More Young People To Inspire You

By far, the post on this blog that gets the most hits and one that I most enjoyed writing was Five Young People To Inspire You. The only problem was that almost as soon as I pressed “Publish,” I was thinking of more young people whose stories I want to share.

Jeremy: Acting with Intensity

“As long as you fully believe in yourself, it doesn’t matter if anyone else does.”

I have been lucky to know Jeremy from when he was a student at First Stage Children’s Theater Academy in Milwaukee, where he wowed us not only with his on-stage performances but with his real-life personality and integrity. Now he is living his dream of studying at Juilliard, where he just finished his first year and won the school’s only $25,000 merit scholarship given to a first year student.

Sharon Lind, referring to Kazimierz Dąbrowski’s theory of positive disintegration, writes,”Developmental potential has three facets: overexcitability, special abilities and talents (intelligence and creativity), and the autonomous factor—the ability to overcome environmental influences and personality type in order to pursue one’s ideals.”

Read here about how Jeremy experiences and uses his emotional, sensual, intellectual, psychomotor, and imaginational overexcitabilities and the sometimes difficult decisions he has made to live the life he wants:

Why does Jeremy love acting? “This is a question that I constantly ask myself,” he says, “and one that can only be answered by getting on stage. Many times I feel that the stress, frustration, and work that go into performing are not worth doing, but the blissful feeling of being on stage and giving my heart and soul to the audience makes me want to do it all over again.”

His performance ritual is music: “I love music, especially soul music. There is so much passion in the songs of soul singers like Al Green, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Tina Turner, Nina Simone, and Curtis Mayfield that makes you feel. I listen to this music many times before performances. It is something that always infuses me with passion, and I try to emulate this through acting. One needs only to listen to these singers to understand what I mean.”

Andrew: Knitting with Intensity

Children who exhibit Dabrowski’s overexcitabilities often are also idealists who care deeply about the world they live in; however, they don’t always know how to translate those feelings, which can be painful, into action. Listen to Andrew Castle talk about his decision to start his business, Hats for Hunger, in response to the shock he felt at some of the problems he saw:

(Click here if the video above does not appear.)

From the Hats for Hunger website:

“The Hats for Hunger campaign was launched in 2008 by founder Andrew Castle when he was 9 years old.  He was inspired when his family received a Heifer International gift catalog, and he read the story of a young girl whose needy family received a goat through Heifer.  The story was the beginning of an idea.

“Living on a farm in Montpelier, Vermont, surrounded by many animals, Andrew loved the idea of Heifer:  helping people through livestock.  Rather than giving money to those in need, Heifer provides animals and animal husbandry training to help the hungry.  The livestock produces food and income.

Andrew combined his love of animals and knitting to start Hats for Hunger.  He sold his hand knit hats and donated $1,500 to Heifer International in 2008/2009.”

You can follow Hats for Hunger on Twitter or Facebook.

Meera: Writing with Intensity

“Everyone has a story that has not been heard.”

Twenty-year old Meera Shanti has decided to use her intensity and talent for clear, powerful writing to share stories of her internship with the Collateral Repair Project (CRP) in Amman, Jordan. She explains the purpose of her blog, Jordan (CRP):

Although I could easily write a list containing the numerous projects CRP has taken on to serve the Iraqi community, I find that my daily experiences and sharing of Iraqi stories are better suited to convey the personal and emotional message that has slowly but completely taken over my heart. That said, I hope that this blog will serve not only as a literary expression of my own experiences and emotional growth abroad, but as a voice for those who need it most. Iraqis, Palestinians, or Jordanians. Everyone has a story that has not yet been heard, and it is the sharing and understanding of these unique narratives that lay a foundation for mutual understanding.

Read the Collateral Repair Project’s welcome to Meera, where you can also learn more about CRP.

• What is important to you?

• What do you want to do?

• Who do you want to be?