- via hephephep1's flickr "Kid Nation," a new reality show on CBS, will take 40 Kids ages 8-15 and give them 40 days to build a Utopian society without any meddling adults. This social experiment (Will the next generation create a better world or make the sames socio/political mistakes?) gives the kids $5,000 each as well as the chance to earn a Gold Star at the end of each of the 13 episodes. The Gold Star is worth $20,000. CBS has gone all out for the show, including creating this promotional widget that links to the Kids' profiles. Viewers can click on images, read blurbs, and get to know the mini stars even before the show airs.  The "Kid Nation" widget is distributed by Goowy, through their widget platform Yourminis. Kid Nation airs September 19 on CBS. "Kid Nation" in the News: The Smoking Gun - No Human Rights In "Kid Nation" Mercury News -  'Kid Nation' stirring up controversy Variety  -Kids to rule reality on CBS SOME WIDGETS TO SAVE THE WORLD There is a certain socio-political dimension to "Kid Nation" that appeals to me (will this show inspire young people to take a greater interest in government/politics?) which helps me to segway into a rundown of some widgets out there designed for "the good", as opposed to strictly boost viewership for a major media corporation. These widgets take it a step further beyond offering a simple RSS Feed to a blog: March of Dimes Walk America Widgets - Takes some info that individual walkers would have on their WalkAmerica pages, and shows it in a fundraising widget that links back to that person's profile (they have a MySpace friendly version).  Users can edit their photo or message when logged in and as you can see there's a progress bar that shows how close they are to their donation goal. (Thanks, Rafi!) Global Giving Causes Widget- This widget lets you make a difference for a cause that you care about by directing your readers to the donation page for any GlobalGiving.com project or projects that you feel a… (more) connection to. Auctions for Change Widget - Tracks entertainment- and media-related charity auctions, benefits, and cause marketing.  If you know of any other similar widgets, leave a comment and I will update.