Welcome ! Education Pays – Get Yours is a pilot social marketing campaign targeting youth in the Mt. Pleasant, Slavic Village and Central neighborhoods of Cleveland, Ohio. The campaign started in December 2008 and is moving into its' final phase. You may have seen Education Pays-Get Yours billboards, bus signs, radio and tv ads, posters distributed by our street teams, etc. As part of the final push at promoting the importance of education we have established web blogs for each neighborhood. These social networking tools will give residents an opportunity to discuss the campaign and the importance of getting an education.

Mark C. Batson
Executive Director
PolicyBridge, Inc.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Blog Buddy -- Multi Media Artist/Illustrator: Larry L. Tinsley (Part 2)

What does a Multi Media Artist/Illustrator need?

Education
*Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
*Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH
*Willoughby School of Fine Arts, Willoughby, OH
*Cooper School of Art, Cleveland, OH
*John F. Kennedy High School, Cleveland, OH

Computer Skills
*Microsoft Word & PowerPoint
*Photoshop
*Illustrator
*Corel Draw
*Mud Box 3D

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Blog Buddy -- Multi Media Artist/Illustrator: Larry L. Tinsley (Part 1)



What does a Multi Media Artist/Illustrator do?

*Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type

*Use computer software to generate new images

*Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork

*Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depicting objects in motion or illustrating a process, using a computer animation or modeling program

*Make objects or characters appear lifelike by manipulating light, color, texture, shadow, and transparency, or manipulating static images to give the illusion of motion

*Apply story development, create storyboards that show the flow of the animation and map out key scenes and characters
Confer with clients, editors, writers, art directors, and other interested parties regarding the nature and content of artwork to be produced

*Submit preliminary or finished artwork or project plans to clients for approval, incorporating changes as necessary

*Maintain portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests and abilities

Come back next week to learn more about Multi Media Art anad Larry Tinsley!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Blog Buddy--PolicyBridge Chairman: Randell McShepard (Part 2)

I would be remiss if I did not also mention that education pays in many ways that go well above and beyond a paycheck or financial status. An educated citizenry elects and holds accountable high caliber elected officials. An educated citizenry challenges school districts to be culturally competent and outcome driven. An educated citizenry also develops new solutions to old problems and does not wait for the proverbial “calvary” to come and save them….they save themselves. Therefore, I contend that the stakes are too high for our city, our region and our nation to miss the boat on the importance of educating our future generations. A failure to do so will not only erode the economic tax base of our community, but it will also unravel the social fabric that has kept our communities resilient and progressive for decades.

Simply put, education is the gift that keeps on giving. Let’s help our kids to receive and utilize the most important gift they could ever hope for.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Mark C. Batson

I worked throughout most of my high school years. I realized then that I needed to get a high school diploma and a college degree in order to be able to get a better job than those I had worked in high school. Make no mistake, those jobs paid good money for a single person living with their parents in high school or recent high school graduate, but they really were not enough for me to live alone and buy my own car. Therefore, I went to college. I have had much better job opportunities with much greater salaries since I received my college degree. You'll have choices to make too starting right now. I hope you choose the path of better opportunities and high salaries like I did.

Best of luck with your career,

Mark C. Batson
Executive Director
PolicyBridge, Inc.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Blog Buddy--PolicyBridge Chairman: Randell McShepard (Part 1)

Much has been written by PolicyBridge and many other sources about the economic impact that education can have on a person’s life and/or livelihood. It has been reported, by example, that a person with a bachelor’s degree earns approximately $1 million dollars more over the course of their career than someone with a high school diploma. As I personally grew up in a blue collar environment, and now work in a white collar position, I understand clearly that both can provide the means necessary to take care of a family and to be a contributing member of society. However, what is troubling for minority communities in this current day and age is that the blue collar experiences of the past have led many to what I refer to as a “false sense of confidence” about the opportunities that the current market has to offer. Blue collar jobs of yester-year in areas such as automobile manufacturing plants and steel mills are forever gone. Resultantly, jobs today require knowledge versus a strong back. Hence the campaign – Education Pays – Get Yours!

Come back next week to hear more from Randell McShepard.

Monday, August 3, 2009

grand Prize for Young Blogger -- Computer !

A lucky 10 to 13 year old from Slavic Village, Mt. Pleasant, or the Central Neighborhoods of Cleveland, will win  a Computer and Printer.  All you have to do is contribute the most combined posts,  comments, drawings, music, and photos.


Grand Prize: 

Dell Dimension with Windows XP.  Harman Kardan Speakers.  LexMark Printer.  Used but in perfect working condition.   Deadline September 1st.  


Hickman Media Consultants  is donating the computer system to further the Education Pays goals of PolicyBridge and it’s neighborhood partners.   


Tell your friends .  Check put this blog every day for more prizes for Best Post, Best  Comment, Best Photos, Best Original Video, Best Original Music.  All contributions subject to release form signed by parents.  Click the comment line below this post and request a form sent to your parent's email address.  

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Chet Mason Celebrity Basketball Game

The Education Pays - Get Yours team had another great time supporting the Chet Mason Celebrity Basketball game at the Zelma George Recreation Center in Mt. Pleasant. Chet Mason is from the Mt. Pleasant area and plays professional basketball in Europe. Each year he sponsors a celebrity basketball game to support his community. The Education Pays - Get Yours team along with CoCo and the Z 107.9 hype team encouraged the crowd and participants keep the youth focused on education. As you know going back to school is right around the corner!

Pictures will be posted on the website soon and watch for our interviews and halftime speeches on Village TV and City of Cleveland Television!

Attendees could get in for free if they brought school supplies or canned goods. Everyone had a wonderful time and thanks go out to Garnett and Arlette the Zelma George Recreation Center Managers. Also, a special thanks goes to Kim Johnson, City of Cleveland Director of Parks and Recreation and Mayor Jackson for supporting Education Pays - Get Yours programs in City of Cleveland Recreation Centers throughout the summer.

Next up for Mt. Pleasant is a formula for success writing workshop for kids 12-18 at the Zelma George Recreation Center on August 6th at 1:30pm.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Blog Buddy--Author, Activist: Felix Sirls (Part 1)

I had written about my father, one of those school assignments; a thousand words or less. I wrote on how I had lived in foster homes and was forced to run away from home living on the streets and feeling safer on the streets than at home. Well the teacher asked me where I had copied the work from. I wanted to slap her in the mouth. Its like a black kid could not think or write anything. I was called into the counselors office, the counselor read my essay, looked me in the eye and told me to never stop writing. Those words shocked me, I had been ready to act out kick and scream shout out hateful words. I sat there in shock, someone had seen me, felt me, knew I was alive. This man told me he was proud of me as he handed me my paper with an A on it. I did not skip school that day nor for non I can remember after. That counselor had given me back my pride and helped me grow a little by his words.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Welcome from Program Coordinator

Welcome, I am so excited to begin this dialogue with you. As the Program Coordinator this initiative is extremely valuable to me. Education is one of the most vital and fundamental elements to being successful. The value of education has deep roots for me. My parents made sure that I received the best education that they could provide. As it has often been said, “my parents didn’t play when it came to school.” I remember how hard they pushed me to do well and demanded that I brought home good grades. My mom once said, “that it was her job to go to work and take care of me, and the only job that I had was to go to school.” That has stayed with me and has been the source of my success. I faced many challenges that could have disrupted my path. The biggest one was becoming a mother my sophomore year in high school. Nevertheless, I was determined to give my child all that I had and more. I knew I could not do this without an education. Therefore, I completed high school, went to college and will be graduating with a Master’s Degree this August. Many of you will face the same challenges and more but there is always hope. With dedication, inspiration, role models, and motivation you too can be a success.

There is promise in grooming thinkers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and scholars. Education Pays – Get Yours is an initiative that champions that promise. Not only do we want our children to know how imperative an education is to their lives but we also want to send that message to the community at large. We welcome your comments, suggestions, and feedback. We want to know what your challenges are and what inspires you. In addition please check the website, www. policy-bridge.org/educationpays , for more information and activities.
Let’s Talk!!!

Sincerely,
Ashley R. Evans
Program Coordinator
PolicyBridge Inc.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Welcome From Blog Publisher

Welcome to the Education Pays Get Yours blog for Mt. Pleasant  
This is YOUR  blog where you can talk with friends, encourage one another, learn cool stuff,  meet successful people.  

We encourage you to post pictures, video and audio.  If you want to know how to use the various features of this blog just click on the comment link below my blog posts and I  will get right back to you.  We also invite you to help in managing these blogs.  We need writers, artists, camera, sound recorders and video people if you wish to volunteer. 

We would love to hear your comments to any post so you can click comment below a particular post and tell us what think about Education Pays Get Yours.  

Cec
Blog Publisher

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Hello, kids. I am a career journalist. My second worst education move was playing around in high school and getting low grades. I remember selling encyclopedias door-to-door one summer (ugh ! ) when I ran into a guy who offered me a paying job as a copyboy for the Kansas City Star Newspaper. It jumped started my career as a reporter and I later went on to teach at some of the top journalism schools in the country. What is the lesson here?