Seattle Supersonics? How About SuperChangemakers?!?!

Part two of a three-part "young people are still awesome" series.  This kids are AWESOME!

Corny, I know, but pretty darn true. Malena and I just wrapped up three days in the Space Needle City (you know, it’s not that tall…), complete with delicious pasta, a visit to Pike’s Fish Market (they really launch those fish), lakes, trees, mountains, general fantasticness (can you tell I liked the place) and some absolutely incredible teams.

The first was started by a college fraternity called Sigma Beta Rho. They’ve partnered with the city’s homelessness reduction team to support those individuals most in need ofassistance and activity. The agency places mentally and physically handicapped homeless men and women in subsidized housing where they pay a fixed portion of their Social Security benefits toward rent, allowing them to live the rest of their lives in dignity. Still, these individuals lack a great deal of activity in their lives.

Sigma Beta Rho decided to fill that gap by developing community gardens at a number of these facilities across the city. Last year brought one garden and this year they’ll be expanding to five locations, engaging over a hundred college students in their organizations and hundreds of the community’s residents!

The second team, Kill The Chill, has partnered with Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission Homeless Shelter and Rehabilitation Center to provide hand-made scarves and hats to the residents in what has become Seattle’s coldest month – February. “We really saw how donations poor in during Thanksgiving and Christmas but once New Year passes, we seem to forget that there are still people in need. We’re working to fill that gap,” said Julia, the organization’s Director, who also serves as the Key Club President at her high school. So far they’ve donated over a hundred scarves and are planning a round of hats next. “It’s just the right thing to do,” the group explained.

Our final Seattle visit was with a group called Richard’s Rwanda. Started by 12-year-old Jessica last November, Richard’s Rwanda raises money to pay for tuition, books and clothes for girls in Rwanda who suffered from the 1994 genocide. A man named Richard stayed with her family last summer while doing fundraisers in the Seattle area and Jessica was moved by the stories of young girls in the country who did not have access to education. “I just felt like I had been so lucky my whole life, and I wanted to do something to give young women in Rwanda a chance at being powerful leaders in their country,” Jessica told me. So far they’ve raised $7,000 through fundraisers and bake sales.

We actually stopped by one of these fun-filled affairs. Imagine six 12-year-old girls behind a table covered in cookies, brownies and lemon bars selling for a cause, one of whom was sipping Tab. I mean, Tab? I thought people stopped drinking that in 1986. Their pitch? “Would you like to buy a cookie and support young girls in Rwanda who suffered from the genocide?” How does any decent-minded person say no? Jessica will be returning to Rwanda in August to hand-deliver the money she has raised so far. Her next target? “I want to build a school for girls in the capital city. We’ll get there. I’m confident we’ll get there.” Oh yeah, did I mention she’s twelve?

On to Missoula, Montana next – a pit stop on our northern crossing…more soon!

-Kyle Taylor

Valentine’s Day On The Bay

I just discovered three very old blog posts (circa 2007) that seem to have never been published!  They are from my epic road trip across America with Malena (pictured) on our journey to document the incredible world-changing ventures of young people across America.  It may have been four years, but the stories are still super inspiring!  Enjoy!

The big February 14th extravaganza started with a catch-up morning and drive into San Francisco from Berkeley. That was, of course, after we went back to Benecia High School so I could pick up my computer power cord I had left there the day before. So far I’ve forgotten an audio cable at a school in LA, my power cord in Benecia and my retainer at the La Quinta (which I later remember and recovered). ON. A. ROLL.

We decided to celebrate the big day by heading to the Golden Gate Bridge to take in the view and “light” sea breeze (read: howling winds that almost through us into the water). It was quite the little photo shoot.

From there it is on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Trasit) and out to Oakland to meet with SHATO, another SAGE team who has launched a computer technology assistance program that works to maintain and expand technology opportunities in high schools throughout Oakland. They do troubleshooting, train teachers and even build computers, all for the sake of making sure kids in their community are tied into the information age. Just as a sidebar, they showed up DRESSED TO IMPRESS – suits, ties and skirts. I felt like I was at an IBM conference.

What’s so inspiring about their work is that they’re taking action in a community where change and action aren’t exactly the norm – yet. Oakland, as they told me, is one of America’s most struggling cities, and “kids don’t think good stuff is possible for them, so they don’t try hard and they don’t believe they can do better.” Their technology teacher new better and challenged them to push the envelope. “It all started so we could prove him wrong, and now we all believe we can do better. Two years ago college wasn’t something we talked about, and now it’s like, ‘where are you going to college? It’s real. It’s a reality.”

Talk about the power of being a changemaker! Not only are they are impacting their schools, fellow students and communities, but they’ve changed their own attitudes and redefined their own futures. It don’t get much better than that.

Ok, north we go – My friend’s Llama farm in Oregon is our next pit stop. Woo!

And I Had…The Time Of My Li-i-i-fe

40 Days. 32 States. 1 Canadian Province. 7373 Miles. 150 Venture Teams. 5000 Young People. 2 Lost Bags. 10 Days Without Clean Clothes. It was most certainly an adventure to say the least. Malena and I began on February 11th in Anaheim, California at the Taylor home by throwing a family BBQ (naturally) and I finished the adventure March 26th in Washington, DC after zig-zagging north, east, south, east, north, further north, west, south, east, north and south again. We moved from wearing shorts under the sunny skies of California to bundling up in down jackets to fend off the sub-zero temperatures of Minnesota.



No matter where we were one thing remained consistent: young people are doing incredible things to fundamentally reshape their schools, cities, states and country. From a 12-year-old in Seattle who has raised more than $10,000 in just three months to fund girls scholarships in Rwanda to 20-year-olds in New England who have brought arts into the lives of hundreds of children, they gave life to this idea that young people can be Powerful now. Changemakers now.



Still, for whatever reason, there are those who doubt. Who say this is a figment of our imagination, and that their work is the exception and not the rule. New agencies that say this “isn’t a story” and that there is “nothing significant there.” Well I have 8000 pictures, 60 hours of video, 200 interviews, 100 blog entries and a network of millions of young people who might think otherwise. Yes, this isn’t a majority YET but when in history has it taken a majority of people to change the world? From ending religious extremism to guaranteeing the right to vote for ever American, powerful minorities have time and time again reshaped the way we think and live, truly changing our world.



This will absolutely be the greatest global movement to ever take shape, so here is my advice to you: Pay attention. Know your facts. Understand these “crazy kids.” Why? Because if you don’t you’re going to wake up in 20 years and realize that we somehow managed to take control of everything without ever rustling a feather. This is a silent revolution but have no fear: we will be heard, whether it’s in the townships of South Africa, favellas of Brazil or inner cities of America. Change is-a-comin’. Are you coming too?



With that, I think it’s important to cite what was perhaps the greatest success of the road trip; the simple fact that Malena and I did not have one single fight. It was nothing but smiles, laughs, mix cds and the occasional “moment of silence.” All told, I could not have found a better road mate, so thank you girl. You rock.

From here, it’s all about reflecting on the experience and offering some commentary, so stay tuned. Plus, my Asian adventure begins in just 2 weeks. China, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, here I come. Woo!

OAS Photo Exhibition = AMAZING

One of the incredible partnerships that emerged from this initiative was with The Young Americas Business Trust, a youth arm of the Organization of American States, which is like the UN of the Americas. They support young people in developing their own businesses and social initiatives and after deciding on youth as their “theme” for the year, they realized they needed to find a way to celebrate that with a “bang.” That’s where Ashoka’s Youth Venture and I came in!



Equipped with blogs, videos and more than 8000 photos, we decided to put that media to work through a photo exhibition, bringing the teams to life in vivid 42” x 30” color! Needless to say, it was a complete success. More than 85 people attended from the business, government and social sector. From Ambassadors to Council Members, practitioners to friends and family, the whole lot came together to celebrate “The Power of Youth-Led Social Change.”



The OAS #2 and I spoke while people mixed, mingled and took in the 32-photo exhibition. Below is the video of my presentation, followed by a link to the online version of the photo exhibition, complete with photo descriptions, location information and print details. I wish you could have been there in person but hey, this is a great way to view them as well. Enjoy! Also, special thanks to Michaela McGill, who planned and arranged the whole shabang! She's pictured above.



Photo Exhibition: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyletaylor/sets/72157604446100097/



--

Kyle Taylor

Through Our Eyes

Because DC was home base, visiting our amazing teams here became somewhat of a challenge. That is, the whole allure of a “road trip” was lost by the fact that I road the metro and pulled up on my feet. Still, that didn’t affect the incredible work of the young people I met.

A highlight of my “time” in DC was definitely visiting “Through Our Eyes.” Based out of a high school in Columbia Heights, these twenty plus students have come together to bring their frustrations about political issues and community problems to life using theater and dance.


They’re not complaining and they’re not nagging. Instead, they’re showing the human side of these problems. Take immigration, for example. Imagine a mother of four working full-time to give her children a better life than she had being taken from her children and deported after living and working here for more than ten years. Often times our understanding of the issue is oversimplified: Person lives here illegally, has children who are citizens, works hard and pays taxes, gets deported.


What happens next? The kids are left without a mother in their time of greatest need – childhood. “Through Our Eyes” helps to take people into this realm of understanding by telling the story “Through Their Eyes,” as children and young people who had nothing to do with creating the situation but who are affected more than anyone else by it. “It’s not about a political statement,” the leader told me, “it’s just about telling the human side of this story.


They also deal with issues like gang violence, teen pregnancy, discrimination and education, all in a way that makes the issues far more accessible than a newspaper article or TV report. In the last three months they’ve grown from five members to more than twenty and plan to include dozens more next year. Even more exciting – their first show is in three weeks and tickets are nearly sold out. What they’re doing is so incredibly important, because it’s often too easy to disconnect the policy itself and the people that policy affects. Well done.

--

Kyle Taylor

Post Secret!

So, it appears someone posted a “secret” about me on www.postsecret.com. While it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, A close friend did translate the Polish for me:

"I narrator every (ow: not a word anyone would use today which can mean person) I am we speaking polish otherwise I am clearly a liar for you everything!"
She followed that by saying:
It is poorly conjugated (I even double checked with my mom about the OW word (i have never heard that word and she said "unless they are 80, you would not hear that word"))

After lots of thinking and conferring with friends, I’ve decided that it probably has nothing to do with me and instead, someone found the photo of me online and decided to use it to tell their secret. Still, totally bizarre to see my face there. If you have any other leads by all means, let me know!

In other news, Malena and I were also “blogged” celebrating her birthday in Atlanta. You’ll find that photo on www.bestkisses.com or by clicking here.

Rock Star Road Mate

We’ve now moved into a new month and it must be said, Malena is a road-trip rock star. We just finished our 100th hour in the car (that’s just over FOUR DAYS) and she has been behind the wheel every single one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m offered, but she gets in this “zone” and it’s a sight to be seen. I think the girl would just keep driving if I didn’t point out cool things like heads carved into mountains and the World’s largest prairie dog.



We definitely make a great pair. No fights to date and only one incident where we both felt the need to “talk about our feelings.” The humor flows like whoa, though I’d doubt anyone else would think our jokes are funny, probably because they have to do with sitting in a car for 100 hours. Pretty funny, right? Right?


It’s one of those amazing experiences – like anything, I would guess – where you don’t want it to end but it’s so exhausting you can’t wait for it to be over at the same time, so you can sleep for a week. Right now we’re just doing our best to take it one day at a time and enjoy the process, something I’ve never been all that good at doing. Always learning. Always learning.

Video Recap - Seattle

Just a short recap of our time in Seattle. Are we ridiculous? I think YES. Enjoy...



In case it doesn't embed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzGAEyZjJ78

Seattle Supersonics? How About SuperChangemakers?!?!

Corny, I know, but pretty darn true. Malena and I just wrapped up three days in the Space Needle City (you know, it’s not that tall…), complete with delicious pasta, a visit to Pike’s Fish Market (they really launch those fish), lakes, trees, mountains, general fantasticness (can you tell I liked the place) and some absolutely incredible teams.


The first was started by a college fraternity called Sigma Beta Rho. They’ve partnered with the city’s homelessness reduction team to support those individuals most in need ofassistance and activity. The agency places mentally and physically handicapped homeless men and women in subsidized housing where they pay a fixed portion of their Social Security benefits toward rent, allowing them to live the rest of their lives in dignity. Still, these individuals lack a great deal of activity in their lives.


Sigma Beta Rho decided to fill that gap by developing community gardens at a number of these facilities across the city. Last year brought one garden and this year they’ll be expanding to five locations, engaging over a hundred college students in their organizations and hundreds of the community’s residents!


The second team, Kill The Chill, has partnered with Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission Homeless Shelter and Rehabilitation Center to provide hand-made scarves and hats to the residents in what has become Seattle’s coldest month – February. “We really saw how donations poor in during Thanksgiving and Christmas but once New Year passes, we seem to forget that there are still people in need. We’re working to fill that gap,” said Julia, the organization’s Director, who also serves as the Key Club President at her high school. So far they’ve donated over a hundred scarves and are planning a round of hats next. “It’s just the right thing to do,” the group explained.


Our final Seattle visit was with a group called Richard’s Rwanda. Started by 12-year-old Jessica last November, Richard’s Rwanda raises money to pay for tuition, books and clothes for girls in Rwanda who suffered from the 1994 genocide. A man named Richard stayed with her family last summer while doing fundraisers in the Seattle area and Jessica was moved by the stories of young girls in the country who did not have access to education. “I just felt like I had been so lucky my whole life, and I wanted to do something to give young women in Rwanda a chance at being powerful leaders in their country,” Jessica told me. So far they’ve raised $7,000 through fundraisers and bake sales.


We actually stopped by one of these fun-filled affairs. Imagine six 12-year-old girls behind a table covered in cookies, brownies and lemon bars selling for a cause, one of whom was sipping Tab. I mean, Tab? I thought people stopped drinking that in 1986. Their pitch? “Would you like to buy a cookie and support young girls in Rwanda who suffered from the genocide?” How does any decent-minded person say no?


Jessica will be returning to Rwanda in August to hand-deliver the money she has raised so far. Her next target? “I want to build a school for girls in the capital city. We’ll get there. I’m confident we’ll get there.” Oh yeah, did I mention she’s twelve?

On to Missoula, Montana next – a pit stop on our northern crossing…more soon!

Finally, a funny pic - Molly, friend of YV, attempted to feed the seagull, who decided Molly wasn't so great...


-Kyle Taylor

Valentine’s Day On The Bay

The big February 14th extravaganza started with a catch-up morning and drive into San Francisco from Berkeley. That was, of course, after we went back to Benecia High School so I could pick up my computer power cord I had left there the day before. So far I’ve forgotten an audio cable at a school in LA, my power cord in Benecia and my retainer at the La Quinta (which I later remember and recovered). ON. A. ROLL.

We decided to celebrate the big day by heading to the Golden Gate Bridge to take in the view and “light” sea breeze (read: howling winds that almost through us into the water). It was quite the little photo shoot.



From there it is on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Trasit) and out to Oakland to meet with SHATO, another SAGE team who has launched a computer technology assistance program that works to maintain and expand technology opportunities in high schools throughout Oakland. They do troubleshooting, train teachers and even build computers, all for the sake of making sure kids in their community are tied into the information age. Just as a sidebar, they showed up DRESSED TO IMPRESS – suits, ties and skirts. I felt like I was at an IBM conference.


What’s so inspiring about their work is that they’re taking action in a community where change and action aren’t exactly the norm – yet. Oakland, as they told me, is one of America’s most struggling cities, and “kids don’t think good stuff is possible for them, so they don’t try hard and they don’t believe they can do better.” Their technology teacher new better and challenged them to push the envelope. “It all started so we could prove him wrong, and now we all believe we can do better. Two years ago college wasn’t something we talked about, and now it’s like, ‘where are you going to college? It’s real. It’s a reality.”


Talk about the power of being a changemaker! Not only are they are impacting their schools, fellow students and communities, but they’ve changed their own attitudes and redefined their own futures. It don’t get much better than that.


In case you thought we might of missed all the Bay Area charm, think again. We did run into this gem on the BART. He was busting a move in a hot orange monochromatic jumpsuit, complete with orange backpack and tennis jacket. Oh San Fran!

Ok, north we go – My friend’s Llama farm in Oregon is our next pit stop. Woo!

Texting LIKE WHOA! Follow Us SMS-style!

So we’ve got this awesome new feature. You can actually follow us via regular text messages that you’ll receive from Malena and I on the road! Here’s what you do:

Text “YVRTA” to 30364.

That’s it! Let the SMSing begin, U know it, 4 sho, yo! (That was my awesome texting shorthand)

Talks, Burgers & Goodbyes, Oh My!

It just hit me. I’m spending 40 days in a Toyota Scion with the same person. While we’re great friends as of right now, close quarters and bad mix cds could mean other things…


We’ve still got about a million things to buy, stuff in and check off of our pre-departure list, all before an evening farewell barbecue with family and friends. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this next part of the adventure. It seems that I do all I can to avoid normalcy then, just as it becomes enjoyable, I mix it all up again! Nonetheless, this mix is certain to be memorable.


We’re starting in LA then onward to San Fran, Portland, Seattle, Yosemite, Mount Rushmore, St. Paul/Minneapolis, Omaha, Little Rock, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Atlanta, Greesboro, Montreal, Denver, Burlington, Concorde, Boston, New York and DC. Yes, we are both insane. Today it was pretty sweet – we were at an international school in South Gate, Los Angeles talking to the leadership class about launching Ventures through a partner organization, OneWorldNow! These kids go through all of high school in a trilingual environment – English, Spanish and Arabic or Chinese. WHOA! Needless to say, they had some phenomenal ideas, and I think we may get a solid 5 to 8 teams from the school! These kids are all from modest backgrounds and most will be the first in their families to go to college, which is pretty cool!

Well, hittin’ the road shortly, so back to packing…

Ridin' Buddies Are SO Important!

Unlike the international leg of the World Tour, I have a partner in crime this time around, and she's pretty cool! Malena just finished her year as an Americorps VISTA with Youth Venture, trekking across the good old US of A from Virginia to LA with just a suitcase, a Toyota Scion and a southern twang that will make you melt. She's a trained teacher, speaks Spanish fluently (her English is improving, jk) and was born in Paraguay while her parents were working as Peace Corps Volunteers. Basically, she's a saint and perfect.


Malena is the queen of all things scheduling and route related, making contact with all of our amazing Venturers, regional offices, partners and friends to make sure that we absolutely tell this story of change in the most effective way possible. Beyond that, she's just plain hilarious and remains even-keel 99% of the time - a perfect match to my never-ending cycle of extremes! :-) Apparently she also loves riding around in shopping carts and hiding in rocks. I asked her to send me a few pictures of herself and 2 of the 3 were of her in confined spaces, which is perfect because we're about to spend 4 weeks together in a compact car...more on the wheels soon!

Let The Countdown Begin...11 Days To US Road Trip!

After several months, lots of recovery from illness, 3 months of near unemployment and sleeping on friends couches, it's time to embark on the next leg of the World Tour! This time, we're taking it to the US and Canada, and what better way to "do" North America than by car?!?! The good old American road trip! Of course, I'm not so sure the old-fashioned way would be in a Toyota Scion - driving through South Dakota in late February. Either way, I'm getting SO EXCITED in part because I'm desperately wanting to get back out into "the field," in part because I've always wanted to drive across America and in part because this itme, I don't have to do it alone! YV's very own Malena Buckley-Ess is coming along for the ride, which means no single-man filming, photographing, writing, meeting, talking, traveling, carrying operation - I get to share the duties. Woo! Over the coming days I'll be introducing her, our wheels, our hang-ups (there are several), our partners, our route, etc. Fortunately, you don't have to wait for me entirely. We've got a WHOLE WEBSITE dedicated to this diddy. You'll find it here:

www.yvroadtrip.com

Bookmark it. Memorize it. LOVE it! This site will remain the "official" blog, and will be syndicated on myspace and genv.net, as well as linked from the above homepage. As I mentioned, more details in the days ahead but in the meantime, check out the site above!

Rock on!

---

-Kyle Taylor