PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
My name is Amanda Ebokosia, 26, I am founder and CEO of The Gem Project, Inc. and freelance writer for various publications on topics of leadership, empowerment, and women issues.
The Gem Project, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that develops educational enrichment programs that hone leadership skills for youth and young adults, which address youth affairs and issues of their communities.Our focus is primarily the ages between 4-25, our programs involve: public speaking & debate workshops, lecture series, awareness luncheons/seminars, college campus marches, traveling awareness exhibits, and more.
Currently we do our programs through different participating sites which include schools, youth centers, colleges, and community centers.
We do a bulk of programs in Newark, NJ and are expanding to other areas by need.
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Scholarship benefit to aid Dunrobin Primary School in Jamaica! One of our favorite events. |
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON YOUR CURRENT PATH?
This project first developed during my sophomore year at Rutgers University - Newark. In the Fall, I found out that my mother was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, fortunately she is a survivor. The start of 2006, I looked into how cancer affected youth. I knew then, I wanted to create something that was informative and inspired my peers to act. I did not want to create a breast cancer foundation-- So, I had an idea to address youth affairs in ways that were both creative and engaging through the development of various programs centered on leadership building, team-work, and self-expression.
We started our first program then, which was called, "The Gem Project Benefit Photo Shoot." The program involved having a photo shoot that would bring awareness to an issue that youth were concerned about. The photos generated, featured young adults holding up boards, which displayed facts about the present cause.We enlarged these photos life-size and entered them as a traveling awareness exhibit, going to different schools, including
Rutgers University and New Jersey Institute of Technology at the time.
It started out as a a single idea, that sprouted out to other ideas, which were then implemented as the programs we have today.
The Gem Project's vision is to create more purposeful enlightened leaders. We believe in fostering growth in the critical stages of life when self-awareness and developing a personal identity is more of a concern.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
People--- and at the root, life. People can create impact. "Impact" means different things for different people. I see impact as the ability to move and change something--anything. It could even be the ability to make someone else crack a smile. When you view impact as that, you can see that it is powerful.
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| http://amandaebokosia.com/2012/08/11/the-rug-underneath-our-feet/ |
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO MAKE A LIVING BY BEING YOUR
AUTHENTIC, CREATIVE SELF?
I am a freelance writer. I write for various online publications on topics that relate to what I am most passionate about. Most of the topics I currently right for are centered on Leadership and Women issues. I am using my writing as a way to strengthen my values and also branch outside into other projects. I do speaking engagements and recently developed a 12 week curriculum on Topics of Leadership. It is partially based off of books like, The Leadership Challenge, 7 Habits of Highlight Effective People, and Basic Black.
August 1, 2012, I held a free introductory class at the NCC Adult Learning Center in Newark, NJ. We discussed the 6 leadership Styles and 5 types of exemplary leadership and two games that involved finding solutions from different problems with leadership.
I plan on having the first session this Fall, starting mid-September.
I'm currently performing free introductory course into leadership for the month of August.
For information about that, you may e-mail: contact@amandaebokosia.com.
WHAT NEW PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON?
We have spent the summer looking for new talent and consolidating some of our programs and making them better. We are planning a summit that well attract thought leaders in February 2013.
The goal is to strengthen people as leaders and empower them to be who they are destined to be.
HOW CAN PEOPLE GET INVOLVED and SUPPORT YOUR VISION?
We're always looking for volunteers and people to join our team. We can be reached, project@thegemproject.org or call: 973-506-9275.
People can fill out volunteer forms at:
http://thegemproject.org/
Join us on social media at:
http://twitter.com/thegemproject
http://facebook.com/thegemproject
http://pinterest.com/thegemproject
We're also on Linkedin too.
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