Up with People Cast B 2010 On Tour

Last Saturday was a big day for Cast B 2010, as we had our first show!

When the show came to an end and the cast, in their colorful costumes, made their last movement on stage, three year old Nathaniel kept swaying and nodding his head. “I like the show very much,” he said, “ and I can also dance.” His brother Andrew was also very satisfied with the show. Their mom Kathy is currently hosting three female cast members. After being invited to the stage to dance along, she said: “My girls did a great job and the interaction with the audience was so good!”

Another audience member, named Eleana, said the following about the show: “The vocals and dancing were very nice, but even looking at the simple things like the costume changes or just feeling the students their smile is a beautiful thing.” In general the audience was really happy with the show and so were the students performing on stage.

Aurora [Arizona, USA] was a somewhat extraordinary audience member. For her the big day consisted of watching the show, since she had hurt her foot a few days ago. However, although she felt sorry that she wasn’t able to perform on stage with her fellow cast members, she was incredibly impressed with the production. She also came to think about how well organized the rehearsals were. “It’s amazing how strong the show was, when you look at the short amount of time we’ve had to learn everything,” she says. Finally, she said jokingly: “Actually, in the end I’m almost glad I was injured because it gave me the opportunity to watch the show and see how great we did.”

Another aspect of the show is the audience interaction. During songs like ‘Get Up’ and ‘Viral Hope’ students come down the stage and into the audience to dance together. Linus [Sweden] who danced and sang amongst them put it simple but clear: “The audience was great!” Carlos [California, USA] added: “The energy that the crowd gave was really good!” and he followed saying, “There is definitely room for improvement, but I think it went very well for our first show!

Michael [Belgium], who was also a member of Cast A 2010, states that he believes the show went very well, even better and more powerful than last semester. “It’s funny, but that’s always kind of what happens; it’s just that final rush and for some reason… we just do it!” he exclaims.

Other students uttered the following things: “This was the first time I was part of a show. It’s the best feeling to be on stage with so many people together!” Line [Denmark] “For me the first show is not only about the result of the performance, it’s about us as a cast working together and giving everything we have in rehearsals to finally get to that point as a group.” Dru [Minnesota, USA] “I felt the show was great because everyone was so enthusiastic and full of energy, which I didn’t always feel during the rehearsals. I think we became a real team. It was awesome!” Sari [Japan]

Overall, there was a very joyful atmosphere, which could be felt in the house during the show as well as afterwards in the lobby. This was definitely a beautiful and memorable day and many students and host families decided to try and capture the moment for later by taking many pictures. However, even without taking any pictures, we all know for sure that this day will be an everlasting memory.

written by Belinda He [China] and Pieter Gyssels [Belgium]

pictures by Marjo Yli-Koski [Finland] and Sonja Drescher [Germany]

Last week we had an educational workshop in which we discussed the “barcodes” that we sometimes label people with and the value of recognizing and breaking down those stereotypes. We considered how we naturally categorize people by their country, race, age,… and even how our perceptions might influence our opinions on individuals when we first meet them.

We talked about the general, cultural and personal stereotypes everyone has. First, big sheets of paper were hung in the room on which the name of a country was written. We were then supposed to jot down the first thing that came to mind. Obviously, this led to some very interesting assumptions people make about certain cultures.

We ended the workshop by shifting to a more personal level. Every cast member was asked to identify themselves through four tags they could label themselves with. Eventually we asked everyone to share a few statements they would make about themselves, each time using the same sentence structure. Here are some examples:

I am shy, but I am not distant. – Carlos [California, USA]

I am positive but I am not always happy. – Marjo [Finland]

I am a Nebraskan, but I am not a farmer! – Evan [Nebraska, USA]

I am a listener, but I am not quiet. – Sonja [Germany]

I am introverted, but I am not shy or snobby. – Sarah [New York, USA]

I am a dancer, but I am not a dancer. – Taariq [Bermuda]

I am a wrestler, but I am not a monster. – Joelle [California, USA]

I am a horseback rider, but I am not a snobbish person. – Charly [Germany]

I am set in my ways, but I am not close-minded. – Dillon [South Dakota, USA]

I am alone, but I am not lonely. – Pieter [Belgium]

I am confident, but I am not arrogant. – Brooke [Colorado, USA]

I am Swedish, but I am not blonde and blue-eyed. – Annicka [Sweden]

I am a woman, but I am not a feminist… I am an equalist. – Laura Lynn [Nebraska, USA]

It was a very interesting session in which we learned a lot about others and about ourselves. Furthermore, it was great to see how all of our cultures were different, yet the same. This is something we realize more and more everyday. Moreover, we managed to create our own respectful Up with People culture, a culture close to our hearts.

written by Ellen Enebo [Minnesota, USA] and Pieter Gyssels [Belgium]

Only two weeks have gone by since we met for the first time. Yet, it didn’t take us long to become one strong group and now we proudly call ourselves Cast B 2010. Like every strong group, we have a strong leader who will guide us through the next twenty weeks. His name tag says Cast Manager, his name is David Penny, but we just call him “Dave”.

Although Dave is always very busy, we were lucky enough to get ten valuable minutes of his time. We decided to bombard him with questions, which led to the following interview.

When we ask Dave how he feels about the dynamics of this cast, he answers: “The Cast is great! There is a ton of energy. And I feel like everyone is determined to have a great time the next six months.” He also tells us that he loves to be part of all the workshops, so he can just spend some time with the cast and get to know everyone.

He is especially amazed by what he calls “the power of Up with People”. This is how he describes it: “We all have our different backgrounds, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. We are all people. Everyone brings their different cultures together to share with each other, so we can all learn from it.”

“Education will save us all.”

His favorite quote is: “To roam the roads of lands remote, to travel is to live.” by Hans Christian Andersen and his favorite book is ‘On the Road’ by Jack Kerouac. About this he says: “I like those because I choose a lifestyle of traveling. For me, traveling opens my eyes and gives me an adventurous spirit.” He also thinks it’s a great way of learning and this is one of his major passions.

In fact, before joining Up with People, Dave was a teacher and this is the career he would like to return to afterwards. In the meantime this is his third year working for Up with People. He was subsequently Admissions Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Education Manager and eventually Cast Manager. However, whatever the title says, Dave believes that every staff member has the position of an educator.

When you go take a look at his Cast Member Profile, you find the following phrase: “Education will save us all”. According to him “education can give us what we need” and in his particular case it is what he lives for. All we know is that we are very proud to have a Cast Manager like Dave and we know for sure that he is someone we can learn a lot from. And after this interview we are definitely “determined to have a great time the next six months”!

Thank you, Dave.

written by Pieter Gyssels [Belgium]

interview by Belinda He [China] and Stephanie Valenzuela [Arizona, USA]

pictures by Evan Miller [Nebraska, USA] and Marjo Yli-Koski [Finland]

We are a group of 98 international members from 19 countries. We are from Bangladesh, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Slovakia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Our cast consists of 66 students, 15 road staff members and 17 promotion representatives, working side by side to make this the best possible semester ever.

We are Cast B 2010

We all came together on the 9^th of July to embark on a 22-week journey all over the world. We will travel all over the United States of America, visiting very different places from the Hopi nation to Los Angeles and New York to Washington DC. We will make a stop in fascinating Taiwan and will end our tour in beautiful and warm Mexico. In all those countries we will do community service and perform shows, impacting thousands of people.

“All of us want to bring the same message of hope and peace to the world.”

Some of us came right out of high school, several just graduated from college and others are taking a break in between. Furthermore, we also have cast members who decided to continue their education here in Up with People while gaining credit for their college. Another part of us consists of people who were working before they decided to join us. Therefore, we have nurses, teachers, technicians, physical therapists, performers, event planners, truck drivers, waiters and so much more on our team.

We are Cast B 2010

Together we master 17 languages: Bengali, Danish, Dutch, English, Filipino, Finnish, French, Flemish, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Norwegian, Portuguese, Slovak, Swedish and Spanish. This helps us to communicate with people all over the world and build bridges of understanding, yet we believe in the international language of music as a way to connect with everyone. We also represent all major religions of the world and each one of us has a different political standpoint. Some of us came to do primarily community service, others wanted to perform, but all of us wanted to learn: about the world, about different cultures, about each other, about ourselves.

We are Cast B 2010

However different we may be; with all the various cultures we bring; whatever purpose we have for being here… all of us want to bring the same message of hope and peace to the world. We want to contribute our talent, our time, our passion to this experience, so we, as Cast B 2010, can bring this world together.

We are Cast B 2010

written by Pieter Gyssels [Belgium]

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Make sure to check out our personal Cast Member Profiles!

drawing by Shawna Reed [Pennsylvania, USA]

Student Forum in Mexico

Friday: 4 of June 2010

Cast A 2010 had their third student forum this semester. It was their first one in Mexico with UVM Students in Toluca, which all speak more or less English. The topic was beliefs and inspiration.

Around 9 o’clock the students arrived, they kept coming in, more and more at every minute. At the end we had among 200 Mexican students in an awesome room filled with flags from all over and pictures of people with a world t-shirt. What better atmosphere could we get?

We started with dancing and mingling around, which was orchestrated by Henry from Belgium. After that we did one of my favorite games called International Trivia. For the ones, who have no idea: Someone asks questions about countries and everyone else answers true or false by putting their hand on their head or stomach. When you are wrong, you sit down. For example: Costa Rica is an island? True/ False  False; it is next to Nicaragua and Panama.

Next we had a presentation about Viva la Gente. Fortunately it was in Spanish, so I could improve my not yet existing Spanish. We were unaware that some of the students could not speak English, this made Dave and Hans shiver. They did a good job at hiding it. They entered the stage bumping the opening part of the song “Hustlin” by Rick Ross. After their incredible entrance Dave talked about beliefs. We all got 9 phrases to fill out a space, which we answered for ourselves and then discussed in smaller random groups. Some questions consisted of:

Humans are on earth because…

Our purpose on being here is to…

If we succeed, … happens

The good and bad things that happen on earth are the consequences of…

I was surprised by how deep some of the student’s answers were, this made me think if mine were right or wrong. My conclusion is this activity was a personal reflection; there is no right or wrong answer. But it is good to understand what others believe. This is just a small step in bring the world together, acceptance and tolerance for different beliefs is so important.

To shake things up a bit we now move onto Hans. He started with showing us 7 youtube clips about inspiration. Some of them made me and as far as I could see other people around me Goosebumps. One was about Lance Armstrong and his career and struggles with cancer. His phrase: Just do it. If you want to have more information about the other clips, just write a comment and ask.

I learned the definition of Inspire:  to fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

Hans shared some personal stories about inspiration as well as a general overview of what it means to inspire. He challenged us all to find ways to inspire people, from learning to try something new, or to do something fun. After our discussion, we then moved into groups.

Back in the groups, we had the task to create a skit that inspires in 1 min. We were given 30 minutes to create this skit (lets call them sketches). In the end they came out really funny and inspiring. One that I liked most was the group that did toe taping on stage and suddenly Helena (Norway) runs on stage and does an awkward chicken dance. The others are shocked and move away from her like she has a disease. Suddenly, they were inspired and got in a chicken dance formation. All of the groups had some kind of dancing which made it funny and inspired us to loosen up and be ridiculous.

To end the activities with a BANG! We recorded a video everyone screaming “VIVA LA GENTE!” and then dancing to a Russian Song (Which you can see on our Youtube.com/uwpontour).

The morning was awesome. I had so much fun in learning about the Mexican culture and about their lives, beliefs and ways of inspiring. I love the energy in Mexico and their love for live. I had fun learning about other’s beliefs and how they relate to my own. I learned tolerance and acceptance is key to making my world, OUR world, a better place.

-A compilation of the things that were said during Cast A 2010′s tour. Compiled by Annie Matthews, Education Coordinator, A10

People think we are shy, but Japanese observe how people are thinking and feeling then we decide what to say. We listen…but we are not shy. – Yukari and Juri (Barcodes Workshop)

I am sensitive but I am not weak – Maurine (Barcode’s Workshop)

To reduce stereotypes it would take each individual to take their own time to figure out that what you see is not all that there is. – Marco (Barcodes Workshop)

At some point you have to make a decision. Take a risk and don’t look back at it. – Connie Proulx (Leadership Round Table)

Think to yourself: What is your talent? What is your passion? What are you doing to do to make an impact? When you think of it that way, your course might just open up for you. – Janice Rooney (Leadership Round Table)

You can’t be somebody you hope to be. You have to be who you are – Chris Mygatt (Leadership Roundtable)

If you’re going to do something, spending your time that you’ll never get back then actually do it! Commit. Jump on in. Both feet. – Dave Penny (first cast meeting)

I saw the ability of young people to do in the future what governments find difficult to do. To walk through borders, to see through race, color, religion, and creed…and to urge understanding among all the people of the world – J Blanton Belk (History of UWP)

One thing that has never changed about UWP is the intangible coolness of what we do everyday—Eric Lentz (History of UWP)

Goals are dreams with a deadline- Jasmine (SMART goal setting worksop)

Help International started with just a dream. A dream of just one person… and I’m just as normal as any of you. – Jean Kaye (Founder of Help International)

Some people are never told they can change the world. YOU can change the world. You should know that. You have your entire life ahead of you. You can change the world. You need to know that. I believe it from the depths of my soul”– Dave Penny

The key to our job is we have to be able to see things from other people’s eyes. People are people no matter where they are from. – Daniel Wordsworth (President and CEO of American Refugee Committee)

You can either be the architect of your life, or you can have life happen to you….Why would you want a job, when you could have a life. If you are your best when doing something that you love then why would you ever do anything else? If you are most energized doing something then build your life around that! 1 year, 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days. Time you can’t get back. Do what you love with that time.– Paul Whitaker

What surprised me a lot is that the little kids help us pick up the river. Pick up dirty trash with no gloves, no shoes, nothing. Yes, we are there but we have gloves and shoes and sunglasses and we get to go home and shower shower shower… but these kids are smiling just to help us. – Coco (Cast Meeting in Manila about time at the Pasig River)

There is so much to do and I have to know that I am not going to be able to change everything. But one thing I realize is that they are changing me and that’s part of what I’m here for. One thing I’m going to do is keep on pushing even more and just let my eyes continue to be open. –Toni (Cast Meeting in Manila on Smokey Mountain)

Its not up to us to solve all of the issues. It’s up to us to let people know what is actually going on – Ian (Cast meeting in Manila on poverty in the Philippines)

On May 10th,  Cast A traveled from Yuma, Arizona to Mexicali, Mexico to begin the third and final leg of their semester long world tour!  They will be touring for 5 weeks through 5 different cities in Mexico including, Mexicali, Navajoa, Tlaxcala, Toluca, and ending in Mexico City.

For many it’s their first time in the country, others have been before, and some call it home!  Here are some of their initial thoughts and reactions about their first week in Mexico.

People are very polite and family oriented.  They use tortillas instead of bread.  So far I’ve had it everyday! – Linn from Norway

I love the people!  Everyone is so caring and wants to do everything for you.  They really let you be one in the family and you get to meet everyone, the grandmother, the cousins, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts.  It’s really cool! – Veronica from Sweden

The people are very nice and friendly.  I like spicy food, but I  don’t like taco’s and tortillas.  When we get into Mexico, I realized that this is our last country and the program is going to end soon, sad.  – Lu Yu from China

I am back home, meeting new people!  Realizing what I like about my country and what we have to work on.  Excited to see and get to know new places in my country! – Tono from Mexico

I never thought people could be so welcoming no matter who you are.  I’ve learned that when you’re in a Latin family you’re in it for life. – R.J. from The United States

When I first came I was nervous, especially because I was roomed alone.  But I was hosted with a wonderful family! – Candy from Bermuda

It’s my first time in Mexico!  Even when the people can’t speak English, there’s always a way to communicate and they help you learn Spanish.  So much good food everywhere and all the time! – Christine from Germany

Well being my first time here in Mexico I was not sure what to expect.  I found a new family and had some excellent hot sauce.  With Mexicali being a border town, it had a lot of similarities with the U.S.  But there was still a lot to learn.  I can’t wait to see what I find and learn, as we get deeper into Mexico! – Tiffany from Hope Tribe, The United States

I love the people, culture and food!  I love conversing in Spanish and helping my family with their English. – Megan from The United States

I was surprised to find out how similar it is to the Philippines, but at the same time being similar to the United States, it was a nice surprise.  My last host family was so welcoming and happy to have me that at one point I didn’t know what to do. – Taariq from Bermuda

I’ve realized how similar Mexico is to my country in so many ways.  Many stereotypes were completely shattered.  I love my host family, and I see how alike we are.  Looking at Mexico through the border had me questioning the “necessity” for a giant fence meant to separate.  – Jasmine from The United States

I was really excited to meet my first host family.  I enjoy my time here and I love the food and I have never watched so much soccer in my life! Viva Mexico!  When I return home I am going to learn Spanish and come back for a visit! – Lance from The Hopi Tribe, The United States

Excitement!  I’m excited to meet new people.  My host family was one of the nicest I’ve had, and I’m very excited about the food.  I was looking forward to Mexican food again, and still am! – Sean from The United States

Mexico is my favorite country.  The food is great, the people are so amazing and I think Spanish is the prettiest language.  I am excited to see more of Mexico and I already can’t wait to come back! – Frankie from Canada

Hope you enjoyed hearing about some of our students initial thoughts on Mexico!  More to come soon!

A perspectives blog written about the performance aspect of the Up with People program

Written by: Allison Hall

Before I came to Up with People, I knew that I probably wouldn’t like doing the show, but it was something that I was willing to try and maybe I would learn to enjoy it.  I had no previous experience in performing, except the Harriet Tubman play in 5^th grade, which didn’t go so well for me.

During staging, it was very hard because it was so much of the show. It was dancing and singing… all the time. The first show was exciting because, well it was our first show. After that, the show and rehearsals just became a pain.  All I was doing in the show was bringing the microphone for the soloist. I shouldn’t be complaining about it because I definitely can’t sing or dance, so I am glad there are those people that do like and are good at it. I tried to make the mic moving fun.

When we were at Forest Homes Camp in California, we had ‘expression session’ where we could show the cast our talents. Usually I would have never even thought about doing anything, but this time I pushed myself to do something even though I don’t have any performing talents.  I sang a song and attempted to ‘play’ the guitar.  It wasn’t a serious song or anything and it was just for fun but after it was done, I was so proud of myself for doing it! Being in the show and being in front of an audience so many times helped me gain confidence in myself to do something like that.

Written by: Breton Shepherd

For me, music and performance is something that I’ve grown up with and known from a young age.  I’ve participated in various choirs, taken private lessons, performed in instrumental ensembles in high school and was so much of a part of my life I even studied music in college.  One of my biggest passions in life is to play music and to perform.  I’ve played drums in the Up with People show for the last year.  No matter how many shows I’ve played in, I still get the sense of excitement as if it’s still the first one.

At the end of the semester I will be returning to Nebraska Wesleyan University to finish my last year of studies in Communication.  I think my background prior to coming to Up with People has helped me to shape a different perspective on what I think the show means and how it can be applied to the Up with People experience.

No matter your experience in performance before the Up with People program, I believe that most of us are already experienced performers to varying degrees.  I look at it as we go about our everyday lives performing.  For me, performing isn’t a word that is limited to doing a show or involving music.  Performing is something we do on a normal everyday basis.  It’s the way we present ourselves in front of people, whether that be at a job interview, a meeting or just casual conversation, it’s how we communicate to other people.  Just like critics who critique and rate shows, people are always judging our performance as we carry out our lives.  In that way, I see performing as something we just do.

The cool thing about the Up with People program is that the show aspect gives students the opportunity to practice those skills.  Whether or not you gain musical skills at the end of the 5 months, I think the most important thing that a student can take away is the skills to be able to stand on stage in front of 500 to 3000 people and present themselves with confidence.  I truly believe that the participants in the program will have a huge step up on others when applying for jobs and in other aspects of their social lives because they have the confidence and ability to stand in front of all those people and perform, whatever that may performance may be.  No matter if you have a solo or you rock it night after night doing cast movement, I think the most important things are the skills you’ve gained from doing something that you may or may not ever have felt comfortable doing.

The show is an amazing thing and a powerful tool in the Up with People experience.  For those who do dance, and sing and play instruments it helps develop musicianship skills, vocal ability, dancing and the list goes on.  But more so, for everyone on stage and specifically the people who come to Up with People for reasons other than the show, it helps build confidence, helps make you comfortable on a stage in front of crowds of people and helps develops some of the most important life skills that will take you greater places in your life.

Dear readers,

My name is Breton Shepherd, together with Brandon Serna, Shawna Reed and our Blog Assistants, Caitlin Stroup and Emily Sealy, we are managing the Up with People blog throughout the rest of the semester.  We have an exciting 3 1/2 weeks coming up as we finish out our tour through Mexico.  We have some fun things planned, but YOU are the audience and we would love to hear what you want to read from our travel blog.  We would love feedback about the blog, for this semester as well as future semesters, and want to hear your ideas for future topics and stories you would enjoy reading!  Please feel free to send an e-mail to myself, Breton or Brandon with any comments!

Breton – bshepherd@upwithpeople.org

Brandon – bserna@upwithpeople.org

We appreciate you coming and checking out our blog!  Please keep checking back for new posts and if you enjoy the blog don’t forget to share the blog link, www.uwpontour.org, with all your friends and family!!

Much love,
Breton Shepherd and the UWP blog team!