Sister City Program Takes Wings

Ten North Little Rock high school and college students and two adult chaperones are representing North Little Rock as delegates to our Sister City Homestay Program in Uiwang City, South Korea, July 27-August 7, 2010. This is the 10th year for this highly successful program which alternates homestay exchange programs in the summer. Nine excited delegates left from Little Rock Airport this morning, and the remaining three will fly out in the morning (Wednesday). The delegates were all supposed to leave this morning, but were split up due to flight delays and overbooking of potential overseas flights.

The delegates will stay in family homes arranged by the Uiwang City government officials just as they do when the South Koreans visit North Little Rock. They will experience many unique customs, foods, and social settings completely different from their own.

The Sister City program started back in 1998 when Mayor Patrick Henry Hays began exploring the possibilities of starting a sister city relationship with Uiwang City at the urging of Grand Master H.U. Lee, founder of the American Taekwondo Association and North Little Rock Korean businessman Steve Im. The agreement was finalized in 2000, and includes a youth homestay program along with efforts pledged to build cultural understanding and to further strengthen intercultural and international knowledge and to expand our foreign partnerships. Economic development and investment opportunities are also goals of the program.

The delegates are traveling under a sister city agreement signed July, 1999, between Mayor Kang, of Uiwang City, South Korea, and Mayor Patrick Henry Hays of North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Several of the delegates were NLRMYC members this past school year. Delegates pictured are from left: Ian Kerr, Derick Dailey, Paula Storeygard , Elizabeth Harris, Connor Ratliff (MYC), Allison Storeygard, Tazonio Anderson (MYC), Jessica Soule (MYC), Mitchell Ratliff, Michael Strobel, and Grant Strobel (MYC). Not pictured: Grant DePoyster (MYC).

For more information about the program or information on starting a sister city program, contact Margaret Powell, Director of Community Relations and Sister City Program Director, 340-5305 or email at mpowell@northlittlerock.ar.gov.

Council Member Alex Tingquist Participates in PCYS's Internship Program

Council member Alex Tingquist is completing a public service internship this week with Our House Shelter for the Working Homeless. He hopes some day to be the director of a non-profit and his special interest is working with the homeless.

Alex worked with the kids in the shelter's Picture Perfect Summer Program. He mentored them daily and accompanied them on field trips.In addition to the two PCYS interns at this facility, there were Americorps workers.

This Friday, July 23rd, will mark the final day of employment for the sixty 16-18 year old students enrolled in this Pulaski County Youth Services Public Service Internship program.

The students have worked for the last six weeks at local government offices, nonprofit organizations, and health care offices in an effort to learn more about careers in public service.

In addition to their assigned work places, students have also participated in a lecture series. The lecture series aims to provide classroom style learning as an enhancement the students’ hands-on experience that they receive on-the-job. Some of the speakers from this year’s lecture series include: Nao Ueda of Audubon Arkansas, Anthony Lucas of Life CHAMPS, Kisha Bumpers of Arkansas Foodbank, and Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay.

Only 60 students were chosen out of the more than 130 students who applied. Participants were selected through a written application process followed by a series of interviews. Participants worked up to 28 hours per week at the rate of $7.25 per hour. Students were placed at various worksites throughout Pulaski County including the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Clinton Presidential Center, Our House, City Connections, Family Service Agency, and more.

Pulaski County Youth Services works to establish and strengthen the county-wide effort of mobilizing resources necessary to improve the quality of educational opportunities for youth in Pulaski County. This program was made possible through funding from the U.S. Department of Justice.

(Picture - Nerd day!)

http://www.ourhouseshelter.org/

www.co.pulaski.ar.us/ourclub1.shtm

A Personal Anti-Bias Creed

My Personal

Anti-Bias Creed

I will respectfully disagree, stand up for those who are alone, be kind to people of all religions, cultures, and nationalities. I will show my opinion in a calm, but passionate way. I will never give up on what I believe is right. I will be an example of what I preach, strive to turn people away from bias, discrimination, or any other prejudicial act. I will always try to bring someone's attention to their own bias and hope that they would do the same for me. I will love everyone in the world, although I will not conform to some of their biased ways. I will not be afraid to stand up to my friends, strangers, or even my family members . I will not back down, no matter how much I am persecuted or taunted. I will do my very best to eliminate hatred, violence, prejudice, bias and discrimination in the world.

by a NLR Mayor's Youth Council member who attended "A Testimony to Tolerance" Institute

9 Council Members Attend Tolerance and Diversity Institute

On July 19, Nine members of the Council attended an Institute on Tolerance and Diversity sponsored by the Central Arkansas Library System and the Racial and Cultural Diversity Commission of the City of Little Rock. The program "Testimony to Tolerance" included discussion on prejudice and persecution led by Erica Ivy the Language Arts teacher at McClellan High School, creating ones own anti-bias creed by Sheree Crites of the Arkansas Department of Education, and Understanding the Muslim faith by Rizan Mohsin.

Each attendee received a certificate of attendance and two DVD's - Giving Voice - Today's Kids Get Real About Bias and The Last Days, Steven Spielberg's 1998 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature on the Holocaust.

Attendees were Patrick Serven, Mattie Thacker, Eric Bentley, Grant DePoyster, Amber Alley, Hunter Foster, Justin Joyce, Brisa Bartczak, and KaLia Prewitt.

Picture 1 - KaLia Prewitt writing her personal anti-bias creed.

Picture 2 - Amber Alley and Rizan Mohsin demonstrating how Muslims discipline their children. Picture 3 - Mattie Thacker and Patrick Serven listening to Sheree Crites of the Arkansas Department of Education.

Council Member Mattie Thacker and Our House Selected by Scholastic Magazine for Video

Council Member Mattie Thacker and Lydia Jou's Start Something Project was chosen from over 600 entries to win a grant of $2500 from Scholastic Magazine's Be Big in Your Neighborhood contest. Mattie and Lydia Jou have raised over $6000 for the shelter for the working homeless. A film crew interviewed Mattie and showed her interacting with the children from O.H. at Wild River Country. Lydia, who is out of the country for the summer, should recieve equal credit for the hard work in raising the money through bake sales and car washes.

Their grant pays for summer field trips like the one to Wild River for the children at the shelter.
The video will be featured on the Website for Scholastic Magazine along with 3 other grant winners.

In top photo Shadow Box Film Crew, Ganelle Grimm from Our House, Mattie, and Maha Madani council member.

In bottom photo - Mattie putting on her mic.