Welcome to my first newsletter! For years people have been asking me for resources, updates and information for use in their communities and classrooms. This newsletter, and my new, revamped website, will begin to offer some of these resources. A second website, to be launched by the end of the year, will include information about conferences, internships, job opportunities, events, projects, and other youth-related activities that take place across the country. This monthly newsletter will include music reviews of albums of socially-conscious hip hop artists, spotlights on interesting organizations, articles on issues of generational development and civic engagement, and links to resources of interest.
2007 has been an incredibly fruitful year for me, and I am ever grateful for all the opportunities it has brought. In late 2006 I got to travel to New Zealand as an expert on youth engagement, an opportunity that has lead to expanding my network of youth experts globally. I became a facilitator with the Youth Advocacy Training Institute, an amazing group, devoted to developing the capabilities and skills of young people to their fullest potential. I was the United Way of Greater Toronto’s leading speaker for 2007; co-ordinated the Equal Voice vote for women campaign; and have criss-crossed the country speaking at universities, schools, and organizations on leadership, intergenerational insights and communication strategies and community-building. Just about every week (wow!) has brought me the opportunity to meet and interact with a new group of engaged individuals.
As always, feel free to email me at info@michelledagnino.com, if you are interested in having me come to your organization, or if you are looking for further information.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Michelle
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Most companies today have an abundant mixture of generations within their workplace. With each emerging generation comes a new attitude, work ethic, life experience and set of goals. Managing a workplace with the generational diversity that we are seeing today presents its own very unique challenges. Focusing on the generational demographics in your business is an essential part of planning for the future. You need to plan now for where your business will be in ten years. If your current managers are set to retire in the next decade, it would be wise to begin grooming their replacements now so that when this time comes your company will not skip a beat. |
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One Child, a youth driven, Canadian non-governmental organization works to eradicate the sexual exploitation of children around the world. This non-profit group was established in 2005, and has since successfully raised funds to combat and bring awareness to the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The dedicated team and supporters at One Child focus on eliminating the prostitution of children, child-sex tourism, and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. Founder and President of One Child, Cheryl Perera, has developed an organization that educates and fights for the rights of children worldwide. One Child has built a community of support and outreach for these youths which includes private businesses, government agencies and citizens in numerous countries around the globe. The organization has been involved with investigations into child sexual exploitation and is currently raising funds to build a rehab centre in the Philippines where exploited children can heal emotionally. For more information on One Child, the issue of child sexual exploitation, or to find out how you can help, visit www.one-child.ca or call (905) 886-2222. |
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Speculation on whether or not Common would be able to match the success of his sixth album Be has been circulating throughout the industry since the announcement of the release of the rapper’s seventh album, Finding Forever, on July 31st, 2007. Critics of Common who speculated that he would not be able to follow up the four Grammy nominations that he received for Be have been silenced with the release of Finding Forever. A common theme among reviews being that he has not only met the challenge, but surpassed it. So far this year, Common and Finding Forever has been nominated for five BET Hip Hop Awards including Best Hip-Hop Video for “The People,” Best Live Performance, Lyricist of the Year, MVP of the Year and CD of the Year. The album is tight and the tracks provide fans with a mix of intelligent lyrics, soulful music and the impressive rhythms and rhymes that listeners expect from one of the most prominent figures in rap music today. |
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The process of youth engagement is always changing, and requires active, involved, and creative advocacy for the rights of young people. If you are looking for ideas to get young people involved in your organization, start with making your space youth-friendly. Click here for a summary of key points and considerations around youth engagement. |
