{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1","title":"Stephen Braunius","home_page_url":"https://stephen.braunius.org","feed_url":"https://stephen.braunius.org/json/","description":"<p>Seek | Do | Share</p><p>I have always loved to learn new things and put that knowledge to use. This is where I share what I’m learning.</p>","icon":"/media/production/images/item-03dca25ffbbc24c77ac4bc2c4d97c965.png","favicon":"/media/production/images/item-03dca25ffbbc24c77ac4bc2c4d97c965.png","authors":[{"name":"Stephen Braunius"}],"language":"en-us","items":[{"id":"Zm7qoaBhRJs","title":"TEDx Macatawa 2015 Session 1d: Willie J. Watt Jr., Deliberate Collaboration","url":"https://stephen.braunius.org/i/session-1d-willie-j-watt-jr-deliberate-collaboration/","authors":[{"name":"Stephen Braunius"}],"content_html":"<p><img alt=\"\" src=\"http://www.tedxmacatawa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/williejwatt.jpg\"/></p>\n<ul>\n<li>lived in a violent time in Chicago</li>\n<li>in a gang at 11 years old</li>\n<li>wanted to be a lawyer but told he would be dead at age 16</li>\n<li>enjoyed riding<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_%27L%27\"> ‘L’</a></li>\n<li>watched best friend get murdered</li>\n<li>shot 3 times by age 13</li>\n<li>kicked out of house by age 17</li>\n<li>moved to Holland</li>\n<li>gangs started showing up in Holland  in 1980s</li>\n<li>1998 – African American families had been firebombed in Holland</li>\n<li>2007 lost wife, kids, home, homeless in parking lot of church</li>\n<li>gave life to Christ and learned of a Father that loves him no matter what</li>\n<li>found purpose: to be a servant and give back</li>\n<li>we all come up with wonderful ideas that might change lives and we file them away rather than having the courage to try them out and collaborate with others</li>\n<li>in confusion ideas are grown and people can make good changes when presented with a choice</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.hollandyouthconnections.com/\">Holland Youth Connection</a> – Summer job connection where work would happen for 10 weeks and have kids from rival gangs work together <a href=\"http://www.escape-out.org/\">http://www.escape-out.org/</a>- the youth take ownership of the community</li>\n<li>76% drop in crime rate with implementation of the work program</li>\n<li>2nd year had 7 different gangs, ethnicities, and schools came together</li>\n<li>“When we give kids an opportunity they can change the community”</li>\n<li>Take the time to get in their lives to help them become who the want to be and who they can be</li>\n<li>“Are you going to go out there and do something and take a step forward and make a difference?”</li>\n<li>“We have to start taking chances on other people”</li>\n<li>“We can change the world”</li>\n</ul><p><em>Categories: Learning · Tags: tedxmac2015 · Originally published on stephen.braunius.org</em></p>","content_text":"lived in a violent time in Chicago\n\nin a gang at 11 years old\n\nwanted to be a lawyer but told he would be dead at age 16\n\nenjoyed riding ‘L’\n\nwatched best friend get murdered\n\nshot 3 times by age 13\n\nkicked out of house by age 17\n\nmoved to Holland\n\ngangs started showing up in Holland in 1980s\n\n1998 – African American families had been firebombed in Holland\n\n2007 lost wife, kids, home, homeless in parking lot of church\n\ngave life to Christ and learned of a Father that loves him no matter what\n\nfound purpose: to be a servant and give back\n\nwe all come up with wonderful ideas that might change lives and we file them away rather than having the courage to try them out and collaborate with others\n\nin confusion ideas are grown and people can make good changes when presented with a choice\n\nHolland Youth Connection – Summer job connection where work would happen for 10 weeks and have kids from rival gangs work together http://www.escape-out.org/ - the youth take ownership of the community\n\n76% drop in crime rate with implementation of the work program\n\n2nd year had 7 different gangs, ethnicities, and schools came together\n\n“When we give kids an opportunity they can change the community”\n\nTake the time to get in their lives to help them become who the want to be and who they can be\n\n“Are you going to go out there and do something and take a step forward and make a difference?”\n\n“We have to start taking chances on other people”\n\n“We can change the world”\n\nCategories: Learning · Tags: tedxmac2015 · Originally published on stephen.braunius.org","date_published":"2015-03-12T16:00:00.000Z","date_modified":"2026-10-28T20:32:25.853Z","_microfeed":{"slug":"session-1d-willie-j-watt-jr-deliberate-collaboration","authors":[{"name":"Stephen Braunius","type":"Person"}],"web_url":"https://stephen.braunius.org/i/session-1d-willie-j-watt-jr-deliberate-collaboration/","json_url":"https://stephen.braunius.org/i/Zm7qoaBhRJs/json/","rss_url":"https://stephen.braunius.org/i/Zm7qoaBhRJs/rss/","guid":"http://stephen.braunius.org/session-1d-willie-j-watt-jr-deliberate-collaboration/","status":"published","date_published_short":"Thu Mar 12 2015","date_published_ms":1426176000000}}],"_microfeed":{"publisher":{"name":"Stephen Braunius","type":"Person","url":"https://stephen.braunius.org"},"authors":[{"name":"Stephen Braunius","type":"Person"}],"microfeed_version":"1.0.13","base_url":"https://stephen.braunius.org","categories":[],"subscribe_methods":[{"name":"RSS","type":"rss","url":"https://stephen.braunius.org/rss/","image":"https://stephen.braunius.org/assets/brands/subscribe/rss.png","enabled":true,"editable":false,"id":"3ruTYsoZVaf"},{"name":"JSON","type":"json","url":"https://stephen.braunius.org/json/","image":"https://stephen.braunius.org/assets/brands/subscribe/json.png","enabled":true,"editable":false,"id":"5nhVQKje4_K"}],"description_text":"Seek | Do | Share\nI have always loved to learn new things and put that knowledge to use. This is where I share what I’m learning.","copyright":"©2007–2026 Stephen Braunius","itunes:type":"episodic","items_sort":"published_at","items_order":"desc"}}