Our special Halloween party was CRAZY! This quick throw down features our spoken word group showdown.
The women of LTE had their weekly NIA meeting. We had a lively debate and discussion about representation of women of color in TV, movies and music videos. Here’s the group doing an ice breaker, warming up for the discussion.
A True YoungBiz(ness) Man
At 27-years-old few people have accomplished as much as Kenneth Allen, the COO of YoungBiz. Allen took time out of his busy schedule to discuss his advanced career to a group of Learn To Earn students on Monday, November 15th.
Allen had a quick start at entrepreneurship at the young age of 12 when he owned his first business. “I opened a candy store out of my parent’s garage,” said business sage Allen, “I was making $500 to $600 in profit per month.”
He began to spread his entrepreneurial expertise when he was 15, “I was asked to go around the United States to teach entrepreneurship,” said Allen, “I was the youngest certified consultant.”
During his freshman year of college Allen started a foundation. “I helped thousands start their own business and how to write their own business plan,” said Allen.
Now at the age of 27 Allen has expanded his business ventures. “On top of being COO of YoungBiz I also have a consultant firm and an international hip-hop and R&B magazine,” says mogul Allen.
Allen believes that the Learn to Earn students have an opportunity to start their own businesses and make “mad money”. “There are a lot of business one can start that makes a lot of money,” said aristocrat Allen, “So many major stores started with just one store. If you want to be in charge and never work for someone then you need to invest your time to start your own business plan.”Mr. Dan teaching Wednesday’s app-making seminar where the new goal for the students is an AP computer science exam.
Helping to Compute
Technology and computers surround us and run much of today’s world. It is one thing to use a computer, but it is another thing to know how it works. On Wednesday, November 11, 2010, Mr. Dan Meyer, one of the Junior Advocates at Learn to Earn prepared students for a journey into the world of computer sciences.
“Computer science deals with algorithm and tautology or logic gates,” said computer pro Mr. Dan, “The basis of computer science language is binary code. It can either be a 1 which means on (true) or a 0 which means off (false).”Mr. Dan guided the students on the fundamentals of computer science. Several terms were covered including; CPU (computer processor unit), RAM (random access memory), hardrive, gigabytes, and so on. ”I learned the different variables such as boolean, integer, float, loop, and character variables,” said Learn to Earn junior Ricardo Reyes, “I want to learn how a computer works and how to create an application for an Ipod.”
Mr. Dan expressed his desire to take the program a step further than what Ricardo wishes to learn. “I want to dedicate our time learning toward the AP computer science exam,” said computer aficionado Mr. Dan, “It’s definitely a great thing to have on your resume and an important skill to obtain.”
Technology is expanding; so too should our knowledge. Mr. Dan and the handful of students attending his computer science class at Learn to Earn do indeed seek to acquire this understanding.
Check out our first talk-show installment of staff interviews, this time with Ms. Tynisa. Interview by Danielle Elise.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
– Martin Luther King JrLife’s Writings
The world around us is filled with a wealth of inspiration. The world is the muse poet Daunte Henderson used for his book of poetry, “Things I Learned While Walking”. On Tuesday, October 26th, Henderson spoke about his experiences to a group of high school juniors at the Learn to Earn facility.
Henderson began writing poetry in 7th grade, “Because of Danielle Butler,” said Henderson, “I broke up with her, but then I tried to win back her affection through poetry.”
Henderson continued his self expression from there. “I grew up in a single parent home with no siblings and a mother who worked all the time,” poet Henderson said, “I needed an outlet. I vented my feelings through poetry and let the world know through my writing.”
Poetry has not taken priority for Henderson, but it was a passion he couldn’t hide. “I’ve worked a lot of jobs in my life just to pay the bills,” said Henderson, “I worked minimum wage selling cell phones, but I always used a phone with a keypad to write and save some of my work.”
Poetry was a gift that Henderson sought to show the world by any means possible. “I self published my book,” said Henderson, “Which means you have to be your own marketing tool. I started a Facebook group which started with 100 members. But I worked for CNN where I would post some material on their website. This helped to push membership to over 1,000. The book is now being sold at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon.”
Henderson’s ambitions have not stopped. “I submitted my book to the NAACP awards so hopefully I’ll be a nominee.”
The poet stressed the importance of following your dream by any means. “If there is something you want to do in life it is just a matter of just doing it.”
About me
Learn to Earn is an after-school program that helps high school juniors and seniors improve their academic skills, as well as prepare them for college and the job market. The program is a component of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Learn to Earn provides job readiness training and summer employment opportunities for high school juniors and seniors. Program participants receive life skill workshops that assist them with job readiness, conflict resolution, social development and financial planning. During the school year, the focus is on improving participants' academic standings and developing life skills, while during the summer months, the focus is on gaining summer employment.
