting to do than just hang out with mom or dad.
Sincerely,
Keeper Zero - Founder
