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What Matters To Me

  • The Nuyorican Poets Cafe 236 E 3rd St New York, NY, 10009 United States (map)

Mind Grappling Films and the Matthew Corozine Acting Studio powered by Stand Up For Passion present:   "What Matters,"   an evening of stories narrated by seven individuals in seven minutes coming from all parts of the world including Jamaica, Trinidad, Poland, UK and the Bronx. Each story is crafted to inspire and leave you with an unforgettable experience.

The evening will open with a special guest speaker Dr. Tzipi Weiss, who has published work on post-traumatic growth.  She will talk about her findings on how one can grow from trauma.

"What Matters" will benefit The Stop Abuse Campaign, which is currently working on reforming existing child act laws to better protect our children from abuse and neglect.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Event starts promptly at 7:00pm followed by Q&A. 

Tickets are $20 and available for purchase at : http://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-matters-tickets-16867036761

Wine & Beer will be available for purchase. 

*NO WALK-IN's

Tickets are expected to sell out soon due to limited seating!

Hosted By:

Gina Kim is a producer, writer, artist and entrepreur. She started performing and producing at 8 years old and had a taste of the pagaent world being crowned Miss Absecon, winning talent and Miss Congeniality. She also had the honor of recording background vocals for K-Pop stars in Korea. In 2003, she founded a 501c3 non-profit, ARIA (Awareness of Rape & Incest through Art) to empower victims of abuse through the arts. Gina received recognition for her outstanding leadership in the arts for women. In 2010, Gina’s first play, MISS KIM premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival which she self-produced again in 2012. She has written and produced 2 short films which received several awards in the film festival circuit. She also co-wrote and produced a dance music video; Dance With It. Gina has participated in many transformational leadership programs and has coached many people in attaining results in personal projects. Gina is a New York City based artist who works in Finance, studied at New York University and Hunter College and has a BA in Psychology and Economics. She is also a BMI songwriter and a member of the NY Chapter of Women in Music. She is currently a masters candidate in International Affairs with Media Focus at The New School. 

Arnaud Collery is a comedian, host, filmmaker, entrepreneur, innovator and executive storytelling coach to CEOs. He is the co-founder of Stand up for Passion, founder of Kikai Mining, a happiness agency and Happy Hacking Days (the first tech event creating happiness apps). Arnaud has worked in Hollywood as an actor, stand up comedian and director (Best comedy film director Monaco Film Festival 2012). He has won numerous Hackathons in the tech world and has since coached a number of startups in LA and France. He is the recipient of many fellowships including the METP in China and Start up Leadership Program in NYC.

Special Guest Speaker:

Dr. Tzipi Weiss is Associate Professor, LIU, Social Work Department. Dr. Weiss has always been interested in understanding the human condition and helping people and organizations grow.  She studied the biological, psychological, social and existential/spiritual aspects of human behavior and applied her extensive education as a consultant, clinician and academician. She has published pioneering research on posttraumatic growth (PTG), the positive changes that may result from the struggle with traumatic experiences, in journal articles, book chapters and a co-edited book on posttraumatic growth in cross-cultural perspective. She is an associate professor at LIU and works with Upbuild, a social enterprise dedicated to maximizing the human potential.

Storytellers:

Lynesha Charles-Barrat aka Lyn was born in Trinidad & Tobago and migrated to the United States as a young woman on a journey of healing and endless possibilities. Lyn has worked and progressed in multiple leadership positions with the Ministry of Education in Trinidad as well as several management positions with Mechanical and Facility Maintenance companies in the United States. As a survivor of child sexual abuse, Lyn is committed to bringing awareness and healing to the children of this world that have suffered abuse as well as well as adult survivors, helping them to take their power back and create the life they have always dreamed of, the life they deserve. Eradication of all abuse is the ultimate goal and the education of our families in ways abuse can be prevented.

Jason Duval Hunter is a SAG-AFTRA Writer, Producer, Actor, Model.  He is in the process of mounting an original play he wrote titled "Cybersex-The Play"  The play deals with the subject matter of childhood molestation and the process of finding forgiveness.  He takes on the taboo subject matter and explores how it impacts ones sexuality as an adult. The play is being co-produced, choreographed and directed by Fred C.L. Mann III with a projected Off Broadway opening 2016.  

Matt Josepher is a native New Yorker born addicted to heroin. He lived an unsupervised life growing up the moment he left the womb. Matthew has healed from his trauma on his own and has successfully come out of a 27-year struggle with addiction. He was a fitness trainer as well as a drug and alcohol counselor. In January 2014, Matthew took on a life challenge by his therapist to confront his fears which led him to enroll in an acting class. His recent credits include a stage debut and a role in a short film. 

Katrina Shuler is a proud mom of 3 amazing kids, Katrina works as an administrative assistant, and in her free time likes to focus on theatre, yoga, and cooking.

Patrycja Slawuta M.A Psych, PhD(c) is a bi-coastal (SF + NYC) researcher and entrepreneur. Native of Poland, Patrycja is a connoisseur of the complexity and nonlinearity of human nature. Her scientific research  addresses the emotions of shame and guilt, group dynamics and and the power of language. Patrycja created the Self Hackathon - powerful events that she co-hosts with other world-class teachers to help already high achievers hack their minds for much more confidence, fearlessness and overall aliveness. 

Dennis O. Tyson MAP is a survivor of male sexual abuse and is an avid advocate on the topic. He is Jamaican by birth and has resided in the United States for fourteen years. He holds a master’s in Public Administration and has worked in the New York City foster-care system for over five years dealing with children with serious emotional disability and those who are developmentally delayed. Dennis came up with the concept of the O'Brien Dennis Foundation while pursuing his master’s degree. His objective is to change social perception about male sexual abuse and to change the face of it by continuing his photo exhibitions. He has done research into the subject of male sexual abuse and has written two books under the synonym O'Brien Dennis titled “Understanding Male Sexual Abuse & The Cries of Men”. Currently, Dennis is in the process of hosting his second photo exhibition titled “The Untold Stories”.

Siobhan Weiss believes that it's never too late to "start the whole thing over" and that recovery (whether it be from addiction, alcoholism or abuse) is a process of discovery and reinvention; and sometimes, just good old trial and error. She  moved to NYC, shortly after college graduation to pursue theater. and that 's when the real journey began. Needless to say - whoever said life doesn't move in a straight line - was right! 

Closing Notes by:

Andrew Willis is Founder, CEO of Stop Abuse Campaign. He was born in Hong Kong went to school in Great Britain and has not stopped travelling ever since. Following time in the British Army, where he reached the rank of Captain, he has spent his life practicing integrated marketing communications and marketing, mostly for global brands. Andrew has worked in senior leadership positions for McCann Erickson, Ogilvy & Mather, IBM and Publicis and has been responsible for accounts that include IBM, American Express, HP, Citi and the Royal National Institute for the Blind. He has been recognised with both creative and marketing effectiveness awards and has been a frequent speaker at conferences. A survivor of both child sexual abuse and domestic violence, Andrew has dedicated the second half of his life to ending abuse and alleviating the suffering of those involved.

Earlier Event: June 10
June 10th, 2015: NYC
Later Event: September 9
Sept 9, 2015 - TOKYO