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Coming Together


VOA CONNECT
EPISODE 78
AIR DATE 07 12 2019
TRANSCRIPT


OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Graphic Apocalypse
((SOT))
((NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
I like where I'm at, as long as I'm able to make stuff when I
can. That's what really matters, but it'd be nice to be able to
focus wholeheartedly on my creative work.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Music Thrapy
((NATS))
((SOT))
((Zoe Gleason Volz, Music Therapist))
A lot of my work is trying to slowly get them to positively
engage with their fellow group members.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Healing Quilt
((SOT))
((Kalima Young, Project Co-ordinator))
Trauma, especially gender-based violence and sexual
trauma, lives sort of in the soil. It lives in the body and when
you put the quilt out and it's on display, it often acts like an
acupuncture needle and it opens up the spaces of trauma.
((Open Animation))


BLOCK A


((PKG)) COMIC CREATOR
((Banner: Conscience Comics))
((Reporter/Camera: Arturo Martinez))
((Map: Chattanooga, Tennessee))
((MUSIC))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
I can't imagine not working on comics. Storytelling is a huge
part of the way my brain works and it's all I do, is just obsess
over ARRO especially or whatever comic I'm working on at
the time.
((MUSIC))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
My name is Tara Hamilton. I make comics, do a lot of
illustration, mini comics. I work on an ongoing series called
ARRO, a lot of post-apocalyptic stuff and self-deprecating
humor. That's what I'm into.
((MUSIC))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
I started drawing comics in middle school. So, I wanted to
keep making comics in high school, but I wanted to find a
writer. Finally, at the end of university, I found someone.
Her name is Alison Burke and she is the writer for ARRO
and I do all of the illustration paneling and everything.
((BEGIN NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
Hey, it's you.
((Alison Burke, Comic Writer))
Hey.
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
Go to the last, like, three pages. So, we haven't talked about
those at all.
((END NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
So, she used to live in Chattanooga, but she moved to
Boston and we've been working through a program called
Slack.
((BEGIN NATS))
((Alison Burke, Comic Writer))
I owe you the next chapters of ARRO.
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
Yeah.
((END NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
We've been working on ARRO for 10 years now. ARRO is a
multinational organization going into North America after a
collapse of civilization from a disease through the waterway.
They are a humanitarian group coming in to make it livable
for all of the American refugees that no one wants. It's like
Greenpeace meets Walking Dead. This is the map of all the
refugee areas. So, there's a lot of socio-political overtones,
but it's a really quiet story because it's mainly focusing on
eight people.
((BEGIN NATS))
((Alison Burke, Comic Writer))
The best science fiction is always a reaction to, like, what's
happening currently. The tone of what's happening in our
country and in our world right now and, like, bring those
elements in.
((END NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
So, the environmental approach is something that we were
both really passionate about to begin with. So, we did a ton
of research about waterborne illnesses, and Chattanooga is
a water way kind of city. So, it makes sense that's
something we were drawn to when we first started
researching. The Chattanooga Creek was, like, back in the
1990s, one of the most polluted waterways in North America.
This is the 10 years ago thing. A lot of the research is, kind
of, like, scary and that it's coming true, but the story is
hopeful and heartfelt enough to motivate someone to want to
see change in the world.
((BEGIN NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
This is part of the comic. This is the location of the big battle
scene. Drove about 45 minutes from Chattanooga to take
reference photos of a gas station. So, Ali and I, both like to
go out to the actual locations in the comic. We're taking
vacations just to get photos of the location. That sign was
really important, because the entire book is just a road trip
from Chattanooga to Nashville. So, I wanted to have that in
at least one of the last couple of pages.
((NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
Oh, there it is. Right over there. We gotta cross the street.
((NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
This was one of my designs. There was a call for art to go
on these electrical boxes. Chattanooga is known for hiking
and doing all these, like, outdoorsy things. I got paid just to
draw it, which was fantastic.
((NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
There's the other one. It's just a bunch of cats. This is the
only one that people actually, like, walk up to me and talk to
me about it, like, Oh my god, I saw your cats on a box. I
think it works against graffiti enough, but somebody has
already keyed it, like scratch the crap out of it.
((NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
As a comics creator, you definitely have to keep a social
media presence, but you have to do conventions or else
you're just screaming into the void of the internet.
((NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
We try to do at least five conventions a year. Going on the
convention scene, I felt really isolated as soon as I got
home. I was so used to these creative communities that as
soon as I got back, I was, like, Oh, this is it. So, I founded
this group, the Chatt Comix Co-Op, and its become this
huge creative group that is a huge well of joy for me.
((END NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
12 to 24 people come every first and third Monday to the
meetings and we make anthologies.
((BEGIN NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
I have a day job at a print shop where I just so happened to
also print everything I sell, not for free of course, but it is
super easy.
((NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
This is my day job. I kind of screwed myself with the whole
student debt thing. I need to have a job. Comics don't pay
the bills.
((NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
But I like having a stable income. I don't want to only
produce stuff just to make a profit. Otherwise I'd be making
comics about cats all the time because that's all that sells.
((NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
I like where I'm at, as long as I'm able to make stuff when I
can. That's what really matters, but it'd be nice to be able to
focus wholeheartedly on my creative work, one of those
distant dreams.
((NATS))
((Tara Hamilton, Comic Creator))
My husband, he's very supportive of what I do, but it isn't
something he's super into, but it's nice to have the
separation from my wonderful home life and this very intense
relationship with comics.
((END NATS))


TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up..
((Banner))
Help for Dyslexia
((SOT))
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
You know, historical documents were all written in cursive
and if they want to, you know, go to museums and see these
documents, they're going to know, they're going to need to
know cursive writing and formation.


BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))


BLOCK B
((Banner: Alternative Therapies))


((PKG)) CURSIVE FOR DYSLEXIA
((Banner: The Joys of Cursive))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Adam Greenbaum))
((Adapted by: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: McLean, Virginia))
((NATS))
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
What we're going to work on today is making sure that we
are correctly connecting each letter.
((NATS))
((Pop-Up Banner: Cursive writing helps children with
reading problems, like dyslexia, develop muscle memory for
letters and words))
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
The great thing about cursive is everyone, kind of, has their
own little spin to it. Like, they know how to form the letters,
but as you get older, you kind of develop your own flow to
your cursive writing and it's, it's yours.
((NATS))
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
We always teach the students that their hands will help them
read. So, we always start with skywriting.
((Joseph, Student))
Type I.
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
So, we're using the large shoulder muscle at that point. And
sound.
((Joseph, Student))
Type I.
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
While skywriting.
((Joseph, Student))
Type I.
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
Letter name?
((Joseph, Student))
Y, consonant E
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
Again, so Y.
((Joseph, Student))
Consonant E.
A.
((Joseph, Student))
When I do a handwriting motion, it gets put in my head. It's
like my hand remembers and so does my brain. Then, when
my brain starts remembering it, my brain remembers the
letters in the word, and then when I see those letters in the
word, I remember the word when I'm reading.
((NATS))
((Joseph, Student))
Would, w-o-u-l-d.
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
Establish the gross motor movements before we let them
hold the pencil and that they have to hold the pencil
correctly. Otherwise they're using their small motor
movements from their hands.
((Kevin Cyron, Coordinator, St. Lukes Middle School))
There's a lot of pressure nowadays, and as you go into the
20th century, as to more digital and these sort of things, and
youre sort of losing these traditional methods, specifically
handwriting.
((NATS))
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
Around, cross up the line, beautiful.
((Kevin Cyron, Coordinator, St. Lukes Middle School))
The way the brain works, especially with note taking, is that
the fact that you're seeing it and you're listening to a lecture
and you're writing it down, helps you to remember it. I mean
even now, when I prepare for a lecture, I read through a
book and I make an outline, a handwritten outline, and then I
go back and type it, because that helps me remember, and
so, when I look at the notes, I can recall it. So, it's a lot of
memory issues that are involved in it.
((NATS))
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
So, if a student makes an error when reading, quite often I'll
have them write over the letter that they're missing in cursive
so that their hands actually start to help them read, and
that's something that really resonates with a lot of my
students because they're very aware that they learn through
all of their senses.
((NATS))
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
So, echo Style.
((Joseph, Student))
Style.
((Joseph, Student))
And I have good handwriting now, Id like to say. I am able
to read all books I want. Its, its really absurd to think that I
can choose what book I want to read without having to think
about if its too hard for me to read now, whereas of, like,
three years ago, I would have been, like, theres no way I
could get through a book like that.
((NATS))
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
Lets opens the page 125 and give me a thumbs up when
youre there.
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
I think cursive writing is so important for in history and
purposes of history, the fact that, you know, historical
documents were all written in cursive and if they want to, you
know, go to museums and see these documents, they're
going to know, they're going to need to know cursive writing
and formation, to be able to read them. And just for more
basic skills like writing checks and, you know, letters and
stuff like that, I think it's super important for them to know.
((NATS))
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
.and write. So, just say Y here..


((PKG)) MUSIC THERAPY FOR AUTISM
((Banner: Notes of Change))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Adam Greenbaum))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Chantilly, Virginia))
((NATS))
((Dixie Mazur, Music Therapist))
Hey, Hey, Hey. Ive got a question for you today.
((Katey Hernandez, Lucas Mother))
He is autistic and he has a lot of sensory processing
sensitivities, hyper and hypo-sensitivities.
((NATS))
((Dixie Mazur, Music Therapist))
Merry go round, around and around and around.
((Kelsi Yingling, Founder, Neurosound Music Therapy))
Our practice really believes in client-centered music therapy
services. So, we provide a variety of different types of
therapy. We provide individual music therapy, group music
therapy. We provide adaptive music lessons and provide
social groups for children.
((Dixie Mazur, Music Therapist))
I brought in a piano today because I found that piano can be
a great tool to work with anybody. It provides a lot of
independence.
((NATS))
((Dixie Mazur, Music Therapist))
One, two, three, four..
((Dixie Mazur, Music Therapist))
I brought in drums because drums are a great way to
engage with others and to use as like a redirection tool. I
like to bring in a variety of instruments with a variety of
textures.
((NATS))
((Katey Hernandez, Lucas Mother))
Ms. Dixie has come up with a few songs to help him with
social dialogue. So, it helps him communicate with us a lot
more when we can't figure out exactly what he needs.
((Kelsi Yingling, Founder, Neurosound Music Therapy))
Music therapy really does focus on non-musical goals.
((Zoe Gleason Volz, Music Therapist))
We can work with atypical individuals, helping with stress
management and self-care, all the way up to individuals who
are paraplegic and aren't able to move their limbs or have
extreme cognitive delays.
((NATS))
((Zoe Gleason Volz, Music Therapist))
Christie is here and its time to say hello. Hello, do you want
to strum? Yeah.
((Zoe Gleason Volz, Music Therapist))
A lot of my work is trying to slowly get them to positively
engage with their fellow group members as well as actively
engage with me.
((NATS))
((Zoe Gleason Volz, Music Therapist))
When we get our instruments, we know what to do.
((Kelsi Yingling, Founder, Neurosound Music Therapy))
The type of skills we want to see in a music therapist are
strong musical skills, interpersonal skills, and ability to relate
to our clients.
((NATS))
((Zoe Gleason Volz, Music Therapist))
Goodbye, good friends, goodbye.
((Kelsi Yingling, Founder, Neurosound Music Therapy))
So, a lot of our therapists have a lot of energy. They're
patient and they really know how to adapt to situations and
redirect any behaviors that might occur during a session.
((NATS))
((Zoe Gleason Volz, Music Therapist))
Up and down the rainbow, up and down, up and down.
((Zoe Gleason Volz, Music Therapist))
I would like to have more people know what music therapy is
and all the benefits that it offers, because theres so many
people out there that would benefit so greatly from music
therapy that might not know what it is or might not be able to
access it.
((NATS))


TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up..
((Banner))
Honor Flight
((SOT))
((NATS))
((Charles Smith, Korea and Vietnam War Veteran))
That brings back a lot of memories. We didn't have any
winter clothes. To break the wind, we were wearing our
ponchos which snapped together and formed a two man
tent.


BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))


BLOCK C
((Banner: Paying Tribute))


((PKG)) MONUMENT QUILT HEALING
((Banner: The Healing Quilt))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Mike Burke))
((Adapted by: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((NATS))
((Hannah Brancato, Co-founder, FORCE))
The monument quilt is inspired by the Names Project [AIDS
Memorial] as a way of occupying public space to create a
community art project for people to grieve together. It is
motivated by the fact that there is no public monument to
survivors of sexual and to intimate partner violence, and that
in order to heal from trauma, we actually need to have public
monuments to convene with our communities, especially
those who haven't witnessed
((Photo Courtesy: Theresa Keil))
or experienced the same trauma.
Were a survivor led organization and we are putting the
needs of survivors first
((Photo Courtesy: Nate Larson))
in creating a public platform for our healing.
((Photo Courtesy: Nate Gregorio))
This display is the final 50th display that we've done around
the country, in the U.S. and in Mexico, in 33 different cities,
over the past six years of organizing.
((NATS))
((Greg Grey Cloud, Artist and Activist))
Four years ago, I was asked to share a story of sexual
assault from a male perspective. And at that time, no male
had shared their story until I finally, you know, got enough
nerve to share my story since from when I was 9 years old,
when I was sexually assaulted. But these women here at
the Monument Quilt Force, they created such a safe space
for me to share my story that I just felt that I needed to be
actively involved.
((NATS))
((Kalima Young, Project Co-ordinator))
Trauma, especially gender based violence and sexual
trauma, lives sort of in the soil. It lives in the body and when
you put the quilt out and it's on display, it often acts like an
acupuncture needle and it opens up the spaces of trauma.
And often people, who don't even identify as survivors, once
they experience the quilt, realize that they have sexual
violence in their history.
((NATS))
((Naomi Chandel Kumar, Monument Quilt Visitor))
It's really beautiful to see survivors standing up and not
being afraid and being able to find healing and community.
That's really important, I think, for artists and for survivors to
heal together and being able to create something with that
energy as opposed to it eating you up is a much better use, I
think, of our creative talents and of our energy and healing
practice.
((NATS))
((Kalima Young, Project Organizer))
The biggest thing that everybody wants, who does this kind
of work, is we want to tell survivors that we believe you, we
see you and you're not alone and you're not to blame.
((NATS))


((PKG)) HONOR FLIGHT WAR VETERANS
((VOA Russian))
((Banner: Honor Flights))
((Reporter: Lesia Bakalets))
((Camera: David Gogokhia, Artem Kohan))
((Adapted by: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Orlando, Florida; Washington, D.C.))
((NATS))
((Russell Graddick Jr., Vietnam War Veteran))
Last month, they called me and told me I was going to, I've
been chosen to go on this flight.
((Ernest Burgess, World War Two Veteran))
Not that I deserve the honor so much as Im happy to be
able to give some credit to the fellows that were and are still
honored.
((Charles Smith, Korea and Vietnam War Veteran))
Ive been holding my breath wishing that I would be chosen
and I just lucked out, I guess.
((NATS))
((Pop-Up Banner: Honor Flight Network offers US military
veterans free trips to Washington, D.C. to visit war
memorials.))
((James Hart, Space Coast Honor Flight Director))
So today, we have four World War Two, we have 12 Korean
War, and nine Vietnam veterans going with us.
((NATS))
((James Hart, Space Coast Honor Flight Director))
We are one of a 130 to 135 hubs across the United States.
We do seven flights a year. Each flight we take 25 veterans
and 25 guardians with six staff to see their memorials and to
be thanked for what, their service to their country.
((NATS))
Thank you for your service.
((Peggie Gavigan, War Veteran Guardian))
My husband's a vet and he did it, and he was telling me what
an experience it was and how great it was. So, I was really
excited and I wanted to be a guardian. I didn't know if I
could or not with the group, but they said I could.
((NATS))
((James Hart, Space Coast Honor Flight Director))
It started with a retired Air Force physician's assistant and as
the World War Two Memorial was finished, he was talking to
World War Two veterans, and many of them said, Yeah, I
have no way of ever getting there. I can't get there. So, he
was a member of the Flying Club, the local Flying Club. So,
he started by asking other members of the Flying Club to fly
veterans to Washington, D.C. and the very first flight were
private little airplanes and they took 12 veterans to
Washington. D.C.
((NATS))
Now arriving in the airport terminal from Orlando, Florida, the
Space Coast Honor Flight carrying veterans from World War
Two, Korea and Vietnam. God bless our countries, God
bless America.
((NATS))
Thank you for your service.
((NATS))
((Charles Smith, Korea and Vietnam War Veteran))
That brings back a lot of memories. We didn't have any
winter clothes. We were wearing, to break the wind, we
were wearing our ponchos which snapped together and
formed a two men tent.
((NATS))
((Russell Graddick Jr., Vietnam War Veteran))
Its the best day of my life today, as far as the military goes.
Nobody's shooting at you. Nothing. It's, I'm happy. I'm
happy to be home and see these great memorials because I
haven't seen a lot of them.
((Ernest Burgess, World War Two Veteran))
I thought it was something I should do before I die.
((NATS))
((Pop-Up Banner: More than 20,000 veterans are waiting
their turn to make the war memorable trip))
((NATS))

NEXT WEEK / GOOD BYE ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
In coming weeks..
((SOT))
????
This is the theater where we watch movies and then
((Banner))
Teachers from Abroad
((SOT))
????
there is the pharmacy and the only caf that we have in
town. In the Philippines, we think of America, we just think
of New York or California and we didnt really expect that
there are rural areas too in America.
((NATS))
((SOT))
????
I am ???? and I grew up in Manila. Here I teach seventh
through twelve math.
((Banner))
Walking for Peace
((SOT))
????
Walking for peace doesnt require much. I focus on sharing
with people a sense of peace, showing them kindness. And
I think they can feel it because our minds can touch.
Peaceful and kind minds will seek and find each other.
((NATS))

CLOSING ((ANIM))
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((NATS))
((Pop-Up captions over BRoll))
Near the Turkish Embassy
Washington, D.C.
May 16, 2017
President Erdogans bodyguard attacks peaceful protesters
Those terrorists deserved to be beaten
They should not be protesting our president
They got what they asked for
While some people may turn away from the news
We cover it
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BREAK


SHOW ENDS




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