Valdeen Shears-Neptune
Many adults would surely tell you that as a child, they wished they had someone...anyone willing to offer them positive words of encouragement. Words, that in hindsight, may have changed the courses of their lives.
Well, this is the sentiment which spurred Sallyann Della Casa to conceptualise and publish a book that is motivational and inspires happiness and hope.
Most educators will tell you that children are visual beings, it's why they learn through expression first. They will more than likely also agree that consistent sincere words of encouragement can do wonders for a child with low self-esteem, big dreams and little resources.
Della Casa has coined all this in her debut publication Who Will I Become, with just a few selective words and photos which “tell a thousand words.”
The book is filled with large images of children of all races and socio-economic backgrounds from across T&T, and words of inspiration and advice to spur on youths and even mature readers.
“The words in the book are words of wisdom I wished someone had said to me as a child and as an adult. And I have a suspicion many people, both young and old, are waiting for these words to be whispered to them. In moments of mistakes and failures when you are in absolute despair you need to hear these words from the book,” the author said.
Della Casa, who wears the cap of Lead Tree Shaker at the Growing Leaders Foundation (GLF), is determined to change the world by changing attitudes towards children and youths. She believes that everyday life gives you a blank canvas—if filled with positive things, thoughts and activities, then the outcome can and will be different.
These are just some of the messages penned in the book, filled with outstanding photographs by world-renowned Australian photographer David Lazar, which tell a tale all on their own.
From small, bare feet children dancing the cocoa, to young boys fishing, Della Casa captures not only the mood of innocent childhood fun, but the coming of age of local traditions.
Eyes downcast, a chocolate-skinned little girl holds a secretive smile as she savours the aroma wafting from a cooking spoon filled with curried crabs.
Nearby were the words:
“You will use your senses as your guide,
Danger has a smell,
Fear has a smell,
Success has a smell,
So does Love.”
Each photo which holds a positive message also warns of life's disappointments, but ultimately guides the reader to the understanding that there is always hope on the horizon.
Why the work of photographer Lazar?
The book, she said, had been a concept since 2010 and while she thought of several local photographers, she didn’t feel the fit. It took a bold Facebook introduction and a year's worth of patience before Lazar had the time to come to T&T to marry Della Casa’s vision with his talent.
“His energy was right. He is this talented, humble artists who is recognised as one of the world's best, and I had the privilege of sharing my vision with him and then have him bring it to life,” she said.
It’s just the tip of the iceberg, as her book is just the first in a seven-part series which will feature children from different regions in the world.
“Actually, each book will have a district type of photography and less age of leadership. The plan is to work with only the best and most recognised photographers on the globe. So the Middle East region, which I plan on shooting in early 2016, will probably focus on struggle, peace, and maybe showcase youths at some of the most cultural and conflicted zones in the world,” she said, offering a preview into what’s ahead
Why did it take five years to produce her book?
Della Casa explained, “I actually wrote the Love Letter to a Leader that opens the book in 2010 when I created the foundation. Then came the photos without any words. I wanted the photos to honour our culture, ethnicity and trades of our ancestors, so we captured those in January 2014. Then during the summer of 2014, I spent a few months just looking at the photos daily until the words came to me.”
Even then, Della Casa, a bit of a perfectionist, said she held her hand on publishing.
“Something was missing, but I was not sure what. Then in 2015, a few people who looked at it asked me for activities and exercises to do with the photos. And it then dawned on me that the entire work of the foundation was using activities through lesson plans to develop character... It was then in April 2015, I shot the trailer for the book announcing it would be coming out by the end of 2015. Knowing the process and seeing the final product, it is shocking even to me how much everything ended up fitting just right like if it was there all along."
The book also offers buyers a unique key to access the foundation's online leadership lessons. She is propelled daily with the thought that a child must benefit from every venture GLF takes on, she reasoned. Ironically, Della Casa, who has been married for the last 18 years, has no children of her own.
However, she sees this as God’s way of granting her more time to focus on helping children globally.
“And with all the work I do growing youths into leaders, I do not have any of my own. I know people react very strange to that, but I never had that itch. I remember reading an interview of Oprah and truly identified with it in which she said probably if she had her own kids she would not have given as she has to the world children or even worst, she would have shortchanged her own kids because of her hectic schedule. That being said, I am making a difference in the lives of thousands of youths annually and I get to witness first-hand the fruits of my effort,” she explained.
Who does the book target?
“Initially I thought my target audience was youth, but then something interesting started happening in that all the adults who read it would call me in tears. Somehow, the images and the words of the book cuts through and accesses that nine year old within us who has dreams unrealised, who no longer wants to settle in life, who wants to fulfill their dreams, be happy etc. So the book is that mentor you wish you can be to a child and who you want speaking to that untarnished inner child within you as an adult, whispering your potential,” she noted.
For Della Casa, settling is simply not enough. She refuses to accept that it is the norm for adults to be defined by job titles, fancy cars, and big bank accounts.
“Look around today in T&T, who we have become as a society is not something to be positive about. We just have to look and see how we treat our youths, how we treat mother nature, and how we treat those who can give us nothing in return. Who have we become in T&T?” she queried.
Her effort, initially saw her away from her Italian-born husband and biggest fan for up to four months at a time. Now her time is spent mostly in the Middle East, with her local GLF team consistently engaging in programmes and initiatives here and across the world.
“I wake up leaders with my programmes, curriculum and publication. Everything I do aligns to this purpose....One day when I am long gone, I hope there will be a special edition of these books kept with imagery and words that can tell the global journey of leadership for generations. That is the legacy of these books and how privileged I am to be given the gift to bring it to life,” she concluded.
While a book or two will be distributed free of charge to every primary school in Trinidad, it can be found at select bookstores such as RIK, Charrans, and other popular outlets.
About Sally Della Casa
About the Author: Sallyann Della Casa (nee Sawh) was born in T&T in the 70s (do not ask an exact date because for the record she will be 35 for the next ten years) to parents who were keen business people in El Socorro. She attended St Lucia’s Private Primary School, had a brief stint at Curepe Presbyterian under Mr Oudit in Standard Five, and she wrote the Common Entrance examination which her parents thought she was not going to pass.
However, she excelled and passed for St Augustine Girls’ High School where she attended for one year before leaving for boarding school abroad. She met her husband in the airport in Miami, after which he flew there every weekend for eight months to take her on dates. They married on her birthday later that same year in a dream wedding at Maui.
An attorney by age 21, Della Casa’s education spans several institutions, including Bishop Strachan in Canada, University of Toronto, Franklin College in Switzerland, Lynn University in Boca Raton, University of Miami and St Thomas School of Law, Florida.
Link for song: https://soundcloud.com/leadershipvitamins/with-these-hands