Unity Through Diversity

10/09/2024

Week 2, today we dive into the intro of the podcast and let students hands on use recorder to practice and record their first intro. Week 3, we are going to work on the body of the podcast, based on the topic they choose, we will work on writing the outline of the story and practice storytelling and create meaningful conversations with their guest. 🙌

10/02/2024

Week 1 of our Podcast workshop 💜
Start with Meditation as always to get students calm and relaxed so they can focus on the class.

We started with intro and shared with them how the podcast equipment works, and let them test some of the sound equipment. 🙏

Their favorite part probably is the snacks part 😆
Looking forward to seeing you all next Tuesday for our week 2 class. 🙌

04/18/2024

We officially finished this semester’s “How to create your podcast” workshop. 🎊🎉

9 bright students, experienced what’s feel like to be a podcaster. We reviewed the episodes we recorded. We shared our feedbacks, we brought cupcakes and flowers to celebrate their effort and engagement. 🙌

Gonna miss their faces 🙏

Way to go 👍 Hornets 🐝 , see you all soon. 🔜

04/03/2024

Honored to be interviewed by Bold Journey Magazine 🙏 thank you so much.

I think this will be a great reintroduction of myself for the journey I embarked on in the last few years.
United We Go Inner Sensory Healing Unity Through Diversity

https://boldjourney.com/news/meet-gina-anayana/

Being the only one in the room has been a theme in my life. That lead me to create a safe container for those who felt the same way. 🙏

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gina Anayana. We

03/13/2024

Ep 66 is coming out today at 11:11am! Ben and Lolo from 🙏 special series collaborated with to highlight small business in the Great Lakes Bay Region. 🤩🙏

Tune into any main podcast platforms to get to know more about the team behind this amazing coffee lounge in the community. 🥰

Unity Through Diversity:
Podcast Page: https://bit.ly/3HdI8gN

03/13/2024

Hemmeter Elementary School podcast workshop! Week 5 🙌

Things looks like very easy actually needs to put in lots practice and effort. These hornets 🐝 chose to create their own podcast. Because they have something they would like to create, to share with the world. 🌎

We usually starts with meditation to guide students to relax and calm down after all day stimulation in school so we can focus on the workshop. Today we tried to have one student guide us which is really fun 🤩

Week 7-8 will be the recording session. In the last 5 weeks. We worked on podcast structure, we worked on how to ask questions, we worked on designing the podcast layout, we worked on chosing podcast name and potential episodes, we worked on practicing interviewing others and being interviewed by others.

We are not looking for a perfect outcome at the end of these 8 weeks, but a way of presenting your ideas and conduct conversations around this topic, be creative, fun and enjoyable in the learning process.

Soft skills are so very important in these days, working with kids has been lots of fun in my life. So proud of you all and cannt wait to see you all next week. 🥰🙏

03/05/2024

February was filled with many movement, its full but fast. Last day of Feb, I got invited to attend this event from Delta College, Dr. Gavin meeting with the Latino community. (Right? And I was the only Asian in the meeting) I was questioning why I am at a Latino community meeting for quite a while. 😆

During the Q & A part, Dr. Pam said something that reminded me of why I am there. She said, at certain point, we are not only representing those who look like us, but you represent those who also doesn’t look like us. (Not her exact words, just to be clear).

That moment I tune into the core of this meeting. The awareness and acknowledgement of the diversity in our community, the willingness and commitment to work with each other. It’s that the spirit of United We Go?

This belonging is everyone is itching for, belonging is not a place you find on this earth planet, belonging is your choice, when you choose to be somewhere with what you choose to do and to be, the longer you be you, you increase the energy movement. Be-long each time to claim your spot. However, for someone to claim their place, the big environment matters, the community matters. We are choosing a community that is welcoming, supportive, respectful, open minded, honest, loving, diversified.
So proud of the Latino community, they show up, they share what’s on their heart, they speak up for themselves. 🙏

I love delta college offering this kind of community meeting every semester, hear the people out, have a conversation and discussion about what happened. What’s going on and where is heading to.

One day. One day, we look around, recognize not from color, not from race, not from gender, but the love for all that involved. 🙏

Step out from the building and pass by those two big murals installed last summer, and visited Artisan Urban Bistro to finish my last bit of Feb. I am complete. 🙏🙏 love your neighbor. ❤️

02/07/2024

Behind scenes with Chad and Lesley from Reality Check Bay City, LLC 😍 Feb small business highlight 🙏

Tune into for the full interview with Chad and Lesley to get to know their family and services in our community. 🥰🙏 release at 11:11am Wednesday.

We also have fundraising event on 2/16 from 5pm to 11pm at Reality Check. Support small businesses, support non profit. 🙌 Family Fun Fundraising Event at Reality Check Bay City

Unity Through Diversity:
Podcast Page: https://bit.ly/3HdI8gN

Platforms you can stream on:
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3Hf33jK
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3kepPiz
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3GMkiaN

Connect with Unity Through Diversity on social media:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3ZHNpVg
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3Hf3gn2
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Hc1Cmc

If you interested in sharing your own story, please fill out interests form:

https://forms.gle/ZDjUqHxWMipyFXAB6

09/25/2023

Gina: Your three biggest challenges when you started bringing public arts to the community?

Sergio: My first year, I think the biggest challenge was the artists actually showing up and doing what they were set out to do. I think the first year I kind of just took people's words for it. I didn't have anything in writing, so there were a couple of people that didn't show up. But luckily we had enough people who were eager to see the success of the project that they kind of stepped up and said, "You know what, so-and-so didn't show up, I'll go ahead and do it." So no-shows were my biggest issue in the first year.

The second year, it was the equipment. We had a lot of faulty equipment. It was my first time placing such a big order for paint and stuff like that, so I wasn't prepared for it. Day one, when everything was supposed to start being in motion, it was a rough start. But I think after the second or third day, everything was just falling into place.

My third biggest issue, seven years into it, is just keeping myself organized with so much going on. My smallest festival was 16 people in 2020 during the pandemic, but every year after that, it's been like 30. The most I've done was 57, and I did two schools at the same time. So it was just kind of splitting myself up in two places. I found the best thing to do is…

Gina: I thought I was crazy with one wall, and now you're telling me you have 30 walls, and you even did 57 with two schools.

Sergio: Yeah, it's been quite the journey.
Interviewer: Speaking of that, I had one project where the paint showed up like three or four days late.

Gina: What did you do in that situation?

To know more about Sergio’s journey please visit:
Unity Through Diversity:
Podcast Page: https://bit.ly/3HdI8gN

Platforms you can stream on:
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3Hf33jK
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3kepPiz
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3GMkiaN

09/22/2023

Gina: “Do you want to talk about collaboration a little bit? Because of the 57 walls, you are literally working with 57 artists, with the school, with all the sponsors, you know, with the community. So share with us a little bit of your experience with those big collaborations and what are some key points that we need to nail to have a successful collaboration.”

Sergio: “Yeah, I think the most important thing is for everyone to be on the same page, you know, communication, everyone being on the same page. And if any issues arise, we should resolve them as a community, not as individuals. A lot of the preparation work we did beforehand ensured that all the artists' expectations were met and that they felt appreciated.

Me and Ben got there a little early to set everyone up for success. We prepared the background, provided canvases, paints, and individually sized spaces for each artist. This way, everybody knew what they needed and where everything was located. Once they arrived, we asked if there was anything else they needed from us to successfully complete the project.

Luckily, the people you interviewed and chose were a really good group, making collaboration easy. Many people stepped up when needed. For instance, Congo didn't initially volunteer to compile all the images, but he stepped up at the right time. With his help, we were able to bring all the designs together, making them look cohesive as if it was one big project, rather than several individual artists doing their own thing.”

For more detailed conversation, please visit:
Unity Through Diversity:
Podcast Page: https://bit.ly/3HdI8gN

Platforms you can stream on:
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3Hf33jK
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3kepPiz
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3GMkiaN

Connect with Unity Through Diversity on social media:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3ZHNpVg
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3Hf3gn2
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Hc1Cmc

If you interested in sharing your own story, please fill out interests form:

https://bit.ly/Utd-Interests-form

09/21/2023

Gina: “How do you feel about this city's mural festival? “

Sergio: “I thought it was a great opportunity. Obviously, Gina was new at it, so I felt like she needed help. She needed someone to guide her in the right direction to make the project a success.

There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes before we actually start the mural, such as the design process and figuring out where the supplies will come from. Safety is also a significant concern, so we want to ensure that the artists have the right equipment for the job.

However, I feel like it all came together with Gina's help. Being there personally to see all these things come to life, I was the one doing all the footwork behind the scenes, handling emails, writing letters, and coordinating with the artists to make sure everything they needed was available. I then relayed that information back to Gina so she could take care of things in person. “

Gina: “Did you think I was a little crazy at that time?”

Sergio: “ I did. Yes, I was surprised when she told me that she had just started this nonprofit and had only three or four months to pull it off. That's a significant challenge. Of course, I didn't want to scare you before you even started. “

This is part of the interview I had with Sergio on his way back to airport after we finished the mural painting.

Sergio Arce- Founder of AWall Mural Projects.

For more detailed conversation, please visit:
Unity Through Diversity:
Podcast Page: https://bit.ly/3HdI8gN

Platforms you can stream on:
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3Hf33jK
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3kepPiz
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3GMkiaN

Connect with Unity Through Diversity on social media:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3ZHNpVg
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3Hf3gn2
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Hc1Cmc

If you interested in sharing your own story, please fill out interests form:

https://bit.ly/Utd-Interests-form

09/07/2023

Episode 63 with Terry Dickinson is live on all the major podcast platforms now! 🙏

Terry Dickinson, the Interim Executive Director of Ausable Artisan Village nestled in the heart of downtown Grayling. But that's not all there is to Terry – he's a true luminary in the realm of mural art.

Picture this: back in 1974 to 1975, Terry adorned the streets of Bay City and Essexville with an astonishing 52 murals. Yes, you heard that right – 52 stunning murals that brought life and vibrancy to those communities. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Brace yourselves, because Terry's artistic journey continued with over 200 more murals gracing the charming town of Frankenmuth, with the count still climbing.

But here's where it gets even more intriguing. Our paths intertwined during the "City of Mural" Project by the non-profit organization United We Go. As we embarked on a quest to explore the world of murals, I had the privilege of getting to know Mr. Dickinson on a deeper level. The universe seemed to conspire in our favor, leading me to Terry, who not only continues to actively craft mesmerizing artwork but also calls Grayling his home.

Ever wondered how Bay City earned its moniker as the Mural City? Well, wonder no more, because Terry holds the key to this captivating history. Our conversation, spanning an hour and a half, uncovered the fascinating origins of this nickname and the artistic magic that Terry weaved into its fabric.

Before we wrap up, I invite you to explore the wonders of Ausable Artisan Village. To immerse yourself in the artistry that Terry champions, be sure to visit their website at www.artisanvillage.org. It's a haven where creativity knows no bounds.

You know can stream the podcast at:

Unity Through Diversity:
Podcast Page: https://bit.ly/3HdI8gN

Platforms you can stream on:
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3Hf33jK
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3kepPiz
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3GMkiaN

Connect with Unity Through Diversity on social media:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3ZHNpVg
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3Hf3gn2
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Hc1Cmc

09/05/2023

Ep No.63 Brushstrokes of Legacy: Unveiling the Mural Maestro's Journey with Terry Dickinson 🎨

How did you start painting mural from teaching math and physics?

“It was a transition of necessity. I had taken an interim position working with troubled teens in trouble with the court system and spent a couple of years in that role. And then that program ran out of money, so I had to move on. I picked up a teaching position at All Saints and taught there for two and a half years. They were running into some financial issues, so I needed a new occupation. At that point in time, school systems were not hiring teachers with experience because of the pay scale they had to honor. So you'd come in with seven or eight years of experience, and you'd be near the top of a pay scale. It's much cheaper to hire at the bottom of the pay scale. So the prospects of getting another teaching job were slim.

I had done a couple of commissions for the Historical Society, painting backdrops for some displays. One of the ladies at the Historical Society was talking about the upcoming bicentennial. So, this was the 1974 Bicentennial coming in 1976, and our city, Bay City, was not actively pursuing anything to celebrate that event. She suggested the idea that some of the vacant and blighted buildings could be painted with murals. So I went to the Downtown Development Authority and floated the idea. I could sense a great deal of excitement about the concept, and we were doing okay until the question came up: "How many of these have you done?" The answer was, "I haven't. This is just an idea." This is where we were heading. Well, that was in the spring of 1976. Spring of 1974.

And I didn't hear from them. So in the fall of 1974, I talked to the Pontiac dealership because they had the most visible wall right on the blueprint at the base of the bridge. I showed them a proposal. It was an image of the Liberty Bell with the words that are on the Liberty Bell spelled out beside the image. It was a 100-foot by 25-foot, two-story building. My agreement with them was I would not charge them any labor if they would pay for the material. Yeah, that wall was in such bad shape and required so much concrete patching, plaster, and that kind of stuff. It ended up being one of the most expensive murals that I did, and I didn't charge them labor, only for the materials. We put in about 900 pounds of patching concrete to try to fill in around the bricks.
By the time I finished that, I got five more commissions that I was able to start in the spring of 1975…”
- Terry Dickinson, Interim Executive Director

If you would like to know the story after here, please tune into the new episode releasing Wednesday 9/6 11:11am.

You can stream at:

Unity Through Diversity:
Podcast Page: https://bit.ly/3HdI8gN

Platforms you can stream on:
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3Hf33jK
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3kepPiz
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3GMkiaN

Connect with Unity Through Diversity on social media:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3ZHNpVg
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3Hf3gn2
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Hc1Cmc

If you interested in sharing your own story, please fill out interests form:

https://bit.ly/Utd-Interests-form

08/28/2023

I had to record this episode, I had so many questions for Mr Terry Dickinson for his extraordinary life story about art creation, and a lot was mural art related. 🙏

United We Go is working so hard to bring this “city of mural”festival to Bay City and I thought it would be great to hear Mr Dickinson’s story about how he started painting mural back 50years ago and maybe bring him back to Bay City area to share his memories and stories. 🙏❤️

This episode will be released in next few days, might not gonna be on Wednesday, depends on how much time I have to finish the editing part, but I will be released before our event on 8th. 🙏

08/26/2023

Tonite I would like to share with you what made me want to have a podcast and why I named podcast “Unity Through Diversity”.

Your intention is everything. And I believe from my core.

Back in 2020, while Covid was spreading fear and separation among us, we also experienced “Black Life Matter” and “Asian Hate” historic events in our history.

Early June 2020, right after George Floyd event happened. I realized i myself is minority of minority, I am not US citizen, I am not from here, I am Asian woman, and my girls are mix babies, so who is going to speak up for us???

While the separation between ourselves gets complicated, fear and anger rising in our society. I ask myself what can I do? What can I do for my girls? What can I do for those who feel their voices are not being heard or cared??

Podcast came to my mind, I am not expecting others to hear me if they choose not to. But I can set up a stage for myself, for people like me who want to voice themselves, I want to do my best to give different people from different backgrounds voice.

Unity is only can be achieved or felt when you acknowledge the beauty of the diversity. The equality means each opportunity to choose what your hearts desire.

In the last year and half, I interviewed over 60 people with at least 1 hour to 1.5 hour long episode on my podcast, i intentional interview people from different age, different occupations, different nationalities, different culture backgrounds to deliver a message that is everyone of you is unique, you choose different life path in this life time to learn different lessons and experience things from different angles. Without any of you. This world is not complete. 🙏

From Unity through Diversity, i founded non profit United We Go to bring people together and closer through encouraging collaborations and celebrating diversity, inclusion and harmony through community engagement. 🙏

My sharing tonite is an invitation for you to expand your perspective, to allow others choose what their hearts desire and you choose what your heart desires with love and compassion. After all, we just try to do our best to live this experience called life 🙏

Gina
8/25/2023

08/13/2023

Thank you Chalk Walk Art Festival for having me as one of the judges for the teen group chalk art. 🙏

Witnessing how those talents individual create amazing artwork in downtown Bay City made my day. 🙏

Each everyone is so unique and amazing, I wish I could know all of their whys. 😆

Who is rank top 3 at this day is not as important as how much each of them pour into their art creation, and I see it and wanted to honor each everyone of you who come out and put hours of work into your art piece. 🙏🙌

Thank you Studio 23 🙌❤️ for this beautiful festival in community 🙏

08/11/2023

Happy Friday, this week’s Unity through Diversity’s guest is Capt Eric, owner of Bay City Tiki Boat Tours. Some most important questions I always ask my guests are, “what made you decide to start your business?” Or “Why you chose what you offer?” 🙏
We are honored to share Captain Eric’s story with you today.

“To better understand how BC Tiki Boat Tours came about, we'd have to go back to the 1970's lol. My father was in the US Coast Guard in the mid 60's where he met my Mom in South Haven, MI. My Dad later became a police officer for 27 years there. My brother was the firstborn, and 5 years later, years truly came along lol. Growing up in South Haven probably was the biggest influence on my love of the water. In fact, my brother joined the USCG in 1987 and I followed his path and joined in 1992. I did 22 years in the USCG and retired in 2014. Did the stay-at-home Dad thing for a few years to make up for lost time (I was deployed a lot), then eventually 2 of the 3 kids moved out (college) and I found myself with lots of free time. So, I decided to get my captain's license, because, for 22 years, I drove boats and ships ranging from 14 feet to 378 feet doing law enforcement and search and rescue, so I thought why not use my knowledge and skills in the civilian world?

Last summer I went back to South Haven a few times on the weekends and drove charter boats at the Michigan Maritime Museum, mainly because they have a restored USCG 36ft Motor Life Boat that my Dad used to drive in the mid 60's. Seeing as I used to drive the more modern USCG 47ft motor life boat, I thought it would be a cool story to drive the boat my Dad used too. I had intentions of recreating this picture my Mom took when they were dating, unfortunately, I never got a photographer in place to do it. (see attached pic).

I had so much fun driving the charter boats I decided to start my own business, but something that was different from everyone else. There are a lot of small fishing charter boat businesses in the area, but no small sightseeing charters, just the larger Princess Wenona and Appledore Sailboat. After doing a ton of research online and asking around, I put together a business plan, bought a pontoon boat, and started designing a Tiki Themed boat with a bamboo bar and stools and a thatch roof. Over the course of the winter in my pole barn, I made changes to the layout of the boat, adding personal touches to try and create a boat that made you feel the spirit of Aloha.
After all my state-required inspections, the boat passed with flying colors and I went operational May 15th. 🥳

I have partnered with the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society, which owns and is fixing up the Saginaw Rear Range Lighthouse to do Lighthouse Tours next year. I'll be able to take passengers up the channel to the lighthouse and let people go inside for tours.

Right now they are doing lead and asbestos removal so the lighthouse won't be open until Spring 2024. I did become an ordained minister with Universal Life Church, so another option I offer is wedding or vow renewals on the water, yet no one has booked that charter yet lol. I will be offering a scattering of ashes at sea as well. The Z Bridge cruise next to the Sunset Cruise is by far the most popular. The Saginaw River offers a lot to see and is always calm for those who may be afraid of getting seasick. If you're a bird watcher, almost guaranteed to see a Bald Eagle now that I know where most of the nests are.

So, that is probably more information about how this started than you wanted to know, but that's how this crazy idea got started lol. I really do enjoy getting to meet new people, share my knowledge of the area, and get people on the water to enjoy this beautiful area we call home. There's no greater satisfaction than hearing at the end of a charter how much someone enjoyed the relaxing slow cruise along the river or had a great time partying on their own private boat while listening to a concert on the river. “

Thank You 🙏
Capt Eric

07/26/2023

🔊Podcast updates:
After 60 episodes, Unity Through Diversity is going to restructure to better serve its mission. 🙏🙌

We are not going to record new episodes until end of September, because we are supporting United We Go for its main event in the community and we need time to restructure the podcast. 🙏

However, we are going to share with you the different categories we are going to launching at the end of September, 1, healing stories, 2, community members stories, 3, voice of youth.

If you would like to share your story in any of those category or would like to hear someone’s story. 🙌

Please fill out our podcast recording interests form:

https://forms.gle/xNr4vNGKWXWntkvF8

Meanwhile you can check all our past episodes:
Unity Through Diversity:
Podcast Page: https://bit.ly/3HdI8gN

Platforms you can stream on:
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3Hf33jK
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3kepPiz
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3GMkiaN