Spark Lab Suggested Talking Points
- 2. POSITIONING STATEMENT USHER’S PLATFORM — WHERE EDUCATION, ART & SOCIAL JUSTICE MEET • Centuries of inequality have produced a system of social injustice that must be reformed. What we need is a commitment to cultural transformation. We can do this by breaking the chains of injustice through education, innovation and disruption. I am a disruptivator, are you? Disruptor + Innovator = Disruptivator
- 3. RELEVANT CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE AJ SUMMIT AND UNL •We need more young people to address issues of social injustice through creativity, innovation and the arts. •16 years ago, I launched Usher’s New Look, a non-profit focused on developing global youth leaders who will use their talents or “sparks” to change the world. •At UNL, we define spark as the passion that ignites your life’s bigger purpose; your identity. •If you can educate a child, you can potentially save them from issues like poverty and crime.
- 4. RELEVANT CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE AJ SUMMIT AND UNL (Cont…) •This year, we’re taking it a step further and creating The UNL Spark Lab, an innovative youth-run hub that will focus on creating solutions through the intersection of technology, education and culture. •Headquartered in Atlanta, its opening is scheduled for September 2016. or more information visit UNLsparklab.org •This has been my dream for the past few years, and it’s a solution to addressing some of these issues that have been glaringly staring at us for some time.
- 5. •It’s a space to inspire young innovators and creators. •The goal of the Spark Lab is to shift paradigms and unleash the potential for the next generation of disruptive innovators… THE DISRUPTIVATORS. •It’s going to be a place where students will produce and consume. •The Spark Lab is really a tool; an innovative approach to give youth a voice. WHAT IS THE SPARK LAB?
- 6. •Imagine a Silicon Valley youth start-up in Atlanta. It will be the first of its kind in the nation. •The Spark Lab is not just an activity space; it’s a mentally transformative space. •The benefits we’re going to see from the Spark Lab are...more solutions, more change-agents, more kids graduating high school and better prepared for passion-driven careers. WHAT IS THE SPARK LAB? (cont…)
- 7. •Service as Art—This past December, The UNL Brooklyn Chapter collaborated with an artist collective called Image Gallery NYC and another nonprofit called Care More. They joined forces and provided over 100 homeless people with food and care packages. •This MLK Day, with the help of an org called ‘NYC Together’ UNL Brooklyn youth teamed up with local police officers from Precinct 90 to make plans for a co-created mural. Through artistic collaboration they hope to ease neighborhood tensions. RELEVANT UNL STUDENT EXAMPLES OF EFFORTS TOWARD CHANGE
- 8. •Mary-Pat Hector is a UNL Atlanta student, a freshman at Spelman and a sought after activist. Through UNL, Mary Pat was empowered to create her own nonprofit campaign called Think Twice. Through social media and disruptive billboards, her campaign encourages youth to think twice before using a gun. She won the Peace First Prize and was able to put up 45 billboards in Atlanta. Statistics from three inner- city Atlanta communities where billboards were placed showed decreases in their rates of gun violence. RELEVANT UNL STUDENT EXAMPLES OF EFFORTS TOWARD CHANGE