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.
You might also like
One Teen’s Sweet Idea Takes the Prize at the NFTE Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
Here’s another awesomely innovative business idea from the NFTE 2011 Elevator Pitch Contest. 16-year-old Hayley Hoverter‘s product Sweet (dis)SOLVE is a beverage sweetener made from organic sugar and encased in a soluble organic starch that melts into your drink. This is a great idea that will save paper and is great for the environment. Haley also won the $10,000 grand prize for her business at the 2011 NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, congrats! Watch Hayley’s pitch below:
You might also like
|
|
|
|
|
Jade Hypoallergenic Earrings – NFTE Elevator Pitch 2011 Contest
Here’s another participant of the NFTE Elevator Pitch 2011 Contest. It’s awesome how she turned a problem she had with certain jewelery into a stylish solution and a business idea. Check out her pitch below:
What is an elevator pitch?
An “elevator pitch” is a carefully crafted message designed to explain a business to a potential investor. The catch — it must be given in the time that it takes to ride up an elevator.
Elevator Pitch Challenge
The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship gives high school and middle school students the opportunity to take a sixty second idea, and turn it into an actual business. Each nominee here is either the owner or co-owner of his or her business.
You might also like
|
|
|
|
|
Congrats to Teen Founder of Love Puppy Love & Winner of the NFTE Elevator Pitch Challenge
NFTE, (the awesome organization that helped me start my own business as a teen) recently announced the winner of the second annual NFTE Elevator Pitch Challenge: Jonathan O. of Miami, Florida.
The 2011 Challenge is presented by NFTE and MasterCard Worldwide and featured 30 remarkable young people with innovative ideas, intense online campaigning, and more than 80,000 votes. We’ll be featuring more of the participants later on Dreamer ENT, stay tuned!
Jonathan’s business idea, Love Puppy Love, provides fun-loving, unique, dog-themed T-shirts for the world to enjoy, while raising awareness about the plight of dogs in desperate need of love and support. NFTE, in coordination with our sponsors E*TRADE, MasterCard, and Southwest Airlines, will provide Jonathan with $2,500 to make Love Puppy Love a reality. The two runners up, Khaled K. and Nguon T., will each receive $500 towards their businesses.
Congratulations to Jonathan and all of the young entrepreneurs for creating unique business concepts and taking the initiative to participate in the Elevator Pitch Challenge!
Watch Jonathan’s winning pitch now:
You might also like
|
|
|
|
|
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.
You might also like
|
|
|
|
|
Click here to view the first designs
Hi, I'm Julene, editor and director of Dreamer ENT. The goal of this site is to inspire young people, and the young at heart, to pursue their passions boldly and brilliantly... 
Click here to shop envibrance inspirational designs!