I didn’t get to attend this year’s We Day Seattle 2017 event on April 21, but it looks like it was incredible, as usual! The event was co-founded by changemaker Craig Kielburger, who is profiled in Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something that Matters, and it is all about young people and community service. Despite the star-studded lineup, you can’t buy a ticket to WE Day—students from across the country earn their way by the actions they take on one local and one global cause of their choice. WE Day is free of charge to students and educators, thanks to the generous support of Microsoft and The Allstate Foundation.
“Every year, more than 200,000 students from over 10,000 schools around the globe earn their tickets to WE Day through the yearlong WE Schools program, creating positive impacts in their communities,” says Craig. “WE Day Seattle will unite and celebrate thousands of young leaders who are working passionately for the causes they care about most, creating sustainable change in their own backyards and around the world.” And it looks like it once again did just that.
Craig and Marc Kielburger and Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll at We Day Seattle 2017 (Photo Credit: Suzi Pratt/ Getty for WE Day)
As reported on GeekWire:
Write down your goals, listen more, and dream big.
These are good pieces of advice for anyone, really, but they held special importance for more than 15,000 students who gathered inside an energetic Key Arena on Friday in Seattle for WE Day, an annual event that celebrates youth empowerment.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin told kids:
“No dream is too high,” Aldrin told the crowd. “I know because I am living proof.”
Buzz Aldrin at We Day Seattle 2017 (Photo Credit: Suzi Pratt/ Getty for WE Day)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, a WE Day Seattle co-chair, told them:
“I hope everybody in this room is writing down their goals and what they want to do in life,” he said. “Once you set those goals out, go achieve them. But you can’t achieve them alone — you need to achieve them with other people.” –Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson at We Day Seattle 2017 (Photo Credit: Suzi Pratt/ Getty for WE Day)
Many more stars were in attendance, too. What a treat for the young people in attendance!
And what a benefit to our local communities, as well. During the 2015–2016 school year, WE Schools groups in Seattle volunteered more than 500,000 hours for local and global causes and raised more than $900,000 for more than 600 local organizations. Since 2007, WE Schools have raised nearly $80 million and volunteered more than 27 million hours for various causes.
Who says kids can’t change the world? It looks to me like they already are.
We Day Seattle 2017 (Photo Credit: Suzi Pratt/ Getty for WE Day)
I’m busy doing lots of private talks and appearances at schools and conferences this spring, but here’s one that is open to the public (especially tweens)!
On April 20, I’ll be presenting a workshop on nonfiction writing for tweens (ages 8–12) in Bothell, WA. Here’s the description:
Where do you find ideas and how do you decide what to write about? How do you get from there to the finished product? This workshop, presented by award-winning nonfiction author Laurie Ann Thompson, will answer those questions and more! Thompson will explain the process of writing compelling nonfiction, including research, planning, drafting, revising and editing. The presentation will be interactive and all participants will have a chance to craft an engaging nonfiction piece of their own.
Last year, Emmanuel’s Dream made its way to Cumberland Road Elementary in Fishers, Indiana, as their all-school read, a book selected to be incorporated across the curriculum in all grade levels. The school describes itself as “a school committed to inclusivity and global connectedness,” and they thought Emmanuel’s true story would be a good fit. Students and teachers read the book. I did virtual visits via Skype to answer the students’ questions and hopefully deepen the experience for them. And then everything came together in a serendipitous but impactful event for the entire school community! Here’s a photo from their event:
Yes, Emmanuel himself showed up, mid-way through his ride across the U.S.!
For the whole article, click here.
More recently, Brooks Global Studies in North Carolina also chose Emmanuel’s Dream as their all-school read! Their mission is to have their studies lead students to “understand how their actions as individuals impact the larger community of their classroom and the school, just as the actions of a single country affects the world.” Again, students and teachers read the book, and I called in via Skype to answer questions from students. And once again, students were in for an exciting surprise, when Emmanuel himself arrived, this time all the way from Ghana! It was a special treat for me, too, since I had a chance to talk to him during one of the Skype sessions.
Here’s a video they made of the inspiring event:
I love seeing how Emmanuel is connecting with kids and inspiring them to follow their dreams! Don’t you?
Great news: Emmanuel’s Dream has been selected to the 2017 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities!
Every two years, the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) chooses outstanding books for and about children and young people with disabilities. This biennial selection draws attention to books published around the world, in an extensive variety of languages and formats, that address special needs and situations and which encourage inclusion at every level. Books selected as 2017 outstanding titles are featured in a print catalogue that will be launched at this year’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy on Monday, April 3rd. Outstanding titles become part of The IBBY Collection of Books for Young People with Disabilities, a one-of-a-kind resource. Consisting of 4,000 multilingual books, the IBBY collection is located at North York Central Library in Canada, part of the Toronto Public Library.
Thanks, IBBY!!
I’m thrilled to be able to share that the first book in the TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE series, IT’S ALIVE!, has been chosen by the Junior Library Guild as a Fall 2017 selection for the Elementary Nonfiction category (for grades 2–6).
This is very exciting news, because it means the book will be heading to libraries across the country for kids to check out and enjoy!
It’s also really encouraging, because, according to their website, the JLG editorial team reviews over 3,000 new titles each year and selects only around 800 for the program. The Junior Library Guild Selection designation is unique in that it is typically awarded far in advance of publication. As one of the first awards given throughout the life of a book, it is often viewed as a bellwether of future success, with more than 95 percent of JLG selections going on to receive awards and/or favorable reviews!
So, keep your fingers crossed. Here’s hoping for even more good news yet to come!
Yesterday, January 30th, was Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. I didn’t know much about Fred Korematsu’s story before reading this brand new book, Fred Korematsu Speaks Up, written by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi, and illustrated by Yutaka Houlette. I’m so thankful, now, that I do.
The book shares the story of Fred, and second-generation Japanese American living on the West Coast during World War II, when the United States forced immigrants and citizens alike into internment camps. Fred resisted the order, and was jailed. The ACLU took up his case, which he eventually lost. He lost more than just the case. Many Japanese Americans turned on him, and he was officially considered a convicted felon. More than 40 years later, the ACLU decided to try his case again after finding new documents showing that the government had lied in his original case… and this time they won, setting an important precedent going forward. Fred knew what was happening was wrong and stood up against it. He was a changemaker.
Here’s an excerpt from the main text:
Fred challenged something
he thought was unfair.
He spoke up–
for himself
and for all Japanese Americans,
even when no one stood with him.
It was not easy.
But Fred fought
to make the United States–
his country–
a fairer place.
And he won.
We all won.
I love the lyrical, spare text of the book. I love the engaging layout and design featuring illustrations, full-color photos, definitions of terms, and historical timelines. There are also sidebars and pullout boxes that explain concepts in greater detail and add context. And I especially love the callout bubbles that ask readers direct questions, such as, “Have you ever been punished for something you didn’t do?” These make Fred’s story all the more relatable and help readers make personal connections from Fred’s story to the injustices they see all around them every day.
In addition to nonfiction text features such source notes, bibliography, photo and text credits, and an index, the book also includes a fantastic section about how readers can stand up for social justice themselves. I’m sure it will encourage readers to pursue activism and changemaking for themselves.
The timing for a book like this couldn’t, unfortunately, be more timely and important, as it comes just days after the executive order banning immigration from certain countries.
As Fred’s daughter Karen writes in the afterword:
Fred Korematsu’s story is the reminder of the constant danger that the government will overreach unless the public and the courts are vigilant.
I urge you to check this one out for the children in your life, for yourself, and for our country and ALL of its citizens.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, here is one of my favorite quotes of his:
Quotefancy.com
Please communicate. Talk and listen. Read and write. Think and feel.
Which leads us to another great MLK quote:
Never stop learning, folks.
Did you know I am currently offering free 10-minute virtual Q&A session via Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, etc. to anyone who is using one of my books in a classroom, library, or youth group? To book an online visit today, please visit https://laurieannthompson.youcanbook.me/.
Longer virtual presentations are also available, at a rate of $150 for up to an hour. For more about virtual visits, including other authors who are comfortable presenting in this way, please visit Online Author Visits.
Either way, virtual visits are a win-win: you don’t have to pay my travel expenses, and I don’t have to waste time traveling!
Schools across the country are observing Inclusive Schools Week this week. According to the Inclusive Schools Network:
Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) and Stetson & Associates, Inc., which is held each year during the first full week in December. Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference and other factors. The Week also provides an important opportunity for educators, students and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children.
This year, the Inclusive Schools Week’s theme focuses on the concept of being a hero. This is particularly fitting because the definition of a hero, a person noted for courageous acts of nobility of character, resonates with all of the students, parents, teachers, principals and community leaders who take courageous steps forward each day to promote acceptance for all. The path toward more inclusive educational services has been challenging, yet rewarding. This year, we will focus on the steps along this journey and consider the courage it requires.
Now that’s a mission I can get behind, and I think my book Emmanuel’s Dream, about one of my personal heroes, fits this theme perfectly! Emmanuel is not only a person with a disability, but he’s dedicated his life to creating an inclusive school for students with disabilities and without and his home country of Ghana.
Inclusive Schools Network has more great ideas and resources for celebrating Inclusive Schools Week here.
And Savanna Flakes has some other great suggestions for all ages here on MultiBriefs: Exclusive.
I thought some of you might be interested in reading an update from one of the co-founders of StudentRND, which was one of the organizations profiled in Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something that Matters. StudentRND is now the force behind CodeDay, which is “a nationwide event where student programmers, artists, musicians, actors, and everyone else can get together and build apps & games for 24 hours.”
Kurt Schlosser interviewed Tyler Menezes, the executive director of the Seattle-based nonprofit and GeekWire’s latest Geek of the Week, and I especially loved this question and answer, which has stuck with me and is rattling around in my brain in interesting ways. Schlosser asked, “What do you do, and why do you do it?” to which Menezes replies:
I’m the executive director of a tech education nonprofit. You don’t get rich or famous working for a nonprofit, but we can solve problems that fly under-the-radar of pure-profit initiatives. If you asked most tech investors who we were, they wouldn’t know our name, but if you asked a student from a low-income school in Auburn, Phoenix, or Boca Raton, there’s a decent chance they could tell you a story about an impact it made on their life. That’s why I do it.
