Human Chapters

It was an honour to engage in a wonderful conversation with Elizabeth about her Life Chapter, Guiding Literacy Growth. Elizabeth generously shared the following: 

- her change in career from working for a Senator to becoming an Educator 

- her shift to understanding the science of reading 

- her international experience as an educator and consultant 

- her journey to the creation of her business Guiding Literacy Growth  

Elizabeth can be found on https://elizabethreenstra.com/ and Insta @guidingliteracygrowth  I deeply resonated with multiple points but one was an absolute stand-out for me, "The gift of literacy is the gift of life". An enormous thanks to Elizabeth for taking the time for this conversation and to everyone else that will be tuning in as well. It will be available on Human Chapters YouTube channel, Facebook page, and Podcast. :)

It was a deep honour to engage in conversation with Nelly Kaakaty about her Life Chapter, The Root Of It All. Nelly generously shared about her journey and why she does what she does. Some of the points discussed in this conversation were:

It was an absolute honour to engage in a conversation with Shane Pearson about his Chapter, Speech Pathology in schools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLTWnVN-V9c . Shane generously shared the following:

- what drove him to study Speech and Language Pathology

- his experiences in a range of different settings

- how his experiences have shaped his current path in working at a school in Melbourne (Brandon Park Primary School)

- his work in developing a research-informed curriculum, PhOrMeS that focuses on words (decoding words, spelling words, and learning about words)

Shane and his team's work can be found on https://www.phormes.com/

An enormous thanks to Shane Pearson for taking the time to have this important conversation and to everyone else for listening/connecting with it. Please share it with anyone that may connect with this conversation.

It was a deep honour to engage in a conversation with Shaun Ziegenfusz about his Life Chapter, Language and its Impact https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9AyBv6-lMg. Shaun openly and generously shared the following:

- what instigated the journey to become a Speech and Language Pathologist,

- his love and passion for communication (in various aspects of life),

- one of his passion projects aims to raise awareness about a common yet silent condition called Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Shaun and Natalie Turner have cofounded a wonderful platform The DLD Project, https://thedldproject.com/ that provides information for families, educators, allied health professionals, and much more,

- an example of how language might be used (functionally) from the time Shaun wakes up and why this was important to discuss,

- his current Ph.D. work in the area of Developmental Language Disorder (the link for his 3-minute thesis can be accessed on https://www.youtube.com/watch...

- how communication difficulties may be identified at various levels, the impact of these on the individual's life (academic growth, social participation, mental health, employment opportunities, etc), what can be done to support these difficulties, and so much more.

There were numerous points that resonated deeply; however, a couple that I'd like to highlight are: "The humanness of communicating is so powerful.", "Strike up a conversation about DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) in a social setting and find out a little more about it."

An enormous thanks to Shaun Ziegenfusz for taking the time and spending the energy in sharing this Chapter. A huge thanks to everyone else that will also engage with this Chapter. Please share it with anyone that may connect.

It was an absolute honour to engage in a conversation with Katherina Baker about her Chapter, Focus. Katherina openly shared the following:

- her late diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

- what led her to gain this diagnosis and the journey thereafter

- her varied interests in maths, photography, art, and so forth

- what life was like at various stages i.e. during childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, employment, etc.

- her current work at Eden Farm Wellness

- an upcoming Multicultural Festival at Eden Farm Wellness (23rd - 25th September)

An enormous thanks to Katherina for sharing this important Chapter and to everyone else that will be tuning in on Human Chapters YouTube/Podcast. Please feel free to share this conversation.

For more information regarding Eden Farm and the upcoming Multicultural Festival, visit the links below:

edenfarmwellness.com.au

https://www.facebook.com/edenfarmwellness/

edenfarmproduce.com.au

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/eden-farm-multicultural-festival-2022-tickets-205497196647

https://www.facebook.com/EdenFarmMulticulturalFestival

It was an incredible honour to engage in a wonderfully insightful and thought-provoking conversation with Rose about her Life Chapter, Breaking the Cycle with a Pen. Rose shares the following during this conversation:

- her childhood trauma

- her positive experience at school

- her love for reading

- the moment that inspired her to share her stories

- character development and connection to her personal experiences

- an incredible poem she authored, I am the Sword.

Rose can be found on Instagram @rosejfairchild and her website is https://www.rosejfairchild.com/about-me.html

An enormous thanks to Rose for engaging in this conversation and to everyone that will listen to or watch it on Human Chapters Podcast, YouTube, and/or Facebook. Please share it with those that may connect with it. 😀

It was an incredible honour to engage in a wonderful conversation with Seema Abdullah about her life chapter, Life Before Australia. Seema generously shared the following:

- her childhood and family,

- her education journey and its importance,

- pivotal moments that have forged her path to activism,

- the challenges experienced at various life stages

- the importance of qualities such as patience, persistence, and breaking stereotypes

An enormous thanks to Seema for taking the time to engage in this important conversation and to everyone that will be listening to/watching this conversation on YouTube, Podcast, and/or Facebook. Please share it with those that may connect to it. 😀

It was an honour to engage in a conversation with Shameka about her Chapter, Juvenile Forensic Speech and Language Pathology the_juvenileforensic_slp. https://youtu.be/FNqGat9fnc0 Shameka openly shared the following:

- her journey in pursuing Speech and Language Pathology

- her current role with the individuals she is working with

- the in-service she provides to law-enforcement personnel that are likely to come across individuals with language difficulties/disorders

During the conversation, we also touched on points such as fatal policing, the impact of language and literacy difficulty/disorder on individuals, people interacting with them in a formal capacity, and so forth.

Shameka also co-hosts a Podcast, Cognitive Capacity where they discuss true stories of the intersectionality between cognitive and communication disorders and involvement with the criminal justice system, mass incarceration, and the school-to-confinement pipeline. Check it out https://podcasts.apple.com/.../sunday-dinner.../id1550686701

Shameka can be found on Instagram and Facebook - the_juvenileforensic_slp

A huge thanks to Shameka and everyone that will engage with this conversation. Please share it with anyone that may connect with it.

It was an honour to engage in a conversation with Clifford Chianga Oluoch about his Chapter, Zero Hunger. Clifford generously shared the following about his Chapter:

- The journey of an organisation, Homeless of Nairobi, which he founded 8 years ago - https://homelessofnairobi.org/about-us/

- The interaction that inspired the long-term vision of this organisation

- The services that are offered - feeding, rehabilitation and reinvention, education, and so forth

- A picture of the slum establishments in Nairobi

- The positive impact of COVID

- The financial support received by Homeless of Nairobi

- Future projects that will target sustainability and vocational opportunities for students in the slums

- The partnership between private schools and educational institutions in the slums

- Clifford's recently published Memoir - A Perfect Score: Memoirs of a Teacher - a portion of the proceeds will be directed to the Homeless of Nairobi. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60659854-a-perfect-score

- An upcoming online cooking class by Ashni Shah is a fundraiser for the Homeless of Nairobi. 100% of the funds generated will go towards building a bakery in the slum. Visit https://www.jikosandmwikos.co.uk/cooking-classes to register for the class.

An enormous vote of gratitude to Clifford Chianga Oluoch for engaging in this important conversation and to everyone else that will listen to/watch this conversation on YouTube, Podcast, or Facebook.

Trigger warning!

It was an absolute honour to engage in an important conversation with Manoj Kerai about his Chapter, The Burning Bride. During this conversation, Manoj explains the journey of his book, The Burning Bride from its conception to its reception by his family, community, and the wider audience. He also talks about using drawing information from a number of courses he has studied. Numerous points were discussed in-depth and some of these include:

- domestic abuse against women

- female infanticide

- religious bias

- the 9 different perspectives and one standout perspective

- discrimination - racial, gender, and so forth

The Burning Bride can be purchased on https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/25098557-the-burning-bride. Manoj can be contacted on Facebook/Instagram @ManojKerai for any further questions and/or discussions. 

An enormous thanks to Manoj Kerai for taking the time to unpack this important Chapter. A huge thanks to everyone else that will connect with this conversation on YouTube, Podcast, or Facebook. Please feel free to share this with others. 😀