National CAPACD's signature technical assistance program focuses on the strength of peer-to-peer learning in sharing and disseminating best practices. ACTION TA provides member organizations with sub-grants to participate in peer learning groups that center on building their knowledge of and capacity to engage in various initiatives. These include community planning, financial education and financial capability, affordable housing and real estate development, and economic development. National CAPACD works closely with our network of community-based organizations to mentor and coach new social service organizations as they develop programs and services.
We launched innovative research on AAPI multi-generational approaches to asset building, Foundations for the Future: Wealth Building in AANHPI Communities. Along with Hawaiian Community Assets and Brandeis University, this research will document and highlight culturally-responsive practices that best serve low and moderate income immigrant and refugee communities.
In partnership with the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders, we launched the Fair Housing: Shared Opportunity in Every Community campaign. This national campaign engaged AAPI and Latino communities through social media and outreach to inform them about Fair Housing rights and how to report potential violations.
Congratulations MWRC and Hana Center on becoming HUD Certified Housing Counseling Agencies!
Earlier this Spring, Muslim Women Resource Center (MWRC) and Hana Center (formerly known as Korean American Community Services) were approved as HUD-certified Housing Counseling Agencies – greatly increasing the availability of culturally-appropriate housing counseling to low-income AAPI communities in Chicago. Congratulations to both for their three years of hard work toward certification, and a special thank you to Chinese American Service League (CASL) for serving as their technical assistance provider in this project. This peer learning project (National CAPACD's ACTION TA program) was made possible through multiple years of support from Capital One.
In honor of the 2017 National Homeownership Month theme "Find Your Place in a New Era of Homeownership," National CAPACD spotlighted real stories about how our members are helping their communities navigate modern day homeownership.
Mrs. Min and her husband resettled in Akron, Ohio and found jobs working in factories. Mrs. Min thought that it would be easy to receive a credit card from a bank, but with little credit history, Mrs. Min was swiftly declined. To her surprise, Mrs. Min and her husband's credit score were both zero. Mrs. Min eventually wanted to receive a loan to buy a house, but knew that she was far from homeownership if she could not establish good credit. In November 2015, Mrs. Min and her husband met with ASIA's bilingual staff to perform an initial intake, understand their needs, and establish an action plan. ASIA's staff informed Mrs. Min and her husband that they would need about six months to increase their credit score before they could get a loan for a home. Mrs. Min and her husband left feeling angry and upset.
Like our Facebook page to read another client story foreach week of Homeownership Month!
Asian-owned businesses account for over 1.9 million out of 27.6 million (6.9% of all businesses are Asian-owned) businesses in the United States.
Asian-owned businesses employ over 3.6 million employees across the United States.
From 2007 to 2012, Asian-owned businesses grew 23.8%, faster than the rate of all U.S. businesses (2.0% percent) during the same time period.
Filipino and Vietnamese are the only AAPI subgroups where more than half of all businesses are women-owned, 51.1 percent and 51.4 percent, respectively.
California was home to more Asian owned businesses than any other state in 2012 with 604,870, followed by New York (243,105) and Texas (155,784).
April marks Financial Capability Month, a month dedicated to increasing awareness of economic security and helping people make informed financial decisions. In honor of Financial Capability Month, National CAPACD and our partners at AFIRE, AMCS, AEDA, ASIA, CPACS, Chhaya CDC, CASL, CCC, HCA, KRC, and Sapna NYC will soon release "A Financial Capability Toolkit: Building Community, Creating Opportunity," a resource that provides our membership and other community-based organizations best practices and lessons learned from our immigrant integration financial empowerment project conducted from 2014 to 2016. Check out the video above for a closer look at the project and its impact on AAPI communities.
Beginning in 2014, National CAPACD partnered with member organizations to implement an innovative financial capability project that combines immigrant integration activities (i.e. ESL, citizenship classes) and financial education classes with access to Lending Circles, a credit building tool created by the Mission Asset Fund. National CAPACD and our membership sought to utilize Lending Circles as a financial capability tool to bring more low-income AAPIs into the financial mainstream and better understand how others can grow or refine culturally-relevant financial capability programs in their own communities. Thanks to generous support from Citi Foundation and Citi Community Development, the Financial Capability Toolkit is a culmination of National CAPACD's and our membership's expertise and lessons learned over the past few years. Keep your eyes peeled for the release of our toolkit at the end of Financial Capability Month!


RiverFest in Frenchtown on Sunday | DAVE CAHILL | Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Dissident.
Come to Frenchtown on Sunday for RiverFest!
I will be performing solo tomorrow around 4pm in the beautiful little river community that I reside in, Frenchtown, for this year's RiverFest event.
This will be my third year that i will be playing at RiverFest and I am very excited. There's nothing better than being able to actually walk to a performance, setup on a stage in the middle of a street and then play weird music for your next door neighbors.
The Almighty Terribles Invade MusikFest Once Again!
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Full steam ahead to the best Thomas The Tank Engine party ever with this easy to create party food train. Use a toy train as the lead then add aluminium disposable food trays and waxed mini cheeses for the wheels. Toot Toot! When each child arrives, give them a boarding pass with a unique number on it. Have a hat (a conductor's cap would be great) with all the same numbers in them. Throughout the party, whenever things seem to be getting out of hand or a bit quiet, draw a number from the hat and award the winner a prize to include in their treat bag. Make sure you've drawn all the numbers by the end of the party so no one is left out. Box Car Fun - Go to a local shopping centre loading dock or appliance store and get some really big boxes. Have everybody at the party decorate these boxes and turn them into a train. You need at least three....one for the engine, one for passengers, and one for the caboose.
Parties can sometimes seem overwhelming and, in some cases, have become almost a nuisance as we find ourselves too busy or lacking in the imagination and creativity. As a result most miss out on making the memories we all deserve. Our Parties In Packages party guide has been provided to help you "create an atmosphere". As the party host, it will be your job to co-ordinate the events leading up to the big day and to also make sure things run smoothly on the day. Your objective / mission is to throw a fun and exciting party that holds special memories for parents, teachers and children alike without it turning into a nightmare for overworked adults. Are you ready to start preparing for your party? Okay, let's get started with some suggestions to help relieve the stress. Handy Hints There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations - Date, Time and Location. Date - It's a good idea to check the proposed date and time with "key" friends before committing. Time - It is important to state starting and finishing times on invitations. Generally 2 to 3 hours is ample. A morning party may be good for little ones as you will generally find younger children tend to get tired in the afternoon/evening. Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being "home" where you'll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage with this choice is, having to clean the house before and after the party, possible damage to your house and space limitations. Nearby parks are nice because they're usually free, with plenty of space to run around and usually have a play structure to entertain the kids. The downside is, having to haul the supplies to and from the park plus lack of privacy and overcrowding. Local indoor play centres are becoming more popular for little children and the best part is there's no cleaning up afterwards. When sending out invitations, allow plenty of time for guest's parents to change their plans if necessary. The golden rule for the party host is, don't try and do everything on your own. Many parents invite another parent or relative to help them with the food as well as supervision once the party begins. Once the party begins you will generally find that younger children need constant supervision. Older children usually like to be left in peace at least some of the time during the party, only needing to be checked from time to time to make sure everything is all right. Be vigilant around balloons. If they pop the rubber bits could be a danger to young children. If they put them in their mouth, they could choke. Decorating Tips Seeing as Peter Parker is both a superhero crime fighter and a photographic journalist for one of the city's biggest newspapers, you could also add props such as cameras, tri-pods, camera bags and rolls of film. Another addition could be to draw up some Newspaper headlines (as shown below) to help decorate the room. Bad guys beware! Spiderman crawls up tall buildings, shoots webbing from his wrists and swings from skyscraper to skyscraper as a crime-fighter with amazing spider powers. Dressing up the party entrance with a doorway curtain is the perfect way to create an immediate impact as the children arrive for the party. Party Games & Activity Idea's Party games are a great way to teach children about winning, losing, fairness and luck. Keep each game relatively short to keep children interested and if they begin to appear irritable, move on to a new game. You should always be prepared for problems. There may be squabbles about who won or who got what prize so be sure to explain the rules before the games begin. Pin the Spider on Spiderman is an ageless game and lots of fun for party guests. Spiderman "pull" piñata is a popular alternative to the traditional piñata. Pull piñatas do not involve any hitting or breaking of the item. Each child pulls one ribbon from the group of colourful ribbons hanging beneath the piñata. Only one ribbon unlatches the secret trap door allowing the toys and lollies to spill out. Hiring an entertainer is a great way to amuse and entertain the children for a few hours. Another popular option is hiring a playground climber from your local toy library, which is a great way to keep the guests amused for the day. Recipe Suggestions For small children, make sure to remove toothpicks, skewers and any other sharp objects from food before you serve it. Make sure an adult is in the room at all times in case a child chokes. Dip the rim of each glass in lemon juice then add sugar or coconut before filling with sparkling drink however do not overfill the children with fizzy drinks, they have a nasty habit of erupting later leaving you a nasty mess to clear up. A treat for dessert could be that each child guest makes their own sundae but then they give it away to someone else. This is a great way to entertain the children for a little longer. Plan to include food and drinks for grown ups in case anxious parents stay or come to pick their child up early. Try to serve at least a few types of healthy food. Make sure it looks colourful and appetising and you'll probably find it will disappear in time. Try not to be over adventurous when planning the food, as many children are picky eaters. The party food shouldn't be too hot as just-cooked food such as cheerio's or sausage rolls can burn little mouths. Cut the party cake into thin slices, as most children will have had enough to eat by the time the cake comes around. You could wrap up the left over slices for children to take home in their loot bags. Traffic Light Sandwiches (Ingredients make 12) 12 slices of wholemeal bread, 2 tablespoons cheese spread, 6 cherry tomatoes 2 slices processed cheddar cheese, 2 gherkins, sliced Cut crusts from bread then cut bread in half to form 24 rectangles, spread cheese spread over 12 of the rectangles. Using a 2cm round cutter, cut out three rounds, in a straight line, from each of the remaining rectangles to form front of traffic lights. Cut thin slices from each end of the cherry tomatoes then place a tomato end, 2cm squares of cheese and a slice of gherkin on a cheese spread-covered rectangle. Top with a traffic light front, lining tomato, cheese & gherkin up with holes. Repeat with remaining bread and fillings Final Checklist Pick your party date and time Plan a menu and go grocery shopping so that you can make as much food as you can before the day and freeze Write out a final schedule of activities and games Arrange for help on the party day Order the cake Get exact guest numbers Buy remaining party food, film, batteries, candles and matches for cake, plus other incidentals Child proof the party area Take plenty of pictures to commemorate the special day Plan an after party nap for yourself Please remember, if you want the children to have a good party, plan it and keep it short and simple. Mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour, even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned. The most important part is to enjoy the day as you celebrate the life of your child.
Handy Hints - There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations - Date, Time and Location. Date - It's a good idea to check the proposed date and time with "key" friends before committing. Time - It is important to state starting and finishing times on invitations. If it's a children's party then generally 2 to 3 hours is ample. A morning party may be good for littlies as you will generally find younger children tend to get tired in the afternoon/evening. Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being "home" where you'll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage with this choice is, having to clean the house before and after the party, possible damage to your house and space limitations. Nearby parks are nice because they're usually free, with plenty of space to run around and usually have a play structure to entertain the kids. The downside is, having to haul the supplies to and from the park plus lack of privacy and overcrowding. Local indoor play centres are becoming more popular for little children and the best part is there's no cleaning up afterwards. When sending out invitations, allow plenty of time for guest's to change their plans if necessary. The golden rule for the party host is, don't try and do everything on your own. Many parents invite another parent or relative to help them with the food as well as supervision once the party begins . Once the party begins you will generally find that younger children need constant supervision. Older children usually like to be left in peace at least some of the time during the party, only needing to be checked from time to time to make sure everything is all right. Be vigilant around balloons. If they pop the rubber bits could be a danger to young children. If they put them in their mouth, they could choke. Party Game & Activity Idea's - Party games are a great way to teach children about winning, losing, fairness and luck. Keep each game relatively short to keep childr en interested and if they begin to appear irritable, move on to a new game. There may be squabbles about who won or who got what prize so be sure to explain the rules before the games begin. Treasure Hunt - You can buy a treasure hunt game or make your own using the sample map provided below as an example. To make the map you will need a piece of white paper approx. 30 x 20cm. Give it the old look by painting with a simple mix of water and faint touch of yellow food dye or a used tea bag. Wait overnight until the paper is completely dry then draw the shape of your island and detail it with palm trees, rocks, water and the all important X, which marks the spot where the treasure is buried. Next burn the edges with matches, a little at a time, putting out the flame when enough has been burnt. The burning gives a wonderfully authentic appearance. Roll up the map and tie with a ribbon if you wish. Hiring an entertainer who doubles as a face painter or balloon sculptor is a great way to amuse and entertain the children for a few hours whilst remaining in keeping with the Pirates Treasure theme. Another popular option is hiring play equipment such as an alligator ride or waterslide. Decorating Tips - A great way to incorporate the Pirates Treasure theme into your day is by having your party at a nearby beach and or having a barbeque. If that is not possible then creating a pirate ship around the party table is also effective. This effect is easy to achieve using flattened old cardboard boxes. Search through an old Encyclopaedia or similar for a picture of an old Tall Ship or similar and then copy the picture onto the cardboard. Cut around the outline using a stanley knife and then paint the ship using craft paints. Coils of rope and a plank, suspended above the ground on a couple of plastic storage cubes will give an instant pirate atmosphere. A couple of metres of inexpensive striped fabric threaded onto a timber batten for a mainsail and a few bits of rope or thick cord to serve as rigging. To make a treasure chest you'll need a small sturdy cardboard box from the local supermarket for the lower half of the chest and the side panels of the lid. A sheet of black card makes the lid. The sides of the lid should be matched in length to the side of the box. Draw onto black card and roughly draw in tabs. Glue black card to outside of box, forming the lid. Hold side so lid can be placed over it. Mark centres so correct gluing of sides can be done. Fill most of the box with sponge, cover the sponge with fabric and then jewels, gold chocolate coins or a treasure map. Recipe Suggestions - Treasure Chest Party Cake * Frosting Decoration Quick-mix Rich Chocolate Cake 75g soft butter Assorted lollies and chocolate money 185g butter 1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder Gold or silver cachous 2 teaspoons vanilla essence 3/4 cup (120g) icing sugar mixture 1 3/4 cups (385g) caster sugar 1/4 cup (60ml) milk 3 eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups (300g) self-raising flour 2/3 cup (70g) cocoa powder 1 cup (250ml) water Container of Duncan Hines creamy Home-Style Classic Chocolate premium frosting available from supermarkets Assorted lollies, vanilla buttons, gold or silver balls and gold or silver chocolate money Lightly grease a deep 19cm square cake pan; line base and sides with non-stick baking paper. Combine butter, essence, sugar, eggs, sift flour and cocoa and water in large bowl. Beat on low speed with electric mixer until ingredients are combined. Increase speed to medium, beat for about 3 minutes or until mixture is smooth and changed in colour. Spread in prepared pan. Bake in a moderate (180 degrees) oven for about 1 1/2 hours or until cooked. Stand cake in pan 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool. Using a sharp knife remove a 13cm square from the centre of the cake. Ice to the outside edges or remaining cake with chocolate frosting, and decorate with vanilla buttons, as illustrated. Fill centre of cake with lollies and chocolate money. Include a scattering of gold coins in your "treasure" and use tiny gold or silver balls to outline the shape of the chest. Suitable to freeze but thaw before icing. Cake can be made 3 days ahead, storing in airtight container. Remember as big a ratio of lollies to cake as possible Pirate Faces * (Ingredients makes around 34) 1 egg white 1 1/2 cups (240g) icing sugar mixture 250g packed un-iced round biscuits hundreds & thousands smarties Beat egg white in a small bowl with electric mixer until just frothy; gradually beat in enough of the icing sugar mixture to form stiff peaks. (Keep icing covered with damp tea-towel to prevent drying out). Spread top of each biscuit with icing (leaving a little leftover for the patch and mouth). Add hundreds & thousands for bandana and 1 coloured smartie for each eye. Then finally, halve remaining icing and add pink food colouring to one portion and black to the other. Wait until white faces are semi-dry before creating patch and mouth. Not suitable to freeze. Biscuits can be assembled 1 day ahead, storing in an airtight container * Recipes as seen in The Australian Women's Weekly craft library Final Checklist 1. Pick your party date and time 2. Plan a menu and go grocery shopping so that you can make as much food as you can before the day and freeze 3. Write out a final schedule of activities and games 4. Arrange for help on the party day 5. Order the cake 6. Get exact guest numbers 7. Buy remaining party food, film, batteries, candles and matches for cake, plus other incidentals 8. Child proof the party area 9. Take plenty of pictures to commemorate the special day 10. Plan an after party nap for yourself Please remember, if you want the children to have a good party, plan it and keep it short and simple. Mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour, even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned. The most important part is to enjoy the day as you celebrate the life of your child. Lastly, we'd love to receive a photo of your child's "themed party" in action, to place on our website. Thank you for including Parties In Packages in your special day and we wish you the best of luck with your themed party pack.
Yum! A piping bag will become your new best friend to create these gorgeous Sesame Street character cupcakes. How cute are Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Groucho! Preparing party food for a Sesame Street themed party can be fun, healthy, cheap & colourful with these easy to make Sesame Street character face food platters using basic foods such as tomatoes, olives, baby carrots, strawberries, blueberries, oranges and cheese. Make your own Elmo lanterns starting with our red round paper lanterns and then cutting out ears and noses from white, black & orange coloured cardboard. You can follow the same idea with alll the other Sesame Street characters.
The best way to create a Western theme is by turning your backyard into your very own ranch. Spread some hay bales around to use for seating and you could even build a little haystack and scarecrow. A white picket fence can easily be created using small stakes and white cardboard. Using a large old white sheet you could even paint your own red barn façade to pin up on the side of the house as a feature. Other great props include wagon wheels, ropes, cactus, saddles, Indian rugs, horseshoes and even makeshift forts, tepees and wagons. Don't forget the country music. In this day and age with many children growing up within a city or metropolitan surrounding, a lot of them haven't even touched a lot of animals and therefore this activity will be a real treat for all the guests. The Invites There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations Date - It's a good idea to check the proposed date and time with "key" friends before committing. Time - It is important to state a starting time on the invitations. You may also wish to state a finishing time, especially if the event is held at a hired venue. Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being "home" where you'll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage is, cleaning the house before and after the party, possible damage and space limitations. Remember to include on the invitation anything you may wish the guest to provide such as alcohol or a themed costume. If you plan on providing alcohol, make sure to add a footnote that guests should arrange alternative transport home, rather than driving. When sending out invitations, allow plenty of time. The golden rule for the party host is, don't try and do everything on your own. Arrange for friends to help with the food and service at the event. Alternatively you may choose to hire wait staff or have the whole event catered, allowing you to enjoy the celebration as much as everyone else. The Entertainment These days' companies hire a wide range of amusements to suit any celebration. Depending on the age of the guests at your western celebration, you have a range of activities to choose from including live ponies, horse and cart rides, merry-go-round or even a mechanical bull. Theme d games can include square dancing competitions, war paint face painting and pie eating contests. Ask all your guests to dress to suit the occasion. There are great costumes to choose from such as Cowboy or girl, Indian, Billy the Kid, Undertaker, Rodeo Rider, Sheriff or even a Horse. Accessories that can be used are cowboy boots, hats leather vests, guns, jeans, bandanas, sheriff badges, chequered shirts, straw hats, beards and moustaches and ropes. The Eats You have a lot of choices for Western themed food such as a full BBQ or snack food like nachos, guacamole, buttered corn cobs, potato wedges, hot dogs, sausage rolls and meat pies. TEQUILA SUNSET PUNCH - 1 Qt. Tequila, 2 Qt. Orange Juice, 2 litre lemon-lime soda, 1 Pint Orange Sherbet, 1/4 Cup Grenadine. Mix all tequila, orange juice and lemon-lime soda together. Chill. Add Sherbet just before serving and drizzle grenadine over the top. MARGARITA - 11⁄2 oz. Tequila, 3⁄4 oz. Triple Sec (or Cointreau), splash of sour mix and dash of lime juice. Shake with ice then serve on the rocks or strain to serve up in a salt rimmed glass. Add more juice and blend with crushed ice for frozen variation. Garnish with a lime wedge. The Checklist 1. Pick party date and time 2. Plan a menu & go grocery shopping then make as much food as you can before the day to freeze 3. Decide on the entertainment 4. Arrange for help on the party day 5. Write out final schedule 6. Get an exact guest count 7. Buy remaining party food, film, batteries, ashtrays, ice and other incidentals Lastly remember that mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour, even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned. The most important part is to relax, take a breath, and try to enjoy the party as much as your guests.
Okay, let's get started with some suggestions to help relieve the stress. Handy Hints There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations - Date, Time and Location. Date - It's a good idea to check the proposed date and time with "key" friends before committing. Time - It is important to state starting and finishing times on invitations. Generally 2 to 3 hours is ample. A morning party may be good for littlies as you will generally find younger children tend to get tired in the afternoon/evening. Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being "home" where you'll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage with this choice is, having to clean the house before and after the party, possible damage to your house and space limitations. Nearby parks are nice because they're usually free, with plenty of space to run around and usually have a play structure to entertain the kids. The downside is, having to haul the supplies to and from the park plus lack of privacy and overcrowding. Local indoor play centres are becoming more popular for little children and the best part is there's no cleaning up afterwards. When sending out invitations, allow plenty of time for guest's parents to change their plans if necessary. The golden rule for the party host is, don't try and do everything on your own. Many parents invite another parent or relative to help them with the food as well as supervision once the party begins. Once the party begins you will generally find that younger children need constant supervision. Older children usually like to be left in peace at least some of the time during the party, only needing to be checked from time to time to make sure everything is all right. Be vigilant around balloons. Young children could choke if they put the popped rubber bits in their mouth. Party Game & Activity Ideas Party games are a great way to teach children about winning, losing, fairness and luck. Keep each game relatively short to keep children interested and if they begin to appear irritable, move on to a new game. You should always be prepared for problems. There may be squabbles about who won or who got what prize so be sure to explain the rules before the games begin. These days' companies hire a wide range of amusements to suit any celebration. Depending on the age of the children at your western celebration, you have a range of activities to choose from including live ponies, horse and cart rides, merry-go-round or even a mechanical bull. Themed games can include square dancing competitions, war paint face painting and pie eating contests. Ask all your guests to dress to suit the occasion. There are great costumes to choose from such as Cowboy or girl, Indian, Billy the Kid, Undertaker, Rodeo Rider, Sheriff or even a Horse. Accessories that can be used are cowboy boots, hats leather vests, guns, jeans, bandanas, sheriff badges, chequered shirts, straw hats, beards and moustaches and ropes. Decorating Tips The best way to create a Western theme is by turning your backyard into your very own ranch. Spread some hay bales around to use for seating and you could even build a little haystack and scarecrow. A white picket fence can easily be created using small stakes and white cardboard. Using a large old white sheet you could even paint your own red barn façade to pin up on the side of the house as a feature. Other great props include wagon wheels, ropes, cactus, saddles, Indian rugs, horseshoes and even makeshift forts, tepee's and wagons. Don't forget the country music. In this day and age with many children growing up within a city or metropolitan surrounding, a lot of them haven't even touched a lot of animals and therefore this activity will be a real treat for all the guests. Recipe Suggestions For small children, make sure to remove toothpicks, skewers and any other sharp objects from food before you serve it. Make sure an adult is in the room at all times in case a child chokes. Dip the rim of each glass in lemon juice then add sugar or coconut before filling with sparkling drink however do not overfill the children with fizzy drinks, they have a nasty habit of erupting later leaving you a nasty mess to clear up. A treat for dessert could be that each child guest makes their own sundae but then they give it away to someone else. A great way to entertain the children for a little longer. Plan to include food and drinks for grown ups in case anxious parents stay or come to pick their child up early. Try to serve at least a few types of healthy food. Make sure it looks colourful and appetising and you'll probably find it will disappear in time. Try not to be over adventurous when planning the food as many children are picky eaters. The party food shouldn't be too hot as just-cooked food such as cheerio's or sausage rolls can burn little mouths. Cut the party cake into thin slices as most children will have had enough to eat by the time the cake comes around. You could wrap up the left over slices for children to take home in their loot bags. Food - You have a lot of choices for Western themed food such as a full BBQ or snack food like nachos, guacamole, buttered corn cobs, potato wedges, hot dogs, sausage rolls and meat pies. Cactus Juice - Peel and seed half a cucumber and slice finely. Place in a large serving jug or bowl with 2 litres of apple juice and 2 tablespoons of honey. Stir lightly to combine, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving add 750ml chilled lemonade and 750ml soda water. Top with ice cubes. Garnish with mind leaves. *Cake – Cowboy Boot 20 x 30cm rectangular cake, 20cm square cake, 1.5 quantities butter cream, red food colouring, small yellow and orange sweets, liquorice strap, twists & all sorts. Join cakes together at short sides; secure with a little icing. Using baking paper to trace out a boot pattern and place over cakes. Cut around template with a small sharp flat bladed knife. Place cake on a board. Tint the icing bright red. Ice the cake as shown. Cut liquorice for decoration as show. * Recipe as printed in Family Circle Kids Party Book Final Checklist 1. Pick your party date and time 2. Plan a menu and go grocery shopping so that you can make as much food as you can before the day and freeze 3. Write out a final schedule of activities and games 4. Arrange for help on the party day 5. Order the cake 6. Get exact guest numbers 7. Buy remaining party food, film, batteries, candles and matches for cake, plus other incidentals 8. Child proof the party area 9. Take plenty of pictures to commemorate the special day 10. Plan an after party nap for yourself Please remember, if you want the children to have a good party, plan it and keep it short and simple. Mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour, even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned. The most important part is to enjoy the day as you celebrate the life of your child.
As the party host, it will be your job to co-ordinate the events leading up to the big day and to also make sure things run smoothly on the day. Your objective / mission, is to throw a fun and exciting party that holds special memories for parents, teachers and children alike without it turning into a nightmare for overworked adults. Are you ready to start preparing for your party? Okay, let's get started with some suggestions to help relieve the stress. the invites When sending out invitations, allow plenty of time for guest's parents to change their plans if necessary. There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations - Date, Time and Location. Date – It is a good idea to check the proposed date and time with "key" friends before committing. Time - It is important to state both starting and finishing times on the invitations. Generally 2 to 3 hours for children is ample. You will generally find many younger children tend to get tired in the afternoon/evening so a morning party may be good for the little ones. Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being "home" where you'll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage with this choice is, having to clean the house before and after the party, possible damage to your house and space limitations. Nearby parks are nice because they're usually free, with plenty of space to run around and a play structure to entertain the kids. The downside is, having to haul the supplies to and from the park plus lack of privacy and overcrowding. Local indoor play centres are becoming more popular for little children and the best part is there's no cleaning up afterwards. it's party time The golden rule for the party host is, don't try and do everything on your own. Many parents invite another parent or relative to help them with the food as well as supervision once the party begins. Once the party begins you will generally find that younger children need constant supervision. Older children usually like to be left in peace at least some of the time during the party, only needing to be checked from time to time to make sure everything is all right. Party games are a great way to teach children about winning, losing, fairness and luck. Keep each game relatively short to keep children interested and if they begin to appear irritable then move on to a new game. You should always be prepared for problems. There may be squabbles about who won or who got what prize so be sure to explain the rules before the games begin. Go Fish – Tie fishing line, string or rope across the room and lay a sheet over it so that no one can see what is on the other side. Use an old fishing pole or make your own with a stick and string. Attach a clothes peg on the end of the string. Let each guest take turn in "casting" their line over the sheet. Have one of your helpers stand on the other side & attach small gifts or treats to the peg, then give a short tug on the line. The child then reels in the line to see what they've caught. Digging for buried treasure - Hide a number of themed toys in your sandbox and let the guests take turns or jointly dig through the sand in search of the fun treasures. Finders' keepers! A great way to incorporate the Beach Party theme is by having your party at a nearby lake or beach and including fishing in the days' activities. Hiring an entertainer who doubles as a face painter or balloon sculptor is a great way to amuse and entertain the children for a few hours whilst re maining in keeping with the theme. Another popular option is hiring play equipment such as a waterspout or waterslide. Be vigilant around balloons. If they pop the rubber bits could be a danger to young children. If they put them in their mouth, they could choke. the ambience The cheapest and most effective way to decorate the party area is by using beach towels, umbrellas, old fishing nets, hammocks, a sandpit and buckets & spades. You could use leaves from banana palms to decorate the food tables and place pineapples, coconuts, watermelons and other fruits around the table to create a tropical theme. It is easy to create a lake feature from jelly. Make up a blue jelly packet mix in a large bowl or platter with only a small lip (sides). Once the jelly has set chop/mash it up to create the effect of waves. Then grab some oranges, cut each in half and carefully scoop out all the flesh, using play dough or blue-tac to help keep the halved orange upright on a tray. Mix up a variety of colour jelly packet mix (using not quite as much water as instructed on the pack). Pour the jelly into the orange skins right to the top, let the jellies set and then cut each half orange into 3 segments. To make the sails simply use toothpicks and triangles cut out of paper. Easy to make decorative fish could also double as an activity for all the party guests. All you need is balloons, birdseed, plastic freezer bags, craft glue and joggle eyes Place 100g of birdseed into a plastic freezer bag, secure end with a knot. Cut the neck off a round party balloon, leaving just the round part, and insert the seed bag. Then cut three or 4 small holes in another three different coloured balloons and cut the neck off each. Continue to cover the seed ball with these balloons, firming the ball into a nice round shape as you work. Using craft glue, add joggle eyes and fringed fins and tail cut from the balloon scraps. Add a mouth cut from a circular cross-section of a balloon neck, rolled to the desired thickness. The bouncing chain is made from a number of these circular cross-sections looped together to the desired length, then glue to top of fish. the eats Barbeques are perfect for Beach Parties with hamburgers, hot dogs, kebabs. Spread beach towels over tables as tablecovers. For small children, make sure to remove toothpicks, skewers and any other sharp objects from food before you serve it. Make sure an adult is in the room at all times in case a child chokes. Dip the rim of each glass in lemon juice then add sugar or coconut before filling with sparkling drink however do not overfill the children with fizzy drinks, they have a nasty habit of erupting later leaving you a nasty mess to clear up. A treat for dessert could be that each child guest makes their own sundae but then they give it away to someone else. This is a great way to entertain the children for a little longer. Plan to include food and drinks for grown ups in case anxious parents stay or come to pick their child up early. Try to serve at least a few types of healthy food. Make sure it looks colourful and appetising and you'll probably find it will disappear in time. Try not to be over adventurous though when planning the food, as many children are picky eaters. The party food shouldn't be too hot as just- cooked food such as cheerio's or sausage rolls can burn little mouths. Cut the party cake into thin slices, as most children will have had enough to eat by the time the cake comes around. You could wrap up the left over slices for children to take home in their loot bags. Fruit platter - Ingredients serve 6 200g tub of vanilla yoghurt Small pinch of ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon honey 1 medium banana thickly sliced 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 kiwi fruit, thickly sliced 1 small seedless watermelon cut in half, hollowed out and cut into cubes 1 tub of strawberries, halved Combine yoghurt, cinnamon and honey in medium bowl. Drizzle banana with lemon juice. Display the food in hollowed out watermelon half with yoghurt mixture. Jelly treats Make up a variety of jelly packed mixes using slightly less water than instructed on packet. Then set in shallow plastic trays or ice cube trays without dividers. Cut the jelly into cubes and then thread onto skewers alternating the colours. Another easy treat is layering coloured jellies in glasses, waiting until each colour has set before adding the new coloured layer. checklist 1. Pick party date and time 2. Plan the menu 3. Decide on activities and games 4. Arrange for help on the party day 5. Order the cake 6. Go grocery shopping so that you can make as much food as you can before the day and freeze 7. Write out final schedule of activities 8. Get exact guest count 9. Buy remaining party food, film, batteries, candles and matches for cake, and other incidentals 10. Child proof party area 11. Take plenty of pictures to commemorate the special day 12. Plan an after party nap for yourself Please remember if you want the children to have a good party then plan it and keep it short and simple. Mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour. Even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned, the most important part is to enjoy the day as you celebrate the life of your child. Lastly, we'd love to receive a photo of your child's "themed" party in action to place on our website.
Are you ready for some fun in the sun? The Invites There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations - Date - It's a good idea to check the proposed date and time with "key" friends before committing. Time - It is important to state a starting time on the invitations. You may also wish to state a finishing time, especially if the event is held at a hired venue. Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being "home" where you'll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage is, cleaning the house before and after the party, possible damage and space limitations. Remember to include on the invitation anything you may wish the guest to provide such as alcohol or a themed costume. If you plan on providing alcohol, make sure to add a footnote that guests should arrange alternative transport home, rather than driving. When sending out invitations, allow plenty of time. The golden rule for the party host is, don't try and do everything on your own. Arrange for friends to help with the food and service at the event. Alternatively you may choose to hire wait staff or have the whole event catered, allowing you to enjoy the celebration as much as everyone else. It's Party Time A great way to incorporate the Beach Party theme is by having your party at a nearby lake or beach and including fishing in the days' activities. H i r ing play equipment such as a waterspout or waterslide is a great way to entertain children and even the adults. Digging for buried treasure - Hide a number of themed toys in your sandbox and let the guests take turns or jointly dig through the sand in search of the fun treasures. Finders' keepers! The Ambience The cheapest and most effective way to decorate the party area is by using beach towels, umbrellas, old fishing nets, hammocks, a sandpit and buckets & spades. You could use leaves from banana palms to decorate the food tables and place pineapples, coconuts, watermelons and other fruits around the table to create a tropical theme. It is easy to create a lake feature from jelly. Make up a blue jelly packet mix in a large bowl or platter with only a small lip (sides). Once the jelly has set chop/mash it up to create the effect of waves. Then grab some oranges, cut each in half and carefully scoop out all the flesh, using play dough or blue-tac to help keep the halved orange upright on a tray. Mix up a variety of colour jelly packet mix (using not quite as much water as instructed on the pack). Pour the jelly into the orange skins right to the top, let the jellies set and then cut each half orange into 3 segments. To make the sails simply use toothpicks and triangles cut out of paper. The Eats Barbeques are perfect for Beach Parties with hamburgers, hot dogs, kebabs. Spread beach towels over tables as tablecovers. For small children, make sure to remove toothpicks, skewers and any other sharp objects from food before you serve it. Make sure an adult is in the room at all times in case a child chokes. Dip the rim of each glass in lemon juice then add sugar or coconut before filling. You could also cut the top off a watermelon, hollow it out and fill with punch. Try to serve at least a few types of healthy food. Make sure it looks colourful and appetising and you'll probably find it will disappear in time Fruit platter - Ingredients serve 6 200g tub of vanilla yoghurt Small pinch of ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon honey 1 medium banana thickly sliced 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 kiwi fruit, thickly sliced 1 small seedless watermelon cut in half, hollowed out and cut into cubes 1 tub of strawberries, halved Combine yoghurt, cinnamon and honey in medium bowl. Drizzle banana with lemon juice. Display the food in hollowed out watermelon half with yoghurt mixture. Jelly treats Make up a variety of jelly packed mixes using slightly less water than instructed on packet. Then set in shallow plastic trays or ice cube trays without dividers. Cut the jelly into cubes and then thread onto skewers alternating the colours. Another easy treat is layering coloured jellies in glasses, waiting until each colour has set before adding the new coloured layer. Check List 1. Pick party date and time 2. Plan the menu 3. Decide on activities and games 4. Arrange for help on the party day 5. Order the cake 6. Go grocery shopping so that you can make as much food as you can before the day and freeze 7. Write out final schedule of activities 8. Get exact guest count 9. Buy remaining party food, film, batteries, candles and matches for cake, and other incidentals 10. Child proof party area. If you are having a large party you will want to consider hiring security for the gate 11. Take plenty of pictures to commemorate the special day 12. Plan an after party nap for yourself Please remember mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour. Even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned, the most important part is to enjoy the day. Lastly, we'd love to receive a photo of your "themed" party to place on our website.
The invites - There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations Date - It's a good idea to check the proposed date and time with "key" friends before committing. Time - It is important to state a starting time on the invitations. You may also wish to state a finishing time, especially if the event is held at a hired venue. Generally 2 to 3 hours is ample for children. You will generally find many younger children tend to get tired in the afternoon/evening so a morning party may be good for the little ones. Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being "home" where you'll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage is, cleaning the house before and after the party, possible damage and space limitations. For children, nearby parks are nice because they're usually free, with plenty of space to run around and usually have a play structure to entertain the kids. The downside is, having to haul the supplies to and from the park plus lack of privacy and overcrowding. Local indoor play centres are becoming more popular for little children and the best part is there's no cleaning up afterwards. Invitation Details - Remember to include on the invitation anything you may wish the guest to provide such as alcohol or a themed costume. If you plan on providing alcohol, make sure to add a footnote that guests should arrange alternative transport home, rather than driving. When sending out invitations, allow plenty of time. If sending out children's invitations, allow plenty of time for guest's parents to change their plans if necessary. The golden rule for the party host is, don't try and do everything on your own. Arrange for friends to help with the food and serving at the event. Alternatively you may choose to hire wait staff or have the whole event catered, allowing you to enjoy the celebration as much as everyone else. The ambience - Before you start decorating the party area go to your local Discount Stores or Dollar Shops as they are affectionately known as and buy any items you can find with a Jungle theme. They can all be used to help decorate the party area. Also look out for tapes or CD's that have jungle animal sounds. Make 'Beware' and 'Turn Back Now' signs on old pieces of wood nailed to trees along the drive/entrance. Decorate the party area inside or a porch or backyard to look like a jungle. Wrap crepe paper around wire coat hangers and bend them to create jungle vines in various shades of brown and green hanging from the ceiling. Make large leaves from dark green cardboard and cut- outs of various life-sized jungle animals. If you've got some large pot plants bring them into the party area. Purchase a few large inflatable jungle animals along with stuffed animals to hang from the "vines". You can also use sheer blue curtains or material with fairy lights to create a waterfall and then dark blue crepe paper and green crepe paper to create the water and grass below. For children's parties take a bunch of huge boxes (ie. refrigerator and TV) and put them together to resemble caves and tunnels, all intersecting with various "exits". Then spray paint jungle vines and leaves all over the boxes and have silk vines/greenery hanging over the exits. Place more inflatable and stuffed jungle animals all around, in, and on the caves. The kids will have a ball pretending to be animals!!! It's party time - Party games are a great way to teach children about winning, losing, fairness and luck. Keep each game relatively short to keep children interested and if they begin to appear irritable, move on to a new game. You should always be prepared for problems such as squabbles about who won or who got what prize, so be sure to explain the rules before games begin. While waiting for all the guests to arrive you could play 'The Jungle Book' movie, or similar, in the party room to settle everyone down. Jungle safari hunt – Hide toy animals, animal shaped lollies and blow-up jungle animals throughout the party room and out into the yard for children to find. The children could either keep their find or substitute it for a small stuffed jungle animal to take home. Make the hunt more challenging for older children by making jungle tokens for them to find. Place one cartoon jungle animal sticker on neon cardboard and cut around it, leaving a small area of the neon showing. As each child finds a token, they turn it in and receive the inflatable jungle animal that matches the picture on their token. Hiring themed amusements such as a turtle sandpit or crocodile teeter-totter from your local toy library are great ways to amuse smaller children for hours. For older children you could blow up a crocodile pool float and then take a photo of each child sitting on it pretending to wrestle just like the famous 'Crocodile Hunter'. Once the party begins you will generally find that younger children need constant supervision. Older children usually like to be left in peace at least some of the time during the party, only needing to be checked from time to time to make sure everything is all right. Remember to be vigilant around balloons. If they pop young children could choke on the rubber bits. The eats - A great idea is to make a selection of jungle themed goodies to snack on. Snacks could include sandwiches cut with animal cookie cutters, spider cookies (using Oreos and chocolate dipped Chinese noodles), and crocodile eyeballs and guts (peeled grapes and pasta noodles cooked with a bit of oil). For animal feed combine 1 cup plain or assorted rice crackers, 1 cup banana crisps, 1 cup shredded or flaked coconut, 1 cup sultanas, 1 cup raisins, 2 cups toasted muesli, 4 cups fresh popcorn, 1 cup sunflower kernels and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl and mix well. Then place in containers for serving. Jungle Juice - In a large serving bowl, combine 850ml unsweetened pineapple juice, 3 cups apple juice and 450g can unsweetened crushed pineapple. Stir lightly to combine; cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and just before serving, add 750ml chilled lemonade or dry ginger ale. Garnish with mint and sherbet around the glass rim. You could substitute orange and mango juice for apple juice. Zebra Sandwiches – Spread 3 slices of white bread with butter and either vegemite or hazelnut spread. Stack slices, spread side up. Top with the unbuttered side. Press down gently. Using a sharp knife, cut crusts neatly from bread. Cut the stack in half to make rectangles, and then slice each rectangle crossways into four fingers. Then if desired, use animal shaped biscuit cutters to cut out sandwiches. Around the food tables you could hang signs saying 'Please do not feed the animals'. For small children, make sure to remove toothpicks, skewers and any other sharp objects from food before you serve it. Make sure an adult is in the room at all times in case a child chokes. Dip the rim of each glass in lemon juice then add sugar or coconut before filling with sparkling drink however do not overfill the children with fizzy drinks, they have a nasty habit of erupting later leaving you a nasty mess to clear up. Plan to include food and drinks for grown ups in case anxious parents stay or come to pick their child up early. Try to serve at least a few types of healthy food. Make sure it looks colourful and appetising and you'll probably find it will disappear in time. Try not to be over adventurous when planning the food as many children are picky eaters. The party food shouldn't be too hot as just-cooked food such as cheerio's or sausage rolls can burn little mouths. Cut the party cake into thin slices as most children will have had enough to eat by the time the cake comes around. You could wrap up the left over slices for children to take home in their loot bags. The cake - Slithering Snake Ingredients - 250g dark chocolate melts, 250g milk chocolate melts, 250g white chocolate melts, 2 x (20x30cm) rectangular cakes, 2 quantities butter cream, 250g dark chocolate melted, caramel-brown food colouring, large white chocolate buttons, liquorice strap cut into thin strips, for outline & eyelashes, small black jellybean, halved for eyes, orange jube, cut for mouth Follow the same instructions as loopy lion to make and cut out the snake shape. Beat melted dark chocolate into 2/3 of the butter cream. Ice head and body of snake. Reserve 2 tablespoons of any remaining icing; tint caramel-brown. Ice cake as shown and decorate with chocolate buttons and sweets for face. Note – Recipe can be found within Family Circle edition of Kids Party Book Other cake ideas below:- Check List Pick your party date and time Plan a menu and go grocery shopping so that you can make as much food as you can before the day and freeze Write out a final schedule of activities and games Arrange for help on the party day Order the cake Get exact guest numbers Buy remaining party food, film, batteries, candles and matches for cake, plus other incidentals Child proof the party area Take plenty of pictures to commemorate the special day Plan an after party nap for yourself Please remember, if you want the children to have a good party, plan it and keep it short and simple. Mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour, even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned. The most important part is to enjoy the day as you celebrate the life of your child. Lastly, we'd love to receive a photo of your child's "themed party" in action, to place on our website. Thank-you for including parties in packages in your special day and we wish you the best of luck with your themed party pack.
Are you ready to start preparing for your party? Okay, let's get started with some suggestions to help relieve the stress. The Invites There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations Invitation Theming - Sprinkle some silk flower petals or hibiscus scatter into the envelope for a bit of fun. You could also add a lei and ask guests to wear it along with their best Hawaiian outfit to start the party off with lots of colour and fun. You can even create a more personalised invitation by taking your photo in the Luau Couple photo poster and using that as one side of your invitation. Date - It's a good idea to check the proposed date and time with "key" friends before committing. Time - It is important to state a starting time on the invitations. You may also wish to state a finishing time, especially if the event is held at a hired venue. Also leave plenty of time to send out the invitation. Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being "home" where you'll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage is, cleaning the house before and after the party, possible damage and space limitations. Remember to include on the invitation anything you may wish the guest to provide such as alcohol. If you plan on providing alcohol, make sure to add a footnote that guests should arrange alternative transport home, rather than driving. You have to enjoy the party! The golden rule for the party host is, don't try and do everything on your own. Arrange for friends to help with the food and serving at the event. Alternatively you may choose to hire wait staff or have the whole event catered, allowing you to enjoy the celebration as much as everyone else. The Ambience Choosing an outdoor location with a lot of greenery and sand is preferable for a Luau. If your outdoor area is lacking in these areas you could hire palm trees and have sand delivered to the location for great affect. The cheapest and most effective way to decorate the party area is by using beach towels as table covers, umbrellas, old fishing nets, hammocks. You could use leaves from banana palms to decorate the food tables and place pineapples, coconuts, watermelons and other fruits around the table to create a tropical theme. Then hang hula skirts around the edges of the tables. If your budget doesn't allow for hula skirts, silk flower leis and headdress for each guest, make sure it does cover the wait staff. Advise partygoers to attend in traditional attire such as Hawaiian shirts and shorts, sarongs & bikini tops and flip flops. As each guest arrives have the costumed wait staff at the front door with a lei and a welcome cocktail for each guest. The Entertainment What's a Luau without a Hawaiian band complete with hula dancers? By hiring a themed band, not only will you be supplied with great songs all night but you can also learn how to hula from the experts. To bring out the adventurous side in your guests you could hire a Mechanical Surf Rider, which is a fantastic simulation of real surfing. Most companies provide padding and require and area of 5m x 4m x 3.5m high. Hiring fire breathing entertainers is the perfect way to complete the party atmosphere. Party games are a great way for guests to get to know each other better and get everyone into the party spirit. Everyone should remember the hula and this game will provide loads of laughs for all. Hula Hoops are also entertaining and you could have group competitions to see who can swivel their hoop for the longest. The Food What better way to celebrate a Luau than with a spit roast or hungi. Look in your local yellow pages for companies that provide spit roasts. You could make your own Hungi at home by digging a large whole in the ground approx. 1/2 a metre deep and 1metre long. Next start a fire in the bottom using paper and kindling. Once the fire is started use thicker timber to create a large fire and then put large rocks into the fire. The rocks should be scalding and the fire simmering when you layer with banana leaves. This whole procedure generally takes half a day. Next it is time to create a basket using chicken wire and then place the meat and vegetables, all wrapped in alfoil, into the basket and place on top of the banana leaves. Lastly place wet sacks over the food and then place the soil back over the sacks, completely covering the whole. The food is generally steamed for half a day. Dessert can be made easy with platters of fruit. The most appropriate way to serve beverages is in cut-out pineapples, coconuts and watermelons and then decorating with straws, drink umbrellas and cocktail animals plus lots of fruit. Cocktails ALOHA PUNCH - 1 large can crushed pineapple, 2 cups Guava juice, 1 cup Apricot nectar, 3 cups Orange juice, 1/2 cup each of Lemon & Lime juice, 8 cups Rum, 4 cups Ginger ale. Mix all the ingredients, add a block of ice (water or juice from pineapple) and garnish with mint sprigs FISH HOUSE PUNCH - 1 1/2 cups Sugar, 1 Qt. Lemon Juice, 2 Qt. Rum, 2 Qt. Water, 4 oz. Peach Brandy, 1 Qt. Cognac, 1 cup sliced peaches. In a 2 gallon punch bowl, dissolve sugar in the lemon juice; add rest of ingredients except peaches. Let stand at least 2 hours to "ripen". Add block of ice to which peaches were frozen in. Garnish with extra peaches. (Makes 1 1/2 gallons) The Checklist Tick each of these items off to make sure your party will be a blast! 1. Pick party date & time 2. Plan a menu & go shopping 3. Decide on the entertainment 4. Arrange for help on the party day 5. Write out finale schedule 6. Get an exact guest count 7. Buy remaining party food, charge the camera, get ice and other incidentals Lastly remember that mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour, even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned. The most important part is to relax, take a breath, and try to enjoy the party as much as your guests. Thank you for including parties in packages in your celebration and we wish you the best of luck with your themed party.
In this fast paced world we live, parties can sometimes seem overwhelming and, in some cases, have become almost a nuisance as we find ourselves too busy or lacking in the imagination and creativity. As a result most miss out on making the memories we all deserve. Are you ready to start preparing for your party? Okay, let's get started with some suggestions to help relieve the stress. Handy Hints There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations - Date, Time and Location. Date - It's a good idea to check the proposed date and time with "key" friends before committing. Time - It is important to state starting and finishing times on invitations. Generally 2 to 3 hours is ample. A morning party may be good for littlies as you will generally find younger children tend to get tired in the afternoon/evening. Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being "home" where you'll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage with this choice is, having to clean the house before and after the party, possible damage to your house and space limitations. Nearby parks are nice because they're usually free, with plenty of space to run around and usually have a play structure to entertain the kids. The downside is, having to haul the supplies to and from the park plus lack of privacy and overcrowding. Local indoor play centres are becoming more popular for little children and the best part is there's no cleaning up afterwards. When sending out invitations, allow plenty of time for guest's parents to change their plans if necessary. The golden rule for the party host is, don't try and do everything on your own. Many parents invite another parent or relative to help them with the food as well as supervision once the party begins. Once the party begins you will generally find that younger children need constant supervision. Older children usually like to be left in peace at least some of the time during the party, only needing to be checked from time to time to make sure everything is all right. Be vigilant around balloons. If they pop the rubber bits could be a danger to young children. If they put them in their mouth, they could choke. Party Game & Activity Idea's Party games are a great way to teach children about winning, losing, fairness and luck. Keep each game relatively short to keep the children's interested and if they begin to appear irritable, move on to a new game. You should always be prepared for problems. There may be squabbles about who won or who got what prize so be sure to explain the rules before the games begin. The best way to create a farmyard theme is to hire Old McDonalds Farm Animals to attend your party. They set everything up, and best of all clean everything up before they leave. In this day and age with many children growing up within a city or metropolitan surrounding, a lot of them haven't even touched a lot of farm animals and therefore this activity will be a real treat for all the guests. Chook Chook! Great party activity all your guests can participate in. For a crazy novelty at your fair, try these cackling chooks – people find them irresistible. Knot a longish piece of string firmly through the bottom of any disposable cup and tie a small piece of kitchen cleaning sponge to the other end of the string, which should hang down through the cup. When the sponge is dampened, wrapped around the string and jerked downwards, the cup emits a sound that is extraordinarily like a cackling hen. Add joggle eyes and appropriate features cut from thin coloured cardboard and all day your fair will sound like a poultry yard! Decorating Tips The best way to create a farmyard theme is by turning your backyard into your very own little farm. Spread some hay bales around, you could even build a little hay stack. Another great touch would be your very own scarecrow. A white picket fence can easily be created using small stakes and white cardboard. Using a large old white sheet you could even paint your own red barn façade to pin up on the side of the house as a feature. Recipe suggestions For small children, make sure to remove toothpicks, skewers and any other sharp objects from food before you serve it. Make sure an adult is in the room at all times in case a child chokes. Freeze choc drops and then place a few in the bottom of each glass before filling with sparkling drink. Do not overfill the children with fizzy drinks however as they have a nasty habit of erupting later leaving you a nasty mess to clear up. Plan to include food and drinks for grown ups in case anxious parents stay or come to pick their child up early. Try to serve at least a few types of healthy food. Make sure it looks colourful and appetising and you'll probably find it will disappear in time. Try not to be over adventurous though when planning the food, as many children are picky eaters. The party food shouldn't be too hot as just- cooked food such as cheerio's or sausage rolls can burn little mouths. Cut the party cake into thin slices, as most children will have had enough to eat by the time the cake comes around. You could wrap up the left over slices for children to take home in their loot bags. Farm Animal Party Patty Cakes - Ingredients makes 24 Cakes - 125g butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, ¾ cup (165g) caster sugar, 2 eggs, 1½ cup self-raising flour, ½ cup milk, an assortment of lollies, liquorice straps, chocolate sprinkles, desiccated coconut and food colourings for decoration. Vanilla butter frosting – 30g butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, 2 cups icing sugar mixture, 2 tablespoons milk, food colouring of your choice Grease two 12-hole deep patty pans; line with paper patty cases. Beat butter, essence and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Transfer mixture to large bowl; stir in flour and milk. Spoon the mixture into patty cases. Bake in moderate oven 15 minutes. Turn onto wire rack to cool. Spread cold cakes with vanilla butter frosting and then decorate with the lollies, liquorice straps, chocolate sprinkles and coloured coconut. Vanilla butter frosting – combine the butter, essence, half the icing sugar and half the milk into a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add remaining icing sugar and milk; beat until smooth. Divide the icing among small bowls and colour each with a few drops of the food colouring of your choice. To make coloured coconut, put some coconut into a small plastic bag then add a few drops of the food colouring of your choice. Seal the bag then shake it and rub the bag in your hands until the coconut is coloured. **Recipe as printed in The Australian Women's Weekly Kids' Party Food Final Checklist 1. Plan a menu and go grocery shopping so that you can make as much food as you can before the day and freeze 2. Write out a final schedule of activities and games, then arrange for help on the party day 3. Get exact guest numbers then order the cake 4. Buy remaining party food, film, batteries, candles and matches for cake, plus other incidentals 5. Child proof the party area 6. Take plenty of pictures to commemorate the special day 10. Plan an after party nap for yourself Please remember, if you want the children to have a good party, plan it and keep it short and simple. Mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour, even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned. The most important part is to enjoy the day as you celebrate the life of your child. Lastly, we'd love to receive a photo of your child's "themed party" in action, to place on our website. Thank you for including parties in packages in your special day and we wish you the best of luck with your themed party pack.
Decorating tips - A Disney Princess party room is one of the easiest to decorate because you have such a wide variety of licensed products to choose from. Stores are filled with loads of Disney Princess products such as castles, dress up items, costumes, dolls, cake toppers, candles, yoghurts and cup cakes plus so much more. Use many of these items, probably already in your house, and display them around to theme your party room. In addition you could cut-out and paint a cardboard castle with big turrets for the party room. Using pastel coloured organza material on the walls and ceilings will help create a fantasy world. Handy hints - There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations - Date, Time and Location. Date - It's a good idea to check the proposed date and time with "key" friends before committing. Time - It is important to state starting and finishing times on the invitations. Generally 2 to 3 hours is ample. You will generally find many younger children tend to get tired in the afternoon/evening so a morning party may be good for the littlies. Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being "home" where you'll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage with this choice is, having to clean the house before and after the party, possible damage to your house and space limitations. Nearby parks are nice because they're usually free, with plenty of space to run around and usually have a play structure to entertain the kids. The downside is, having to haul the supplies to and from the park plus lack of privacy and overcrowding. Local indoor play centres are becoming more popular for little children and the best part is there's no cleaning up afterwards. When sending out invitations, allow plenty of time for guest's parents to change their plans if necessary. The golden rule for the party host is, don't try and do everything on your own. Many parents invite another parent or relative to help them with the food as well as supervision once the party begins. Once the party begins you will generally find that younger children need constant supervision. Older children usually like to be left in peace at least some of the time during the party, only needing to be checked from time to time to make sure everything is all right. Be vigilant around balloons. If they pop the rubber bits could be a danger to young children. If they put them in their mouth, they could choke. Party game & activity ideas - Party games are a great way to teach children about winning, losing, fairness and luck. Keep each game relatively short to keep children interested and if they begin to appear irritable, move on to a new game. You should always be prepared for problems such as squabbles over who won or who got what prize so be sure to explain the rules before games begin. Charades - The guests could form groups and create their own Disney fairytale in the form or charades. Each group can act out a few minutes from a fairytale and the first person to guess which story it is receives a prize.Ring game – Arrange children in a circle with one in the middle. The children hold a circle of string, onto which is threaded a ring. The centre child closes his eyes tightly and counts silently up to twenty. While he is doing this, the children in the circle slide the ring from hand to hand around the string, concealing it under their hands. When the child in the middle has reached twenty, he/she opens his/her eyes and tries to spot which player is holding the ring. If he/she guesses correctly, the player holding the ring changes places with him. If not, the child stays in the centre. You could even set a television up in your party room and as the children are arriving, or to quieten them down before they leave, turn on a Disney Princess video/DVD or book and place lots of cushions on the floor for them to sit and lie on. This idea is great because you'll be able to use the time to finish setting up or start cleaning up. Recipe suggestions - • Include Disney Princess licensed products in your party food choices. A trip to your local supermarket will make it easy. You could make a Princess cake using specially designed cake toppers, cupcake mix or just candles. • For small children, make sure to remove toothpicks, skewers and any other sharp objects from food before you serve it. Make sure an adult is in the room at all times in case a child chokes. • Dip the rim of each glass in lemon juice then add sugar or coconut before filling with sparkling drink however do not overfill the children with fizzy drinks, they have a nasty habit of erupting later leaving you a nasty mess to clear up. • A treat for dessert could be that each child guest makes their own sundae but then they give it away to someone else. A great way to entertain the children for a little longer. • Plan to include food and drinks for grown ups in case anxious parents stay or come to pick their child up early. • Try to serve at least a few types of healthy food. Make sure it looks colourful and appetising and you'll probably find it will disappear in time. Try not to be over adventurous when planning the food, as many children are picky eaters. • The party food shouldn't be too hot as just-cooked food such as cheerio's or sausage rolls can burn little mouths. • Cut the party cake into thin slices, as most children will have had enough to eat by the time the cake comes around. You could wrap up the left over slices for children to take home in their loot bags. • Toadstool treats – Place 2 scoops of ice cream into each cone, packing it down firmly then place in freezer for 10mins. Then carefully dip one cone at a time into melted chocolate and drain off excess. While chocolate is still warm, press the smarties into the chocolate and then allow it to set. Final checklist 1. Pick your party date and time 2. Plan a menu and go grocery shopping so that you can make as much food as you can before the day and freeze 3. Write out a final schedule of activities and games 4. Arrange for help on the party day 5. Order the cake 6. Get exact guest numbers 7. Buy remaining party food, film, batteries, candles and matches for cake, plus other incidentals 8. Child proof the party area 9. Take plenty of pictures to commemorate the special day 10. Plan an after party nap for yourself Please remember, if you want the children to have a good party, plan it and keep it short and simple. Mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour, even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned. The most important part is to enjoy the day as you celebrate the life of your child. Lastly, we'd love to receive a photo of your child's "themed party" in action, to place on our website. Thank you for including parties in packages in your special day and we wish you the best of luck with your themed party pack.
Spook-tacular Haunted House - dress up in a super scary costume and set up a haunted house adjacent to the dance floor. Keep the scary vibe up throughout the entire space by incorporating fog machines, giant spider webs using ropes and a completely blacked out room to heighten the intensity. Halloween themed food ideas Creepy Carnival - put an adult twist on the traditional circus theme where timid souls tremble and evil clowns abound. Check out our Circus and Halloween theme pages for lots of spooky delights.
"Christmas is such a busy time of year we are offering you quick and easy ways to impress your guests". Easy to make Strawberry Santas filled with ricotta & icing. Even easier to make strawberry & icing Santa Hats Red ribbon and a Christmas decoration or tree ornament will transform plain dinner table chairs, giving them a traditional Christmas feel without any fuss. Candy C ane Pl acecard H olders -  Simply glue 3 candy canes together and tie with red ribbon Okay these Santa Suit Candy Cups will take a little more effort but we couldn't resist because they are so cute. For the kids, or the big kids in all of us. Click on the image below to view the creators step-by-step instructions.


'Ray Donovan' was all fiction and pure fun, to be working with such greats as Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight. My character was recurring, but my storyline was intricate to the whole thing. With the character that I played, I got to go through all aspects of my instrument. I got to bring it to tears and to laughter.
I never wanted to be famous. I want to be more famous than I am so I can get the roles. I hate losing the roles. I was famous more for being around people who were famous, and I hate that kind of fame.
To be a great actor you just need to comprehend, so that's why I became a writer.
My parents instilled something greater than myself. They instilled faith in me.
There have been many times when I've auditioned and I've actually won a different role in the same film.
The '7500' is with Leslie Bibb. It's a big ensemble with a lot of really good people. I play the pilot of the 747 that something happens on as it crosses the Pacific. It's going to do what 'Jaws' did to the ocean. Not make people want to get on!
My father would go to work and try to survive every day just to get home to my mother so they could be at each other's side. That's what I want.
'Phantom' follows some of the best submarine cold-war films made. There's just so much tension, I can't even describe it – you have to see it.
Trying to give an individual a voice has always kind of been my mission in my life. As an actor, I've always seen that was something that needed to be done. You need to find that voice inside of you so that you can stand up and be who you really are.
I'm the bad guy on the rest of Jennifer Love Hewitt's 'The Client List,' I'm the bad guy in Renny Harlin's 'Hercules 3D,' and I'm a movie star – finally – on Showtime's new series 'Ray Donovan.' But most importantly, I'm about to be a daddy, so I'm expecting some 'Dark Circles' for real.
Most Americans take their freedom very seriously, but they don't realize that not everyone is free. The repressed are not free to do what they want. That's what 'Star-Crossed' was all about for me.
'Dark Circles' is a great relationship/character piece and also a horror film. It tinkered with the genre, which I loved. I was sick of seeing the same thing, sick of people just trying to get a movie made.
We look for meaning and purpose; children bring that.
People recognize me on the street for all kinds of different things that I've done. 'That Thing You Do' remains to be my favorite film in which I played my favorite character. That role is the one that I'm most recognized for.
It can no longer be an afterthought in a child's development that the analytical side is not of equal to the creative side. That the creative side can be pushed aside and we just push the analytical side. Especially with the development of a child's brain at the elementary levels.
I have to say I love Dempsey's Brew Pub & Restaurant. It's gorgeous with that Camden Yard brick surrounding it, and it just screams Baltimore. I love the Black and Orange Burger that is topped with fresh orange bell peppers, caramelized onions and sharp cheddar cheese.
I just played one of the bad guys in Hercules 3D, and I had cornrows. People moved away from me in elevators, that's for sure. I wore them for about three months. After a while, they get a little gnarly, and you have to redo them.


Clinical and pharmacokinetic studies do not appear to support an interaction between hormonal contraceptives (HCs) and most nonrifamycin antibiotics (e.g., penicillins/cephalosporins, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, and others), according to results of a systematic review of 29 studies published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Simmons KB, et al. Drug interactions between non-rifamycin antibiotics and hormonal contraception: A systematic review. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2018;218(1):88–97.


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Alfred's Wars: Sources and Interpretations of Anglo-Saxon Warfare in the Viking Age
Ryan Lavelle
Boydell & Brewer, 2010 - History - 378 pages
"Although this book provides a selection from sources and interpretations of warfare in Viking-Age England, and presents a consideration of them, it is more than a purely historiographical study. It investigates the current state of scholarship and the key points of its development, indicating areas for enquiry and point out some less familiar sources along the way. The intention is not to deal with the canon of historical works on the Anglo-Saxon army, for remarkably there is no 'canon' as such. Much, though by no means all, scholarship on the organization of military systems in the Anglo-Saxon state has been undertaken by historians and scholars from related disciplines for whom warfare is not a primary concern. Many of the sources used will be familiar to students of early medieval England, but others are included because they are less often considered ... I have not attempted to use a chronological structure, nor have I retold any particular narrative history of the English Kingdom during the Viking Age, although for the reader's convenience a chronology of events is included as an appendix. The focus is rather the exploration of the practice and politics of warfare."--Preface.
A Society at War Mentalities of Warfare in Later AngloSaxon England
2 Friends and Foes
5 Campaigns and Strategies
6 Fortifications
Battles and Battlefields
Peacemaking and Peace Agreements
9 Conclusions
Alfred's Wars: Sources and Interpretations of Anglo-Saxon Warfare in the ...
Abels Ælfric Æthelred II Æthelweard Alfred's Anglo Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Anglo-Saxon England Anglo-Saxon warfare Annals army ASC CDE Asser Athelstan Barbarian West Battle of Maldon battlefield beacons Bishop Burghal Hidage burh campaigns Carolingian ceorl charter Chronicle's Chronicon Cnut context Danelaw Danes Danish defence discussion Domesday Book Ealdorman Earl early medieval Edington Edward eleventh century English kingdom evidence five-hide unit fleet fortifications fyrd Gesetze Halsall Harold heriot highlighted History Hollister horses housecarls JEtd King Æthelred King Alfred king's land late Anglo-Saxon Lavelle London lord Lordship and Military Mercia Military Obligation military service naval ninth Norman Conquest Northumbria noted Obligation in Anglo-Saxon Old English Oxford peace perhaps Plummer-Earle political pre-Conquest recorded reference reign royal Scandinavian select fyrd ships significance sources Stenton Studies suggests tenth century thegns towns trans vessels Viking Age Warfare and Society warriors Welsh Wessex West Saxon William Winchester Woodbridge
Ryan Lavelle is a senior lecturer in medieval history at the University of Winchester where he teaches on Anglo-Saxon England, the Normans and the Norman Conquest, and the Carolingian Renaissance. His specialises in Late Anglo-Saxon political history, including royal landholding, especially in Wessex, and early medieval warfare.
Title Alfred's Wars: Sources and Interpretations of Anglo-Saxon Warfare in the Viking Age
Volume 30 of Warfare in history, ISSN 1358-779X
Author Ryan Lavelle
Editor Ryan Lavelle
Publisher Boydell & Brewer, 2010
History / Europe / Medieval

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home » EES » Reading and discussion with Mohsin Hamid
Reading and discussion with Mohsin Hamid
Posted on Apr 26, 2012 in EES, GHS | 0 comments
On 25 April 2012, The Ewing Literary Society and the Griswold History Society of Forman Christian College arranged a reading and discussion with renowned Pakistani writer, Mohsin Hamid, the author of two best-selling novels Moth Smokeand The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
To a packed audience of about two hundred students and faculty from FC College, Punjab University, Lahore College for Women, and Kinnaird College for Women, Mr Hamid read parts from both his novels for about twenty minutes. The reading was followed by almost an hour of questions and discussion which brought out several important themes and ideas which underlie Mr Hamid's work. Answering a question about the creative process Mr Hamid said that at times it is as if the characters themselves take control of a story, and the author has to change his initial ideas about the book. 'The original idea and the final novel,' Hamid said, 'are rarely the same.' In response to a question about a sequel to The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid said, 'You, the audience, are the sequel,' arguing that the author's task is to ignite the creative person in the reader to further internalise and contemplate on the issues raised in the novel. Talking about his future plans, Hamid revealed that he has just completed the first draft of a new novel which should be in print early next year. In the meantime, the film version of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, directed by Mira Nair and starring Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland is at the editing stage and is due to be released next year.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Yaqoob Khan Bangash from the Department of History FCC, highlighted the multifaceted nature of the novel. He said that the novel is not just a literary endeavour, it is a political, social, and cultural act, and so has relevance and implications for people in several ways. Thanking Mr Hamid Dr Waseem Anwar, Dean of Humanities FCC noted that Mohsin's presence at FC has made a remarkable difference in terms of the common goal of all academic institutions, that is to promote good readership along with good authorship locally as well as internationally.


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Khandu, Biren Singh say no to CAB
Bill listed in RS for 12 Feb
[ Tongam Rina ]
ITANAGAR, Feb 11: Chief Minister Pema Khandu has conveyed his opposition to the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), 2019, to the central government.
In a meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, Khandu along with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday apprised the home minister of the situation prevailing in the Northeast region following the passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha.
Responding to a query from this daily, Khandu said he along with his Manipur counterpart "met Home Minister Singh and requested him not the pass the bill, keeping in mind the sentiments of the people."
The meeting was significant as the bill will be placed before the Rajya Sabha on 12 February.
According to the list of business posted in the Rajya Sabha, the home minister will move the CAB, 2019, for consideration and passing. The bill, seeking to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, has already been passed in the Lok Sabha.
It was passed in the lower house on 8 January, even as there was a total shutdown in the Northeast region against it. The CAB, if it becomes an act, will allow illegal migrants, based on their religious identities, to claim Indian citizenship.
The bill, which experts say is in violation of the constitution, seeks to accord Indian citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, provided that they have stayed in India for seven years without valid documents.
The chief ministers of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram have already opposed the bill. There is no comment yet from the governments of Tripura and Assam, even though there have been massive protests in the two states.
The protests in the Northeast started in Assam in 2016, notably by the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, as Assamese organizations say that the CAB contradicts the 1985 Assam Accord which says that all illegal migrants who came from Bangladesh to Assam after March 1971 would be deported.
Following opposition to it in Assam, the bill, though it was tabled in the Lok Sabha in 2016, had not moved further and was sent to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC). On the basis of the recommendations of the JPC, a fresh bill was introduced during the winter session.
Experts say that the CAB, which does not mention persecuted Muslims, contradicts Article 14 of the Indian constitution.
Opposing the bill, the Asom Gana Parishad has already exited the BJP-led coalition in Assam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking reelection in May 2019, during his visit to Assam on 9 February said the concerns of the people of Assam would be taken into account, without specifying details.
In an earlier speech, in Silchar, the prime minister had said that the bill would be passed to amend the mistakes of the past. The speech flared up further protests across the region.
During his last visit to Assam, Arunachal and Tripura, the PM had to face the wrath of several organisations.
In Guwahati, Assam, members of several organizations opposed to the bill waved black flags at the convoy of the prime minister. In Arunachal, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee took out a massive rally, while the students of Rajiv Gandhi University and the NERIST protested in their respective campuses.
Tuesday will be a defining day for the region as the Rajya Sabha takes up the bill.
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Tinubu Salutes Senate President at 61, Hails His Contributions to Nigeria
Home Highlights BRIU REPORT: Governor Obaseki Creates 156,994 Jobs in 3 Years
BRIU REPORT: Governor Obaseki Creates 156,994 Jobs in 3 Years
*L-R: Chairman, Edo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barr. Anselm Ojezua; Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu; Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, and member of the Economic Advisory Council, Mr. Bismark Rewane, at the Edo Youth Summit, organised to mark Alaghodaro 2019, in Benin City, on Monday, November 11, 2019.
Governor Godwin Obaseki's determination to spur economic growth by deepening policies and initiatives targeted at job creation and entrepreneurship development has resulted in the creation of over 156,994 jobs in the state in the last three years.
This was revealed in a report by the BusinessDay Research Intelligence Unit (BRIU), presented by the publisher of BusinessDay Newspapers, Frank Aigbogun, on Monday, at the Alaghodaro 2019 Youth Summit, which is part of events lined up to celebrate Governor Obaseki's third year in office.
Aigbogun said Governor Obaseki is making good the promise to create 200,000 jobs, noting "Not often do you find politicians delivering on their promises. The report has well laid down illustrations with vital data as well as interviews with key players, from beneficiaries in the scheme or those playing vital role in ensuring the success of the programmes. The result speaks for itself."
The report revealed that Governor Obaseki through the Edo State Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs), has created direct and indirect jobs along its different intervention areas, with "46,576 created through job tracking; 3,434 via job matching and placement; and 22,872 from the skills development and entrepreneurship programmes.
"There are 27,732 beneficiaries under Edo Innovates; 1,376 at the Edo Food and Agriculture Cluster; 161 through the Edo Production Center; 10,000 beneficiaries through the Ministry of Wealth Creation; 12,413 in the National Social Investment Programme; as well as 32,430 beneficiaries engaged through indirect jobs. This brought the total jobs created by the Edo State Government to 156,994."
The governor, who was visibly excited with the report, reiterated his administration's resolve to deliver on the promise to create a minimum of 200,000 jobs in his first term in office.
Obaseki noted, "During my electioneering campaign, I promised to create 200,000 jobs and people doubted it because they think politicians would never give themselves such target. But I took the risk."
He continued, "I am glad, happy and proud today that at the last count, we have created almost 157,000 jobs in Edo State. The evidence is there. When we came into office, our goal as an administration is to make the state a hub for businesses and production and we are achieving that."
He added that his administration remains focused on empowering more people through quality education, as well as affordable and accessible health services.
The governor said in 2020 his administration will ensure 300 junior secondary schools are have facilities for vocational training and well-equipped science laboratories to prepare the students for the future.
"What we intend to do differently with these secondary schools is to ensure we have science laboratories and vocational training that will prepare the students to face the future. We are working on changing the mindset that education is not all about certificate," Obaseki added.
He continued, "EdoJobs was created to assist youths retrace their steps in life. We are creating opportunities in the area of sports with the revamp of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, establishing 20 mini stadia across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state, and creating jobs in agriculture."
In his remarks, Commissioner for Youths, Hon. Damian Lawani, commended Governor Obaseki for his vision in developing a modern and civilised state, where residents live to actulise their dreams.
He said the governor appreciates the role of youths in the development of the state, adding, "Governor Obaseki has created a future for the youths in the state and has improved the educational sector, revamped technical schools, the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, among others.
Head, EdoJobs, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare said the governor, through the agency has transformed the lives of youths in the state by creating a viable platform for youth development, noting, "Our focus is to bring opportunities closer to Edo youths and create a platform to positively impact their lives."
The guest speaker, Managing Director, SLOT Foundation, Engr. Nnamdi Ezeigbo who spoke on "Creating Sustainable Employment Opportunities," said entrepreneurship is one of the fastest ways of creating a productive state.
Ezeigbo noted, "The vision of an entrepreneur is to create value for society and opportunities for the people."
He urged entrepreneurs in Edo State to ensure they demonstrate integrity in their business dealings which is an ingredient to woo investors to invest in their business, noting, "Integrity is clearly evaporating from our character but trust is all you need to woo investors to invest in your businesses."
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