by John Mehaffey | 22 Jul 2021 | Educators' Catalog, Refugees, Sport, World
Wesley Mukerinkindi and Gaetan Ekoondo wanted to help youth pitch their skills to professional sports teams. Here’s what they created. Senegalese boys play football in Dakar, Senegal, 26 January 2005. (EPA Photo/Nic Bothma) Wesley Mukerinkindi was just two years old...
Students often wonder how they can make a difference in the world. Wanting to give back to their communities, young entrepreneurs Wesley Mukerinkindi and Gaetan Ekoondo — whose families fled from violence in Rwanda and the Congo when they were children — launched Search Your Team to create equal opportunities for other refugees and underprivileged youth through sports. News Decoder correspondent John Mehaffey interviews Mukerinkindi to learn how the pair were inspired to start the online platform, which helps youth athletes reach their dreams by showcasing their abilities to professional soccer clubs or college basketball teams.
Exercise: Ask students how their personal passions or experiences might be an inspiration to start their own community project and support other young people.
by Nelson Graves | 8 Jul 2021 | Culture, La Jolla Country Day School, News Decoder alumni, Youth Voices
A graduate of a News Decoder partner school, Pip Lewis is juggling her studies with her passion for music — and winning accolades along the way. Students are forever encouraged to “follow their passion” as they contemplate what to study, where to go to...
by Enrique Shore | 28 Jun 2021 | Discovery, Environment, Personal Reflections
Little did I know that leaving New York City during COVID-19 lockdown would bring me and my camera face-to-face with wild foxes. (All photos by Enrique Shore) I must admit that until very recently, I didn’t know anything about foxes. With few exceptions, people living...
by Tira Shubart | 16 Jun 2021 | Space, Technology, World
Scientists are on the lookout for asteroids that could pose a danger to Earth but which could also hold the key to understanding life’s origin. A frame grab from a dashboard camera shows a meteor over Chelyabinsk, about 930 miles east of Moscow, Russia, 15...
by Paul Radford | 15 Jun 2021 | Decoders, Educators' Catalog, Eyewitness, Sport, World
Dogged by corruption and politics, the Olympic Games may seem outmoded. But their ideals survive, and the Games motivate athletes and excite fans. Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou lights the Olympic Torch, Athens, Greece, 19 March 2020. (EPA-EFE/ARIS MESSINIS / POOL)...
Paul Radford has covered 17 Olympic Games, and he displays his vast experience in this “decoder” that shows why the global sporting event still matters. Radford acknowledges the scandals and politics that have tarnished the image of the modern Games and made skeptics of many fans, while examining the high ideals that led to their creation. Like the Games, youth today are torn between idealism and skepticism born of frustration with their elders’ inability to resolve the world’s biggest problems. As Radford writes, it’s a tricky balance between idealism and skepticism.
Exercise: Organize a debate in class on the resolution, “The Olympic Games Should Be Abolished”.
by Stacy Shyaka | 26 May 2021 | Art, Human Rights, Identity, Personal Reflections, Student Posts, Westover School, Youth Voices
I come from Rwanda, where black children are not hated for the color of their skin. My photos capture innocence and an age of purity. (All photos by Stacy Shyaka) In my country, black children are able to hold on to their innocence because they live in a place where...
by John Mehaffey | 20 May 2021 | Europe, Sport
Owners of rich European football clubs thought a Super League would line their pockets. They failed to consider outraged fans — the ultimate bosses. Chelsea fans stage a demonstration against the proposed European Super League, London, Britain, 20 April 2021....
by Clarice Gillian Achola | 18 May 2021 | African Leadership Academy, Discovery, Educators' Catalog, Health and Wellness, Identity, Personal Reflections, Student Posts, Youth Voices
Mocked for my dark skin, I long loathed myself and yearned for a lighter complexion. But now I fight colourism and defend diversity. “Leaning away from un-African beauty standards,” by Alana Muchemi, August 2020. The author is in the yellow shirt....
Adolescence is a time of self-discovery, and Clarice Gillian Achola of the African Leadership Academy finds that the discrimination she has faced since her days on the playground plagues large numbers of girls and women with dark skin. With detail and sensitivity, the author gives shape to the abstract notion of colourism, then moves from the first to the third person pronoun as she extends her personal battle to a broader campaign to save others from bigotry.
by Jeremy Lovell | 10 May 2021 | Climate change, Environment, Technology
More needs to be done so electric vehicles can reach their potential to reduce carbon emissions. But surging sales show they are here to stay. Wallbox for charging an electric car (Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images) Electric cars are flying off...
by Nelson Graves | 6 May 2021 | Art, Faculty in the Spotlight, News Decoder Updates, Westover School, Women's rights
How can a photography class make better global citizens? Caleb Portfolio of Westover School helps students discover themselves and the world. Caleb Portfolio Caleb Portfolio teaches photography and video at Westover School. That means he teaches certain necessary...
