I’m sure you’ve come across the words GMO or generically modified organism at some point, but what does it really mean? Is genetically modified food truly safe for consumption?
My dear friend Taylor McNulty’s been working on a documentary about genetically modified food in India and how it’s adversely affecting the farmers there. She had an amazing opportunity to work closely with a physicist and environmental activist Dr. Vandana Shiva, who created Navdanya, a movement to “protect the diversity and integrity of living resources, especially the native seed, the promotion of organic farming and fair trade“.
To help us understand just how GMOs are made, Taylor asked me to create some simple animation to accompany Dr. Shiva’s explanation of the process. I agreed in a heartbeat. :) Check it out:
Cabrini Connections, where I spend my Monday evenings teaching teens about the magic of filmmaking as one of the volunteer club leaders of Reel Talent Productions (the video & filmmakers club there), has put me in the spotlight! You can check out the posthere.
Thanks to Bradley Troast for writing the article.
It’s nice that they do this to recognize the hard work that their volunteers put in, but honestly, it’s the staff who truly deserve more recognition. Brad, El, Karina, Daniel and Mike (and formerly Nicole) are the friendly folks I get to work with at Cabrini who’re always more than willing to provide any assistance I need with running the program for the kids. Having to coordinate over 150 volunteers and students each week is definitely no easy feat. But having seen the change and impact this program is truly making on the kids’ lives, I can understand why each one of them remains so committed to their jobs.
Thank you, Cabrini Connections. The kids are really lucky to have a place like this.
That’s just one of the many lessons Seth Godin teaches when you engage with him through his books and blog posts. Connect, be generous, make art, acknowledge the lizard, ship, fail and learn. A daily subscriber like me receives a fresh post every morning that helps me see the world through a different lens, gives me inspiration and challenges me to reinvent myself.
I’ve been a fan of his work for a while now, which is why as soon as Seth announced the plans for his Road Trip and put out the call for volunteers, I stepped up in a heartbeat. It was the least i could do for the art he’s so generously gifted to the world.
His Chicago stop took place last week at the beautiful Harris Theater. I was the volunteer videographer, and the very talented Rachel Koontzwas the photographer. We had the great pleasure of meeting and working with some really talented Linchpin volunteers to pull off what would go down as one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
Photo by Rachel Koontz
It’s amazing how powerful being in a roomful of like-minded individuals can be. You could feel that every single one of us there had the desire to do remarkable things, create art, and connect with fellow tribe members. Seth spoke for 2 hours early that morning, and then spent the rest of the day tackling our audience questions with calmness and brilliance.
Thank you, Seth, for all you do. I’m definitely excited for the passion and possibilities that lay ahead! If you missed out, Seth Godin has two more stops on his Road Trip!
Atlanta, GA – Oct 8th
Los Angeles, CA – Nov 9th
More information’s available here. In the meantime, here’s a peek at what happened when Seth graced Chicago with his presence. :)
Columbia College Chicago held its 3G Summit: The Future of Girls, Gaming and Gender event 2 weeks ago. It brought together some of the most notable women in the gaming industry and 50 lucky teenage girls from 5 schools in a highly interactive and transformational 3-day Game Lab/Workshop.
Not only were important issues about the HUGE gender gap that exists in the gaming industry discussed (only 11% of professionals in the gaming industry are women!), but 5 innovative game ideas to break traditional gaming stereotypes were also developed. The girls were split into 5 groups of 10, and each given a mentor to guide them through the creative process. On the last day, each group presented their game ideas in a competition where the winning group would have their idea actually developed by Columbia College students/faculty! I was really impressed by all their presentations and the amount of creativity that each one involved.
I was quite a gaming enthusiast from age 11-15 (many thanks to my older brother who bought the games), and I remember that almost everything I played involved plenty of violence and bloodshed. Everything from chopping off other players’ ears in Diablo, to making sheep explode in Warcraft III, to electrocuting people with my tesla coils in Command & Conquer. So it was definitely refreshing to see a different type of game being presented at the 3G summit.
“In this context, the low representation of females and minorities working in the gaming industry, as well as the complicated gendered culture of the gaming world itself, are troubling. One wonders what kind of games are not being made, what experiences are not being shared, what identities are not being represented?”
Susana, one of the founders of Take Action Games made clear her huge passion for bringing together the world of gaming and documentary films, and utilizing gaming as a tool to create positive social change. She was very kind and such a pleasure to chat with. I knew she’d be the perfect person to talk to for the next episode of Media Impact Spotlight! Thanks Susana!
Media Impact Spotlight is a web video series featuring professionals utilizing various forms of media for positive social change. Watch previous episodes and subscribe to the series here.
Shuling Yong 