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Introducing .... Cu Lang Biz KidsMERIDIAN, Apr 03, 2011 (The Meridian Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- CuLangBiz Kids is not your Mom or Dad's social network site ... And it's not supposed to be. Geared to children ages 7-14, CuLangBiz Kids (CLB Kids) is an educational/social network site that is unique in that it teaches children about culture, language and business with fun games, stories, music and videos. "Facebook and Twitter are not for children," said Meridian native Ty Bell Stennis, creator of CLB Kids. "I am very proud to present a site that brings 'C' Cultures from all over the world, 'L' Language -- the many different tongues of children so they can learn to speak in various languages, and 'B' Business savvy skills." she said. The inspiration for the CuLangBiz Kids is Stennis' goddaughter, Anyla, who is the main character. Stennis, who is a flight attendant, wanted to teach Anyla about some of the cultures and languages she has been exposed to through her travels. "As I was trying to teach her, I realized I needed a book or DVD, something visual to further stimulate her interest," she said. That's when Stennis decided to create that something herself. CLB Kids features seven characters of different nationalities who learn about each other's cultures and languages. The friends attend The Hazel Blalock International Academy Boarding School (which is named after Stennis' grandmother). The kids are: --Anyla Adams of Meridian, president of Cu Lang Biz Kids. Anyla loves fashion, design and style who has aspirations of becoming a famous fashion designer. --Benedict Minniece of England, vice president. Benedict is a mathematics expert who especially enjoys cooking and eating. --Ming Lee of China, inventor. Ming loves modern technology and enjoys taking things apart and putting them back together. --Myrie Lambourne of France. Myrie is described as the "Best Athlete in the Whole Wide World" and endless talker. --Raphael Martinez of Puerto Rico. Raphael loves baseball and enjoys reading, and sees himself as a future American All-Star baseball star/fashion model/"Green King/ and all-around "good looking kid." --Suzu Hoshimoto of Japan, networker. Suzu loves music and any kind of dance -- ballet, jazz, pop, hip hop and even waltz. She is also has aspirations of becoming san event planner. --Tyson Justin (TJ) Clark of Flushing Queens, N.Y., business developer. TJ loves tennis and can been seen at tennis tournaments such as The U.S. Open. He also is a talented chess player, and is into drama, poetry, writing and art. In addition to learning and have fun, the CuLangBiz Kids are business savvy. "They are entrepreneurs. They are not about asking their Mom or Dad for money, instead they would set up a lemonade stand and earn it," Stennis said. "They are very ambitious." The social network site for kids also features an online magazine. Children can write articles, recipes, submit artwork and even upload their photos and music. "With them writing an article, they are instantly published; this provides them a platform where their work is seen by the world," Stennis said. "They can listen to their music as they navigate the site, showcase their photography are artistic skills -- this is a place for them to display their talents." CuLangBiz Kids launched in January and currently has more than 100 members from as near as Atlanta, Ga., to as far as Pakistan. Fourth through sixth-graders at St. Patrick Catholic School (where Stennis is an alum) are serving as a test group for the site. "The students have interacted with the program several times and seem to enjoy it," said Donna Polizzi, technical coordinator at St. Patrick and a former teacher of Stennis. "They're giving Ty feedback and ideas on what they would like to see on the site. I'm very proud of her for having the foresight to develop a site that specifically targets this age group," Polizzi said. To join CuLangBiz Kids is easy -- and it's free. "You register just like you would on Facebook, except a parent will have to enter their e-mail address," Stennis said. The child then enters a username and password, then creates their profile. "Then they're signed on," Stennis said. Users can participate in chat rooms and communicate with other CuLangBiz Kids -- the room is monitored 24 hours -- as well as send messages. The site was created to be safe, secure and age-appropriate with highly sophisticated privacy and security measures in place. "All messages (sent and received) go the parent's e-mail address every Sunday; so they will know what messages their child is sending and receiving," Stennis said. "If someone requests to be a child's friend or vice versa, the date and time those messages were sent also go to the parents ... There's really nothing kids can do on the site that parents aren't aware of." CuLangBizKids teaches children responsible social networking, while allowing them to be a part of something within their own age group. "I want to highlight those young entrepreneurs at a young age and celebrate their achievements. You're never too young to learn Culture, Language and Business. I am very happy that kids now have their own platform to learn these things and feel privileged to be able to bring it to them," Stennis said. To see more of The Meridian Star or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.meridianstar.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Meridian Star, Miss. 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