dreamfleur

The Young Dreamer section consists of content from Dreamfleur’s youth motivation site www.DreamerENT.com and other posts prevalent to encouraging youth to be creative and enterprising.

On Dreamer ENT I had the honor of interviewing an inspiring young lady who is spreading the love of reading to the young and old alike. Check out my interview with Adele Ann Taylor founder of Adele’s Literacy Library below:

There’s nothing like a good book; you can immerse yourself in different worlds, share someone else’s experiences and ignite your own imagination to what’s possible in the world.

Adele Ann Taylor has such a passion for books and at the age of 13 decided she wanted to share her love for reading with other kids, to show them how much power it holds and how much fun it could be. This is why she founded her non-profit organization Adele’s Literacy Library™ (A.L.L.) in December 2008. The goal of A.L.L. is to “instill and empower that reading is not only fundamental, it is the key ingredient to success and through reading ALL things are possible.”

Throughout the past few years since founding A.L.L., Adele has already donated thousands of books and spoken to hundreds of kids about the power of reading. Her main goals are to donate millions of brand new books and bookmarks to schools, libraries and charitable organizations, and to “make a difference” in the lives of others through a book. She also wants to eventually offer scholarships to graduating seniors who want to pursue their educational dreams.

Adele was crowned Miss Heartland’s Outstanding Teen 2009, making her an official representative for the sister group to the Miss America Organization, and she was most recently crowned Miss Bonnie Blue Outstanding Teen 2010. She is also a featured Hero on the website Kids Are Heroes that shows that young people can make a difference in the world. Watch Adele in the video below from a Kids Are Heroes event, where she speaks about her organization and how other young people can become change-makers in their communities:

KidsAreHeroes.com Presents Adele Taylor

Adele aims to motivate people of all ages to develop a passion for reading and show them that “regardless of where you come from, you can go anywhere in the world by reading a book.” This inspiring teen spoke to Dreamer ENT about how she got started and what she’s up to now - ALL for the love of reading.

Dreamer ENT: Tell us about you - how old are you and what grade are you in, and a little bit of your background?

Adele Taylor: I am a 14-year-old freshman [will be entering 10th grade in the upcoming year]. I am the oldest of three; I have a younger brother and sister. I enjoy rock climbing, roller skating, ice skating, hanging out with my friends, dancing and of course reading.

DE: When and why did you start Adele’s Literacy Library? What sparked the idea and what did you do to get started?

(more…)

Meet eight-year-old Ruby Marigold Booker, the main character in the Scholastic book series “Ruby & the Booker Boys” by author Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton. Ruby is creative, fun, sassy, smart, and shows her style and individuality by sporting mismatched shoes and coming up with new adventures to undertake.

The series follows Ruby’s fun experiences and lessons as she navigates her eight-year-old world. Her character is relatable for all little readers especially African American girls who can see themselves in a character that looks like them and can be inspired by a positive example of a black family reminiscent of “The Cosby Show.”

Watch the video below of Barnes talking about why he started the series:

I love the essence of the Ruby books and it would be great to see more books from the series. If you have a little reader in your life or know of someone who does, consider supporting the series by purchasing the books, especially book 3 and 4. If they’re not in your bookstore you can have them ordered or order online. The books are pretty affordable and they are worth bringing joy to children who may not have seen a role model like Ruby.

If you are or happen to know any educators (teachers, librarians, principals, etc.) you can visit the author’s website to find out how to schedule a classroom visit.

Click here to be a fan of Ruby & The Booker Boys on FaceBook.

In my research for my project to create a youth program, I’ve come across and been inspired by role models who think out of the box to motivate young people, especially those youth who might be going through tough circumstances. Check out these videos below of some stories I’ve come across:

Ron Clark Academy

I’ve written of Ron Clark before in this post about the video, “You Can Vote However You Like,” by his students and his efforts to inspire youth to learn in creative ways. Check out this video below introducing his school Ron Clark Academy (Picture above from the Ron Clark Academy website):

Capital Prep School From CNN’s Black in America

This segment from CNN’s special Black in America 2 introduces Principal Steve Perry at Capital Prep School in Connecticut, who motivates students to reach higher:

Chicago Hope Academy

Here’s an inspiring story of the principal of Chicago Hope Academy who helps teens going through difficult circumstances:

In the past few years I’ve done several projects for Black History Month events and specials for different organizations. Here are a few of my favorites:

YBS Black History Makers

A few years back I designed a Black History Month project for a youth website YoungBlackStarz.org, to inspire young people to learn about great figures in history as well as young people today in entertainment who are making positive strides.

Here are some of the interviews we did with the teens and tween performers on the site:

Interview with Justin Martin (Actor, “A Raisin in the Sun”)

Interview with Rhyon Nicole Brown (Actress, “Lincoln Heights,”)

Interview with Chelsea Tavares (Singer, Actress, “Nickelodeon’s Just Jordan”)

Interview with Nickayla Tucker (Actress and Singer, “Law & Order SVU”)

Interview with Blake Hightower (Rapper, Actor, “Everyone Hates Chris”)

Interview with India Scandrick (Singer, Dancer, Actress, “Lion King on Broadway”)

---

Woman With a Dream Ida B. Wells Barnett: Crusader of Freedom

Ida B. Wells Barnett was a journalist and pioneer of freedom in the 19th century. This project (click here to view) was actually the first website I ever created in high school for a multimedia contest that was aimed at chronicling the life of a leader in history. My two friends and I created the site to show the history of African Americans in America and how Ida B. Wells fought against injustice through the power of her pen. The site actually won first place in the competition and the opportunity allowed us to contribute to the National Urban League’s publication that following year.

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

- Ida B. Wells-Barnett, (1862-1931) Anti-lynching crusader, suffragist, women’s rights advocate, journalist, and speaker

During the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century in America, many injustices rang out in the hearts of African Americans. During this time of intense turmoil including lynching, discrimination, and violence, a passionate woman with a courageous and determined spirit rose up to battle the injustices in society. She led a national campaign against lynching that opened the eyes of the nation to the horrors taking place in a land that had supposedly guaranteed freedom for all citizens.

Through fiery articles, unwavering speeches, spirited marches, and compelling actions, this woman risked her own life to save the lives and freedoms of others. She was a woman with great hope that inspired her to take action to change history instead of passively letting events take their own course. Her name was Ida B. Wells-Barnett.

Check out the cute, creative critters on the custom-made dresses above by young entrepreneur and fashion designer Zoë.


Stay tuned for an upcoming interview on DreamerENT.com with Zoë (pictured to the right), a 17-year-old high school student and fashion designer. She started creating hand-made dresses, shirts and accessories for friends a few years ago and soon began to get so many orders that she started her own business. Her success and creativity allowed her to win several entrepreneurship awards, and she even recently got to visit the the White House! In the interview she’ll tell us how she got started and will give tips for other aspiring fashionistas and future CEOs.

I recently posted about Alyson Stoner on my youth site Dreamer ENT. She is 16-years-old and a talented young actress, dancer and singer whose starred in music videos, Disney movies like Camp Rock and shows like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Alyson really strives to motivate other young people to make the most of their lives, and I love this post from her blog where shared some relevant inspiration:

“It pains my heart to see my generation lying around, using their teen years as an excusable “transition-phase” so they can avoid taking on responsibilities before it’s necessary. This period is intended to be the launching pad for our futures! Do you think that the less-than-convicted habits you’re forming and apathetic character you’re developing will magically transform into a successful adulthood without any action taken by you? Friends, we’re setting ourselves up for mediocrity…”

“…Dare to dream. We have an imagination for a reason. Write down your wildest dreams and then create an action plan to make it happen. Stay focused on improving your character and skills (instead of nit-packing others’ flaws) so you’ll be prepared to fly when the opportunity arises. You were created to do amazing things, and I’m not going to let you fail. You are strong. You are valued. You are loved, and you are gifted. Do not waste your life…”

That’s some great and powerful advice for even adults! You can read the full blog post on her official website by clicking here.

Here’s a video of Alyson talking about her vision for her music, and how she looks up to artists like India Arie, Stevie Wonder and others who have substance and passion in their music. This motivated young lady is really grounded and inspiring.