Transcripts For LINKTV France 24 20160531

Crimes against humanity. Violence erupt it six years ago that left more than 3000 dead. Also coming up this hour, when angola was booming when investors poured in. With the collapse in oil prices, many are struggling. Of aay be just side shy of 74, the Paul Mccartney still knows how to put on a show. First, our top story, live from paris. There are more headaches for travelers here in france today, and what could be several days to come. Most of the train and plane strikes are linked to the controversial labor reform the french government is trying to push through, and the timing could not be worse. Football hosting the tournament in 10 days time. Our correspondent has more a war of wills between the french Prime Minister and the head of the french labor union. Both are vowing they will not back down. The governments vowing to put in place what looks like a strategy it has been negotiating when in one oneonone with different sectors. On tuesday, the countrys petition minister described his ongoing talks with aviation unions this way. We are continuing to negotiate and hope that there will unions that will get on board with us. Those who are most in line with us. For weeks the government has been trying to find middle ground with aviation units and air france. Unions representing the National Rail service are helping in gearing up the strike. Garment treatment centers, and employees of oil refineries. They are all in talks with elysees. It gets Francois Molins some wiggle room. Molins somefrancois would go room. It gives francois ho llande some wiggle room. Same goes for researchers. After the government promised additional funding. Finally, the education sector. It is deep in talks over a 1 billion packet that would raise teacher salaries across the board. Digging deep into the state pockets to make sure that the labor reforms are in the bag. Genie if your travel plans are bringing you through france in the coming days, stay tuned. Our business editor, stephen carroll, will be in at 15 past the hour to talk about what is working and what is not. Isiraq, where the iraqi army pushing its way into fallujah, trying to take it back from the Islamic State group that has held it for over two years. 50,000 civilians are still trapped inside, and there are fears the i. S. Could use them as human shields. Julia kim has more. Julia a blast of fire from the sky. Area strikes from the arial strikes provided cover as the iraqi army made it to the southern edge of fallujah on monday. The army leading the assault is transporting the counterterrorism units to what they say will be a decisive battle with Islamic State group. The counterterrorism troops, along with other armed forces and anbar police, have started pushing into fallujah. Violent clashes took place on the outskirts of fallujah. The clashes are still ongoing. God willing, the battle will be settled soon. We will try to evacuate all civilians from inside the city safely. Managedcivilians have to flee, but around 50,000 residents are still trapped in fallujah, deprived of food and drinking water. Held by theeen Islamic State group for more than two years. We have survived on barley bread because there is no food. There is no medicine, too. Theallujah has been under Islamic State groups control since january of 2014. The iraq he army has joined forces with the shia militias to take the city back. Thousands of sunni residents are trapped in fallujah. Shiite forces say they will only be targeting the hundreds of Islamic State Group Fighters still holed up in the city with nowhere to run. Fallujah is one of those comajor cities in iraq still jihadists. Losing it would be a huge loss for the Islamic State group. Genie local officials in afghanistan say the taliban shot dead at least nine people and kidnapped 170 more. The militants put people off buses they were traveling in. Government forces later freed most of the abducted passengers, but around 20 people are still being held. In israel, the ultranationalist lieberman has been sworn in as the new defense minister, leaving israel with the most rightwing government in its history. The choice of the hardline lieberman is causing alarm with those with more modern with more moderate views, and it has been openly questioned by the united states. It took two weeks of negotiating, but lieberman has joined the coalition. The hardline nationalist becomes the nations minister of defense, in a strong position to back benjamin netanyahu. Bringing lieberman into the government iss a matter of internal political calculation, to tighten netanyahu upon us need to tighten the coalition. Until now, he was at the mercy of the slightest affection. Lieberman himself is known for incendiary remarks about arabs and his views have created widespread controversy. His new job will see him andrvising Israeli Forces palestinian territory, but not in yahoo said the Peace Process is still on the agenda. Arabmin netanyahu the Peace Initiative includes positive elements that can help revive constructive negotiations with the palestinians. Among those negotiations those negotiations will be moving ahead without either side for the time being. One of precise of the kind which lieberman has been easily been extremely hostile. Genie african news now. The former first lady of ivory coast is on trial for crimes against humanity. Simone gbagbo has been handed a 20year jail sentence for her role in the postelection violence six years ago that left more than 3000 dead. For more now, lets bring in our correspondent. What is happening there right now . Has the trial officially begun . Gbagbo justone entered the courtroom. She did not look as weak and tired as she did those coweeks ago. Some charges against her, persecuted for crimes against humanity. It means that the prosecution is going to try to prove her crisis oft into the 2010 and 2011, where 3000 people here were killed. She knows we know that she was part of a crisis. As for what part she played exactly, and did she directly buy and distribute weapons onto what part did she play with the military groups as well . Questionsthe main that this trial is to post to give an answer to. Genie there are also doubts about the credibility of the trial. Witnesses for the plaintiff in this case have pulled out. Why . Alreadye gbagbo is serving a 20year sentence. The trial took place right here. Ow it is highly criticized the observers said this trial was unfair, the witnesses were not reliable. Humanpretty much based on rights organizations deciding not to participate in this new trial. Genie thank you for that. The former dictator of chad was sentenced to life in prison monday for crimes against humanity, tortures, and sex crimes. Verdict was 50 years was 15 years in the making, what his lawyers said they will reveal. Habres guilty verdict sparks cheers and celebration among his victims. Hissene habre never imagined that one day he would be in Court Hearing our sacrifices have paid off, so hooray for us. Finding him guilty is all that is left for me. Not compensation. Today is a huge victory for the survivors. For the survivors of hissene habre, who never lost faith that one day justice would be done, i think today will be engraved forever in history. But a groom but a group of that a group of people could bring a dictator to justice. Genie next, to the democratic republic of congo, where mining is destroying ecosystems in the south. The pollution is thought to be responsible not only for environmental damage, but also for Health Problems and birth defects among locals. Alexander alcott has details. Alexander this river is now devoid of life. It is 30 kilometers from the smocratic republic of congo second city. While it has the highest level of biodiversity in africa, here, heavy metals and other pollutants have made it impossible for the fish to survive. Experts are warning about the Health Effects on People Living close by. We have studied human contamination by trans metallic elements, which come from the mining industry, and we have found that people who live close to mining activity, especially those living less than three kilometers away, are the most affected. Ofy have high concentration toxic metals in their bodies. Has been taking place here for over 1000 years, but modern industrialized methods have been creating pollution that is impossible to avoid. There are dirty living rooms. The dust here, acids penetrate kitchens and affect food as well, which makes people ill. Local doctors have reported increasing cases of birth babies bornh as with large parts of their skulls and brains missing. We have high rates of congenital malformations, and microcephaly. These are the leases these are diseases linked to pollution. Despite being africas most country,ost waterrich there are 51 Million People lacking access to safe drinking water. Lets come back now here to france. Rain has caused more delays at the french open. That comes after mondays washout, the first time all matches canceled for rain in 16 years. Novak djokovic is among the players hoping to get on court with thousands of fans finally getting to take their seats or get a refund. Music lovers in paris got a treat last night indoors with a threehour concert from Paul Mccartney. Be just a few weeks shy of his 74th birthday, but the beatles legend showed no signs of wanting to put his feet up. He strummed his way through some , in one ofnday night the most romantic cities. He even oversaw a Marriage Proposal by one of his fans right of states. Mccartney singing money cant buy me love you go money cant buy me love. New strikes are getting underway in france. The army in iraq continuing its push to take back fallujah from the Islamic State group. Tens of thousands of civilians are still trapped inside. Gbagbo, the former first lady of ivory coast, is on trial for crimes against humanity. That is linked to postelection violence six years ago that left more than 3000 dead. It is time now for our Business Update with stephen carroll. You have been talking a lot about the strikes in france getting underway. Lots of different groups are striking for Different Reasons, but they are all causing disruption. Thehen we will start with International Train network. Three companies are beginning strikes this evening, rolling strikes. Of highspeed60 trains will operate, while only 40 of suburban trains and around a third of intercity trains will run. This will be the eighth day of industrial action on the railways since the beginning of march. Sparedo far has been disruptions in the previous strikes. It could be affected from thursday, though. Did saysport minister earlier they are not expecting too much disruption. Genie there has also been another issue with oil refineries, which caused a huge disruption for motorists. Shortageshere are from petrol stations around france. It is mostly the paris region, the north and the west, that are affected. The situation is improving. 20 of stations are reporting some sort some shortages, not all completely out of fuel. Frances eight refineries, four are completely on strike. Two are working under capacity and two are working normally. Some of theeving shortages that we saw. Those strikes are over reforms to labor law and the unions protesting that issue. Genie if the oil refineries, the trains, the metros are not enough, there is also trouble in the skies. Stephen this is a separate dispute involving air traffic controllers, who have called for a strike from friday to sunday, in dispute over their working conditions. There is a meeting between management that could avert strike action. Air france, pilots there have issued notices of at least six days of strike. Genie well, in the meantime, lets look at what is happening on the markets. Stephen european trading down midpoint in the day. Although not by much. French book and music retailer are down. The board has recommended a takeover bid for its shareholders, following a furious bidding war. That is the picture on the european markets. One of these Companies Moving shares is volkswagen. Net profit to the carmaker slumped by almost 20 in the first of three months of the year, to 2. 3 billion euros. That continues to feel effects in the emissions outlook carmaker. Become a call the move respectable, saying genie lets focus on angola, where the falling price of oil is hitting not only locals but Foreign Investors as well. Angola is africas second largest oil producer, and the falling prices have hit people hard. If the currency has slumped along with oil, many investors are struggling to stay afloat. Josh has the story. Josh the end of the economic good times and angola, where businesses are being hit hard by change in fortunes. Many foreigners moved here attracted by the strength of angolas economy after the country picked up contracts with china worth over 7. 5 billion in 2012. Since last year, low oil prices have reached havoc on the countrys economy, each depends heavily on its status as africas secondlargest crude producer. Phase,re talking about a just a phase. Yes, we have encountered some difficulties, especially regarding Foreign Exchange. But we believe that this is not a phase that will last a long time. Have Falling Oil Prices squeezed foreign currency supplies. Government spending and borrowing has spiraled. A chinese entrepreneur started his business eight years ago but says the Foreign Exchange crisis has made it almost impossible to continue. And weannot pay salaries cannot import material and equipment to this country. Forced toy has been stop operations, so we hope the Foreign Exchange rate will improve. Hasnnual growth in angola averaged 10 since the end of world war ii. It will drop to 3 at the end of this year. Genie for fans of the tv series mad men, an auction. Items, some 1500 including don drapers convertible third the bar, and peggys blue typewriter. The company is organizing this sale, previously had a similar one for breaking bad, which raised nearly 1 million. Genie i wonder if there will be an ecigarettes or ashtrays from all the smoke will be any cigarettes or ashtrays from all the smoking. Stephen carroll, thank you for business news. Time now for our press review. Time now to take a look at what has been happening in the peoples in the papers. Florence villeminot is with us. Lots on the former dictator of chad being found guilty, including crimes against humanity. Event see they are talking about the former dictator, the unmerciful butcher found guilty of crimes against humanity, summary execution, torture, and rate. This trial took place in senegal before a hybrid tribunal that was created in 2013 by the african union. This hybrid tribunal is getting a lot of attention because it is a unique thing. The guardian applause this landmark trial, which sets an important precedent, marking a significant step toward holding high profile human rights abusers accountable. Genie a different story getting lots of attention is the social media storm over the deadly shooting of a guerrilla at the cincinnati zoo. Flo it is an incredible story that happened on saturday, but it is spiraling into the social media storm. You can read about it here in the cincinnati enquirer. It has turned ugly. This zoo episode a fouryearold boy fell into a guerrilla into a gorilla exhibit. Security officials decided to fatally shoot this rare gorila la, who had been dragging the boy around. The sad event turned into this International Social media storm. The inquirer talks about a Facebook Page called justice for hararmmbe. The Washington Post is also focusing on the social media fallout. It is talking about this quote ocial media shooting an endangered animal is worse than murder. There are several petitions seeking for the boys mother to be charged with neglect and held responsible. Genie the zoo is standing is saying they were justified in shooting the guerrilla. Flo it was a tough decision but the right thing to do to save the boys life. He reminds people that this is not a gentle thing. We are talking about a lla, 400old male gori pounds. His mother says a lot of people are quick to judge parents for their way of parenting, but accidents happen. Genie it is incredible when you see pictures of that little boy to that guerrilla. Next to that gorilla. Sparking a controversy over comments made over wearing a suit. Flo he was speaking to striking workers over the weekend, and he said the best way to buy a suit is to work. Pretty harsh comments there that have drawn him a lot of criticism. Keep in mind he has launched a political movement. You can see them playing with words here, saying does he have the means, does the suit fit him, or is he trying to put on a suit that is too big for himself. And what are his ambitions . They are wondering, who is he . Is he an angel or a devil . The only thing that it is clear is that he wants to shake up france, and that is a good thing. But perhaps he is his own worst enemy. If we take a look at the cartoon, you can see hollande saying that he is kind of a return of the government, the. Uperstar you can see the Prime Minister fuming there, he came like a prince and left like a legend, hoping that he will leave. These saying controversial things, it reminds them of another politician, former french president nicolas sarkozy. You can see him wearing a whole bunch of suits here that i wouldnt for him, talking to these workers, and echoing the same statement that Nicholas Sarkozy made. Work. , get to genie todays world knowtobacco day, raising the negative awareness of smoking. Been around since 1987. In the u. S. , the Seattle Times applause the fact that the rate of smoking amongst adults is in decline. According to the center for Disease Control and prevention, the rate fell to 15 in 2015, a twopoint drop from 2014. They say more healthy adults are kicking the butt. Genie in china, the number of smokers is on the rise. Are 320 million regular smokers in china, the world possibly is tobacco consumer. The editorial is sounding the alarm, saying there needs to be more action, perhaps raising the price of cigarettes, plain packaging. The medical and social costs are huge. There is a cartoon that goes along with this editorial, where you can see the devastating Health Effects, smoking your life away essentially. Genie Florence Villeminot with a look at the days papers. Thanks to you for watching france 24. You can was check out the website, france24. Com. On the way in the next half hour, when is champagne not champagne . When it is a Sticking Point in trade talks between the u. S. And the eu. More on that after the break. Stay tuned. nn1111 1 1 1 1puua xx announcer this is a production of China Central television america. Walter as the famous song says, children are our future, but today, many young people are taking the future into their own hands. This week on full frame, youll meet some of them, their impact in their communities, and changing the lives of other children halfway across the globe. Im mike walter in los angeles. Lets take it full frame. 17yearold Leroy Mwasaru is not unlike most High Schoolers. He enjoys blogging, hanging out with his friends, and is a student leader at a school in kenya. Bubut when the school wanted to build a new dormitory for its students, it faced a challenge. How to deal with the growing human waste problem that was contaminating nearby water sources . Thats when leroy came up with an idea. Create a human waste bioreactor that runs on, well, you guessed it, the students own human waste. Walter the idea and invention has garnered loads of positive press for the teen and rightfully so. His design has the potential to be a huge economic political and environmental game changer. And were delighted that hes joining us now from nairobi. Leroy, welcome to full frame. Leroy thank y y for hostiting. Walter wewell, lets s get rigo it. Tell us about how you came up with this idea. Leroy y it was not ununtil i jd my first year of high school in 2012 that the school put up a nenew dormitory that housess 720 students. So, my teammates and i took it upon ourseselves to criticallyto critically analyze and appreciate what the new dormitory had to offer. Apart from the comfortable accommodation that i it had to offer, there wasas something ele and there e was a problelem that each attribubuted towhat a are this p problem . So t this problem wawaswe had other old dormititories that wee coconnected to the s same sewer sysystem. And the sasame sewer sysystem, during raining s seasons, will overflow to nearby streams, thereby polluting them w with thethis waste. Soso this new dormrmitory meanat more stress on theon the already stressedalready stresseded sewer s system and ao more w wastemore waste and moe pollution on the strtreams. So something had to be done e d really quick s since nody y wans feces in their w water. Walter so you knew something needed to be d done, so how did you come up with the idea . I mean, did you sit there and talk it over with your friends or was it just the light bulb went on one day and you said, hhey, i think ive g got a god idea . How did it come about . Leroy ok, so mymy friends my team members and i drafted adrafted a human waste bioreactoror that will use this waste that comes from this big dormitory that housesthat i isthat is housing a very big number of students a and also the other dormitorieinin schl anand so thatilill usorgaganiwaste e the hool. Thisncncludeslasashegrass,s, itthislslso inudeses c dungg fromhehe schl fafarmand alal food remai f frothe ststaf mbers analso thetudents. Walt so when yocame up wi the idea, en you wt to the ministraon the at the hool, we they exted with the idear how dithey rea . Because lot of tes, yo know, ids, when ey come fromomebodwhoan adult ey tend be apprected more tn from aeenage perhs. Ley yea e schoolas veryas very pppporve of thidea and that clubub w formed d d alsowewe al had a mentor whwawas atched t tus so in this ub, we are this cl, we h all sorts brainstming erebynn only us but als other students who wilcome anbrainsto the ideas the ha t to pride locasolutions local proemems th have an cacal prlems that their communitieface. Ye walterso you we ableo see this idea come to fruition, and its nonow in place. What are some of the benefits that youve witnessed for the environment . Leroy ok. After building my second protototype, i implemented the same idea in our rural homee that is in t taita which iswhich is in the coastal part o of kenya. So when we i installed t this biogas plant, we had a very large volume of f biogas being produced tt t eventuallyly, we had d to channel this gas toto r neighbors s at a very small fee. So in that project lies a very big g potential anand it will ao be used for lighting and electricitity. Walter so youre talking about the big potential and clearly, its there. Do youcould you see this being utilized in other schools, other towns . I mean, whats your idea of how far this might spread . Leroy yes. Im very i have very bigi have very big hopepes ofhopes for that. I had ai had a aoman from m te prisons board in kenya approaoaching me a and requestig for the e same idea to be implemented in the prisons boboard because, currentlyly, ty have a problem on n their wawase disposal s system. So in it lies verya big potential to mostly the prisons board and also in schoolols in thatcurrently, we arewe are looking on how we can reduce energy cost in schools and inititutio. So by cuttg g downhis s co thate e use nononrewable sources of ergrgy, f exaxamp, we have rerewoodhichch athe end oft t all useses gbal warming and soso caus clclime change. Ye walt i me, thth could be a me chaer in manyays, uldnt it . I mean, th has enoous poteial bend kenya, dont you thin roy yesi ththin because ive alsseen m mconcept beg plied in, for exexple, the naudib] in, i thk, enand. Yh, and ive als se it workg, and als we have gooexamplesn german walterteeneners a a loof times el like,e,ou kno they cant really influen or r chge anything if theyoung peop watchinghis, whaadvice would yogive tm if theyf they hava problein a counity anthey wanto come up wh a soluon . Ley o ok. Wh ilike ttell them that ty shouldlways tr en if ththe seems that thes hope athe end becae at thend of itll, there is some personalthere is some personal growth that is usually cultivated in within him or her. And this, at the end of it all, builds into be a greater he or she in thein thein the specific sphere heshe or she is championing against. Walter well, weve certainly seen some personal growth in you clearly through this whole experience and it has probably taken you in directions you probably never could have imagined. So talk to me about the future for you. Youre still in high school, so what does the future look like for you, leroy . Where do you see yourself going . Leroy heh. So, ok. Thatats a od q question. N. Currentltly, im heheading to. Im about t to begin my final semester in high school. Sooror me, itts gettining done with high school first, then, seeing on how i can uplift my ojoject and d develop it fururt. Then frorom then on isfrfrom n onon is where i i can join the university. But at the end of it all, i plan to join the university. Walter one final question, leroy. You know, its great whenever you see Something Like this, somebody has an idea, then itthen its executed and itand it comes off so well, flawlessly in a sense, but im sure there were probably frustrations along the way. Were there ever times where you were discouraged as you were going through this process or did things go pretty well from ththe start . Leroy yeah. We had a couple of agendas but not all agagendas went as s we planned, so, o ok, some flopped and some went as we planned. Ok. Our firstour first challenge was indetermining the base material to use for our fifirst prototype. So at the end of i it all, we ttled at using twolalastic tanks to build a hydraulic biodigigester that we presenentd at our second camp in nairobi. Then our second challenge e was after putting up our first bioreactor in school, we had p probl. And the oblelem s ouour himy hh scschomy h hh schomamates. Why . Because theyueuenchetheieir curiosity s see wt ththe protote e was l ababou touching i a and sometimetthen metitime theyy coulenend upumblblinwith i i so we hamme anmy team d reconfire it. Soso remememr one day, we had to reconfigure ifofor nolessss than 1titimes. Walter ha h w well,glad you kept at because that etty fantaic. Roroy aitioionay, i wld likeot t to ll these challenges because, id like to notto not call these challenges but motivations because its these challenges that were the stepping stones to us to get a lasting solution and Even Stronger solution in our mechanism to achieve greater heights. Walter i like how you look at things, leroy. Thanks so much. And the best of luck to you as you go on with your future endeavors and on to university. Leroy thank you very much. Thank you for hosting me. Walter you bet. Leroys story is just one example of a new generation of young people choosing to make a difference in the world before theyve even earned their first paycheck. Philanthropy and being a leader for social change is no longer about the big checks written by millionaires and billionaires. And full frame contributor Sandra Hughes found that for this new generation of change makers, philanthropy often starts with small acts of kindness. Hughes it can be as simple as baking cookies to raise money so Sick Children can go to camp. Girl i dont know. What are you guys cooking . Girl you decide. [inaudible] flatten them out. Hughes its called charity. And many say the idea starts at home. Woman i honestly believe that kids want to give back and kids want to help others. And i think the earlier you start with them and you tap into that impulse, the easier it is as they get older for them to make time to do that in their lives. And they find that its important and believe that its important. Hughes in dawn jeffersons sububurban los angeles kitchen, her kidsds and their friends are hard at work on a saturday morning. Dawn do more signs. We need some advertising signs and a couple of price board sign. Hughes they could be in front of the tv or playing video games, but instead, theyre following a recipe that will stay with them their entire lives. Girl [inaudible] broken cookie . Hughes its a recipe that teaches kindness. Girl thank you. Girl 2 all right. Heres some more. Man whats this for . Girl hi. Its for Camp Crescent moon. Its a camp for kids with Sickle Cell Disease and basically. Hughes every year, Camp Crescent moon holds a oneweek camp for kids with Sickle Cell Disease. The jeffersons have family members who suffer from the disease. Natalie i feel like a lot more humbled by them and im like really glad to do this to help them. Boy Sickle Cell Disease is a really horrible disease and its important to help people in need and help those in need who have this disease or just anybody, and it justits good to just raise money and then just donate and help them. Natalie hi. Hughes the idea of motivating kids to be philanthropic may not be as hard as youd think. This generation is already seeing examples, businesses doing good work all around them. Dawn i hope that they will realize that no matter what theyre doing in their lives, there is an opportunity to get back up. Natalie here you go. Woman thank you. Girl youre welcome. Thank you so much. Hughes when tyler page was 9 years old, he watched a tv show on child slaves in ghana, west africa. The next day, he took this invitation to school inviting everyone to join in a car wash to raise money to help those kids. Tyler i saw these kids all the way across, you know, the world and i was just kind of taken back, you know, wow, not everyone has the life i have and i justi wanted to do something to change that. And i turned to my mom and i said, hey, lets start this thing. Lets do a car wash. Hugheses that was the start of kids helping kids. Tyler 1,129 for all the kids in ghana. We can save poor children right now and were gonnana make more money throughoutut 2007. Hughes tyler and his mom went to ghana and helped negotiate the release of several children who had been sold into slavery by their own families. Tyler so the fishermen would go to these families who have, you know, 20 kids and obviously, they cant, you know, make enough to support that huge number of family members, so they say, hey, i want to buy your child from you so you can support your family and ill teach them a trade, fishing, and then theyll come back and theyll be able to make money for them. And so they take them and the parents thinking that theyre gonna be, you know, taught a valuable skill, and they force them to walk hundreds of miles to that fishing area where they never returned from. Hughes laura page says while shed always hoped her son would be a giving child concerned with his community, he plugged her into philanthropy. Laura i feel like the journey with him really opened up a door to my own passion and my own success. There are gonna be activities in there, so were gonna start off by doing an activity in here right now so. Hugheses she cofounded peerspring alongng with lee fox. The Organization Works with youth to teach them to become social entrepreneurs, giving them tools to problelem solve ad create companies that make a difference. The idea of social entrepreneurism isnt new but what is new is the explosion on American College campuses of programs for students to major in social entrepreneurism. But having a socially conscious career isnt uniquely american. Woman its absolutely not just an American Value proposition for youth activating around social entrepreneurship. The reality is is that the same social [indistinct] technologies are penetrating youth at worldwide levels and there is this naturaral impetus for peers to wanna connect with one another and sort of group together and make a change. So i think the rise in social entrepreneurship is a phenomenon that were seeing inn large part due to that connectivity. Hughes for 6 weeks, peerspspring will teach isis grp of High Schoolers how to be philanthropic social entrepreneurs. Fox todays youth are really starting to identify with impact and organizations that have impact and that word is a very powerful value statement for them. Nonprofit and charity doesnt mean much yet to them. They dontyou know, its not the tax break that theyrethey care ababout, its the outcome of what that activity is that the organization is doing. Hughes many of todays youth seem already sold on the idea of giving back. Whether its taught at home or it comes from seeing so many Business Models already in place, this generation appears already set on finding, funding, and fixing the problems of their world. For full frame, this is Sandra Hughes in los angeles. Walter coming up next, well meet young people making a difference through the worlds most popular sports. Sporting events like the fifa world cup, the nfl super bowl, and wimbledon, the pinnacle of tennis, have the unique ability to captitivate sports fafans ofl ages in every corner of the world. For our next 3 young guests, sports not only captivated them but inspired them as well. Take for example, garrett weiss. He was 15 when he attended the world cup in berlin and witnessed the overwhelming passion of the angolan fans firsthand. So garrett along with his brother kyle created fundafield. A studentrun organization, fundafield works with local communities to build soccer fields, provide soccer equipment, and to host soccer tournaments to help rehabilitate post trauma in post conflict regions around the world. Younger sister kira serves as the director of operations, managing growth and expansion in helping to create Fundraising Initiatives to increase donations. To date, the group has raised more than 250,000 and has projects in places across africa and in haiti. Austin gutwein was only 9 years old when he started hoops of hope, the largest basketball shootathon in the world. The global event raises money to support children orphaned by the aids virus. It helps build homes and schools. It also supplies medical resources for these children. Since its inception, hoops of hope has grown to an estimated 40,000 participants across 25 countries raising over 3 million for aids orphans in africa. Garrett, kira, and austin join us to share how all of them are working to change the world for other young people. We wanna welcome all of you to full frame. Guests thank you. Walter so austin, lets start with you. Youre 9 years old, mom and dad bring home this video, you watch it, and then you say, well, you know what, im just gonna go ahead and change the world. Im sure thats not exactly how it went but talk to us what happened. Austin yeah, i thinki think for me what started out was hearing about kids in africa who were being orphaned by aids. I had no idea what aids was, i had no idea that there really was this continent that lived with so much less than we had. And for me, that made e me wanna dodo something about it. T. I looked around and realized theres not a lot of stuff for 9yearolds to do but i really like basketball, so i decided maybe i can play basketball to help make a difference. Its a lot like a walkathon except for instead of going on walking a bunch of miles, we shoot free throws instead. Walter and so the first time you did it, how much did you raise . Austin the very first time. Walter what was your objective and then how much did you raise . Austin yeah. The very first time, we raised about 3,000 and i just want to help people. It just was this very generic kind of goal and so we sent that money and were able to sponsor 8 different children, put them through school for a year, give them food, give them shelter. And that was the very first year. I remembered just thinking to myself, this is incredible, i mean, maybe there are other people whod wanna do that with us and it justits blown up from there. Walter well, well get to that in just a minute but garrett, i wanna draw you in. Obviously, you were a little slow. He did this at 9, you were 15, much older, much wiser, but talk to me about your experience and what happened with you. Garrett so i was 15 but my brother was 13 so theres sort of a balance there. No, no. Walter there wont be any fisticuffs here. Well keep this clean. Garrett no. So we were lucky enough to go to the world cup in 2006 to see thean angola versus iran game. And it was angolas first ever world cup. They had just finished a 20 year civil war. It was a huge moment for them to be at the world cup but no onone had any expectations of them doing well. So, you know, this was a game, weit wasnt the most excitingbeforehand, we didnt think it would be the most exciting game. We just went because we had tickets and its the world cup. The fans are crazy, lets go have some fun. And soccer was our life. So since i wassince i could walkprobably even before i could walk, i was playing soccer, same with my brother, same with my sister, and we knew how m much we loved it. That was, you knowi didnt think anyone else loved it more than i did. Going to this game, it was the first time that i ever saw anyone that cared more about soccer than i did. And at first, i was kind of shocked, you know. We knew about big issues in africa, you know, just poverty in general, you know, hiv aids. You know some of the big issues but you dont really think about what other, you know, norms that we have really and how they impact their lives. So soccer was just something that i grew up with. I knew it was played around the world but i didnt understand the importance of it in these, you know, these other cultures. So angola had a really small section. We happened to be right next to them and while talking to them, we decided, you know, we should send some uniforms over to them afterwhen we come back home. When we came back home, we talked with some o of ourmy bestst friends andnd we were kid of naive but we said, if they dont have soccer fields, it doesnt matter if they have uniforms. Theyre not playing soccer how we play it, so lets build soccer fields. And it really happened like that. It built up from there but at that point on, we said, hey, were going to build fields in africa, and thats how it began. Walter i wanna give equal rights to you as well. Kira is here. You started out as a dit, which most people dont know what that means, so tell us about that and youve clearly climbed the laladder within the dit organization, havent you . Kira yeah. Well, a dit is a director in training. We havemy two brothers, they were the cofounders and then we had all the managers and the directors. And i was a lot younger. I was 8 at the time, so my older brothers. Walter so you beat him. Man there you go. Kira sorry. I wasnt allowed to be a director yet so i was a director in training, but then they found out that me and my little friends, we worked a lot harder than the older kids, so we slowly moved up the ladder until we were directors, managers, and managing directctors. Walter and welland now, youre really active, arent you . Kira yeah. Since my brothers have gone to college, ive taken over most of the, like, domestic clubs and groups, chapters around the u. S. And then also, were working on the haiti field right now and im working a lot on that, so. Walter let me ask you this question. I want all three of you to take a whack at it. We had James Altucher on our show and heand hes written this book and iand i remembered clearly the chapter because i thought it was very funny. He talks about trampolines and how little kids see a trampoline and they run as fast as they can and start jumping up and down on the trampoline, and he said, adults look at that and think, wow, that looks like fun, thats the first thing they think, and then they think, man, i could break my neck, i could fall off, i could do this and that. and he talks about that kind of that attitude of young kids that they just go full steam ahead, whereas adults tend to like, oh, this could happen, that could happen, that could happen. Do you think if this kernel had jumped into your head atyou know, i mean, youre an adult now and you are as well, youre still young, that you might say, oh, thatd be so tough to do or that, would you have approached it differently . And ill start with you, austin. Austin honestly, i honestly dont know if hoops of hope, the idea had kind of come to me at 21, which is how old i am now, i dont know if id be sittingng here and would have gone on to do it because i think that there is something that when youre younger, you haveyou have this idea that anything is possible in this world. And i think that weve been taught that really well but somehow we lose that as we get older and we believe that certain things arent possible anymore. And the truth is that, hey, you can absolutely use your passion for soccer, your passion for basketball to change lives halfway around the world. And itin our heads, i think even saying it out loud, it sounds like a crazy idea but its not. Its really not. To a 9yearold, to an 8yearold, thats a great idea. Walter and garrett, same thing with you. What about you . Do you think. Garrett so i hadwe probably have a similar take on this but i think its all about taking small steps because when we first started it and from your story, its the same thing. We didnt say were gonna build a hundred soccer fields around the world. It was, lets try and have a fundraiser, lets see if my soccer team will give usill never forget, our first 100 check. That was mindblowing that someone was giving us money and we had, you know, we had no legitimacy, right . So it was about getting that first check, then getting to 1,000, then getting to 5,000 and saying, can we have some uniforms from our teams, having uniform drives . And after that point, everything kind ofyour next steps grow bigger and bigger and bigger, and nothing seems, you know, unstoppable. You think you can do everything. And so, it does take time but, you know, youtheresno is never an answer, is really what it comes down to. Walter and austin, thats aits a big part of it, too, is taking a small bite at the apple because initially, you didnt raise that much, then all of a sudden, it spreads like wildfire, which is much the same case with the two of you, right . Austin absolutely. I think for us, i mean, my initial desire was to help aids orphans and thats a very openended goal, and so i think thats what it has to start with is, you know, shoot for the stars and realize that if you kind of land on the moon, youre still high up there, you know, youre stillyoure still kind of out of this world and thatsand that was something that i always kind of latched on to was, i want to help aids orphans. I dont care how many we help, i just wanna do something. I want to take atake a dent out ofout of the disease. Walter yeah. And the two of you have gone, i mean, places you probably never would have imagined, right . I mean, itsthats the other thing thats really cool about this is, is you start out with this idea of, maybe well get some jerseys or maybe a soccer ball or two, or whatever, and then it flourishes, it takes off. But not only that, its that journey for you, its actually going to these places and seeing it in action. Whats that been like . And ill start with you, kira. Kira i mean, i think its incredible to go and see what youve done. I mean, for us, soccerin africa, like, my brother always says, soccer is religion. And so they are so passionate about it, were passionate about it. And just playing with them and seeing like them on a new field that they never even imagined, its incredible, and its a common language and it really just connects and were all just kids that wanna have fun basically. Garrett yeah. Actually, thats what i would highlight, too, is you go thinking that youre going to this, you know, new world thats totally different in every regard, but at the end of the day, itswe hahave the mot fun just playing soccer with them and hearing about their lives. And so the soccer kind of becomes the catalyst to get you there but once youre there, you know, youre hearing about their daily lives. Were living in the communities with them and just seeing that they have thissome of the samethe same daily problems that we have. Theythe girls and boys, you know, theyre thetheyre trying to impress each other. Were playing soccer with them, they go to school every day, and theyre learning with the same sububjects as us. And it never really hitlike hit me like that until we were there and just kind of hanging out with them, talking, you know, playing with them. We also startyou start getting friends as you go there and with all this, you know, advances in technology, they actually are able to have facebook and things there. So whattheyre sending us messages, when are you guys coming back . And thisit was so surreal toto me the first t time someone ever sent me a message on facebook that we had met in a village in uganda. I couldnt believe it and then the next time we were there, it was like, oh, it was so good talking to you and its so fun following your lives and everything. Its reallyit justit is a small world and its hard to imagine that becausese, you kno, you think of africa as thisjust different world. Walter now, i saw you smile, too. Youthis hits home for you as well, doesnt it . Austin absolutely. I think that the biggest thing for me that i realized isit absolutely is a small world, but also, too, the difference that you can make over in africa. I mean, for me, you know, i looki look at what we have here in america and a soccer fielda soccer field doesnt mean nearly as much to us as it would to them. Theythat opens up a whole new world of possibilities for people in africa. And i think thats what is so incredible about doing work over there isnot only how appreciative they are but how much it truly means to them. How much its going to impact their lives forever. Walter let me ask you this question, austin, because i saw a piece on you where you had socceryoure athe basketball guy but you had a soccer ball and you gave it to a kid and it made such an impression on him. Tell the story about his thank you note, how you got it, and how did that affect you . Austin absolutely. So i love basketball. I also love soccer. I love sports, its just the truth. Very first trip over to zambia, i was 13 years old, and we had just gotten out of this Little Church service and theres this boy there, his name was george, and we had brought a ton of soccer balls with us. And so i pulled one out of the car, this olold, beatup, pink soccer ball. I played soccer with this boy, george, for a few minutes and it was time for us to go and i said, oh, here, george, you canyou can have the soccer ball. I thought nothing of it. I thoughghtits this old, bea up, pink soccer ball thats gonna go flat in a month anyway. But the next day i saw this boy georges mom, and she had walked 12 miles to find me to give me this little letter that gegeorge had stayed up writingng for me just thanking me for the soccer ball and saying how much it meant to him. And i think for me thatsthat was the first time it really put a perspective on me, and its a soccer ball. But what we were doing was having such an impact on them, that soccer ball to him meant the world and thats whatyeah, that was the story. And it forever changed me realizing that these little opportunities that we had to make a difference for others, whether it be in africa, whether it be here, when we take those opportunities it means so o much more to that person and giving is so much better than receiving. Walter you know, i wanted you to tell that story because i want the two of you to take a whack at this, too, because its so easy to say, wow. These young kids are doing these great things for these people. But you get something out of it, too. I mean, his story, thatll stay with you for the rest of your life and im sure the two of you have stories as well. Why dont i start with you, kira, because something as simple as picking up something there and now youre selling it, and you know that youre having an impact, but that impacted you. Talk to us about what were seeing here in some of your materials right there. Kira yeah. So, well, when we were first in uganda we started seeing this paper bead jewelry pop up and we didnt really think anything of it, but then i decided to bring some back for my f friends and they actually really liked it. So we wanted to sell it for fundafield, and as we began selling it we began to supportrt 3131 women. And we didnt really realize what that meant but that it turned out that they had 198 children. And so just us selling a few paper beads back home was changing their lives. And they went from doing backbreaking manual labor for less than a dollar a day to making paper bead jewelry at fair trade prices, and all of their children were able to go to school. And just the impact that we can have was remarkable and thethey were so grateful for what we were doing that its justits incredible and you dont wanna ever stop helping them. Walter and friendsyou made friends along the way, havent you . I mean, it must be great to go back and see these people and the kinship that you have. Garrett yeah. So speaking of going back, when our first trip to south africathis was my first time. We hadwe had been working on fundafield but i had never been to africa before. I had never been to any real communities like that in my life. And so we held this tournament and it was an amazing success out in very rural south africa. Weyou know, we had coke sponsor it and they brought this truck out that became a dance stage. And it really became just like this party at thisat the soccer tournament. All the surrounding communities were there. And so it was like the center of event for the wholele year fr this community. So we brbrought uniforms, equipment, everything for all the teams. And we went back a few years later to hold another tournament in south africa at the exact same field. So kind oflikenot a reminder but, you know, to really support thisthethis community more. And every kid was still wearing their uniforms from that first tournament. What we found out is that it ended up being like a status thing. We were able to play in this tournament and youre kind of like a celebrity in the community at that point which blew our minds as well. Yoyou knowagain, soccer meansa lot to us but it isnt the defining part of ourof our lives, rigight . Itsthis really was one of the most Memorable Events to ever hit mdluli high school and the surrounding communities. So, it was cool seeing thehow true that impact was on our second trip over there. Wawalter austin, one final question for you and ill let the two of you answer it as well, but quickly if you can. If somebody is watching this and they wanna do something, is it just start t small and persevere . I mean, whats your overall takeaway . Austin absolutely. I would say start small, dream big. And realize that you can do something. So just do anything. And thatsand thatsthe truth is we get so caught up in the fear of what might happen. We just got to take that first step. All of us have those ideas. All of us have those dreams about just taking that first step and doing something. Walter kira . Kira yeah. I would say for sure, honestly, support whatever youre passionate about because thats what youre gonna enjoy doing. And it doesnt matter if its a bake sale that makes 5. 00 or if its a giant fundraiser. Every little thing helps. And i think most people forget that when theyre thinking about if they can make a difference but every dollar goes towards helping others and ththe impact is gonna be there no matter what you do. Walter garrett, you get the final word. Garrett yeah. Ii you know, just to go off both of you guys, i think its a combination of whenn youre passionate about something, that means someone else is probably passionate about it, too. Not everyone can share that passion, though, and not everyone has a chance for that, so whether its soccer, basketball, you know, playing the violin, speech and debate, theres always something that someone else cares about and you can help them succeed in that passion. It can start small and, you know, youll never know where itll take you. Walter loop them all together and pretty soon you can mamake a huge difference. E. Thank you three for cocoming on. Really enjoyeded it. Man thanks for having us. Man 2 thank you very much. Walter when we come back, ill be joined by one of canadas 100 most powerful women, whose career as an activist and human rights crusader began at the mere age of 8. It was a frozen winter day in canada when little 5year old Hannah Taylor spotted a man eating out of a garbage can. This defining moment would forever change hannahs life and the lives of the Homeless Community in her country as well. Girl hi. Im Hannah Taylor, founder of the Ladybug Foundation. It was a cold winter day when i saw a man eating out of a garbage can. I beeve no onene should have too do that. And that everyone is entitled to have a warm bed to sleep in at night. But i learned that worrying and thinking about a situation is not enough. I had to do something. The Ladybug Foundation Education Program is called makechange. It is our hope that you u will learn n about poverty, homelessness, anand hunger. And decide to make a change in your school, c city, country, ad world. Together we can make our world a better place to live. Walter so 3 years after seeing that event in her life at age 8, hannah did found the Ladybug Foundation. The nonprofit raises awareness and funds to support the needs of the homeless and near homeless. Since then, well over 3 million has been raised directly and indirectly by the foundation to Fund Projects providing food, shelter, and safe haven for the homeless across canada. In addition, shes publishedshes a published author and a jury member of the worlds childrens prize for the rights of the child, fostering her passion for human rights around the globe. Shes also grown up now, and shes joining us from winnipeg, canada to share her inspiring story. We wanna welcome you to full frame, hannah. Take us back in time. Hannah thanks so much, mike. Walter . When you were 5 years old, and this lifechanging event. What were your thoughts . What went through your mind . What did you see . Hannah well, i guess the whole story, when i was 5 years old, i was driving down a back lane in my moms car. And i looked out the window and it was freezing. It was december. I dont know if any ofyouve been to winnipeg but it gets very cold here. And i was looking out my window and i saw this man in an orange toque searching through a garbage dumpster. And id never really seen homelessness or poverty before. Ive alwaysi live an incredibly fortunate, very lucky life. And it just struck me. I was so confused. You know, i asked my mom, you know, whats he doing . Why is he doing that . And she told me he was down in his luck and he had to do that to eat. And it was like there was this weight on my chest like hit me. And i couldnt get rid of that weight. My heart wouldnt forget about it. And so for about a year after that day, i, you know, would ask my parents questions about this man that they couldnt possibly answer, you know, questions like, where is he sleeping tonight . Or, wheres his family . That kind of thing. And then i started learning more and more about homelessness in winnipeg and in canada and i had even more questions and, you know, one night i was being tucked into bed and it was about a year later. And i asked another question and my mom said, you know, hannah, maybe if you do something about it your heart wont feel so sad. And so the next day i went to my grade one teacher and i talked to her about, you know, doing something to help. I actually proposed a lunch meeting in the teachers lounge. Andso sheand she took me seriously and she said, thats a great idea. So i spoke to my class and we ended up having a fundraiser and donating what we had raised to a local shelter in winnipeg. And after that just kind of speaking with more and more people about how we can help and d it kind of grew anand bece ladybubug foundation a few years later. Girl you can help thehese peope if youre big, if youre small. Even if youre from a different country, you can help them and you can make a difference. Hannah and what i noticed is that after i had that feeling, that weight on my chest for so long, as i started to do something about it and i started to see others become more involved in doing something about it, that weight started to lift. So, asmy mom was right, as moms usually are. Walter oh, always good advice to listen to mom. Dad, too, on occasion. Hannah oh, yeah. Walter lets talk about that distance, because so often people contribute money and it does kind of lift off the heart a a bit, but you did more than go out and raise funds. I mean, you really got involved. I mean, im seeing some of the videos with you with homeless gentlemen and they feel very strongly about what youve done and youve kind of peeled back the curtain in a way. Youve opened up who these people are i think in a refreshing way that many people may not recocognize. I meaean, therereo many Different Reasons why people end up homeless. And i think they talk about that in some of the videos ive seen with you. Hannah yeah. No, they do. I think that ever since i was little, you know, ive always beenii supposebecause i was passionate about helping those who are homeless and passion is like breathing. It doesnt really stop. I learned really early on that those who are homeless, theyre just, you know, theyre people just likike us, you know, wrad in old clothes with sad hearts. Thats how i used to say it when i was little. And i ththink thats really important for people to understand because theres a lot of fear and misunderstanding. And you know, if you wanna make change a and you wanna connect hearts, understanding is so important. An so, it isit is veryi think its profound to hearar from thohose who are homeless, you u know, to get that human side of the whole thing because its easier to connect and understand if you see that, so. Walter one of the gentlemen i heard Say Something that i thought was really kind of very spot on. He said, you know, so many people walk by us and theyre desensitized and yet hannah saw something and she did something about it. I mean, theres a huge distinction there and yet if everybody was like hannah, what would the homeless situation be like, do you think . Hannah i guess the thing that i wish people would do or would realize about those who are homeless and something that i try really, you know, that ithat i learned how to do through this work is to love those who are homeless like family. And, you know, because you would never let your brother or your mom eat out of a garbage dumpster or sleep on the street. So i think that thats important for people to try to do andyeah. So i think that that wouldthat would really help make a lot of change. You know, hannah, you bring up the fact that your mom said, you know, maybe if you did something, you know, it would lift theit lift theall that pressure from your heart. You talked about going to the teacher, how they embraced your ideas. I think young people kind of feel like sometimes when they have these ideas that people arent going to take them seriously. Talk to me about the power of a child and how they canthey can make a huge difference. You have. Hannah i think young people you know, ive met so many incredible, you know, innovative, driven, you know, passionate young people through this work. And iits one of my favorite parts of doing what i do, absolutely, speaking at schools and meeting, you know, kids who are also, you know, really wanting to make a difference. And i think unfortunately, you know, a lot of kidsi grew up believing that m my 5yearold voice was just as s valuable and as strong as anynybody elsees. And t ths such a an important thing g to understand and to remember and keep in your heart. You know, because i think a lot of young people dont realize that and until they realize that theyre never gonna be able to put, you know, their heart behind their voice and use it to make a difference with what they care about. So you know, iyoung people are powerful, and amazing, and imand i seeand theyre hopeful. That is the mosti think the most special thing about young people especially. Ive seen it in all sorts of people but especially young people is that theytheyre so optimistic and hopeful about their ability to make change, once they realize that they can. And thats something that i try to help people remember when i speak at schools and also through our Education Program. Walter talk to me about the worlds childrens prize and your involvement in that. Hannah well, the worlds childrens prize, its sort of like a nobel prize for people helping children around the world, and this organization is amazing. You k know, it connnnes kids from around the world and it gets them involved in rerealizing their rights as children and also working for childrens rights. And i was partrt of a jury withh about 14 other kidids from all ovover the placece who either rk fofor childrens rights or r had susuffered human rights fractionons. And every year we would, you know, decide between 3 candidates, you know, which would win an award for their work through this organization and it was always an incredibly hard decision because there are amazing people everywhere making a difference in childrens lives. And the wcprc, i was part of it from the age of 9 to 18. And i think one of the most important parts of their work is that they put a face to all of the issues that you hear about in the news. And i was lucky enough to, you know, become really close to these jury members. Theyre like brothers and sisters to me, i just love them, from all over the world. And so when i hear aboutand, you know, i watch the newsws differently because of them. You know, i hear about the israelipalestinian conflict and i think about my great friend ofek and my friend humudi, who live in israel and palestine. And when we were in sweden together because the organization is based out of sweden and we would meet once a year in april. When we were all in sweden together they would play soccer together and they were just the best of friends, and once we came home and, you know, things became more violent especially in palestine. I got an email from ofek asking if id heard from humudi asking if he was ok. So i get to see all of that love and be part of that love. So the organization has just opened me up to, you know, not only all of these amazing people that i will carry in my heart forever, but also to all of these other human rights issues that i dont think i wouldve had a chance to learn that much about if i hadnt been a part of it. Soand it also has influenced what id like to do later in my life, too. So, its an Incredible Organization and i just love the people that ive met through it. Walter talk to me more about the worlds childrens prize. Like how would other kids get involved in it or learn more about it . Hannah well, they do have a website and you can get your school involved that way. You yourself can just learn more about yoyour rights that way. I think thatats realally import to do. So, yeah, theres that way. Yeah. Just and also just learning more about, you know, the laureates, the people that are, you know, maybe receiving the award or nominated for the award and their work, that is incredible to learn about and its inspiring. So, yeah, just through their website i think is the best way. Walter well, youve done so much from such an early age, so, what are you looking to do with your future . Hannah at the moment, i go to Mcgill University in montreal and im majoring in International Development and minoring in international relations, and im hoping thatll lead me to human rights law, eventually. Because like i said, you know, i love people who, you know, live in refugee camps, or aids orphans, or, you know, people thatlike its justits a driving force for me because i want to, you know, i justtheres just such a connection for me to that. So, i think thats where my life is gonna go. Im hoping thats where my life is gonna go. Walter whats the next best next big thing for the Ladybug Foundation . Hannah well, with the Ladybug Foundation, i hope to continue just connecting more hearts and doing what we can to help those who are homeless. You know, the message for ladybug has alwaysys been from the beginning share a little of what you have and care about eachch other always. You know, i hope toour Education Program, theres 10,000 copies all over the world. We recently got a call from denmark requesting copies. So, thats pretty exciting, so, i hope to do more with that. Through incredible sponsors, we actually have i can make change online, so much of ourpretty much our Education Program is online for anyone with Internet Access to see and to use, and so i hope to keep spreading that around. But the mainthe main goal for me is just to keepto keep connecting hearts. Walter hannah, were gonna leave it there. Thanks so much for your time. Really appreciate it. Hannah thank you so much. Walter and well be right back with this weeks full frame closeup. What was your favorite toy as a child . If lego has made your list then this weeks closeup is just for you. Nathan sawaya is an awardwinning artist who creates aweinspiring larger thanlife works of art, out of lego bricks. The former Corporate Lawyer has been creating these beautiful and whimsical sculptures since 2002. He uses only standard lego bricks and endless imagination. Nathan is now the author of two bestselling books and his touring exhibition the art of the brick has broken attendance records around the globe. He believes art is not optional. We caught up with him in los angeles where he showed us how that inspires everything that he does. Man people go to a museum and they may see a marble statue and they can appreciate that marble statue for what it is, but whwhen they come home at night, very doubtful theyre gonna have a slab of marble they can n chip away at. But people have lego bricks at home, so when they go and they see my work created out of lego, often they write to me and say, we came home, we got t all our lego bricks out, and we started creating as a family. And thats pretty cool. So i had lego bricks growing up as a kid but, you know, i grew up b bywent onon to other thi, i suppose. So i ended up practicing Corporate Law in new york city. And i would come home after these long days at the law firm and i would need some sort of outlet. I would come home and i would paint or i would draw or i would sculpt, and i would sculpt out of traditional things like clay or wire. One day i thought, what about this toy from my childhood . Could i create large scale sculptures using just lego bricks . So i dug out all these old lego bricks from when i was a kidid and just started experimenting, and then i started putting photos of my work up on a website. And it wasnot long after that i started getting commissions from folks, people requesting, oh, can you build me this . Can you build me that . So it was really interesting because here i was working these full days in the law firm, and d then i would come home at night and take on these commissions for folks all over the world, where i was just creating their passion out of lego. And eventually iit was actually when my website crashed from too many hits, i realized, you know what, its time toits time to make a change. So i left the law firm behind and became a fulltime artist. It was a big risk and it w was kind of start and stop but during those breaks where i wasnt working on commissions, i was creating art for myself. Soso id create something f for someone ththat helped pay the bills s and then id create something for myself. And eventually i created a little collection of work. My big break came when i was able to do an exhibition of those pieces in my first solo show. That was t the first time i really realized the power of this artwork. That museum does 25,000 people annually, so over the course of one year t they were happy to gt 25,000 people. When we did the show, it was a 6week show and we got 35,000 people. I love using the rectangular bricks because for me theres a bit of magic there when youwhen you see my art up close, you see all these right angles, all these very distinct lines, and then you back away from it and all those sharp corners kind of blend into curves, and thats where it really becomes, you know, magical. I think one of the most Important Reasons that i use lelego is to make e the art accessible, because my job as an artist is to inspire. I want to inspire other folks and the best way to do that is to allow them to connect with the art as fast and easy as possible. So using lego is a way that immediately inspires young kids to go and create, and thats cool. A lot of my human forms, i like to put them in transition. Theyre going through a bit of a metamorphosis. So a figure like yellow, where this figure is tearing its chest open and thousands of yellow lego bricks are spilling out, he is going through a bit of a metamorphosis. They see it as giving their all, you know, like give everything youve got until your soul is spilling out or open yourself up to the world. I think part of that justis from my own personal transitions in life, y you know, mywhere i came from and how ive changed over the years, that emotion from those moments i put into the sculpture and thats what youre seeing there. Its definitely a transition from lawyer to artist and ityou know, you go from a job thats very secure where its a secure salary and whatnot to, you know, very specific type of lifestyle as a Corporate Lawyer, to this s more bohemian lifestyle where you dont know if youre gonna be able to pay rent. You dont know what the future holds. So it was definitely a transition, and during that transition you really learn a lot about yourself and about the people around you because i had people whoho really questioned my decision, you know, that i was leaving the secure job to go create art out of a childs toy. It seemed crazy to some people and they really told me i was making a huge mistake. I often advise peoeople if theyre trying to make a big transition in life, you have to cut that negativity out if you really wanna follow your dreams, and that can be hard because it might be a friend of yours whos telling you not to do it, and you got to really find out, well, who are yourwho are your friends if theyre so negative about it. Whats next for me . I dont know. Im gonna keep building. Were in my art studio here inn los angeles and i have over 4 1 2 million bricks. So ill probably keep working with lego for a little while. Walter thats itit for this we. Join the conversatioion with us on social media. We are cctv america on twitter, facebook, and youtube. And now you can watch full frame on our new mobile app available worldwide on any smartphone for free. Search cctv america on your app store to download today. All of tonights interviews can still be found online at cctvamerica. Com and let us know what youd like us to take full frame next. Simply email us at fullframe cccctvamerica. Comom. Until then, im mike walter in los angeles. Well see you next time. Was it t a conscious decisisn or a momementary lapse of reaso . How did progress take priority over humankind . How could the desire for a modern way of life that threatens our future be considered a way of life . Could it be we are connected to all things in the universe, not the center of it . That suburbs in los angeles affect the melting ice caps of antarctica . Deforestation in the congo affects the typhoons of japan . Now we must face the insurmountable challenges for what they really are, opportunities to reinvent and redesign. E2 the economies of the environmentally consciouous