have you ever thought about how
breakdance can help people overcome
poverty how much do you know about
breakdancing until last summer I knew
very little about it but today I’m here
to tell you about the potential it has
to change lives too often people and
governments just so many and intractable
problems like poverty it is true that
money is always needed to develop and
run effective programs to address social
and environmental issues but we often
ignore another essential component of
helping people overcome adversity which
is helping them develop the confidence
to be their own salvation last summer
I volunteered at Tiny Toons a nonprofit
organization in Cambodia
that teaches breakdancing to at-risk
kids from the slums I went with my
cousin Suja and we stayed in plan
payment the capital city of Cambodia the
basic river implanting cuts the cheaper
amp of district from the city centre and
the overcrowded slums of the cheaper
impove district is the home to most
at-risk kids and their families people
there are struggling with water
pollution food contamination and poor
hygiene it is impossible not to step
into the raw sewage and garbage on the
road in these lumps the average
per-capita income is only about three
dollars per day and those with no
education have few options for
supporting their families except as a
tuk tuk driver so this is a picture of a
tuk tuk and it is essential
transportation in Cambodia however there
is so much completion that a tuk tuk can
go a whole day without finding end
customers and whenever Shuja and I
looked for a tuk tuk at least five
pressed around us hoping for a fare on
our first day in Cambodia we spent over
an hour looking for tiny tune
where I had a wrench to volunteer for
three weeks
eventually I saw kids dancing on the
street corners and followed them through
a narrow alley that leads to Tiny Toons
the walls of the building were covered
by paintings and written on them or the
values dreams and leadership lessons of
tiny tombs through its values Tiny Toons
hope to teach the kids about love
respect and equality it also teaches
kids about leadership lessons and to
help them understand each other and be a
good listener
this is a picture of children’s dreams
and they are just like other children’s
around the world some of them wants to
be a doctor and some wants to be a prime
minister in one of the classrooms I met
one of the founders of Tiny Toons who
was pointing at a refugee camp and grew
up in Los Angeles when he was a teenager
he fell English again and was deported
back to Cambodia a country he had never
even visited before he was barely able
to speak the language and was shunned by
the local people however his
breakdancing skills which has given him
a source of self-confidence and a means
of self-expression attracted many
at-risk kids to follow him and he began
to notice that many of the kids were
involved in hum for practices like drug
abuse and gang violence just like he had
been when he was young he didn’t want
them to make the same mistakes as he did
before so he decided to found Tiny Toons
to provide them with a positive
environment give them education
discipline and self confidence and hope
which are essential to helping the kids
turn their life around and escape the
cycle of poverty as I learned later
breakdance originated as a part of
hip-hop AMA African American and Latino
use in New York City during 1970s later
it was used by Ken’s
as a non-violent way to solve conflicts
and a turf disputes in breakdance people
can develop their unique styles and to
define themselves the courage to express
feelings and recognize the value of
one’s life is exactly what a risk is in
Cambodia need and it is just as
essential as money or any other material
support wow I was a Tiny Toons I told
the kids English listen to their stories
and learn breakdancing alongside them
one of the breakdancer story
particularly impressed me I will call
him Francis Francis was a student at
Tiny Toons when he was young he couldn’t
afford to go to school because the
corruption in Cambodia is not only a
problem in the government but also a
problem at public schools the limited
number of schools results in
overcrowding so the students have to
bring extra money to bribe teacher in
order to have a seat in the classroom
unfortunately Francis father passed away
after his third year at Tiny Toons
and Francis got so depressed that he
didn’t know what to do with his life as
the founder of Tiny Toons saw his
distress he offered Francis a job at
Tiny Toons
as a dance teacher he also encouraged
him to continue his education and become
a leader in the future
eventually Francis got a scholarship
from Tiny Toons and majored in business
at a university after he finished his
education he returned to Tiny Toons and
took a leadership position to pass down
his power by helping other at-risk kids
like he used to be as I see it this is
the secret to the success of Tiny Toons
that the organization is run by people
who came from the slums and really
understand the people and their problems
and
the teachers Italians have inspired the
power within the kids to help them
believe that they can change their life
and even bring good changes to the
community Tiny Toons leadership lessons
and power have passed down in the
community through breakdancing which has
given them a voice and a way to
communicate the value of all individuals
and even those who have been
marginalized Tiny Toons I saw the hope
for the future of the country and was
inspired by hot organization helped a
kid to change their lives after I
returned to my studies in the United
States I wanted to do what I could to
support organization and spread their
message I knew that the work of helping
the kids to learn about their inner
strength have to come from someone who
have experienced what they have
experienced so I ended up by organizing
a breakdance competition and a workshop
to help the to response for the
organization so that Tiny Toons can
expand in size and offer more
scholarships also more kids can benefit
from what they do for my fundraiser I
was lucky enough to have the support of
mag Roxie a local dancer mark
understands the needs and strength of
the case in Cambodia because he himself
grew up in a poor neighborhood in
bedford-stuyvesant where he learnt
breakdancing before going on to found
his own ballet company the money were
raised with the fundraiser was sent to
Tiny Toons
but in addition to raising money my goal
is to spread the word that if we are to
address poverty and help people change
their lives we have to help them
discover the power strength and energy
within themselves and the belief that
they deserve better that can be
accomplished in many ways but in Tiny
Toons break dancing is the way
thank you
[Applause]
breakdance can help people overcome
poverty how much do you know about
breakdancing until last summer I knew
very little about it but today I’m here
to tell you about the potential it has
to change lives too often people and
governments just so many and intractable
problems like poverty it is true that
money is always needed to develop and
run effective programs to address social
and environmental issues but we often
ignore another essential component of
helping people overcome adversity which
is helping them develop the confidence
to be their own salvation last summer
I volunteered at Tiny Toons a nonprofit
organization in Cambodia
that teaches breakdancing to at-risk
kids from the slums I went with my
cousin Suja and we stayed in plan
payment the capital city of Cambodia the
basic river implanting cuts the cheaper
amp of district from the city centre and
the overcrowded slums of the cheaper
impove district is the home to most
at-risk kids and their families people
there are struggling with water
pollution food contamination and poor
hygiene it is impossible not to step
into the raw sewage and garbage on the
road in these lumps the average
per-capita income is only about three
dollars per day and those with no
education have few options for
supporting their families except as a
tuk tuk driver so this is a picture of a
tuk tuk and it is essential
transportation in Cambodia however there
is so much completion that a tuk tuk can
go a whole day without finding end
customers and whenever Shuja and I
looked for a tuk tuk at least five
pressed around us hoping for a fare on
our first day in Cambodia we spent over
an hour looking for tiny tune
where I had a wrench to volunteer for
three weeks
eventually I saw kids dancing on the
street corners and followed them through
a narrow alley that leads to Tiny Toons
the walls of the building were covered
by paintings and written on them or the
values dreams and leadership lessons of
tiny tombs through its values Tiny Toons
hope to teach the kids about love
respect and equality it also teaches
kids about leadership lessons and to
help them understand each other and be a
good listener
this is a picture of children’s dreams
and they are just like other children’s
around the world some of them wants to
be a doctor and some wants to be a prime
minister in one of the classrooms I met
one of the founders of Tiny Toons who
was pointing at a refugee camp and grew
up in Los Angeles when he was a teenager
he fell English again and was deported
back to Cambodia a country he had never
even visited before he was barely able
to speak the language and was shunned by
the local people however his
breakdancing skills which has given him
a source of self-confidence and a means
of self-expression attracted many
at-risk kids to follow him and he began
to notice that many of the kids were
involved in hum for practices like drug
abuse and gang violence just like he had
been when he was young he didn’t want
them to make the same mistakes as he did
before so he decided to found Tiny Toons
to provide them with a positive
environment give them education
discipline and self confidence and hope
which are essential to helping the kids
turn their life around and escape the
cycle of poverty as I learned later
breakdance originated as a part of
hip-hop AMA African American and Latino
use in New York City during 1970s later
it was used by Ken’s
as a non-violent way to solve conflicts
and a turf disputes in breakdance people
can develop their unique styles and to
define themselves the courage to express
feelings and recognize the value of
one’s life is exactly what a risk is in
Cambodia need and it is just as
essential as money or any other material
support wow I was a Tiny Toons I told
the kids English listen to their stories
and learn breakdancing alongside them
one of the breakdancer story
particularly impressed me I will call
him Francis Francis was a student at
Tiny Toons when he was young he couldn’t
afford to go to school because the
corruption in Cambodia is not only a
problem in the government but also a
problem at public schools the limited
number of schools results in
overcrowding so the students have to
bring extra money to bribe teacher in
order to have a seat in the classroom
unfortunately Francis father passed away
after his third year at Tiny Toons
and Francis got so depressed that he
didn’t know what to do with his life as
the founder of Tiny Toons saw his
distress he offered Francis a job at
Tiny Toons
as a dance teacher he also encouraged
him to continue his education and become
a leader in the future
eventually Francis got a scholarship
from Tiny Toons and majored in business
at a university after he finished his
education he returned to Tiny Toons and
took a leadership position to pass down
his power by helping other at-risk kids
like he used to be as I see it this is
the secret to the success of Tiny Toons
that the organization is run by people
who came from the slums and really
understand the people and their problems
and
the teachers Italians have inspired the
power within the kids to help them
believe that they can change their life
and even bring good changes to the
community Tiny Toons leadership lessons
and power have passed down in the
community through breakdancing which has
given them a voice and a way to
communicate the value of all individuals
and even those who have been
marginalized Tiny Toons I saw the hope
for the future of the country and was
inspired by hot organization helped a
kid to change their lives after I
returned to my studies in the United
States I wanted to do what I could to
support organization and spread their
message I knew that the work of helping
the kids to learn about their inner
strength have to come from someone who
have experienced what they have
experienced so I ended up by organizing
a breakdance competition and a workshop
to help the to response for the
organization so that Tiny Toons can
expand in size and offer more
scholarships also more kids can benefit
from what they do for my fundraiser I
was lucky enough to have the support of
mag Roxie a local dancer mark
understands the needs and strength of
the case in Cambodia because he himself
grew up in a poor neighborhood in
bedford-stuyvesant where he learnt
breakdancing before going on to found
his own ballet company the money were
raised with the fundraiser was sent to
Tiny Toons
but in addition to raising money my goal
is to spread the word that if we are to
address poverty and help people change
their lives we have to help them
discover the power strength and energy
within themselves and the belief that
they deserve better that can be
accomplished in many ways but in Tiny
Toons break dancing is the way
thank you
[Applause]
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