For this assignment you will be writing a feature article profiling one of your classmates (see list below). Please follow these steps:
1. Read the article in the post below this one on feature story writing.
2. Read the stories you all wrote for your previous writing assignment.
3. Interview your subject with an eye toward getting essential information and uncovering interesting stories.
4. Make notes and an outline until you have determined your story angle.
5. If you have any further questions, ask them!
6. Write an article profiling your subject with an emphasis on "human interest" and storytelling. Use at least two photographs and make use of storytelling elements whenever possible.
Who to write about:
Aleksey write about Ance
Ance write about Sally
Sally write about Forest
Forest write about Murad
Murad write about Megan
Megan write about Aleksandrs
Aleksandrs write about Pandy
Pandy write about Shelby
Shelby write about Tonny
Tonny write about Effie
Effie write about Sierra
Sierra write about Aleksey
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When you look at the face of Uganda, what do you see? Do you see the source of the Nile, or a man paying 30 cows for his wife? Is it even a face you can recognize;distinguish from the 53 other African countries whose histories are rarely taught in American or European schools?
ReplyDeleteBut more important than what you know about you know about Uganda's face, is what you know about its back. Today, Uganda's back is bent forward with the weight of many trying issues and a history of dictatorship and massacure. Pressing down hardest of all these issues is one of the largest youth crises in the world. However, there is a light in the darkness; Tonnie Lubanga.
Due to active war in the Guarro region of Uganda, Tonnie and his family were forced to migrate from their home village to the cosmopolitan city of Kampala when he was only three years old.
"During that warfare we lost a couple of things; We lost our country home, we lost our farm- we lost people."
In the city, Tonnie, his mother, three sisters, and a niece whose parents had disapeared,shared the living room of another Aunt. His father, whom he wouldn't see for five years, had been exiled by the "then government" for providing rebel groups with food and medical supplies. So, it was up to his mother to care for and rebuild the family.
"My mother is a very hardworking and clever woman. So, she got a job teaching teaching around town."
Kampala allowed Tonnie's family to get back on their feet. They eventually got their own home only 20 minutes from the city center and his dad was returned to Uganda. Today, his family has their ranch back in their home village with about 100 cattle. But although life is good again, Tonnie has not forgotten the experiences of his youth and is working towards improving the lives of young people all over Uganda.
"Growing up, even at the back of my mind, I could never have imagined myself doing this."
At only 24, Tonnie is making it known that in a country where over half of the population is under the age of 15, youth are a resource. Some of his projects in action include passing out secondhand cameras to young people, allowing them to make their own interpretations of 'human rights celebration' and 'human rights abuse', and capture moments that match those definitions on camera. He has also starting bringing footballs to small villages to provide young people with a positive outlet for their time and energy.
"I just go with what works. You don't need to speak english to play football."
But his most recent, and perhaps most ingenius undertaking, is his blog 'Capturing Concerns- Capturing Perspectives'. Because internet and cellphone service is becoming increasingly available in Uganda, Tonnie wishes to harness its power and provide an outlet for youth voices.
Now, any Ugandan student with a cellphone or access to a computer can anonymously comment and discuss issues on Tonnie's site whenever they desire.
" There are problems that happen with the youth in their own environment and they don't actually get down to try and address them. They don't actually talk about anything. But when they are given an avenue, when they are given a forum, they will start to talk about these problems."
When asking Tonnie what he was planning to do next he simply responded 'I have big dreams that keep building day by day'.
So let's look again at the face of Uganda. Let's look again at it's back. If you look closely, I think you will see Uganda slowly standing straighter and straighter.
Sierra: the Girl who Played Fire Poi
ReplyDeleteDid you go to Borfestlast night? Then you must met Sierra.
With long brown hair and healthy dark skin, Sierra Moran was the girl spinning fire poi on the parking lot last night. Coming from Skagway Alaska, she has a passion for this challenging sport. Her performance won her a big applause on Borfest.
"I couldn't stop cheering for her. The fire poi performance was so exciting." You Ya, a Chinese students said.
Sierra picked up fire poi around one year ago. "There are people playing fire poi along the street in summer nights," she said, "and I was attracted."
She is a quick learner. After one week of non-fire exercises, Sierra put the poi on fire. "It can be dangerous. I have a friend whose hair caught fire when practicing." Sierra said with a sigh.
Good performance comes from hard practice. Sierra practiced fire poi everyday for two months before she master the sport. Wounds were inevitable. She got hitted in face and chick during practice.
"I got bruise on my legs all the time,it's easy to hit your leg when spinning them."she said, "But that doesn't hurt much. Sometimes I didn't even notice I hurted myself before I touched the wounds."
After six months of intensive practicing, Sierra now has a few tips of playing fire poi. "Always keep your hands at different level. Or the pois will hit into each other and you will get hurt." she said, "It would be better for girls to wet their hair before they play so that it wouldn't catch fire."
Her friend Shelby decribed her as a "sportman". Indeed she is. Sierra participated in a variety of different sports at school. She's been on a varsity volleyball team. Also, she has been the captain of cross country running and basketball. Her good performance in point guard attracted many eyeballs in IDEA institute because she was playing with male.
Besides sports, Sierra is also a devoted student. Forest Kvasnikoff, assistant coach of Skagway Highschool, commented her as "very hard working" in the debate team.
"She has a lot of passion. She can do everything if she really want to."said Shelby.
In me the tiger sniffs the rose!
ReplyDeleteIn me the tiger sniffs the rose – this is how Pandy Penn says about herself. And why not? Her amazing personality. Personality which hold into herself more than anybody can see from outside.
Her home is small eastern China town with relative small people. Less cars, less people, more space were to became a great individuality. She was born in May – in the end of the best season of the year, in beautiful spring.
Unfortunately fate made her to grow as the single child in the family. It because of the child policy of China's government. “That is what I have always hated. I have always wanted elder brother.” But anyway she have great family: her father is neurosurgeon and her mom used to be nurse.
On the question “Do you like art?” she answers “Yes I do, I super like art! All the life is the art!” Dancing, enjoying other people pictures, movies, exhibitions and even architecture is one of her favorite things. But however she pass over in silence her photo taking talent.
Some times people are making enormous effort to take a great picture but photos aren't so good as they wanted them. But Pandy just find the object and memorialize it. Like the great Latin expression: veni, vidi, vici. How she is doing this? She just smile: “When I am taking pictures, I don't think about art! I just picture things because I want to remember them. It is not for photography seek, it is for seek for memories!”
“Some one said that this is immoral to take pictures of others. And this is actually very traditional believe in China, in Chinese history. Chinese people are being afraid of taking pictures of others. They think that then you are taking pictures of others you actually are stealing their soul.” Pandy reveal believes of Chinese. So that's why she mostly is using photo camera while she travels.
Now Pandy is far away from her home. She is in the place which she calls magic country for her – in the Turkey. Possibility to learn how to make better pictures have attracted her hear. But in spite of this place which is so magic for her, she don't think that she would like to live here. The voices of her loved ones are calling back to the China. “My family is not here, my friends is not here. It is lovely place but if you are talking about living here, you need something to hold here.”
Yes, she miss her family here in Turkey, but she is brave and ambitious and that's why she she will directly go to the Pakistan. There Pandy is going to do some NGO works. And moreover, she is going to spend there two months. “First you must make research about rural problems in Pakistan. So you must go to these villages. First you should understand situation between villagers there. What problems they face if they want to start new business. And then you come back and collect all information together and make with collages a plan for the project to help them. And then runs the project. And this is the way how you can try to help the people in these villages to have a better life. ” Pandy explains the NGO activities.
And anyway these kind of youth activities is good way how to understand how people are living in different countries. Understand the way how they are thinking and behaving. “I'm crazy about traveling!” Pandy says. Almost all China is conquered by Pandy. She have traveled in most parts of the China. She have even been in the Africa. But now she is going to take her camera and visit most brand new place for her – Europe. Czech Republic, Prague, small villages in France and Latvia is that what had attracted the attention of young Chinese girl.
But not always traveling with photo camera is so safe as we imagine. And even Pandy have a stories which she can reveal us. Her story begins in Tibet which is really, really religious part of China.
Pudala palace - the most interesting place for tourists to visit. Some of its parts is like under construction and some of parts are open for the tourists. So tourists can visit only some parts of this Pudala palace and for the rest you must go in another time. It is really difficult if you go to Tibet in summer time. “I am really curious about Pudala palace, especially in the places where are not aloud to get inside! I secretly tried to see the secret pictures on the walls which was really important for Tibetans, I tried to take photos of them. But unfortunately I was cached by some workers which saw me making these pictures” says Pandy.
They wanted to have her camera, wanted to have her photo card and they even said that she need to be in prison for 15 days. The only thing she was able to do was to take off her clothes, changed hairdo, put of her glasses and tried to became different person. So she just ran away with the pictures. “I was really nervous about all those things” Pandy reveal her emotions.
Some times we want to have some precious thinks We believe that these are precious things for as. We call them: No goods, no glory!
Sometimes you have to risk little bit...
“No seventeen-year-old girls live like she does.”
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read these words on the cover of Avril’s first album three years ago, I did not know that one day I would use it to describe one seventeen-year-old. No seventeen-year-old girls live like Shelby Surdyk does.
The Marshall Islands
“It is the most life-changing experience ever. I have to go back one day.”
In October 2007, she went to The Marshall Islands with another student and two teachers, meeting people who were personally affected by the United States nuclear program and people who fight for adequate compensation for the Marshallese. It was where her destiny with The Marshall Islands started. “I spent the last … two years working on the project about the nuclear testing on the Marshall Islands, and it has been the center of my life.”
The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), is a Micronesian island nation in the western Pacific Ocean. From 1946 to 1958 the US tested 66 nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands, including Castle Bravo, the largest nuclear test the US ever conducted. Nuclear claims between the US and the Marshall Islands are ongoing, and health effects from these tests linger.
“They owe the people, but they don’t agree even to lend them money.” Shelby likes to introduce herself as being from Alaska and often uses “they” referring to the United States. In her blog she writes, “I love living in America. I love my school and I believe in our Constitution. I feel safe in my home, and I've never gone hungry. Yet, when I travel abroad, my country's history and behavior in international affairs make me ashamed to admit that I am from the United States.”
This emotion within Shelby does not come across as a childish feeling, but rather a devoted life orientation. She reads memoirs of Marshallese women. She spends hours and hours contemplating in order to get into the mind of the characters. She has been telling stories about the Marshall Islands through reader’s theater. She believes that she will be back there one day, teaching chemistry there and doing more to help.
“Perfect” “Young woman”
There are two questions that I habitually ask when interviewing, especially to women: Use three words to describe yourself; When is the moment you felt you grew up into a woman.
“Let’s define it as brown hair, brown eyes, extremely beautiful, flawless, and basically the center of everyone’s universe.” when I asked Shelby to choose three words to describe herself, “Perfect” is the first word. Though later she said that it was just joking, I still can tell the beautiful confidence in her.
“Sometimes you just find your purpose. You find something, and when you do it you just feel right.” You can definitely feel the enjoyment in her when talking about presenting information, teaching in classes and interviewing someone. “I can do this. I enjoy doing this, and it needs to be done.”
She breaks down “walls” to become a “young woman”. “I don’t know how to scream when doing reader’s theater.” She said. The walls seem to be the apprehensions inside that stop her from getting close to her truest self. Still her experience in the Marshall Islands helps her to break down the walls. She mentioned a Marshallese woman called Rojin several times, a woman who considers all as her destiny, destiny to go through the nuclear testing, destiny to have a jellyfish baby, her destiny to tell her story to others.
“She has no choice. She has no choice whether to give birth to a jellyfish baby or not. But we always have choices.” Shelby made a decision. Her choice at seventeen is to get deep into this heavy history.
At the End
Interviewing Shelby is enjoyable. Her eyes talk. Her mind floats.
No seventeen-year-olds live like she does.
That was the night when a strong wind did not allow anybody to stay in the porch.Only a few students
ReplyDeletewere sitting do not pay attention on terrible weather.Ance thought I to myself,she was cheerfully
speaking with the friend on Internet and I did not determine to come up to ask about the interview.
Whan I took a moment and rushed to her, she turned around calmly and as always with a smile on the
face was willing to answer on questions.
Now, she is sitting next to me looking attentively,her ice blue eyes feel like a deep cold ocean and if
you keep looking at her eyes they make you believe that it is not the ocean but a huge clear sky and her
sunny blond wavy hair remind me a warm sun that can often shine for thise who she loves.her voice
sounds smoothly so it makes her a very interesting conversationalist.
I could not stop listening Ance just because what she was telling to me was full of kindness,
patriotism.
Ance is 20 and she comes from Latvia. Her intentions about improving educational system in the
motherland are great. Ance s influence gives her a true love of life and its pleasuers especially working
with youth. She is a stubborn and impervious to changes not of her own making. To what I believe
personally she is a genial host and natural entertainer and gets pleasure of helping others enjoy life as
much as she does.Ance s story about the family was short and did not cover my imagination but it is
understandable every so often parents do not approve what cnildren doing.
Ance lives on her own and does not complaint of difficulties that she meets. Eventually, it gives the
whole time doing what she loves in stead of arguing with farther and listen a nimber of opinions about
her lifestyle.Attemps to back her into a corner or demanding her to change her thinking are doomed to
failure.She will be able to accomplish whichever things in life because of her tenacity and she will be
done with all her projects when others lose patience.
Enthusiasm and generosity are integral parts of Ance s life and nature.She is a worth member of the
community and surely will achieve as much as possible in her life.Keep going Ance so and everything
what you wish will certainly come true.
Aleksi Burdyda, a talented teacher, comes from one of the biggest countries in central Asia, Turkmenistan. Aleksi has 75 students in his English class that range from 12 years to 25 years old. Only working for one year, Aleksi has excelled dramatically in his teaching.
ReplyDeleteAleksi was first interested in the IDEA institute because he wanted to improve his skills journalist. He has a hobby of taking photos and was really looking forward to the photography class in the citizen journalism. Meeting new people from different countries was another one of Aleksi's ambitions for attending IDEA.
After talking to Aleksi about his classes, I discovered that his most favored is Nat Towsen and Pasqual Gorriz's class. Aleksi really enjoys the art of photography and is happy to have learned the new things that Nat and Pasqual have had to offer. He admits that Art as an Advocacy is not his favorite. Even though he likes the class he is not so experienced in modern art and finds it difficult for him to describe the pictures that he is shown during the lecture.
Once I learned about his interest in meeting new people I asked him about his first thoughts when I mentioned that I was from Alaska. Aleksi feels that Alaska is a beautiful place. He has always wanted to meet someone from Alaska because he has many friends in the U.S. From Ohio to California and Texas to New York. Aleksi has taken place in debates dealing with the receding of glaciers in Alaska. He is really interested in visiting Alaska in the future. Currently, he has planned to travel to Germany in order to expand and practice his German-speaking skills.
As a teacher, Aleksi deals with 12 different levels of English speakers. He says that once a student gets to about the fourth or fifth level, the class is spoken only in English in order to better his students skills in English speech. On top of being a fabulous teacher, he is a tudor that is there to help anyone who needs one on one attention. Aleksi feels that the best teacher focuses most on the students who do not do as well, in order to better them in their schooling. Aleksi believes that everyone has the right to learn and to answer questions even if they are not the top students.
One life! Make or loose it !
ReplyDeleteFrom the most populous country in the world and born in an era where the one child policy is still in effect Effie Wu was born 20 years ago. Raised in the busy capital of China,Beijing, Effie Wu grew up in a humble happy family where her parents, both of them university graduates were devoted to her education and always hang out and played with her from time to time when she was little. 'I loved this so much', says Effie.
'They helped me cultivate the idea of competition which has good and bad effects though, but it is the way to the construction of one's personality' says Effie.
As the structure of China's population is changing with a big elderly population, Effie is skeptical about the one child policy as the government seems to find ways of changing this.
As other children are taken to have extra classes of mathematics, English or even piano and belle dancing classes after the normal school program, Effie never had this. Her parents left her to play a lot which she loved so much.
With a very busy day in China, Effie wakes up as early as 6 am to start her preparation for School and only gets some time in the afternoon. Unlike her folks who prefer sitting back in their rooms at University to watch local or international television programs, Effie will move to the City once a week to locate her friends who do drama as she mentions,“ Personally am great fun of art not in the sense that am an actor but i do the coordinating job for a drama group in Beijing that comprises basically of my friends.'
Having worked as a teacher in the countryside of China, Effie had chance to experience the rural life. This has offered her a better understanding of the problems that affect youth in the rural environment of China. Here she points out that: access to resources especially education are limited. Also the fact that the rural China is comprised of more of the elderly population as it is the general situation in China, her worry is that many young and energetic people have migrated to the city center so the agricultural sector is heavily dented!
Effie has set a golden rule for herself in life which is to avoid regrets. At any one moment one should not regret having not done something in their lives.
' It is one life, make it or loose it' says Effie! She reckons that experiences that come by in our lives should be used to avoid regrets as we grow old.