Kevin Carroll Katalyst

From the desk of Jeremy Goldberg…

Best,
Jeremy M. Goldberg
Founder/GYPA

JMG continues to do “human catalyst” work for the wonderful people/souls in Northern Uganda - well done, Jeremy…well done!

Dr. Stuart Brown’s shares the wisdom and necessity of play in his book PLAY+ KaBOOM!‘s 100,000 play destinations + YOU = DREAM Big destinations for the “kid-within-us-all”!

Dr. Brown shares a powerful “why PLAY?!” message in his book - read it + heed it!

KaBOOM! is an organization that acts as the purveyor of play constantly creating and resurrecting safe destinations for our next Gen of leaders to play and imagine BIG possibilities - KaBOOM! Masnifesto

PLAY serendipity has occurred in the past few weeks with KaBOOM!‘s initiative and Dr. Brown’s book release that should not be ignored.  Discussions on the role and value of PLAY are gaining tremendous momentum and attention - the PLAY movement needs YOU.

We need to recruit PLAY Operatives - individuals with keen, discerning and diabolically playful eyes that can spot great play locales. We need YOU to identify and share the locales of great playspaces that deserve to be listed as a play destination of choice guaranteed to enhance the imagination, ingenuity, and the innovative spirit of young people (and the young-at-heart!). Got PLAY?! Here’s how you can help…

In a unique partnership, KaBOOM! has teamed up with six national non-profits who are concerned about the well-being of children—YMCA of the USA, National Wildlife Federation, Shaping America’s Health, Jumpstart, America’s Promise Alliance, and First Book—to create an online map of more than 100,000 places to play in America.  Two-time “Dancing with the Stars” champion and Mercury Nashville recording artist Julianne Hough will be the public spokesperson for the campaign. 

From March 23 until June 30, Julianne will give these select charities $1 for each valid playspace their members load to the KaBOOM! Playspace Finder , up to $100,000.  Thanks to capital support from the Omidyar Network, KaBOOM! is using online technology to activate and engage individuals, alert communities of the importance of play, and motivate individuals to start taking action. Once this comprehensive user-generated playground audit is complete, KaBOOM! and communities will know which areas of the country have a great place for kids to play every day and which areas fall short.

The people who use their playspaces everyday are the folks who will know whether or not they are any fun for their kids.  From playgrounds to skate parks, ice rinks to basketball courts, the more we know about playspaces from those use them, the more we learn.  Take that first step. Make a small contribution to the greater good.

Your actions build individual and community momentum to take the next step towards KaBOOM!‘s vision of a great place to play within walking distance of every child.

I had just finished the first of two personal development sessions that I was leading, Scoring Your DREAM Goal, with a group of participating teams at the 6th Homeless World Cup tournament in early December 2008 in Melbourne Australia. The cacophony of the team’s voices and the diversity of the languages being spoken at the break of the session reverberated beautifully throughout the lecture space that unquestionably qualifies as a “design marvel”– the BMW Edge Center at Federation Square.

Amid the din of the excited voices of the players still getting familiar with their surroundings in-the-land-downundah, I was having a conversation with Kat Byles, Media Director for the HWC about the next session. A man approached me and greeted me with a broad confident smile, “Hello, I’m Alex!” I politely said hello back to him and then he said his greeting once more to be certain that I heard him correctly, “Hello, I’m Alex!” As I studied him closely, I realized that he looked quite familiar to me but, I couldn’t figure out how I knew him – each year at the HWC there are over 500 players present and it’s easy to not recognize a face.

He must have noticed my effort to place his name and face so, he provided me with some very clear context when he asked, “Have you seen the film Kicking It?” I have seen the documentary, Kicking It, dozens of times and I’m quite familiar with how it chronicles the journey of five aspiring soccer hopefuls from around the globe, each facing disparate situations such as, kicking a drug addiction, surviving in a war-torn nation, facing abject poverty or dealing with abandonment. Each of them shares their story of how they hope to score the chance to make-the-cut and wear their nation’s uniform/kit at the 3rd annual Homeless World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa. Just like one of those TV crime scene investigation programs…I quickly pieced together how I knew this man standing proudly in front of me. I exclaimed, “you’re Alex from Kenya!” He beamed and nodded his head affirming my response.

Continue reading A WDH? story...enjoy!

The Melbourne, Australia edition of the Homeless World Cup is in full affect.  The HWC website had a very nice post and video stream about a workshop that I conducted for the players in this year’s games.  Have a look and follow this link to get the full story: 

Scoring goals on and off the field

Posted on 02/12/2008

By Tim Beissmann

‘Goal’ was certainly the buzz word during the opening day of the 2008 Homeless World Cup.

On the pitches, the players slammed miraculous strikes into the back of the net, making a perfect start in their pursuit of the week’s top prize.

But the most important goals were those shared by the players at the Scoring Your Dream Goal workshops run by motivational speaker Kevin Carroll at BMW Edge theatre.

The workshops encouraged the players set personal goals and think about how they would achieve their dreams, then write them down and share them with the room.

“It is not enough to have an idea in your head. You need to share it. That takes courage. That is your challenge,” said Kevin.

He said it was not important how the goal was written or spelt.  It was the action of writing it down which truly symbolised the intention to achieve it.

Kevin, who was abandoned by his drug-addicted parents when he was just six, told how discovering football as a child had changed his life, just as it had for the players of the Homeless World Cup.

“A ball can save a life. That is why every time you see that ball go in the back of the net this week, you will think about your dreams. Just as that player has reached their goal, you too will think of how you will reach yours.”

Everyone at the workshops received wristbands with the word DREAM inscribed on them, which represented the values of Dedication, Responsibility, Education, Attitude, and Motivation.

Speaking at his third Homeless World Cup, Kevin acknowledged that the road to achieving dreams was a difficult one, but also a highly rewarding one.

“It will not be easy,” he said. “But anything worth having takes dedication, time and effort.”

He told the players: “Your circumstances do not dictate your future”, and said he was living proof of that.

One Zimbabwean player said his goals were to play professional soccer for his local team in Zimbabwe, build a house for his homeless family, start up a soccer academy for the young people in his community and take care of and empower the orphans back at home.

Others simply wanted to do the best they could for their country in Melbourne and be able to return home with renewed pride and enthusiasm for life.

Kevin said he was greatly honoured to be in the presence of such leadership, and challenged the players to take those values home with them after the tournament concluded on December 7.

“You are all ambassadors.  Make a commitment to your dreams, your goals, and your futures.”

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!

Thursday Shoutout is our time to feature those who have given us love on their websites or blogs.  This is our way of saying: Backatcha!

From the ‘Fuel 4 The Journey’ blog:

Sunday, August 3, 2008
What’s your Red Rubber Ball…
As many of you know from reading my blog, I am a HUGE fan of Kevin Carroll’s Rules of the Red Rubber Ball. Well, he has truly outdone himself with his new book “What’s your Red Rubber Ball”. It is absolutely GLORIOUS and I can’t wait to implement it into my classroom this fall.

It truly is amazing, I just love the Magic Box activity and the questions Kevin asks…“What makes you laugh or smile, what in life do you find irresistible…”. I know my students are going to love tackling their dreams and creating their own boxes of magic this year.

I encourage ALL teachers to pick up a copy right now and even if you can’t fit it into your curriculum, I think it would be GREAT to make your own box of magic to show your students. You can read more about the book by clicking on the link below.

Link

Well pre-planning is a week away and I am SUPER excited. I hope to write once or twice a week throughout the school year. I would love to hear the exciting things that are going on in your life and if you teach, what excites you about the upcoming school year.

All the best…and keep living the Dream!!!

Sam

Love the blog title, Sam!  The journey indeed requires fuel - inspiration, heart, know-how.  And it sounds like you know how to keep your students engaged, focused and fueled on their journeys.
Peace

What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!