Uncategorized – Kokutangaza https://kokutangaza.com Learning Together Sat, 18 Sep 2021 08:07:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://kokutangaza.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/cropped-Kokutangaza-logo-206px-1-32x32.jpg Uncategorized – Kokutangaza https://kokutangaza.com 32 32 Accessibility to Free Adult Education. https://kokutangaza.com/accessibility-to-free-adult-education-2/ https://kokutangaza.com/accessibility-to-free-adult-education-2/#respond Fri, 17 Sep 2021 18:30:58 +0000 http://kokutangaza.com/?p=5617 “The function of freedom is to free someone else.”

  • Toni Morrison

This philosophy is so essential to building a better world. Do whatever is necessary, do whatever is meaningful, do whatever is within your capacity. Enlightenment, empowerment, emancipation, empathy. These are the four E’s we need to build our future.

Several governments, organizations and educators are implementing the service of free education. The benefits of this is of the greatest magnitude for the sustainable development of all societies. Education is the one way an individual can conquer the hurdle of economic and social oppression. Free education truly is the pathway to an earthly salvation for many and it is what every nation should aim to provide.

With the power of the internet, some sources of this work for empowerment and emancipation of the people are available all over the world. When considering free education that is globally available, the following are leaders in this realm:

Let us acknowledge these revolutionaries that are implementing real and tangible change in the lives of many. They are transforming the globe in a monumental ground breaking way. Let us whole heartedly applaud them.

Now, let us also not forget that there are still many who do not have access to this free learning and are in need of education. This is the case for various reasons, such as the lack of availability of the internet or a computer or other such technology. There can also be the language barrier. As you may have discovered, all the free education providers listed in this article use English as the medium of instruction.

Considering these hindrances to accessibility, it is apparent that we still need to make committed efforts to reach the grassroots and the marginalized.

I am currently teaching free adult classes for the English language and entrepreneurship for individuals who have not been able to pursue higher education and come from deprived backgrounds. One of my students cannot read or write. It would be ideal if we could take the time to learn literacy, however, she works full-time and has responsibilities at home. Time is the one thing she does not have and this is the reality for many adult learners. So I try to meet her halfway and audio record lessons for her so she can have some way of having them documented for review.

The rise of smart phone use has made the days of internet cafes more or less a thing of the past. The unfortunate thing about this is that the common man or woman who cannot afford a computer hardly has any common access to a PC. And if a person cannot afford a smart phone there is no public service that allows for the access of the internet (or if they are, they are very few and very far between). It’s almost an all or nothing situation. If people can’t afford the gadgets then they are left with very few provisions to compensate for that. In this prospect you might say that the gap between the haves and have nots has become broader. I am using the term ‘have and have nots’ tentively to illustrate a point.

I am going to segway a bit here because for a moment it is necessary to debunk this phrase ‘the haves and the have nots’ before it blinds us of other broader horizons. This term only takes into consideration economic status but there are other things one can ‘have’ that are not related to economic wealth. Such as: cultural wealth, spiritual wealth, wealth in health, wealth in wisdom, etc. To ‘have’ is not only wealth based on currency. One of these alternative wealths could very well create a life far more enriching than money could buy. Let us not allow these terms in the English language make our perceptions narrow or our thinking obtuse.

With that being said, let us return to the topic at hand, which is: accessibility to education.  Free formal adult education is oftentimes only accessible with the knowledge of the English language and/or the availability of certain technologies.

Let us avidly cheer on the providers that are facilitating free education worldwide. Let us also look to making sure free education is available for our brothers and sisters in the grassroots or who are marginalized. Even if all you have time for is one individual person. That education could change the trajectory of their lives for generations. Let us galvanize for this, if not with our time, then in resources (technology, an old functioning phone you no longer use, books and stationary, etc). Some people collaborate with an external family or person to financial fund their school fees. Education is a necessity and a right for all. Thank you for taking the time to read this article.

]]> https://kokutangaza.com/accessibility-to-free-adult-education-2/feed/ 0 Humanity and Nature Are Not Separate, They Are One https://kokutangaza.com/humanity-and-nature-are-not-separate-they-are-one/ https://kokutangaza.com/humanity-and-nature-are-not-separate-they-are-one/#respond Wed, 14 Oct 2020 20:51:40 +0000 http://kokutangaza.com/?p=5489 Everyone should be an environmentalist. Caring for the environment should come naturally; as a daily practice, as a life style.

Kids need to learn from the very beginning how important and how magical nature is.

A beautiful part of nature is the creatures that live in it. Teach kids to love animals, care for them and protect their environments.

Some years ago, I adopted a rescue animal. An adorable dog I named Chewbacca (Chewy for short). I now have four dogs. Many years ago I worked with the BBC to raise awareness about the wild animals in
the Serengeti and their security. There is a lot one can do.

I have a page on Facebook called “Dogs, Cats, Creatures, Conservation and Environment.” Please feel free to follow it.

There are plenty of places in nature children can come across animals. I am not a fan of zoos. I see no reason an animal should be behind bars and not in its natural habitat unless it is for rehabilitation purposes. I am not a fan of animals in circuses either. I do not believe animals should be used for entertainment. (Although I do admit, I did enjoy the “Lassie” movie series. Dogs are exceptional aren’t they? I guess you could say there are a few things that are an exception if they’re done ethically).

Nonetheless, other than the great outdoors, there is also the Tanzania Animal Welfare Society (TAWESO) that wonderfully provides field trip visits, education and the chance to take in an animal. Here are also some websites one can utilize to teach kids about animals and nature:

]]> https://kokutangaza.com/humanity-and-nature-are-not-separate-they-are-one/feed/ 0 190 universities just launched 600 free online courses. Here’s the full list. https://kokutangaza.com/free-online-courses/ https://kokutangaza.com/free-online-courses/#respond Mon, 12 Oct 2020 20:58:50 +0000 http://kokutangaza.com/?p=5497 By Dhawal Shah (9th October 2018)

Since the end of 2011 over 800 universities have created around 10,000 MOOCs. In the past four months alone, 190 universities have announced 600 such free online courses.

If you haven’t heard, universities around the world offering their courses online for free (or at-least partially free). These courses are collectively called as MOOCS or Massive Open Online Courses.

In the past seven years or so, over 800 universities have created around 10,000 of these MOOCs. And I’ve been keeping track of these MOOCs the entire time here at Class Central, ever since they rose to prominence.

In the past four months alone, 190 universities have announced 600 such free online courses. I’ve compiled this list below and categorized the courses into the following subjects: Computer Science, Mathematics, Programming, Data Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, Education & Teaching, Health & Medicine, Business, Personal Development, Engineering, Art & Design, and finally Science.

Here’s the full list of new free online courses. Most of these are completely self-paced, so you can start taking them at your convenience.

If you want to specifically learn more about COVID-19, Class Central has compiled a list of courses here. These courses are taught by WHO, Johns Hopkins University, Imperial College London, and other universities. A few of them also offer a free certificate!

Also check out For a Limited Time, Coursera Offers Free Certificates for 85 Courses. Here is the Full List.

Finally, numerous other course providers are responding to the pandemic by temporarily offering free online courses and additional e-learning resources. If you’re new to online education, have a look at our suggestions on how to learn online effectively.

PROGRAMMING

ENGINEERING

COMPUTER SCIENCE

SOCIAL SCIENCES

SCIENCE

ART & DESIGN

MATHEMATICS

HUMANITIES

BUSINESS

HEALTH & MEDICINE

DATA SCIENCE

EDUCATION & TEACHING

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

]]> https://kokutangaza.com/free-online-courses/feed/ 0 Kelvin Doe The Young Genius from Sierra Leone https://kokutangaza.com/kelvin-doe-the-young-genius-from-sierra-leone/ https://kokutangaza.com/kelvin-doe-the-young-genius-from-sierra-leone/#respond Fri, 05 May 2017 13:23:48 +0000 http://kokutangaza.com/?p=5087

Edited By: Wikipedia, And YouTube 

Kelvin Doe (born 26 October 1996 in Freetown), also known as DJ Focus, is a Sierra Leonean engineer. He is known for teaching himself engineering at the age of 13 and building his own radio station in Sierra Leone, where he plays music and broadcasts news under the name “DJ Focus.” He was one of the finalists in GMin’s Innovate Salone idea competition, in which Doe built a generator from scrap metals. Doe would constantly use discarded pieces of scrap to build transmitters, generators, and batteries, as well.[1][2]

As a result of his accomplishment, he received an invitation to the United States and subsequently became the youngest person to participate in the “Visiting Practitioner’s Program” at MIT.[3][4][5] His accomplishments were documented by @radical.media and presented on their corporate YouTube channel. When the video went viral, the story was picked up by CNN, NBC News, and The Huffington Post.[5][6][7]

Doe subsequently was a speaker at TEDxTeen[8] and lectured to undergraduate engineering students at Harvard College.[9] In May 2013, Doe signed a $100,000 solar project pact with Canadian High Speed Service Provider Sierra WiFi.[10]

Today, Kevin Doe is one of the most respected among other young African inventors.[11] He has had the opportunity of meeting various leaders of the world including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo. He has also been able to speak to young people in Africa on different platforms.

 

]]> https://kokutangaza.com/kelvin-doe-the-young-genius-from-sierra-leone/feed/ 0 Students at this alternative NYC high school get jobs, not grades https://kokutangaza.com/students-at-this-alternative-nyc-high-school-get-jobs-not-grades/ https://kokutangaza.com/students-at-this-alternative-nyc-high-school-get-jobs-not-grades/#respond Wed, 06 Apr 2016 13:17:38 +0000 http://kokutangaza.com/?p=4901 By Melia Robinson

In the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, three teenage girls sit on the floor of a theatre production studio, hammering away at a four-legged tabletop. Behind them, a black wooden stage takes shape under the glare of ceiling-mounted lighting fixtures, which the young women also built.

This is not your typical home-economics class.

At City-As-School, an alternative public high school in New York City’s Greenwich Village, students spend just two or three days a week in the classroom. The other half of the week, they go out into the field and work internships for academic credit. There are 48 alternative high schools in the city, though none offer such a robust apprenticeship program.

In addition to its emphasis on real-world learning, City-As-School challenges the status quo in a number of ways. Students complete a portfolio of papers and projects instead of taking tests. There are no grades, no statewide Regents exams (minus the English assessment), and no class years. You graduate when you’ve completed your portfolio.

I recently spent the day at City-As-School to see what it’s like to be one of “New York’s most interesting kids,” as the school’s motto calls its students.

Founded in 1972 with 15 students and a staff of 4, City-As-School has grown from a church basement to a five-story brick schoolhouse.

Founding principal Frederick J. Koury opened the school because he believed education shouldn’t just take place inside the four walls of a classroom. As a teacher at his previous school, he took students on field trips all the time. His aspiration with City-As-School was to turn New York City’s five boroughs into a playground for experiential learning. He established contacts throughout the city, armed students with bus and subway tokens, and sent them on their way.

In an interview with Canarsie Digest in 1972, Koury described his school as something completely novel. “City-As-School is designed so that students will be forced to think and function independently,” the article said. “There will be strange situations, people, and places, and there won’t be someone constantly there to give direct instructions or tests.”

Today, City-As-School students spend half of their time at one of 300 affiliated internship sites, where they earn academic credit in traditional subject areas like math, science, English, and history.

The rest of the week, they swarm these vibrant halls, which the administration repaints white annually, so incoming students have a fresh canvas.

The school’s unconventional and varied approach to learning accommodates an equally heterogeneous group of kids. Most students arrive between the ages of 17 and 18, after completing ninth and tenth grades at other schools.

The come for a variety of reasons: Bullies taunted them for their piercings, tattoos, or sexual orientation. A tough home life or an unexpected pregnancy forced them to grow up too soon. They were bored. They were overwhelmed.

City-As-School students missed, on average, more than 40 days of school in their previous academic year. Half rely on food stamps to survive, and another 10% of students live in temporary housing, foster homes, or on the street.

When Anthony, 22, was a ninth grader, a known gang member robbed him across the street from his Bronx high school. The Department of Education granted Anthony a “safety transfer,” giving him the choice to relocate to a New York City public school of his choosing.

At his next school, his grades started to slip. He fell in with the wrong crowd and got kicked off the basketball team. His mother coaxed him into trying night school for his second round of junior year, but the bearded, tattooed older men in the class scared him.

“I had a wall up,” Anthony says. “No expression on my face. I didn’t talk. I was exhausted and disappointed I was still in school at age 20.”

Anthony eventually landed at City-As-School, which his aunt once attended. Everything changed. He made friends with shared interests. Teachers asked him to call them by their first names, and treated him like an adult. His internship at a children’s culinary institute taught him to prep food like a seasoned line cook and to speak to groups with confidence.

Anthony, who once disliked school and the person he was becoming, is on track to graduate this spring. He dreams of studying forensic science and playing basketball at Ithaca College.

City-As-School, commonly referred to as a “transfer school,” has implemented several measures to help struggling students like Anthony succeed. That’s why more than 60% of its students — many of whom were once on the brink of dropping out — leave with a degree.

Some teachers bring New York City bagels and fresh fruit to first period. “It’s the only way we can get them here so early,” one instructor tells me.

Students are graded on a credit/no-credit basis, rather than receiving letter grades. Teachers say this model rewards students who engage and do the work, rather than punish students who maybe studied the wrong thing before a test or were out sick with a cold during an important lesson.

Once a week, students go to “advisory,” an informal gathering with one teacher and about 10 of their peers. It’s an opportunity for students to discuss their internship experiences and whatever else is on their minds. For many, advisory becomes a little family.

The career development office not only shepherds students through the college application process, but it follows up with recent alumni after graduation. Only 20% of all full-time students in the US who matriculate into community college get a degree within three years, so Ummi Modeste, a veteran City-As-School staffer, checks in with City-As-School grads to see that they’re on track.

City-As-School provides easy access to quality mental healthcare, as well. The school is unusual in that it employs two guidance counselors, two social workers, and one school psychologist, who all hold sessions in the building.

Social worker Veronica Savage says low self-esteem affects many students who step into her office.

“There are students who come here, having received messages [their whole lives] that they don’t know how to learn,” she says. Students may think there’s one right answer, or one right path to graduation. But there are many ways to finish, Savage says.

No one appreciates City-As-School’s flexibility more than Savage, who graduated from City-As-School years ago. After she failed one class at her previous high school, teachers told her she wouldn’t graduate on time. Savage enrolled here because she believed one slip-up shouldn’t jeopardize her future.

Of course, the most unusual way City-As-School ensures students’ success is by awarding them academic credit for completing internships. It’s the only school under the New York City Department of Education’s jurisdiction with permission to do so.

Teachers double as “internship coordinators” by identifying opportunities throughout the city, pairing students with companies, and supervising students’ progress via email and phone calls.

Each internship in City-As-School’s catalogue satisfies one or more academic requirement. Need a science credit? Volunteer as a school-group guide at the American Museum of Natural History. A culinary credit? Learn to bake doughnuts at growing city bakery Dough. A tech credit? Disect the intersection of internet and culture at Red Bull Studios, where hip young artist and alum Ryder Ripps pays forward the opportunities City-As-School once gave him. It’s these special and forward-thinking opportunities that make City-As-School so unique.

Teachers and administrators tell me that this model enables learners of all types to grasp new skills, gain confidence, and practice professional behaviors.

As Nia, 18, hammers at the legs of a tabletop at Videograf, the indie theatre production studio where she and three peers intern, she laughs and teases the other girls about their craftsmanship. She tends to fall into a leadership role, being the kind of person who calls her friends in the morning to make sure they get out of bed.

On her first day at Videograf, Nia helped senior producer Michael Frenchman build a desk for the control room. “I was using my hands. I felt like I was in the Village People,” Nia jokes. Since then, she’s outfitted the stage with all sorts of technical equipment and created tutorials so future interns can learn how to operate the camera, sound, and lighting fixtures.

An aspiring multimedia professional, Nia says her internship doubled as “corporate espionage.” She learned the inner workings of a company in the same industry she hopes to pursue a career in after college graduation. (This winter, she applied to no fewer than 21 colleges, including Oberlin, Brown, and Skidmore.)

During a tea and biscuits break at Videograf, Nia sat down to tell me about how she arrived here. She says she wasn’t a “bad student” at her previous high school, nor was she desperate for credits. That stereotype follows many of her peers.

She chose City-As-School because of what it offered: a refuge for individuals. “We’re not the rejects,” she says.

]]> https://kokutangaza.com/students-at-this-alternative-nyc-high-school-get-jobs-not-grades/feed/ 0 Rodney and Holly Robinson Peete on their son RJ’s autism https://kokutangaza.com/rodney-and-holly-robinson-peete-on-their-son-rjs-autism/ https://kokutangaza.com/rodney-and-holly-robinson-peete-on-their-son-rjs-autism/#respond Wed, 06 Apr 2016 13:04:37 +0000 http://kokutangaza.com/?p=4898 Former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, 41, and actress Holly Robinson Peete, 42, raise four children — twins Rodney Jackson ‘RJ’ and Ryan, 9 1/2, Robinson, 4 1/2, and Roman, 2 — but their toughest job as parents has been confronting RJ’s autism. The couple tell their story in this week’s issue of People.

Rodney:

I was really ready to be a dad and have a family. I thought, ‘I’m going to get him involved and put a football in his hand.’ I wanted him to be the smartest kid, the best athlete.

When he was 2, I remember RJ standing by himself. He had a glazed look in his eyes, like he was a million miles away. It broke my heart, and I started crying and trying to will him to play with the other kids. I could just tell that something was wrong. Everything Holly had said was making sense.

Later, when RJ came to my Panthers games, he was unable to grasp that amazing experience. I really wished he was able to: it would have been special for us both. But RJ is like me in many ways. We have a respect for one another.

A part of him thinks that I’m hard on him, but there’s that look in his eyes that tells me he craves structure and knows it comes from love. RJ wants to impress me with everything. He’ll say, ‘I did a good job today, Dad. Didn’t I do good today?’ And I’ll say, ‘Yeah, you did RJ. You did.’

Holly:

RJ was born two minutes before his twin sister Ryan. He was the most delicious piece of butterscotch candy I had ever seen: chunky, laid-back, with these big eyes and dripping juicy lips. Something drew me to him.

When he started talking, ‘cow’ was his first word. ‘Cow, cow,’ he would say, pointing his fat fingers at the picture. He and his sister were hitting all their developmental milestones on time. He was sweet, had a great disposition and was always giving kisses and saying his few words. I will never forget that because one day he stopped. He went from saying, ‘cow, cow’ to nothing. Silence. Indifference.

That change happened when he was about 2 1/2, very soon after he had received his inoculations for measles, mumps, and rubella. I noticed he ceased making eye contact and responding to his name without loud repetitive shouts. ‘RJ, RJ, RJ!’ we would scream helplessly.

I called Rodney, who was traveling. ‘Something’s going on with RJ.’ And he said, ‘Maybe he can’t hear. Get his ears checked.’ But that wasn’t it. Rodney, like every man who felt helpless when he couldn’t fix things, called again. ‘Everything’s okay, right?’

But it wasn’t. Together we took RJ to a specialist. She was a rigid, hard-looking woman who sat us in this icy office. The room was cold; the toys were cold. I hated everything about the place. Even the diagnosis was cold. She said, ‘Okay, here it is. He is a mid-to-high functioning autistic child. Here are a few phone numbers.’

With pessimism in her voice she said, ‘Unprompted, he will never say ‘I love you Mommy,’ or run to you and greet you at the front door.’ Something died in me the day RJ was diagnosed with autism.

Rodney and I cried for hours. What did we do wrong? I was in denial for a month. Then that became anger. I was ready to fight for RJ, but Rodney lagged behind. He and my mom were in denial. It was harder for him to fathom that something was wrong with his firstborn son and his namesake. I gave them an ultimatum: Get on board with RJ’s treatment or go.

Autism can present an insurmountable strain on a marriage. And faced with the idea of divorce, I said to Rodney, ‘Quite frankly, I’m not trying to do this without you.’ At the time, we had a life strategist who counseled us and we still do, but during the worst part of the autism crisis, it was just the two of us battling it out.

We fought for RJ to stay in this world. Hours and hours of expensive, exhausting intervention: speech, occupational, vision therapies — all with endless waiting lists.

There wasn’t anything out there I wouldn’t try: diets, acupuncture, hypnotism and enzyme treatments. Some yielded results; others were a waste of time and money. In all, we have probably spent about $500,000 in treatments.

When RJ was 3, I met the administrator of a preschool called Smart Start in Santa Monica where we enrolled RJ. It taught kids with mild mental retardation, Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD. She had them all.

I sat in her office after hours of talking to people, going online, researching more treatments, and I just bawled. She was the first person who talked to me like I was going to get through this.

RJ’s tantrums and behavior were hard to handle, especially when Rodney was away. He would self-stimulate with repeated movements, called ‘stimming’ in autistic children, by flapping his arms.

On a bad day he would literally fall down and cry inconsolably. I felt completely helpless. He only ate three things: pizza, French fries, or pasta. The smell of anything else would throw him into a tantrum.

People would say, ‘Can you control your child, please?’ I would say, ‘My son is on the autistic spectrum.’ They didn’t know what that meant.

People asked, ‘Why don’t you go to church anymore?’ I made up excuses. I didn’t go because I didn’t want him to be disruptive in church. I didn’t want to see the looks on their faces. We worship in our own way.

Even friends did not understand. At playdates, RJ would come around and they would talk down to him. I lean on Jenny McCarthy and Tisha Campbell-Martin, who both have autistic sons (Evan, 5 and Xen, 6 1/2). Jenny called me after her son was diagnosed. She said, ‘I’m sorry to call you, but…’ and six hours later we were both laughing.

I used to wake up in cold sweats visualizing my child walking around homeless. My dreams were so scary, they pushed me into action.

After trying countless therapies, we settled on something called Floor Time. We get on the ground and get up in RJ’s face to force him to interact. We would both have toy cars, and I had to crash into his car. I refused to give him enough time to phase out.

Never once did we think about sending him away. I chose a proactive, crazy-mama approach. Rodney had his own ways of teaching RJ. RJ went through a phase of repeatedly bouncing a basketball. So Rodney said, ‘If you’re going to bounce the ball, then every five times you bounce it, you have to shoot it.’ We refused to let him bounce aimlessly.

We are very goal-oriented. At 6 years old, our biggest goal was for him to have a conversation from start to finish. I said, ‘Hi,’ and RJ would say, ‘Hi, Mom. How are you?’ I say, ‘I’m good and you?’ and he would say, ‘I’m good too.’ Now RJ sets goals for himself.

I am just so proud of my boy. He is a happy 9-year-old about to enter the fourth grade at University Elementary School, a mainstream school. He struggles valiantly with subjects like math and reading and loves to write. Thankfully his classmates accept him just as he is.

He blows us away with his ability to communicate now. The other day he said, ‘Mom, I know my name is Rodney Peete, but I don’t want to play football. Is that okay? I want to play piano.’ I could barely get him to discuss his day with me two years ago.

Tantrums are now followed by RJ saying, ‘Okay, I’m going
to play piano.’ He’ll start playing beautiful arpeggios and scales.

He will try any food now: salmon, brussels sprouts, salad. He leaves the athleticism to his younger brother Robinson, who competes with RJ for attention. His twin sister Ryan is never shy to step in for him. She mothers him, it’s beautiful. And little Roman is just trying to roll with the big kids.

It’s exhausting because we have to constantly love everyone, play up everyone’s strengths and cheer for every little thing. But having a big family is important.

I had Robinson five years after I had the twins because I didn’t want Ryan to be the only one to have to take care of her brother. It was hard having to take care of my dad, who had Parkinson’s, with my only brother. What if RJ can’t live on his own?

RJ and I speak very frankly about autism. we treat it like a bully at school. I grapple with not wanting to make him a poster child, but he’s a success story.

I’m talking about it now because I want parents to have a glimmer of hope. Especially in the African-American community, there’s not a lot of information about autism. I want to take the scariness away.

Now that Rodney is retired, there are two of us to take care of the kids full-time. Even still, something as obvious as getting an eye exam for the kids got by me. Everyday I’m packing backpacks, meeting teachers, scheduling treatments and heading up HollyRod, our nonprofit to improve the quality of life in Parkinson’s patients.

And most amazingly, almost every single day for the past year, RJ, along with his three siblings, runs to meet me at the door with a kiss from those juicy lips saying, ‘Mom, you’re home…I love you.’ So much for never.

]]> https://kokutangaza.com/rodney-and-holly-robinson-peete-on-their-son-rjs-autism/feed/ 0 This 9-Year-Old Boy Has Autism, But When He Starts To Sing, The Audience JUMPS To Their Feet! https://kokutangaza.com/this-9-year-old-boy-has-autism-but-when-he-starts-to-sing-the-audience-jumps-to-their-feet/ https://kokutangaza.com/this-9-year-old-boy-has-autism-but-when-he-starts-to-sing-the-audience-jumps-to-their-feet/#respond Wed, 06 Apr 2016 12:53:52 +0000 http://kokutangaza.com/?p=4895 By Julie Roberts

David Militello is proof that anyone can do anything, as long as they’re determined and unafraid to take a risk.

When David was only a toddler, his parents realized that something was different about him. He wasn’t speaking like other kids — in fact, he wasn’t speaking at all. After a few doctors visits, they realized that David had autism. David’s parents were initially devastated by the diagnosis, but one afternoon, David’s bus driver told his mom that David had been singing the entire ride home. In fact, David started to sing more than he spoke.

When little nine-year-old David stepped onto the America’s Got Talent stage, you would have no idea that there was anything different about him. And, when he started singing, even though he didn’t have the most impressive voice the judges had ever heard, he instantly charmed the entire place. Why? Because you can tell that he loves what he does with all his heart, and nothing is going to stop him from singing!

David may be young, but he’s such a great testament to the power of love, determination, and having a dream! Wherever you are these days, David, we hope you’re still singing your heart out! We love you!

Please SHARE this adorable little boy on Facebook!

]]> https://kokutangaza.com/this-9-year-old-boy-has-autism-but-when-he-starts-to-sing-the-audience-jumps-to-their-feet/feed/ 0 Meet the 11-year-old girl who scored an $11million deal with Whole Foods to sell her lemonade that’s sweetened with honey in an effort to save bees https://kokutangaza.com/meet-the-11-year-old-girl-who-scored-an-11million-deal-with-whole-foods-to-sell-her-lemonade-thats-sweetened-with-honey-in-an-effort-to-save-bees-read-more-httpwww-dailymail-co-uknewsarticle/ https://kokutangaza.com/meet-the-11-year-old-girl-who-scored-an-11million-deal-with-whole-foods-to-sell-her-lemonade-thats-sweetened-with-honey-in-an-effort-to-save-bees-read-more-httpwww-dailymail-co-uknewsarticle/#respond Tue, 05 Apr 2016 13:30:27 +0000 http://kokutangaza.com/?p=4891

An 11-year-old Texas girl has just scored a sweet $11 million deal with Whole Foods to sell her brand of lemonade.

Mikaila Ulmer’s BeeSweet Lemonade will be carried by 55 stores in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

When Whole Foods saw the promise in her lemonade, the supermarket agreed to sell the products in its regional stores. If Mikaila’s lemonade does well, it’ll eventually be sold nationwide.

The savvy 6th-grader from Austin, Texas, has developed her signature Me & The Bees lemonade stand into a thriving national business.

Her recipe is a combination of tasty mint, flaxseed and honey lemonade, which she inherited from her great-grandmother, Helen.

Mikaila gives a portion of her products to bee rescue foundations.

BeeSweet lemonade supports Heifer International, Texas Beekeepers Association and the Sustainable Food Center.

Mikaila came up with the idea for her lemonade after being stung by bees twice when she was four, according to NBCBLK.

‘It was painful. I was terrified of bees,’ she said in an interview with NBC.

But then she began to study the bees after her mother D’Andra turned her bee sting experience into a research assignment.

When Mikaila found out that bees could possibly become extinct in the years to come, she devised a plan to use her great-grandmother’s 1940 recipe, which uses honey, in order to raise money to help the bees.

Even though honey bees pollinate more than $15 billion of crops each year, Mikaila told NBC that ‘bees are dying’.

‘Last year, beekeepers lost 40 per cent of all their hives,’ she said.

She also quoted Albert Einstein who said: ‘If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left.’

Mikaila started her lemonade business in 2009 and she sweetens her lemonade with honey instead of sugar or artificial sweetener, which is healthier and saves the bees as well as provides support for beekeepers.

She secured $60,000 on ABC’s TV show Shark Tank, last year and then went on to serve lemonade to President Barack Obama.

She was also a part of Google’s Dare to be Digital campaign.

Mikaila is now leading workshops on how to save the honeybees.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3519137/When-life-gives-lemons-Meet-11-year-old-girl-scored-11million-deal-Foods-sell-lemonade.html#ixzz44xT9v7op
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]]> https://kokutangaza.com/meet-the-11-year-old-girl-who-scored-an-11million-deal-with-whole-foods-to-sell-her-lemonade-thats-sweetened-with-honey-in-an-effort-to-save-bees-read-more-httpwww-dailymail-co-uknewsarticle/feed/ 0 Young Violinist and Composer Edward W. Hardy https://kokutangaza.com/young-violinist-and-composer-edward-w-hardy/ https://kokutangaza.com/young-violinist-and-composer-edward-w-hardy/#respond Tue, 05 Apr 2016 13:19:13 +0000 http://kokutangaza.com/?p=4887
Critically Acclaimed violinist, violist & composer, Edward Wellington Hardy began his study of the violin at the age of seven. He has performed as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician throughout the United States, England and Mexico in some of the most famous venues including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, The Apollo Theater, Signature Theatre, The Gaillard Center, Princess Anne Theatre among others.

Edward has attend the prestigious the Juilliard School (MAP), Bloomingdale School of Music and Manhattan School of Music Pre-College division for 5 consecutive years. Edward was selected to be an intern with the Exploring the Arts’ Tony Bennett Apprenticeship Program where he studied under the direction of the Latin Jazz fusion Sweet Plantain String Quartet; Eddie Venegas, Romulo Benavides, Orlando Wells, and David Gotay. Edward returned to teach the violinists under the direction of the Sweet Plantains. Edward is now one of the principal guest artists (Stunt Violinist-Violist) for SWEET PLANTAIN and routinely performs with the group doubling for violinists Joe Deninzon, Eddie Venegas and violist Orlando Wells.

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A graduate of the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music, Edward received his Bachelor Degree in Viola Performance with Honors. He was appointed Principle Violist of the Purchase Symphony Orchestra for three consecutive years.​ He was a student of Ira Weller of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Edward is a two-time first prize winner of the Vincent Wagner Concerto Competition (Violin & Viola), a recipient of the Van Lier Scholarship (MSM), the Laurence Rosenfeld Scholarship and the Chamber Music Live Scholarship (ACSM). Edward also received his Master of Music Degree in Violin Performance with Honors from The Aaron Copland School of Music. He is a student of Daniel Phillips of the Orion String Quartet.

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Edward has composed and performed music for theatrical productions including Hamlet (Theatre of War), Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Dean Irby), Master and Margarita (David Bassuk), Mother Courage and Her Children (Dennis Reed), Beautiful Dreamer (Jim McElwaine/Dean Irby), Blues for an Alabama Sky (Dean Irby), Trojan Women (Rachel Dickstein), Twelfth Night (Chris McCann), No Exit (Yellow House Pictures), I am Human (Kameron Wood Film), A Brooklyn Boy (National Black Theatre/Vineyard Theatre) & The Woodsman (59E59/Ars Nova/Standard ToyKraft). Edward has worked in cooperation with BAFTA, The National Black Theatre, Native American Composers Apprenticeship Program, Trilogy Opera Company, SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Acting, Dance/NYC, Katana Flight Foundation, Bard Conductors Institute, Tony Bennett Exploring the Arts Foundation, Google, and Grand Canyon Music Festival to name a few. Edward studies under the mentorship of multiple Grammy, Tony and Drama Desk nominee, Jim McElwaine.

Edward was a featured soloist in the Colour of Music Virtuosi Concert Series. He performed Vivaldi’s Concerto No. 2 in G minor (Summer) at the Charleston Museum. “Edward Wellington Hardy Tackled “Summer” With Vigor, Control And Expressiveness.” – The Post and Courier

]]> https://kokutangaza.com/young-violinist-and-composer-edward-w-hardy/feed/ 0 A Successful Teenage Entrepreneur, Artist and Philanthropist named Maya Penn https://kokutangaza.com/a-successful-teenage-entrepreneur-artist-and-philanthropist-named-maya-penn-2/ https://kokutangaza.com/a-successful-teenage-entrepreneur-artist-and-philanthropist-named-maya-penn-2/#respond Tue, 05 Apr 2016 13:02:26 +0000 http://kokutangaza.com/?p=4884 Maya Penn (born February 10, 2000) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, animator, artist, and the CEO of her eco-friendly fashion company Maya’s Ideas.

Penn was born and raised in Atlanta. She started her company in 2008 at the age of 8.[1] She spoke at the TEDTalk at TEDWomen 2013 in San Francisco, which was streamed live on TED.com.[2] She has done 2 official TEDTalks and 1 TEDxTalk.[citation needed] Penn is also an animator and artist, drawing cartoon characters from an early age. She is the creator of an animated series called The Pollinators which focuses on the importance of bees and other pollinators. She premiered a clip of The Pollinators and another animated series called Malicious Dishes at TEDWomen 2013.[3]

Penn has made herself known as a supporter and member of One Billion Rising[4] and Girls, Inc. She also founded her own nonprofit organization, Maya’s Ideas 4 The Planet, in 2011.

Watch her in this video and find out more about her:

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