YouthInkwell's Latest! |
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YouthInkwell Articles, Journals, and Blogs: WaterWebster.com |
Newspaper & Media Press: Pasadena Now Magazine I |
June 23 , 2008: YOUTHINKWELL PARTICIPATES IN ROTARY INTERNATIONAL'S WIDE WORLD OF BOOKS
We will be donating the $10,000 to Rotary's Water Project in Northern Ethiopia, and the money will be matched eight times! Wow!
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August 23rd, 2007: A CALL FOR YOUNG LEADERS: POSITIONS AVAILABLE ON YOUTHINKWELL'S YOUTH BOARD OF ADVISORSYouthInkwell Publishing is now accepting applications for its ‘Youth Board of Advisors,’ a youth group under the Board of Directors that assists in company promotional and marketing activities. Applications are available immediately and must be completed by September 15th with two teacher recommendations enclosed. The Youth Board is a great chance for kids to develop skills in leadership, problem solving, and teamwork while learning how to run a company. The Youth Board program started in 2006 with nine members and is currently chaired by Arcadia High School senior Ivy Yang. Twelve-year-old Cate Hurley from the Westridge School for Girls serves as Vice Chair and fourteen-year-old Matthew De La Peza, a freshman at St. Francis High is serving as secretary. Some of the other board members include past authors that YouthInkwell has published as well as volunteers from the San Gabriel Valley. Current board members range in age from 12-17 and participate in activities and conduct business much like a typical Board of Directors would. Members attend regularly scheduled meetings, can be elected to official Youth Board titles, and vote upon important decisions regarding company endeavors. YouthInkwell’s Youth Board program is designed to give children a sense of responsibility both individually and communally. YouthInkwell regularly partakes in community activities such as the Los Angeles Times’ Festival of Books, holiday donation projects for underprivileged youth at Christmastime, and local government debates during city council meetings. Additionally, Youth Board members receive training from local experts including speech coaches, CPAs, and business consultants and apply their newly attained skills to company marketing projects. Members must be willing to donate their time and effort to see through the end of company projects, instilling a sense of morale and commitment. Furthermore, members are guided in letter writing techniques as they each pursue a set fundraising goal. YouthInkwell believes that each activity a Youth Board member chooses to perform will inspire confidence and respect. At the end of their service, the greatest sense of encouragement for these kids is knowing that they helped make a difference. The Youth Board contributes to YouthInkwell’s current benefit project, “The Water Well Project.” Book sales from the Youth Board's efforts aid the construction of water wells on Ethiopian and Ugandan school grounds to help young girls go to school for the first time. The YouthInkwell mission is a constant reminder to keep working hard and to never give up: our kids here are helping to make positive change for other kids who really need it. To receive a Youth Board application or to obtain more information, please contact the YouthInkwell Publishing office at (626) 449-6884 or email info@youthinkwell.org. Teachers or parents who would like to nominate a student are welcome to contact Assistant Marketing Director LeAnne Bagnall. YouthInkwell Publishing is located at 155 S. El Molino Ave., Ste. 102, Pasadena, CA 91101. The deadline for Youth Board applications is Saturday, September 15th, 2007. Please contact Executive Director Jennifer Sarja for more information. --LeAnne Bagnall
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May 22nd, 2007: YOUTHINKWELL DONATES BOOKS TO PASADENA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT LIBRARIES
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May 17th, 2007: YOUTHINKWELL KIDS AID COSTA RICAN LIBRARIES
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April 28th - 29th, 2007:
YouthInkwell's Youth Board at
Adriana promotes the Water Well Game--
YouthInkwell's Got Spirit!
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YouthInkwell would like to acknowledge its friends at the Pasadena Host Lions Club Memorial Trust. Because of their generosity, YouthInkwell books will now be distributed throughout all Pasadena Unified public school libraries. We thank them immensely for helping us reach this goal through their kind contribution. |
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March 9th, 2007: YouthInkwell Publishing is preparing for the production of its upcoming anthology:THAW, an Environmental Comic Book!Find out the details on the submission process when you visit our booth at the L.A. Times Festival of Books 2007! |
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Wednesday, March 7th: Global Climate Change SeminarJoin YouthInkwell Publishing tonight at "Global Climate Change," an Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series by John H. Seinfeld, Louis E. Nohl Professor and Professor of Chemical Engineering, Caltech. The event will discuss how humans have contributed to the earth’s daunted environmental conditions over the past couple of centuries alone. Come find out how your activity affects the entire globe! "Global Climate Change" an Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series Place: Beckman Auditorium The event is free and parking is free after 5:00pm. No reservations required. Click here for more info. |
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February 28th, 2007: Pasadena's Global Services and YouthInkwell PublishingRecently, YouthInkwell Publishing was invited to Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday, February 25th for the morning's ceremony. But if you’re thinking of your usual expectations of a Sunday at church, think again. In addition to the morning lineup, there were games, visas for passports of travelers visiting the ‘different countries’ present that day, great food and great entertainment. Neighborhood Universalist Church is so unique because they are not only designed at welcoming all members of the community into their services, but they are aimed at teaching the community cultural awareness. It’s all about giving; the idea is to increase the spread of philanthropy within the local community and beyond. Just like the name says, all neighbors of the community can attend and learn how they are related to their international neighbors as well. In addition to speaking during the sermon, YouthInkwell was a guest within the Global Service Expo at Neighborhood and sat alongside other local nonprofit organizations that each represented a different country or region in Africa. The YouthInkwell Publishing booth got to represent Ethiopia and Uganda, but had the chance to learn even more from the other groups such as Peace Corps, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, The Arroyo Seco Foundation, and World Neighbors who all encourage the establishment of environmental sustainability. During the morning service, the Youth Board of Advisors read When Watute Wants Some Water before the congregation and got to tell the younger attendees what YouthInkwell Publishing’s mission is all about. Authors Cate Hurley and Amelia Mayberry were present for autograph signing and for personal readings from their stories. When asked what her favorite part of the day was, Amelia replied, “getting to sell our books and watching all the kids run up and say ‘Mommy, Daddy, look at that!’ and wanting to have our Gloop,” one of the beloved YouthInkwell toys that comes with the purchase of a book. We had a fabulous time and made some great friends who are also working hard on developing healthy, safe communities worldwide through the conservation and provision of clean water. To add an even more congenial atmosphere, the Masanga Marimba Ensemble performed in the courtyard and echoed the sweet sounds of African and Latin music. Thanks to Lee Brainerd for extending such a kind invitation to us. The event was held at Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church, 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91103. --LeAnne Bagnall |
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January 29th, 2007: YouthInkwell Goes to the UNA!Representative Reverend Richard Harris of the Pomona Valley Chapter of the UNA-USA was so impressed with YouthInkwell Publishing’s project after he met us at the AARP National Convention in Anaheim last winter that he personally invited us to his chapter’s UNA Annual Meeting to present how the Water Well Project works on an international scale. On Sunday, January 28th, 2007, YouthInkwell was one of three presenters representing a nonprofit at the event along with Peace Corps and NGO. Thanks to Reverend Richard Harris for inviting us and letting us share When Watute Wants Some Water with his organization. We met some wonderful people with extraordinary backgrounds embedded within our nation’s history, and it was a pleasure to be apart of this special event. --LeAnne Bagnall |
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A PERFECT FIT: GLASS MAKERS AND WRITERS PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER TO COMPLETE STORYBOOK ON GLASS YouthInkwell Publishing’s upcoming release, The Painted Tea Set, written by students Ashley Bae and Victor Hsieh, is an extraordinary tale that will enthuse readers of all levels. Bob, a struggling painter, departs from his family after feeling failure and disappointment and seeks shelter in an abandoned warehouse. His solitary journey, however, will nonetheless bring him to an astonishing discovery of himself as a path of broken glass leads him to a travel through time. Tea Set states: “Bob turned toward a door thinking, this will be the last room for today, but as the hinges of the door opened wide, a flood of sunlight blinded him. He once again saw something shimmering behind the factory, looming in the distance. More spectacular though was the gleaming, mesmerizing path of broken glass, which seemed to lead straight to the mysterious object as the yellow brick road led to Oz. He desperately wanted to follow the glass path, but he could not will his weary feet to move. He would follow it tomorrow. Tomorrow.”
However, Ashley and Victor were able to participate in the making of their literary creation by helping Rafael and Janet cut and shape the very glass that went into their window. On Sunday, January 14th, Tico Tech paid a special visit to YouthInkwell Publishing, spending more than three hours teaching a classroom of young writers the art behind the glass. YouthInkwell students were able to get into every facet of the book as they traced, cut, carved and shattered the pieces of the story into one complete picture.
The Calvos spent months working on this special gift for YouthInkwell, contributing their unique skills to make this piece of art a one in a million. The Calvos read and reread the young writers’ story and discussed their use of symbolic elements, ensuring that their creation would be accurate in detail. They searched through various colored, textured and patterned glass in order to select the perfect pieces for the book’s window. Rafael and Janet delicately arranged the tiny frit and meticulously sculpted every section with lead, with a little help from the kids. The end result was nonetheless a breathtaking masterpiece as the path of broken glass lit up like gems when the window was held up to the light.
Tico Tech is run by husband and wife Rafael and Janet Calvo who personally design hand crafted glass art. Their work ranges from lawn ornaments all the way to beautifully crafted glass doors and windows. Their innovative inventions extend beyond the modern approaches to stained glass and plastics and simply stand out as exceptional artwork. You can see their work online at www.ticotech.com.
-LeAnne Bagnall
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WHAT IS YOUTHINKWELL COOKING NOW?
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November 1st, 2006: Halloween Contest Winners Have Been Announced!
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October 30th, 2006: YouthInkwell Publishing raises $2500 in donations at Brits Restaurant & Pub!
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October 29th, 2006: “Lights, Camera, Anaheim!”As AARP Life@50+ entitled their national event & expo held at the Anaheim Convention Center. From October 26th to the 28th, YouthInkwell Publishing was an exhibitor promoting our books. The first two days, Executive Director Jennifer Sarja and Assistant Marketing Director LeAnne Bagnall sold YouthInkwell’s books on their own and raised around $650, while the final day, YouthInkwell’s Youth Board arrived and raised over $1400 in just a few hours!! Way to go, guys! |
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Thursday, August 03, 2006: At 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 3rd, seven aspiring young writers (ages 8-12) will be picked up by limousine and brought to Dave & Buster’s at Arcadia’s Santa Anita Mall. They will not be going to play games. These seven young people will be speaking to a group of Southern California business owners about YouthInkwell Publishing and the ways young people can use their writing to make a difference.
Students attending the meeting today are currently working on a two new stories involving superheroes who fight against global warming and child labor. These same students will be meeting with Art Wong, the director of the Port of Long Beach, on August 18th to discuss the new pollution reduction plan reported in the L.A. Times in July. The YouthInkwell Publishing team was invited to the RBN meeting by Terilee Harrison, RBN’s regional director. Majestic Limousine of Azusa has donated the transportation. |
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The window was eventually finished, adorned with the small tea set containing the hero’s signature paint design, a bowl of fruit with a striking bunch of red bananas.
The Calvos hand-selected each piece of colored glass that is going into the design, even using a patterned mirror to construct the stainless steel refrigerator door that author Victor Hsieh specifically describes in the story. The path of broken glass is literally made of tiny pieces of colored glass fused onto the window, creating frit as is becomes smaller and smaller into the distance to give the path a sense of depth. The dimensional illusion is not a simple process. Janet and Rafael must first break a sheet of glass into smaller pieces (less than half a centimeter in length) and then sift out the grainy pieces for the path as it stretches into the distance. After the frit is placed and adjusted to the desirable location of the path, the Calvos then place the path pieces into a kiln oven that bakes the glass in temperatures around 1300 degrees Fahrenheit. The pieces must remain in the kiln for about eight hours before they can be removed.
Eventually, all of this creativity in the workshop will manifest into the cover of The Painted Tea Set, which will appear for sale by summertime. This Sunday, January 14th, Rafael and Janet will be paying YouthInkwell a special visit by conducting a hands-on workshop for glass making, allowing the young writers to participate in the creation of their actual book. The final product will be photographed for the book and framed to hang in at YouthInkwell Publishing’s office. The public is welcome to stop by to see the glass-making seminar and to get a sneak peak at the next YouthInkwell Publishing release.
The YouthInkwell kids were also honored by Assemblymember 
Sponsored by RBN, The Relationship Building Network, the meeting will officially begin at noon, but students will have the hour before to speak directly with RBN members to encourage community participation in YouthInkwell’s “Water Well Project.” The Water Well Project is an effort to raise $120,000 through the sale of two student-created books, When Watute Wants Some Water
Author Noel Mollinedo talks about his work in How to Cook with a Pencil withstudents in San Jose.
Youth Board President Ivy Yang with one of the school's performers in San Jose.
Thinking about becoming an illustrator for YouthInkwell? Want a chance to get your work published while helping others with your art? Download an application and mail it to:
YouthInkwell Publishing
RE: Teen Illustrator Submission
155 S. El Molino Ave., Suite 102
Pasadena, CA 91101