Little and LOUD International Inc.

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THE ORGANIZATION

OUR MISSION

We believe children have the right to education and literacy, that there is richness in culture well beyond the material, that self-expressive creativity is transformative and that there are no boundaries to friendships.

With these beliefs in mind, Little and LOUD intends to:

Celebrate the importance of storytelling while honouring and respecting cultural heritage

Stimulate, nourish and facilitate the creativity of children and foremost giving them the ability to do so by providing materials, techniques and tools

Provide the ability for children to collaborate with one another beyond borders

Empower children to demonstrate their ability to creatively cause a positive impact

Make visible to adults the type of world we have created and are creating for children

ABOUT US

Little and LOUD started as three friends and travellers who came from different continents - Rhoda Lazo, a digital solutions producer from Los Angeles, USA, Michelle Roldan, a visual communications designer from Sydney, Australia and Mirjam Verkleij, a nurse from Utrecht, The Netherlands. These three have similar passions and ideas about how children and their communites could be empowered and supported and thus, Little and LOUD was created in 2008. When Rhoda moved back to the U.S.A., she met Sarah Grosh, an art educator and they are now creating programs in the U.S. while Michelle and Mirjam continue their efforts in Australia and surrounding countries.

Ultimately, the Little and LOUD team are composed of people who are inspired by children and their natural ability to creatively express themselves in a way that communicates beyond borders and spans all backgrounds, cultures and ages. This is how Little and LOUD began and how it continues to this day. If you would like to be a Little and LOUDer, please contact us!

To read all about us in one neat little package, download a brochure.

THE TEAM

AUSTRALIA

U.S.A.

	MICHELLE ROLDAN At the age of four, Michelle’s family migrated from the Philippines to Sydney where she's now lived for over 20 years. More recently she has done extensive travel around the United States, South East Asia and Europe and spent a semester in London as part of her Visual Communications degree. Nowadays, between completing a Masters degree, freelance design work and a fulltime job as an online coordinator at a VFX/animation studio, her unwavering passion for travel mixed with her love for film, photography and art is expressed through Little and LOUD. A true believer in social design, Michelle is in charge of directing the production of our projects and our overall visual communication.

	MIRJAM VERKLEIJ Mirjam left Utrecht, Netherlands, in 2007 to travel and work as a nurse in Australia. Since her arrival she has worked in Sydney, The Gold Coast, Torres Strait Islands and has spent some time as a registered nurse at Balranald Hospital in rural NSW. Now studying a Masters in International Relations, she has returned to Sydney to work while keeping a watchful eye on our Fote School projects. It was her adventurous and inquisitive nature that led us to travel to the South Pacific to learn about Melanesian culture. Passionate about bringing different cultures together, Mirjam concentrates on building relationships, maintaining direct communication with our beneficiaries and developing Little and LOUD on a global scale.

	RHODA LAZO Born in the Philippines and raised in Los Angeles, California, USA, Rhoda found herself living in Sydney, Australia after traveling around the world. She is a digital solutions producer and artist but as a true dreamer and idealist, she has always aspired to creatively advocate for children. Over the years she has dreamed up ideas which have now become the foundation for Little and LOUD. Currently based in Columbus, Ohio, Rhoda oversees our partnerships with organizations and co-ordinates our international collaborative projects.

	SARAH GROSH Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, USA Sarah ventured abroad in 2004 and again in 2007 when she taught high school English for a year in Laval, France. In France, Sarah discovered the powerful learning experiences that cross-cultural communication presents. In her graduate studies at The Ohio State University she capitalized on this knowledge in her master's research and continued to travel extensively. During her travels to Central and South America as well as while teaching in urban schools in the US, Sarah became increasingly aware of the disparities that exist in education and was inspired to take action. When Sarah met Rhoda it was an immediate fit and she joined the team to help establish Little and Loud International in the USA. An enthusiastic educator and learner at heart, Sarah is in charge of educational programming and curriculum.