OP, what sort of kids? Those with all the usual advantages, those whose families are still striving but have 3 square meals, or those who are clearly disadvantaged on a daily basis?
“It seems obvious that in order to stand out you have to do something very different.”
Not necessarily different. Of course we have examples of wildly successful entrepreneurs who did things that were quite different and changed lives. But there is still a huge measure of conformity and the conventional needed to get those dreams to life: hard work, meeting expectations, setting the right goals, getting along with others.