Being the Change: Young Changemakers Honored at the TeenNick Halo Awards 2011
(Left to Right) 2011 HALO Award honorees Kyle Weiss, James O’Dwyer, Adele Taylor, Shanoah Washington, and Emily-Anne Rigal gather on-stage during Nickelodeon’s 2011 TeenNick HALO Awards on October 26, 2011 in Hollywood, California.
These five teens honored at the TeenNick Halo Awards show that it doesn’t matter how young you are to make a positive difference in your world through service. Each of them were awarded with donations toward their causes presented by celebrities who have also been involved in charity work.
Read about each of the honorees, (including one of DreamerENT’s past interviewees, Adele Taylor of Adele’s Literacy Library) and how they took the initiative to address a problem or area they felt passionate about:
The Honorees
Adele Taylor, 16, Williamstown, NJ – An avid and enthusiastic reader, Adele Taylor, of Williamstown, N.J., grew up understanding the value of literacy. After learning that one in five adults can’t read, she decided to take action. In December 2008, at age 13, this exuberant young lady created the organization Adele’s Literacy Library, with the goal of promoting literacy among people of all ages. Adele is honored by Jason Derulo who supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation among other charitable efforts. Find out how you can help Adele as she also works to enrich the lives of youth in Africa with the love of education and reading…
James O’Dwyer, 19, Tuscaloosa, Ala. – James was a freshman at University of Alabama when the devastating EF4 tornado hit Tuscaloosa, leaving a six mile track of destruction across the region. He started Magnolia Disaster Relief, an aid program that targets small rural towns hit the hardest by tornadoes by delivering food, water, clothing, toys, furniture and fridges so affected people can start rebuilding their lives. James’s HALO match is Taylor Swift who, among her many philanthropic endeavors, raises money and awareness to benefit those affected by tornadoes and floods.
Emily-Anne Rigal, 17, Williamsburg, Va. – As a young overweight girl, Emily-Anne was bullied so harshly she was forced to switch schools. Recognizing how upsetting her experience with bullying had been, she decided to create WeStopHate.org, a teen-run YouTube channel and website, which helps combat bullying by motivating teens to share their own stories of triumph and give tips to others on how they too can prevail.
Shanoah Washington, 18, St. Petersburg, Fla. – Born in California, Shanoah’s home life was plagued with gang violence until her grandmother moved her to Florida and enrolled her at the local Boys & Girls Club, providing her with guidance to reach her full potential. She created Sista2Sista, a mentoring program which aims to motivate young girls through the development of self-esteem, honesty, self-discipline and positive thinking. Shanoah’s HALO match is Jessica Biel who works with Girl Up, a United Nations Foundation campaign that rallies girls in the U.S. to help give girls in developing countries a better future.
Kyle Weiss, 18, Danville, Calif. - A huge soccer fan, Kyle’s activism was sparked after speaking to Angolan fans at the 2006 World Cup and learning about the dire state of the country and lack of sports resources available to the youth of Africa. Kyle and his brother started FUNDaFIELD, an organization that fundraises to build soccer fields in developing countries in Africa. Kyle’s HALO match is David Beckham, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, who campaigns and fundraises to establish education and recreational programs involving soccer for children around the world.
The TeenNick Halo Awards, hosted by Nick Cannon, will air on Nick at Nite on Sunday, November, 6, 2011.
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Keke Palmer Asks For Your Help To End Bullying
Keke Palmer has been busy with both movie and music projects, and is also involved in The Saving Our Daughter’s Oath Project aimed at helping to end bullying and violence against girls and women. To support visit and “Like” the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SavingOurDaughters and sign the oath featuring 8 action steps to prevent bullying in your community and around the world. Watch Keke speak more about the campaign below:
Keke On Bullying and Loving Who You Are
“I have been a victim of bullying…but I have always just kept it moving no matter how people try to hurt me, however some people are not that strong, they need our help…” – Keke Palmer
Listen to this recent interview with Keke where she talks about the bullying campaign, her experiences and give some updates on her upcoming projects, including the new movie A Joyful Noise starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, and her album which is scheduled for a 2012 release.
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Help Adele’s Literacy Library Raise Funds To Give Books To Youth in Africa
A while back on Dreamer ENT we interviewed Adele Ann Taylor , the founder of Adele’s Literacy Library (A.L.L.) who helps children embrace literacy through school readings, book donations and many other community projects. (Click here for the interview to learn more about Adele and A.L.L.)
This fall, Adele has partnered with an organization, Under the Acacia and in October 2011 A.L.L. says G.O. (Adele’s Literacy Library says Global Outreach) will break ground for the Loita Learning City in Kenya, Africa! Jointly, there will be a learning center with laptops and a library!
This sounds like a great project; anyone can help by donating to the cause!
How To Support A.L.L. says G.O. (Adele’s Literacy Library says Global Outreach)
Checks can be made out to Adele’s Literacy Library and earmarked ALL says GO.
Checks can be mailed to:
Adele’s Literacy Library
P.O. Box 1272
Williamstown, New Jersey 08094
Below: Some of the children and teachers at the Loita Hills Academy which Adele will be sponsoring.
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Are You a Changemaker? Teens Make a Difference With Youth Venture
As a teen one of the amazing programs that helped me start my organization for kids was Youth Venture. They supplied me with a grant, and much support to get my art enrichment program off the ground, and they do the same for young people around the country. Check out the videos below of young venturers form Youth Venture’s recent summit.
Youth Venture is an international community of young people who are powerful now, changemakers now. Youth Venture inspires and invests in teams of young people to create and launch their own sustainable, community-benefiting ventures. Youth Venture then connects them into a global movement of young changemakers who are together redefining the youth years as a time of leadership and positive social change. This is the foundation of an Everyone a Changemaker world – the key factor for success in every part of society. To learn more how you can get a grant to help your community visit www.GenV.net.
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Canal Point Elementary Students Interview Raven Symone and Yolanda Adams at the 2011 Disney’s Dreamers Academy
The students at Canal Point Elementary have been doing awesome things in their budding journalist program, interviewing esteemed people like Oprah Winfrey and even President Barack Obama! KEC TV is an award winning television news program that is broadcasted to the 500 students at KEC/Canal Point Elementary. The news program is completely produced by a selected group of 4th and 5th grade students. Visit their Youtube channel to see more of their interviews.
Below check out their interviews with Raven Symone and Yolanda Adams at the 2011 Disney’s Dreamers Academy.
To find out more about the Disney’s Dreamers Academy and to apply visit www.disneysdreamersacademy.com; (applications for next year’s program are now available through October 31, 2011!).
Meet the 2011 Dreamers
The 2011 class of Disney’s Dreamers Academy truly is an extraordinary group of kids. These 100 young students come from all over the country, each representing a different path to the Disney’s Dreamers Academy, and each proving that with hard work and a little magic, your dreams really can come true. Discover the stories behind each member of this class and follow along on their journey as they aspire to make their dreams come true…
Continue reading to meet the Dreamers!
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