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Transcript

Books For Bedtime · Divas That Care Network

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Well, hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Divas That Care Network.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: My name is Candice Gish, and I'm the host of this one, this program here.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm really excited about today's show, everyone.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm going to be welcoming back one of our young divas, Megan Warren, and I'm very, very excited to be hearing what she's been up to.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: This young lady is absolutely extraordinary, and you are going to love her.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: If you haven't heard her before, you're going to want to get to know her now.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Megan, welcome to the program today.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Hi, thank you for having me.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to have you back.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: Megan, before we kind of dive into the things that you're doing now, could you kind of share a little bit about yourself for any of our new listeners today?
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Of course.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: So my name is Megan Warren and I am 16 years old.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm currently a junior in high school and I started a nonprofit when I was 11 years old called Books for Bedtime.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: And basically, my whole mission is to help get books into the hands of kids who need them all across the United States and the world.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I love that.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: And you've been doing this since you were 11 years old.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: And that is absolutely extraordinary.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: And on our last program, we had kind of talked about the different things that you were doing.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: But since then, you have been doing so much more.
• 1:23
  UNKNOWN: Yes.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I want to talk a little bit about that.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: I had the opportunity to go through your website recently.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I would love for you to update us on all the fabulous things you're doing.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: So recently I have really started to put a new emphasis on my Change Bigger Bolder initiative.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And basically the initiative, for those who might not know about it, its whole intention is to Its goal is to try to help kids find their power and find their passion so that they can use that to change the world.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Because in today's world, it really is critical that everyone has, you know, empathy and, you know, other skills that come along with that.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Because, like I said, it's so important these days.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: So the change record folders are basically supposed to help kids get these skills and figure out what they want to do to help make the world a better place.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I've also recently I was at a leadership retreat with the Riley's Way organization, and that was really cool because it was all girls, and I got to meet a lot of other really inspiring young women there, and it was a really cool experience for me.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and I love that because you're going to get more ideas from other individuals.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, definitely.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, when you have a bunch of creative, like-minded changemaker people in the same room, it really is, especially for, you know, a few days at that, it really, ideas really do flow, and it was a very inspiring experience.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I bet it was.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: I just want to kind of go back a little bit here.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: You were mentioning about your changemaker folders, right?
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: So I'd love to talk a little bit about that because I think that's probably something new and not a lot of people have heard about something like that.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: Could you explain more in depth what that is, what is actually in the folders, and then maybe how some of our listeners can be more involved in that?
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so basically the Changemaker folders, they're set up like a series of worksheets almost.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: So there are different prompts for users of the Changemaker folders to as part of the folder, and things like what are some issues and what are some problems that your community is facing, and what are some of the passions that you have, what do you care about.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And then it guides them all the way through the initial stages of starting an organization, of starting a venture.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: And it also comes with some sticky notes, pens, pencils, things like that to try to help them get their creative juices flowing because that's really– The most important part of starting something like this, the most important step of it, is making sure that what you're going to do is something that you really love to do, something that you won't get bored of or tired of doing immediately because that just defeats the purpose of having a passion project like this.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: So that is basically what's inside of it.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: But people can get them fairly easily.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: They just need to email us, and I will send them the PDF.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: We're currently in the process of trying to get the Changemaker folder so that it is available on our website online.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: But that is not ready yet, but that's something that we're working on currently.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that's perfect.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm going to make sure that if you're okay with it, I'll be putting your email address out there so that any of our listeners can get a hold of that because I love how you're calling it a passion project, and it really is.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's that domino effect where one person can affect another person's life, and what you're doing is that you're providing the tools necessary for these new young changemakers out there to do the things that they want to make the world a better place.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's definitely my intent.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: That was definitely my intent when I started it.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: And there's also a bunch of resources available after you complete the process of going through the Changemaker folder to help you for the rest of the steps of your journey because it shouldn't just end there.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if you need anything, I'm always here to support you along your journey.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: I
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: love that.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: I really do.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I just want to– I know that you came up with these Changemakers.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: How did you– Did you come up with them because of the experiences that you've gone through?
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: So not too long ago I became– or I guess, wow, it's been already over a year now.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's crazy to think about how long it's been.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: But I was selected as one of the first people for the Ashokium Changemaker Fellowship.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: And basically that was a– It's all youth, and it's supposed to be youth who are changing the world and who are trying to have a positive impact on the lives of others.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: So with that, I met the amazing Ashoka staff.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: The team is amazing.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: They are very dear friends of mine now.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: And they told me that I shouldn't be afraid to dream big.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because when I was doing the bookstore, I still didn't feel like enough.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: I felt like I could be doing more to inspire my generation.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so from there, the Changemaker folder just seemed like the next logical step.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, as I've grown and as I've evolved as a person, because I'm certainly a very different person than I was when I was 11, I've decided that there are other ways that I can be helping people in my community and around the world.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's awesome.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I love that you mentioned their name, the Ashoka, correct?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, Ashoka.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Can you share a little bit about who they are for some of our listeners that didn't hear your first program?
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so Ashoka, their tagline is Innovators for the Public.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: And basically, their initial– they started by this amazing man, Bill Durant, and he is the most kind and wonderful person I think I've ever met.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: And basically, he wanted to help support social entrepreneurs.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: And social entrepreneurs are basic– it's a term that not everyone's familiar with.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: But a social entrepreneur is basically a changemaker, someone who's doing change for the good of all, only just more.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: These are people who are– positively impacting the whole system and who are really changing not just their community, not just their country, but the whole world.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: And basically, what Ashoka realized as they were helping these people, their fellows, they saw that they all started changing things when they were young.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't just start when they were adults.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't just wake up one day and say, hey, you know what?
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: I want to change the world.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: But a good portion of them started when they were young, like I am and like the other young divas are.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: So Bill and the team, they decided that they would try to help support the next generation of changemakers, my generation.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: So now they have this new fellowship, the Ashoka Young Changemakers Fellowship.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: And basically, you get to meet these amazing other young people who are changing the world.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I am so inspired by the other people who are part of the fellowship.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: And you get to have resources and it's just a really amazing opportunity.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: And Ashoka is an amazing organization that I'm lucky to have found.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, a big shout out to them.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we love amazing individuals that are inspiring and mentoring the youth of tomorrow.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, thank you to them and thank you for all that you are doing because I think it's absolutely brilliant.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: I love this idea of the Changemaker folder.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's going to, be that that thing that will help so many individuals out there, you know, achieve those dreams of becoming a social entrepreneur like you are.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: And that kind of leads me back to books for bedtime, I would love for you to share more about your amazing organization, the things that you were doing with that, because there are so many individuals, I think that would love to learn, you know, more in depth of this program that you're doing.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, maybe you can explain to them how they can get involved.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: So we collect new and gently used children's books.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: And we do books pretty much all ages, you know, from little infant books all the way to 12th grade.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: So there's a wide variety of titles because it shouldn't just be the youngest students who get books.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Older students also are lacking the literary materials that they need to really thrive as students.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then we donate these books at all sorts of different organizations and to all sorts of different individuals.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Anyone who really has asked us or requested books, we've been able to give books to, 95,000 books in counting so far since I started it.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: And these books mostly go to schools, homeless shelters, food pantries, and new immigrant organizations as well.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: And that's basically what we do.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then when I give books away, I also make sure that, especially throughout schools, that I inspire the kids by reminding them about how important it is that they read and that they too can, you know, change their community.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: If you see a problem like I did where, you know, kids don't have enough books, then you can take action and you can take measures to try to eliminate the problem to the greatest extent
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: possible.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's what you're doing.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: And to do something like that at such a young age, I know that your mother has been a big inspiration to you in your life.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: And so can you tell us a little bit about her?
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: I always love to put the spotlight on the moms because she sounds like an amazing woman.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yes,
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: definitely.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: My mom is definitely one of my greatest inspirations.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: She is the strongest woman I know.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: And she's a teacher in a really urban school in Columbus, Ohio, kind of where I live.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: And her school, the kids don't have the resources they need.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: They don't have the support network at home that they need to really succeed and to really, you know, help really achieve their dreams and their goals a lot of the time.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: I remember when I was younger, right around when I was 10 at the time because I hadn't quite turned 11, but I was walking in their school library with her, and I saw that there was a bookshelf, and I looked at it, and there was only half the shelf filled with books, just one bookshelf, half filled.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: There couldn't have been more than 200 titles there.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I was looking at it, and I asked her, I said, where are the rest of the books?
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And she responded that that was all they had because they couldn't afford any more.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't have the funding.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: I remember just standing there, just thinking to myself, how could this be that my school could have two full rooms, have two whole rooms just filled completely with new books, all the cool titles, you know, and her school could have that half a shelf with old taped up titles.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: I just, I couldn't imagine that.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: I had never really visualized the differences between her school and my school in such a tangible way before.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I decided that I was going to do something about it.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: And my mom really helped me.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: She really encouraged me to follow my passion once I solved that, once I solved the problem, because that's all that needed to be done.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: She helped me make that a reality, along with the support from my Grammy and my Grampy.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: And, yeah, I was really lucky to have such an important support network.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: And that's very inspiring.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I know that our...
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Our Changemakers tribe that listens to us, you know, I know that they probably have big grins on their faces because they're thinking, oh, my goodness, this is a family too.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: that is very inspiring and they're doing what they believe in.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I love that you've mentioned something that it's hard for you to imagine that, you know, two schools could be completely different.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: And it's kind of one of those things that I don't think a lot of people realize, you know, you think that this is how one thing is.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: And then in reality, it's not necessarily like that everywhere.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I really love, and I want to thank you for, you know, bringing that up on our program because having that awareness, I think is really important in today's society.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's often overlooked just how fortunate some individuals like myself are.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I believe that.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I always hear these inspiring stories about teachers like your mom that are doing extraordinary things and really trying to help their students.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a big shout out to all those amazing teachers.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: amazing teachers out there because it's a hard thing that they're doing and they have hearts of gold.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, we want to definitely thank them so much for being amazing, you know, change makers out there.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: And you are definitely a big part of all that too right now.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, thank you so much, Megan, for that.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: I really appreciate that.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: And another thing that's coming up, which I'm really excited to let all of our listeners know also is that Megan is is a featured young diva in our Young Divas That Care book, our very first in a series of young divas books that are going to be coming out from the Divas That Care.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: And we're really excited to have you in that, Megan.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: And you shared your story quite beautifully in that, and I can't wait for you to see it and all of our listeners today to get a copy of that.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I am so excited.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's really an honor to be featured in such...
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: a really exciting and inspiring book, and I am definitely looking forward to it.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know what?
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: We want to thank you again for being on our program today, Megan.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: You are a beautiful, amazing young changemaker out there, one of our young divas, and we're so excited to have you a part of our diva family.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad that you were able to catch up with us.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: on the program today.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm going to be posting a lot about your Changemakers folders because I absolutely think that's such a brilliant, brilliant idea.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of our listeners are probably thinking right now, how can they get a hold of them and how can they give them out to their young divas out there?
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: Because there is so many individuals that are thinking, okay, I've got these ideas there.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: I want to do this, but they don't know how to get started.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I think what you're offering people is an opportunity.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I just love it.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: And As I said, I'm just beyond grateful that you come up with these amazing things and you're doing the things that you're doing.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm really glad to be part of the family.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: This is really cool.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I can't wait to hear more about the other young divas.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's awesome.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, to all of our listeners out there, you know, make sure that you check out.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: Books for Bedtime.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: I'm going to be posting all of Megan's social media links on our Facebook page, on our LinkedIn and Instagram.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to make sure you check it out.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's an amazing program that she has going.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: Perhaps you can do a program like this in your area.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: Right now, she has 94,165 books donated, and that's a huge feat.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: For someone that started this when she was 11 years old, and she's 16 now.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, my goodness.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: What an inspiration this young lady is to myself and to the others, how they have listened to her first program, well, her first show that she was on here.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: We've had so many amazing people.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: text messages and messages on all of our social media about you, Megan.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: And as I said, I'm just, you know, we're glad to have you back on.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait to have you back on in the future because I know that, as I said, you're only 16.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: I know there's going to be so many more things that you're going to be doing in the future.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I'm definitely not done.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm definitely planning on trying to do some kind of a positive mark on the world.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: So looking forward to that.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Well,
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: you already have.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, and I know you've already done that, and I know you're going to be doing so much.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you again.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: We will have you back on again, and I'm hoping you're going to be on our virtual summit that we're going to be doing for youth empowerment in the future.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: Just give you the details, and I will be there.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: Excellent.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you to all of our amazing people that have been listening to our program.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: You know, 2020 is coming up just around the corner, and that will be marking our 10th year for the Divas That Care.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, thank you so much for everybody that has tuned into our show for the last 10 years.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: We have 11 hosts right now, but in the 2020, we will be having...
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: 20 hosts on our program.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: So we're really excited to introduce them to all of you.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: So make sure that you check them all out at divas that care.com.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you again, Megan.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you to our listeners and make sure that all of you do something kind until next time.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: Take care.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: Bye-bye for now.