Growing up on a boat with my sisters, we were always on the lookout for other kids on boats. Whenever one of us spotted kids, we’d excitedly shout out “Kid Alert!” – a signal that meant we’d found playmates. But it wasn’t always easy to connect with other young boaters, and many kids we met told us that one of the biggest challenges they faced was simply finding others to hang out with.

As I grew older, I started to think about ways to address this issue. I began asking other kids what they thought could be done to help young boaters connect with each other. It was during one of these conversations that I hit upon the idea of using a flag to signal the presence of kids on board.

In the maritime world, flags are loaded with meaning. For example, a yellow Quarantine flag indicates that a boat hasn’t yet cleared customs. With KidsAboard!, I wanted to create a flag with a unique meaning – one that would let other boaters know that there are kids on board who are eager to make new friends. And so, I designed the Orange Kid Flag, which didn’t exist before. Whenever a boat flies this flag, other boaters will know that there are kids on board and that they’re open to socializing.