Dreams Do Come True
Well, 4 years ago, I set off to live with my parents and begin my trek back into education. I’ve always known that my destiny lay somewhere in that realm but I was never quite sure how. I taught in the classroom for over 6 years and worked on countless educational publishing and software projects. The thing about education and affecting true change is that it is very difficult to do. I mean, you can get starts and fits but there is very little oxygen out there to sustain true innovation.
I’ve always felt like I was meant to have a larger impact beyond one classroom or school. I want to create infrastructure that drives and sustains a culture of achievement among our youth. In 4 years, we have come quite a distance. Sitting in a room surrounded by 9 It Could Be U Camp staff along with Dr, Thomas Darwin (UT Intellectual Entrepreneurship Initiative) and Jannelle Monney (Former SVP, Freescale Semi-Conductor) it was a bit surreal. My dream is coming true. We are making the change that I imagined years ago…
I am so pleased that I am joined by such an impressive roster of people from all walks of life. My challenge now is to let my child grow up and take on a life of its own.
Building The U – Summer Jobs for Mentors
- May 28, 2011
- carlsettles
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MCC 2011 “It Could Be U” Summer Program Mentor Job Description
Do you have experience and/or an interest in working in the fields of Education, Business, Science & Technology, Math, Media or the Arts? Do you have any experience working with middle school students? Can you see yourself inspiring students and helping them work towards their dreams? If the answer is yes to one or more of these questions, them the Media Communications Council (MCC) wants YOU to be Mentor in its 2011 “It Could Be U” Summer Program!
MCC was established in 2008 as a way to use the real world excitement of media creation and production to address the leadership and academic gap that many students in Austin area public middle schools are faced with on a daily basis. Formed out of the Texas Diversity Council, MCC uses media as a tool to help students to discover, own and be accountable for achieving the dreams they have in their life. The primary learning model used in MCC was developed from the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Texas at Austin.
MENTOR Job Responsibilities:
- Lead a group of 4 – 6 middle school students throughout the five day program, with a focus in one of the four major disciplines of Media Communications, (STEM) Science/Technology/Engineering/Math, Business or the Arts
- Work with a team of 3 other Pre Grad or Graduate mentors to plan and execute a series of three 5 day camps.
- Work alongside an assistant that will document your activities through video and blogging tools as you develop and complete your group’s project for presentation during each week’s Capstone Ceremony.
- Supervise your students during two off-campus field trips
- Attend a two-day training during the beginning of June.
- Attend daily morning check-ins and end of day staff meetings.
The 2011 “It Could Be U” Summer Program will last throughout the month of June and will consist of three weekly summer camps to be held in Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) sites in the North, East and South sections of Austin. The financial compensation for MENTORS is $500.00 per week.
Interested applicants should send a Resume/Vita, Cover Letter with Major Area of Study included as well as preference of discipline (Business, STEM, Media Communications, or the Arts) to mentor@mediacommunicationscouncil.org.
All applicants must be able to pass a background check.Leave A Reply
Video and Podcast: MCC & Intellectual Entrepreneurship (IE) Collaboration
I sat down with Dr. Richard Cherwitz & Dr. Thomas Darwin, founders of the University of Texas Intellectual Entrepreneurship Initiative, to discuss our collaboration on It Could Be U: Intensive Mentoring & College Readiness Program. I made a short promo video based on that conversation and decided to post the full interview as a podcast for those that want a deeper understanding of our partnership and philosophy. Enjoy!
From Gang Banger to Mentor & Graphic Designer
David Frias speaks of his transformation from being an active gang member to working as an It Could Be U Mentor and graphic designer.
Video: Steve Golab, CEO – FG SQUARED Interactive Marketing Joins MCC Advisory Board
I would personally like to thank Steve Golab for joining the MCC Advisory Board. I had the pleasure of meeting Steve at Rise 2010 and over the past year we’ve become good friends. Last week, Steve invited me to his office to talk about our mission. I had no intention of selling Steve anything – just informing him about what we do. I was pleased that he graciously offered to support our mission on a monthly basis and I look forward to his guidance and support on the MCC Advisory Board.
Steve Golab, CEO – FG SQUARED Interactive Marketing joins the Media Communications Council Advisory Board and has pledged to support 1 parent a month enrolling their children in It Could Be U: Intensive Mentoring & College Readiness Program.
SXSW Dewey Winburne Community Service Award
I’m very pleased to receive this award. Over the last three years, I have pursued my true calling of empowering youth and small business leaders. I’m so thankful for all of the people that have believed in my vision and been willing to support me in this endeavor. I’m excited about all of the new things on the horizon – unveiling work our students have been doing for local businesses and non-profits, preparing to employ up to 50 youth this summer working with UT Intellectual Entrepreneurship graduate mentors and showcasing their work at our first E4 Youth Summit. These are just a few things on the horizon. Big things indeed!!
Podcast: Youth, Education & Social Entrepreneurship
Here’s a podcast along with slides and video used in my presentation earlier this week on Youth, Education & Social Entrepreneurship. I was joined by Hoover Alexander, proprietor of Hoover’s Cooking. Hoover was the client for students in last summer’s outreach program Media Xperiments service learning project. A group of twelve students worked for 64 hours with University of Texas Ph.D canddate in advertising candidate Amber Chenevert and consulted with top creatives and executives from GSD&M Idea City and Sanders Wingo as we developed a media strategy, web site and on-line cooking show for Hoover’s Cooking.
Student made video or “mash up” on Cultural Capital.
Youth, Education & Social Entrepreneurship Presentation Wed. Feb 16th @ Link Coworking for Lunch
Link @ Lunch with MCC Founder Carl Settles Jr. Wed. Feb. 16th 12 – 1pm
Hello,
I wanted to send a special invite for you to join me for lunch this Wednesday at Link Coworking from noon to 1pm as I speak on Youth, Education & Social Entrepreneurship. I hope to provide some practical examples for entrepreneurs on how they can have a direct impact on the educational engagement of youth while adding to their own bottom lines.
I’ll be recounting last summer’s Media Communications service learning project with local restaurant Hoover’s Cooking. For four weeks, our students worked with University of Texas Ph.D candidate Amber Chenevert, local entrepreneur Hoover Alexander, senior creatives and executives from GSD&M Idea City and Sanders Wingo Advertising as we developed a media strategy, web site and on-line cooking show.
Don’t forget to bring your lunch and feed your brain! You’re Welcome to stay and check out Link for the rest of the day.
More Info
Almost 40% of the students that graduated from high school and attended college in Texas last year needed remedial reading, math and/or science (Dallas Morning News). In fact, students throughout the United States have fallen behind their counterparts in other developed nations around the world. Even with college educated students in the US, businesses often find them lacking the soft skills needed to be effective and have to invest extra time and resources into making them truly ready for work.
Carl Settles, Founder/Executive Director of the Media Communications Council, will outline ways that business leaders can have a direct impact on student achievement while also improving their own bottom lines. Carl will present a case study of a project completed by students in the youth outreach program Media Xperiments for the local restaurant chain Hoover’s Cooking. Students worked with University of Texas PhD candidates and senior creatives from GSD&M Idea City and Sanders Wingo Advertising as they developed a media strategy, web site and on-line cooking show produced by the students themselves.
Slideshow Reminiscing
I was checking out this simple slideshow from Media Xperiments, a web site that I created 3 years ago and was struck at how far we have come. So many diverse students and teachers are able to showcase their dreams and aspirations. We generally don’t let students post pics of celebrities and such. Our focus is on the students and their work… their creativity. We believe that student engagement and rigor are not mutually exclusive. We want to show students that they can be active producers of quality media and ultimately masters of their own destinies.
And now, with the launch of It Could Be U: Intensive Mentoring & College Readiness program, we are approaching 1000 members in Central Texas. Big Things!
Lanier High School: Planning Scientific Method Pieces
