Here Come Da Judge

Does anyone out there in the blogosphere recall Laugh-In from the 70's?  I loved that show, and when sitting down to blog about the North South Foundation this past weekend, the 'Judge' segment from Laugh-In came to mind.

On Saturday, 31 March, I was honored to be invited to participate in the North South Foundation's day of 'Bees' at Georgia State University.  The North South Foundation (NSF) is an Indian American 501(c)(3) non-prof which has as one of its main aims the academic nurturing of Indian American children.

My history with the Indian American community began just this past December when I held one of my Fearless Speaker Clinics for the Telugu community and the North America Telugu Society locally in metro Atlanta (NATS).  That Clinic was specifically written for children and teens of Telugu parents.  By contrast the North South Foundation caters to all of those Americans of Indian ancestry and heritage.

I and two other judges graded out the participants of the NSF's Regional Public Speaking Bee.  Divided into two classes, Juniors (grades 6-8) and Seniors (grades 9-12), we were impressed with the ability of these young, would-be orators.  Most impressive to this judge and observer is the dedication of the Indian American community to their children.

The 'Bees' also included competitions in Math and Geography, and the halls of Georgia State University were abuzz (pun intended) with excited children and their devoted parents.  As a community, Indian Americans are fiercely dedicated to the success of their children in American society.  In Judging the Public Speaking Bee, I was greatly encouraged by the performances of the children who had a mere thirty minutes to prepare their 3-minute speech.

Do yourselves a favor and find out if more events such as this one are taking place in your own community.  If not, be the catalyst for the success of the children you know.  It was very satisfying to see a practical demonstration of my presentation, 'Caretakers of the Voice' by the parents and volunteers who provided this forum for these wonderful pre-teens and teenagers, and I will take this experience with me always.

Fearlessly,
JD