lifelab x StadtGesichter Volume 2 - 12.12.2020
By Yanna Solace Adofina
Last 12. December 2020, lifelab.spaces once again embarked on a safari through hosting a spectacular Twitch live stream with an array of talented musicians, and inspiring speakers. This intimate event is in collaboration with #StadtGesichter.
The affair focused on showcasing lifelab as a hip, sustainable, and flexible workshop event space host, as well as continuously providing opportunities to local and start-up artists to perform live. In addition, we had two phenomenal guest speakers who offered mentoring and apprenticeship possibilities to our viewers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, safety precautions were strictly observed throughout the event, in conformance with the federal health regulations.
Here are some quicks link from the night’s event:
Energetic #StadtGesichter lead Soleil Ndongala was the master of ceremonies for the night.
For more information about Joel Mulumba and Jimentor, you may visit the following links:
The event started off with an inspiring talk from guest speaker Joel Mulumba, the founder of Jimentor. Jimentor is a non-profit company that aims to offer apprenticeship and job placement networks to mentees with mentors, who are mainly volunteers. The company’s goal is to support pupils, students, trainees as well as graduates at an early stage both an educational and a professional orientation opportunity with the aim of successfully integrating them into the education and labor market. During the short talk with Soleil, Joel discussed the finer points of the company's great work. He was inspired to put up Jimentor, as he noticed that among his community, the younger second-generation individuals have difficulties managing their life. What he offers is an industry-specific mentoring program where a mentee is guided by a Mentor from a sector the mentee has voiced interest. Mentees from ages 16 -21 are mentored to help them figure out what business they want to take part in, while those aged 21 and older are given counsel for career guidance. While the mentee spots are limited to those with an African background, mentors from all ethnical backgrounds are welcome to provide their expertise. He believes that there is no perfect mentor; anyone can be a mentor as long as they are willing to communicate and make a stand on their chosen industry. At the moment, they have mentors for school, passenger transport, dental nursery, sales, medicine, sales controlling, among others. For interested individuals, you may contact them at the Jimentor website. There is a monthly fee of 9,99 with a minimum duration of six months; or make a donation. Joel says there are a number of families who would prefer to donate, sometimes even more than six month's worth of mentoring would have cost. This is a great viable option, as some find the six-month obligation challenging; this gives them flexibility, and they are not bound by the time frame. He says his long term goal is to provide free mentoring.
Our second act, Felicia Astuni, captured the viewers’ attention with her versatility and warm expressive voice. She is an integral part of the soul cover band Soul7, a regular fixture in the Cologne music scene. Felicia is an authentic soul siren, whose songs vary from the rhythmical to the melancholic. Accompanying her onstage was her mother Ulrike Theis; together they performed Felicia’s best songs, giving off a jazz bar music vibe to the viewers.
For additional information about Felicia’s music, you can visit the following links :
Next up was Danuta “Dani” Schmiejka, a happiness coach and trainer from Cologne. Her aim is everything about happiness; what it truly is, where to find it, where to buy it, and gratitude study. She has done coaching training before, and currently does online seminars on helping people discover their happiness potential. Dani started off her talk for the night by asking the audience, "How do we achieve happiness?" She bets it's something all of us have reflected on at one time, especially during this pandemic. Luck and happiness are two words typically used synonymously, she says, and disputes it right away by stating that it is not about being lucky, but about experiencing inner happiness. It's a chemical process that you experience a pleasant surprise, trigerring the brain to release dopamine --- causing euphoria. 50% of happiness also relies on your genetics, specifically on your gene that distributes the serotonin, which enables you to relax. To trigger happiness, Dani advises that happiness starts with gratitude; it starts by being thankful for whatever life brings you. She also shares that a great tool to amplify the sense of gratefulness is through intuitive writing. She instructs the audience to take a moment every morning and write down five things that you are grateful for. It starts off as a real challenge at first, she says from experience. But it does get easier as time goes by ---- at one point she was able to list down 100 things, instead of just five! She ends the talk by emphasizing that happiness is not just about pressing a button which automatically makes you happy. It is a process, and more importantly it is a decision ---- your decision.
Capping off the energy-filled festivities was Bleka, also known as Jan & the Band, an adult contemporary band whose music style and vocals described like an icy wind and rough surf on steep cliffs; hypnotizing and serenading their listeners and fans. The band started back in 2017 at Papenburg in a living room concert. As years went by, the band grew as they performed numerous gigs and signed contracts with production companies. All these experiences helped shape them as the strong performing group that they are today.
For more details about Bleka (Jan & the Band), you can visit the following links:
To get everyone in a warm Weinachten mood, each artist added a Christmas song to their performance.
Soleil ended the night by extending gratitude to all the viewers, and acknowledging the sponsors for their donations.
Next up is our Ladies Night Special! Be with us on Saturday, 30. January 2021, as another #StadtGesichter and lifelab collaboration is coming up --- female empowerment all around with our four exceptional women artists from different musical genres.
The images from this blog article were taken by Photographer Marc Fahrig.
Gallery
Enjoy the photos of the night’s festivities!
