Who: Gap Year Volunteers
Age: Typically 18-26
What: Volunteer internationally in their gap years
The "gap year" is not as often exploited in the United States as it is in the UK and Canada in particular. There, many students take a year either between high school and college or after completing their undergraduate degree to explore the world outside organized educational boundaries. This story from the National Post is about students using their gap years to volunteer internationally.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Presented by 'You will face who you are': A guide to doing good for gap year
Sandy Fife, National Post Published: Friday, March 28, 2008
Courtesy Jacqueline Wong
The winner of a local election was throwing a victory party for residents of the baranguay in AlangAlang, in the central Philippines. He converted the basketball court to an outdoor banquet hall with music, tables and chairs, a stage for speeches and a feast that saw a whole cow spit-roasted over a fire. Jacqueline Wong, a 25-year-old volunteer health worker from Toronto, watched her neighbours party and felt she'd arrived in the Philippines. "It really opened my eyes to the sense of community," she says.
Wong is one of thousands of Canadians between 18 and 34 who take time out to volunteer, work or travel in other countries each year, under international youth programs made possible by federal agreements with about 40 other governments. Gap-year travel - or a trip before, during or just after college or university - is a time-honoured tradition. These days, many kids are choosing to combine it with paid or unpaid jobs.
Their reasons include the desire to do good, to offset travel expenses and to immerse themselves in a particular culture. "The best way to learn about a place is to spend some time living there, and working or volunteering provides that opportunity," says Jeff Minthorn, editor of Verge, a Canadian magazine about travel "with a purpose."
"Working or volunteering abroad also looks great on a résumé or university application," Minthorn adds. "It's one thing to say, ‘I spent the last year backpacking around Australia and Southeast Asia,' quite another to say, ‘While I was there, I worked on a farm in Western Australia and volunteered in Thailand teaching English to schoolchildren.' "
Other rewards are less tangible. "Clients come back from a work or volunteer experience changed," says Karen Moore, Ottawa-based manager of sales and development for Travel Cuts' international programs. "They are more confident, know what they want out of life and realize there is another world where people struggle just to survive. It makes them realize how lucky they are, and more tolerant of other cultures."
Nevertheless, the decision to work or volunteer abroad deserves careful consideration. A good start is to check out the opportunities offered by well-established programs such as Travel Cuts' Work Abroad and Volunteer Abroad. After that, a self-assessment is in order. Factors such as your age, finances, skills and previous travel experience may influence your choice of when and where you go and what you do there, program organizers point out.
"Travelling is not always cool. It is also difficult," says Jonathan Paquet, president and co-founder of Horizon Cosmopolite, a Montreal agency that helps students find and prepare for international volunteer placements. "You will face who you are. You may cry because you miss your mom. You will ask yourself why you decided to go to that village where there are cockroaches in the bathroom."
Here are the stories of three Canadians who braved those hazards and came back from their travels eager to do it all over again:
Alex James, Toronto
James was 18 and finished high school when she went to Guyana as a Youth Challenge International (YCI) volunteer in early 2006. She and 12 other volunteers spent eight weeks in three communities, leading workshops on health and social issues such as HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, substance abuse and women's empowerment.
She had no international travel experience and the trip was the longest that she'd been away from home. But the decision to go was easy. "Post-secondary education didn't excite me. Travel did," she says. "I was fascinated and intrigued and even a little giddy at the idea of volunteering abroad."
YCI, like many volunteer organizations with a focus on developing countries, requires participants to raise the funds for their project and airfare. Scraping together the approximately $5,000 James needed took a lot of work. She hosted an evening of live music and theatre, with a raffle and bake sale, and collaborated with other Toronto-area volunteers on another raffle, for a pair of Lord of the Rings tickets.
YCI provided pre-departure training about culture, communicating and the project, as well as orientation for the volunteers in Guyana. Its Web site warns applicants they may have to sleep on the ground or use outdoor bathrooms in their host countries. But James still missed the comforts of home. "I lived in very close quarters with my group members, slept in a hammock, bathed and washed my clothes in a river, and used stinky, dirty outhouses, which were covered in cockroaches at night," she says.
And she was often homesick. "The first night was especially hard. I was exhausted, already covered in
mosquito bites, and felt very sad - almost wished I could turn around and go home."
But she enjoyed connecting with people in the communities in which she worked, especially playing with the kids, who taught her that the hokey-pokey's appeal cuts across all cultures.
The residents of each community thanked the volunteers by holding a bonfire for them the night before they left. Everybody serenaded each other and had a good time.
James's trip gave her knowledge of another culture and the understanding that there are many other ways of life, not to mention an enduring gratitude for basics like running water.
"More than anything, I came home with itchy feet, wanting to get out there and see more of the world," she says.
Last fall, after a semester of college and a stint at a full-time job, she did just that, travelling to Uganda as a volunteer for Kirabo Canada.
"Travel is such a rewarding and enriching experience," she says. "It's a whole other kind of learning. The opportunity to go to school will always be there; most of the awesome youth programs out there have age restrictions."
Chris Roosenboom, Bathurst, N.B.
Roosenboom, a Guelph, Ont., native who's training in New Brunswick for a career as a geophysicist, had finished his undergrad degree in his hometown and worked for a year when wanderlust struck. He decided to travel instead of starting a PhD program in the fall of 2006. He left in October, on a SWAP UK working holiday that spanned 11 months and five mostly poorly paid service-industry jobs.
"I wanted to learn about who I was and how other cultures do things differently. I also wanted to improve my social skills and get more confidence," he says. He chose Edinburgh as his destination because he wanted to see the Highlands, drink Scotch and learn about the history - and because a friend told him the city is a great party place.
Roosenboom made friends in advance through a SWAP chat room, and arranged to meet them in Edinburgh. SWAP (which is run by Travel Cuts in Canada) helped him arrange visas and accommodation for the first few days. His biggest pre-departure worries were saving enough money for the trip, waiting for his visa to arrive and packing light.
His "Wow, I'm here" moment came when he stepped off the double-decker airport bus on Waverley Bridge, "with big buses going every which way, strange-looking taxis darting about and, down the valley, Edinburgh Castle with the sun shining behind it," he says. "Was quite the day."
Roosenboom used the U.K. as a home base, travelling to other countries as the opportunity arose. He didn't have to cope with a new language or culture. But he had to adapt to being alone and develop self-reliance. Building up his tolerance for alcohol was also a challenge. "It's all one big party," he says.
Well, not quite. His jobs ran from boring and sometimes unpleasant stints cleaning and working the reception desk at a hostel, where he lived for free, to customer service at a baked-potato shop, where he had fun, and waiter/bartender at an Oxfordshire pub, where he felt like a slave. But he landed on his feet at the Jam House back in Edinburgh, where he became headwaiter and employee of the year, winning a trip for two to Birmingham, with dinner at a five-star restaurant and a night of clubbing.
Roosenboom came home "a completely different person," more comfortable with himself, more sociable and more confident with the opposite sex. His advice to other students considering a working holiday abroad: "Take the plunge! It is freaking scary but once you get there, it is excellent. And most important,
don't plan - just go with it. The random experiences are the best, and the ones you learn most from."
Jacqueline Wong, Toronto
Wong, a pharmacy grad, wanted a chance to observe health care in other parts of the world. She spotted a Horizon Cosmopolite ad for a volunteer job at a clinic in rural AlangAlang on a university career Web site in 2006. Knowing many residents of the Philippines speak English and that she'd be close to other Asian countries she wanted to visit, she jumped at the opportunity.
Wong was a seasoned traveller, having toured Europe, explored Spain on her own and studied in Italy for a month on a university exchange. Still, she was nervous about travel and accommodation. Horizon Cosmopolite liaised with the organization Volunteer for the Visayans, in Tacloban, which arranged her placement and home stay. Wong couldn't attend the pre-trip seminar. But a Lonely Planet guide introduced her to the culture and everyday life in the Philippines.
Her home stay in Tacloban was comfortable and welcoming - her hosts gave her their bedroom - and her days settled into a routine: up at 7 for an hour-long jeepney ride to the clinic where she worked as a receptionist for three weeks, tutoring local kids or relaxing at a coffee shop in downtown Tacloban after work and dinner (typically meat, stir-friend veggies and rice) at her home stay. A volunteer for the Visayans arranged excursions to its projects, local tourist attractions and beaches.
Typhoon season limited travel. But Wong and a friend took a weekend trip to a neighbouring island, where they saw rice paddies and swam in hot springs and under waterfalls. Their driver ran out of gas and they purchased two litres from a roadside stand, which was poured into glass Coke bottles - "the perfect quirky ending to an unusual day," Wong says.
Her biggest challenge was "just letting go of what I knew from living in Canada," she says. "Things are done differently in Tacloban, and I needed
to adjust." Her worst time came after eating balut, a fertilized duck egg that's a local delicacy. It didn't agree, and she had to stay home for a day.
But she enjoyed learning about a different culture, making new friends, picking up a bit of Waray-Waray and seeing how health care is delivered in the Philippines.
"Keep an open mind," she advises would-be international volunteers. "Once you find a program offered by a reliable organization, don't hesitate to register. And once you arrive, enjoy what the country has to offer and don't dwell on preconceptions."
MORE: Weigh the risks and rewards
Working and volunteering abroad are popular gap-year options. Horizon Cosmopolite, a Montreal-based volunteer-placement agency founded in 1997, has seen participation grow to 350 a year from 35 in 1999.
Kids who do it may develop a new sense of direction, greater appreciation for family, freedom and our privileged lifestyle and an understanding of what it's like to be the outsider in an unfamiliar culture. They also get valuable international work experience: 82% of respondents to a July, 2007, survey of employers by the University of Toronto's career centre see travel abroad as an asset on a résumé.
On the downside, volunteering abroad is expensive. Most organizations require participants to raise funds, and the service-industry and ESL teaching jobs travelling students often take tend to be poorly paid and are sometimes exploitive. Loneliness and homesickness can loom large - particularly in places with limited phone and Internet service - and scams, illness, accidents and trouble with foreign authorities are real risks.
The Martlet, the University of Victoria's newspaper, warned readers last fall that Japan's biggest private
language school had ceased paying some of its employees, but was still hiring Canadian students to teach in its schools. In November, British schoolteacher Gillian Gibbons was imprisoned in Sudan for allowing her students there to name a teddy bear after the Easter Bunny. And in March of last year, British teen Georgia French died in a bus crash in the Andes while on a gap-year trip with friends; her parents, having learned that 500 people die each year in similar accidents in Peru, launched GapAid, a Web site meant to alert other kids and parents to scams and country-specific hazards.
Young, inexperienced travellers and those who strike out on their own are most at risk, regardless of their destinations. Jeff Minthorn, editor of Verge magazine, recommends that kids seek out reputable organizations that specialize in arranging international working and volunteering holidays. These NGOs (non-government organizations) help with everything from cultural orientation, travel arrangements and job and volunteer placements to ongoing support in the destination country. Moreover, they will take into account the traveller's goals, expectations and experience.
For example, Travel Cuts would steer an 18-year-old fresh out of high school to a work placement in the United Kingdom rather than, say, South Africa, says Karen Moore, manager of sales and development for the company's international programs. "It's not too far away and not too much of a culture shock. Our partners there help students find work and accommodation with roommates, and even organize social activities."
Students who hook up with well-run organizations tend to get more out their experiences, because they're well prepared and have realistic expectations, says Jonathan Paquet, of Horizon Cosmopolite.
Beyond that, it helps to cultivate personal qualities such as a positive attitude, sense of humour and flexibility. "We all deal differently in a cross-cultural context," Paquet says. "Some people go on a project and only have complaints; another person comes back from the same project only with positive comments."
Sandy Fife, Weekend Post
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Video Friday: The Tigers Club Project
Another Changemakers finalist, "The Tigers Club Project - Using Soccer to Reach Street Children in Uganda." A lot of our stories are about youth specifically making a difference. This story is about helping youth have the chance to make a difference. The Ara Sports Philanthropy Fund motto rings true here: "For excellence to be possible, there must first be opportunity."
Check out more videos at Changemakers.
Check out more videos at Changemakers.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Youth Action Group Holds "Kick Butts Day"
Who: Students at Raymond High School
Age: Teens
What: Youth Action Group
This Wednesday's article is about volunteer Mary Duff and the RCFY Youth Action Group. Mary has been a volunteer for 19 years; however, the most important part this article is what the youth at Raymond High School are doing to make a difference. They took a survey of how many kids smoke cigarettes in the school and after seeing the results held "Kick Butts Day." This article can be found at Seacoast Online.
Kicking butts: Students honored for making a difference
Mary Duff and Raymond Coalition for Youth receive Spirit of the Seacoast Award
By Dan Lorenz
dlorenz@seacoastonline.com
March 21, 2008 6:00 AM
Whether organizing an anti-smoking campaign in their school, establishing a Toys for Tots program, or raising money to help a fellow student pay for hospital bills, the positive volunteer efforts of the Raymond Coalition for Youth resonate throughout their community.
In recognition of their outstanding service, volunteer Mary Duff and the RCFY Youth Action Group are receiving the Spirit of the Seacoast Award, given out quarterly to groups and citizens in the Seacoast community.
The award, which has been a tradition since 2001, is sponsored by the United Way of the Greater Seacoast Volunteer Action Center, the Federal Savings Bank in Dover, and the Portsmouth Herald.
Duff, a Raymond resident for 19 years, says that receiving the award was an unexpected honor.
"I have to say that I am very surprised this happened," Duff said. "I didn't think I had done enough. I never expected this."
Although Duff may doubt her contributions, friends and co-workers have sent in many letters of support to the award committee highlighting her impact in the community.
Described by friends as a person who doesn't need any recognition for her efforts, Duff has been actively involved in the Raymond school system for many years. As a NAMI-certified master youth suicide prevention trainer, she has worked closely with students and adults alike, teaching them effective suicide crisis management techniques.
Fluent in Japanese, Duff has also worked in classrooms, sharing with students her love of Japanese culture. As a child, Duff's father was stationed several times at army bases in Okinawa. From this experience, she was able to learn what she modestly calls "Baby Japanese."
"I watched a lot of samurai shows, and I picked up pieces of the Japanese language," Duff said.
Duff first became involved with the RCFY Youth Action Group when her daughter became a member. Since then, she has been recognized as a reliable volunteer, an active member, and an overall positive force in the group.
Tammy Reardon, a co-worker and RCFY youth worker, says that Duff's support is invaluable.
"She is a constant support for the youth as well as the adults in our community," Reardon said. "She has shown her dedication by always being there and getting involved."
Since its formation two years ago, the Raymond Coalition for Youth Action has already made a large impact in the community. Disgusted and concerned by the problem of smoking in the school bathrooms, the group of 20 dedicated students decided to form a plan to stop it.
"They came up with the idea to pass around a survey to find out how many kids were smoking," Duff said. "They were shocked to find that it was only a handful that were doing it. The rest of the students didn't want it."
Using the school's support as momentum, the group decided to establish a day dedicated to eliminating the problem.
On March 28, 2007, Raymond High School held "Kick Butts Day." More than 300 students and faculty in the school wore anti-smoking shirts designed by the Youth Action Group, and members gave out stickers, pins, and pamphlets describing the dangers of smoking. At the end of the day, smoking in the bathroom was essentially eliminated.
"The kids were proud of what they were able to accomplish," Duff said. "They also saw that with proper planning they could achieve a peaceful ending to something that is really nasty."
Kirk Beitler, principal of Raymond High School, says that he is proud of what the students have been able to do for their school.
"They have absolutely had a positive impact," Beitler said. "The group is a positive outlet for kids. I certainly whole-heartedly support their efforts toward the school, and the community at large."
Beitler adds that the students have recently attended a workshop concerning alcohol awareness, and are currently involved in teaching students the dangers of alcohol consumption.
In addition to these volunteer efforts, the RCFY Youth Action Group has sponsored dances to help pay for a classmate's medical bills, cleaned up their school's grounds for a graduation ceremony, and held a Safety Belt Challenge event.
The group also focuses on keeping their community clean. Last spring, members held a town clean-up day, in which they picked up garbage around the town common, the middle and high schools, and the cemetery.
Robin Albert, director of the UWGS Volunteer Action Center, says that Duff and the youth coalition were chosen because of their significant impact on the community.
"This is the work of a woman who is obviously so dedicated to the organization," Albert said. "It takes a lot of work, and the kids in the group certainly took action. They really seemed to make an impression on the award committee.
"They did exactly what their name says. They really put their money where there mouth is."
Duff and the RCFY Youth Action Group will receive their award at a special reception on April 28, to be held at the Great Bay Discovery Center in Greenland.
The group will be given a $500 award, which is to be given to the charity of the receiver's choice.
"I plan on putting the money right back into the coalition," Duff said. "It will help us do much more for the organization."
In the future, Duff plans to help establish a youth center in Raymond.
"I hope to make a place where kids can go do their homework, or just hang out and enjoy each other's company," Duff said. "It would be so wonderful to find a place where they could do that."
BE A VOLUNTEER
United Way of the Greater Seacoast offers a searchable database on its Web site where users can find local volunteer opportunities with a few clicks of the mouse.
Log on to uwgs.org, and click "search volunteer opportunities" at the bottom of the page. From there, enter your zip code or keywords to find an opportunity near you.
Age: Teens
What: Youth Action Group
This Wednesday's article is about volunteer Mary Duff and the RCFY Youth Action Group. Mary has been a volunteer for 19 years; however, the most important part this article is what the youth at Raymond High School are doing to make a difference. They took a survey of how many kids smoke cigarettes in the school and after seeing the results held "Kick Butts Day." This article can be found at Seacoast Online.
Kicking butts: Students honored for making a difference
Mary Duff and Raymond Coalition for Youth receive Spirit of the Seacoast Award
By Dan Lorenz
dlorenz@seacoastonline.com
March 21, 2008 6:00 AM
Whether organizing an anti-smoking campaign in their school, establishing a Toys for Tots program, or raising money to help a fellow student pay for hospital bills, the positive volunteer efforts of the Raymond Coalition for Youth resonate throughout their community.
In recognition of their outstanding service, volunteer Mary Duff and the RCFY Youth Action Group are receiving the Spirit of the Seacoast Award, given out quarterly to groups and citizens in the Seacoast community.
The award, which has been a tradition since 2001, is sponsored by the United Way of the Greater Seacoast Volunteer Action Center, the Federal Savings Bank in Dover, and the Portsmouth Herald.
Duff, a Raymond resident for 19 years, says that receiving the award was an unexpected honor.
"I have to say that I am very surprised this happened," Duff said. "I didn't think I had done enough. I never expected this."
Although Duff may doubt her contributions, friends and co-workers have sent in many letters of support to the award committee highlighting her impact in the community.
Described by friends as a person who doesn't need any recognition for her efforts, Duff has been actively involved in the Raymond school system for many years. As a NAMI-certified master youth suicide prevention trainer, she has worked closely with students and adults alike, teaching them effective suicide crisis management techniques.
Fluent in Japanese, Duff has also worked in classrooms, sharing with students her love of Japanese culture. As a child, Duff's father was stationed several times at army bases in Okinawa. From this experience, she was able to learn what she modestly calls "Baby Japanese."
"I watched a lot of samurai shows, and I picked up pieces of the Japanese language," Duff said.
Duff first became involved with the RCFY Youth Action Group when her daughter became a member. Since then, she has been recognized as a reliable volunteer, an active member, and an overall positive force in the group.
Tammy Reardon, a co-worker and RCFY youth worker, says that Duff's support is invaluable.
"She is a constant support for the youth as well as the adults in our community," Reardon said. "She has shown her dedication by always being there and getting involved."
Since its formation two years ago, the Raymond Coalition for Youth Action has already made a large impact in the community. Disgusted and concerned by the problem of smoking in the school bathrooms, the group of 20 dedicated students decided to form a plan to stop it.
"They came up with the idea to pass around a survey to find out how many kids were smoking," Duff said. "They were shocked to find that it was only a handful that were doing it. The rest of the students didn't want it."
Using the school's support as momentum, the group decided to establish a day dedicated to eliminating the problem.
On March 28, 2007, Raymond High School held "Kick Butts Day." More than 300 students and faculty in the school wore anti-smoking shirts designed by the Youth Action Group, and members gave out stickers, pins, and pamphlets describing the dangers of smoking. At the end of the day, smoking in the bathroom was essentially eliminated.
"The kids were proud of what they were able to accomplish," Duff said. "They also saw that with proper planning they could achieve a peaceful ending to something that is really nasty."
Kirk Beitler, principal of Raymond High School, says that he is proud of what the students have been able to do for their school.
"They have absolutely had a positive impact," Beitler said. "The group is a positive outlet for kids. I certainly whole-heartedly support their efforts toward the school, and the community at large."
Beitler adds that the students have recently attended a workshop concerning alcohol awareness, and are currently involved in teaching students the dangers of alcohol consumption.
In addition to these volunteer efforts, the RCFY Youth Action Group has sponsored dances to help pay for a classmate's medical bills, cleaned up their school's grounds for a graduation ceremony, and held a Safety Belt Challenge event.
The group also focuses on keeping their community clean. Last spring, members held a town clean-up day, in which they picked up garbage around the town common, the middle and high schools, and the cemetery.
Robin Albert, director of the UWGS Volunteer Action Center, says that Duff and the youth coalition were chosen because of their significant impact on the community.
"This is the work of a woman who is obviously so dedicated to the organization," Albert said. "It takes a lot of work, and the kids in the group certainly took action. They really seemed to make an impression on the award committee.
"They did exactly what their name says. They really put their money where there mouth is."
Duff and the RCFY Youth Action Group will receive their award at a special reception on April 28, to be held at the Great Bay Discovery Center in Greenland.
The group will be given a $500 award, which is to be given to the charity of the receiver's choice.
"I plan on putting the money right back into the coalition," Duff said. "It will help us do much more for the organization."
In the future, Duff plans to help establish a youth center in Raymond.
"I hope to make a place where kids can go do their homework, or just hang out and enjoy each other's company," Duff said. "It would be so wonderful to find a place where they could do that."
BE A VOLUNTEER
United Way of the Greater Seacoast offers a searchable database on its Web site where users can find local volunteer opportunities with a few clicks of the mouse.
Log on to uwgs.org, and click "search volunteer opportunities" at the bottom of the page. From there, enter your zip code or keywords to find an opportunity near you.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
A Reader's Story
Who: Tara Suri
Age: Junior in high school
What: Founded HOPE, Aandolan
BIY received an email a few days ago about a young girl making changes happen wherever she goes. We have decided to post the email with links to all the stories about Tara. Keep the stories coming!
Dear Believe in Youth,
I would like to tell you the story of Tara Suri, a junior at Edgemont High School in New York. She started out small, but has worked her way up in creating a true youth movement. Shocked by poverty she saw in India, when Tara was thirteen, she founded HOPE (Helping Orphans Pursue Education), an organization that works to provide all children with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Since then, she has been able to raise over $20,000 for Balagurukulam, an orphanage in India (most of the children at this orphanage were found abandoned in the garbage dump) and for St. Bartholomew's, an orphanage in Sudan. The funds have improved quality of education at both orphanages and also built a dormitory at Balagurukulam, where the children previously had to sleep under a thatched roof that would often be blown away by storms. Tara spent one of her summers volunteering at the orphanage in India.
HOPE has now expanded into a larger initiative: Aandolan. Translated from Hindi as a movement for change, Aandolan both implements social-change initiatives and provides youth with the opportunity to become changemakers. Aandolan launched the Turn Your World Around social-change portal, www.turnyourworldaround.org, which works to connect youth to grassroots causes from around the world and turn passion into action. On the site, users can search for causes that interest them, and then use the Turn-Your-World program, which provides all the necessary tools and live support, to start taking action. They can also get involved in some of Aandolan's current initiatives, like HOPE and [Connect a Kid], a project that works to involve kids in fundraising to promote technology in developing countries.
Tara has received various honors for her work, including the CosmoGirl! of the Year Award, Nestle Very Best in Youth, Bentley Tomorrow25, and We Are Family Foundation Global Teen Leader. She sees youth as a movement that can find solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems, and she wants to empower that movement. Please consider sharing Tara's story so that she may spread her message of youth activism!
Age: Junior in high school
What: Founded HOPE, Aandolan
BIY received an email a few days ago about a young girl making changes happen wherever she goes. We have decided to post the email with links to all the stories about Tara. Keep the stories coming!
Dear Believe in Youth,
I would like to tell you the story of Tara Suri, a junior at Edgemont High School in New York. She started out small, but has worked her way up in creating a true youth movement. Shocked by poverty she saw in India, when Tara was thirteen, she founded HOPE (Helping Orphans Pursue Education), an organization that works to provide all children with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Since then, she has been able to raise over $20,000 for Balagurukulam, an orphanage in India (most of the children at this orphanage were found abandoned in the garbage dump) and for St. Bartholomew's, an orphanage in Sudan. The funds have improved quality of education at both orphanages and also built a dormitory at Balagurukulam, where the children previously had to sleep under a thatched roof that would often be blown away by storms. Tara spent one of her summers volunteering at the orphanage in India.
HOPE has now expanded into a larger initiative: Aandolan. Translated from Hindi as a movement for change, Aandolan both implements social-change initiatives and provides youth with the opportunity to become changemakers. Aandolan launched the Turn Your World Around social-change portal, www.turnyourworldaround.org, which works to connect youth to grassroots causes from around the world and turn passion into action. On the site, users can search for causes that interest them, and then use the Turn-Your-World program, which provides all the necessary tools and live support, to start taking action. They can also get involved in some of Aandolan's current initiatives, like HOPE and [Connect a Kid], a project that works to involve kids in fundraising to promote technology in developing countries.
Tara has received various honors for her work, including the CosmoGirl! of the Year Award, Nestle Very Best in Youth, Bentley Tomorrow25, and We Are Family Foundation Global Teen Leader. She sees youth as a movement that can find solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems, and she wants to empower that movement. Please consider sharing Tara's story so that she may spread her message of youth activism!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Video Friday: Sports4Kids
Sports4Kids was the runner up to Grassroot Soccer in the Changemakers competition. Sports4Kids places a full-time coach at low-income schools to harness the power of play to engage children in physical activity and social development.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Just Eliminate Lies
Who: Melissa Nelson
Age: Teen
What: Volunteering with Just Eliminate Lies
This Wednesday we bring to you an article about a teen participating in Just Eliminate Lies (JEL) who hopes to eliminate lies about tobacco use. This is a wonderful article and an awesome youth lead organization. In addition to this article, I would like to add a thought that our youth today has more knowledge then prior young generations had about how bad tobacoo really is--yet I still see young kids smoking everyday. I know it's not something that will be stopped completely; however, if you stop for yourself, that is making a difference. This article is from The Sioux City Journal.
Student hopes to eliminate lies about tobacco use
By Joanne Fox, Journal staff writer
Melissa Nelson held a jar with contents that would make even the strongest stomach wretch -- a jar of tar, representing what would be filtered by a smoker for a year.
Nelson, who has been a member of JEL (Just Eliminate Lies) since the seventh grade, is now the president for the State of Iowa. Her involvement came about from the invitation of a classmate.
"The mom of one of my friends was involved in the Community Partnership and invited me to attend a meeting," Nelson said of the Woodbury County program funded by the State of Iowa. "JEL was part of the presentation."
It was an eye-opening moment for the young woman. Nelson has now been involved for almost five years.
"I wanted to do more than just athletics and choir," she said of her choice of this extra-curricular activity. "I thought my involvement with JEL would really be making a difference."
JEL is a youth-led, anti-tobacco group. It is operated under the auspices of the Iowa Department of Public Health -- Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control. The organization involves thousands of Iowa youth dedicated to giving teens the true, "unfiltered" facts about smoking, fighting against the tobacco companies campaign, and changing people's attitudes.
The organization has chapters associated with schools that have over 7,000 members, who focus their no-smoking message on younger teens who may take up smoking. But first, they are educated in the dangers and pitfalls of tobacco use, Nelson said.
"I was very surprised to learn how addictive nicotine was," she said of those early meetings she attended. "The other thing that surprised me was how much money tobacco companies make in profits."
Another shock was the advertising dollars spent to entice people to smoke -- especially young people, Nelson said.
"The more I learned the more determined I was to encourage family and friends and even people I didn't know to not start smoking or to quit," she said.
Nelson continued her association with JEL through her high school years. During her sophomore year at Bishop Heelan, she attended her first JEL summit, a three-day rally that provides participants with information and encouragement to continue their fight against smoking.
"There were 300 teens at that summit and that's when I really decided to throw myself into this," Nelson said. "I went ahead and applied to be on the executive council."
The 35 members of the JEL executive council are the driving force behind gathering information, scheduling events and orchestrating meetings. Nelson made it through the application process and was chosen to join the group during her junior year.
Nelson was elected secretary her senior year and now, as a freshman at the University of Iowa, she serves as the president. Among the pluses of being associated with JEL are the summits -- which Nelson has attended at Ames, Grinnell and Indianola -- and other travel, such as Minneapolis, Oklahoma City and New York.
Mother Mickey Nelson said her daughter tends to be humble about her involvement with JEL.
"Her trip to New York? She missed her high school prom," Mickey Nelson said. "She said it wasn't a big deal, but I think for most girls, prom is a big deal. I'm so proud of her commitment to JEL."
Nelson visited an Altria share-holders' meeting, the parent company of Philip Morris International, as part of a protest.
"Some of those in attendance were pretty verbal at the end of the meeting asking questions," she said. "We were all asked to leave, but I think we got our point across."
This year, JEL members advocated for legislation that supports local control of smoke-free ordinances in the State of Iowa. Each year, JEL Youth Advocacy Day in Des Moines gives young Iowans a chance to speak to their legislators about current tobacco control issues and bills. Approximately 250 JEL members, including Nelson, participated in this year's advocacy day on Feb. 13 on the west steps of the Capitol.
As a college student, Nelson, 18, continues working with JEL. She will remain on the executive council for another year as the past president.
"I want to stay with it because I see the effect we have on people," she said. "And then, you never know who you might help to quit or never start smoking."
VITA
Name: Melissa Nelson
Hometown: Sioux City
Education: 2007 graduate of Bishop Heelan High School; presently a freshman at the University of Iowa, majoring in communication studies
Professional: worked for Younkers in Sioux City; continues to work at Younkers in Iowa City
Personal: daughter of Randy and Mickey Nelson; three older brothers, Eric, Jim and Andy
How she's making a difference: by volunteering with Just Eliminate Lies
Want to know more?
Contact your high school or visit the JEL Web site at www.jeliowa.org.
Age: Teen
What: Volunteering with Just Eliminate Lies
This Wednesday we bring to you an article about a teen participating in Just Eliminate Lies (JEL) who hopes to eliminate lies about tobacco use. This is a wonderful article and an awesome youth lead organization. In addition to this article, I would like to add a thought that our youth today has more knowledge then prior young generations had about how bad tobacoo really is--yet I still see young kids smoking everyday. I know it's not something that will be stopped completely; however, if you stop for yourself, that is making a difference. This article is from The Sioux City Journal.
Student hopes to eliminate lies about tobacco use
By Joanne Fox, Journal staff writer
Melissa Nelson held a jar with contents that would make even the strongest stomach wretch -- a jar of tar, representing what would be filtered by a smoker for a year.
Nelson, who has been a member of JEL (Just Eliminate Lies) since the seventh grade, is now the president for the State of Iowa. Her involvement came about from the invitation of a classmate.
"The mom of one of my friends was involved in the Community Partnership and invited me to attend a meeting," Nelson said of the Woodbury County program funded by the State of Iowa. "JEL was part of the presentation."
It was an eye-opening moment for the young woman. Nelson has now been involved for almost five years.
"I wanted to do more than just athletics and choir," she said of her choice of this extra-curricular activity. "I thought my involvement with JEL would really be making a difference."
JEL is a youth-led, anti-tobacco group. It is operated under the auspices of the Iowa Department of Public Health -- Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control. The organization involves thousands of Iowa youth dedicated to giving teens the true, "unfiltered" facts about smoking, fighting against the tobacco companies campaign, and changing people's attitudes.
The organization has chapters associated with schools that have over 7,000 members, who focus their no-smoking message on younger teens who may take up smoking. But first, they are educated in the dangers and pitfalls of tobacco use, Nelson said.
"I was very surprised to learn how addictive nicotine was," she said of those early meetings she attended. "The other thing that surprised me was how much money tobacco companies make in profits."
Another shock was the advertising dollars spent to entice people to smoke -- especially young people, Nelson said.
"The more I learned the more determined I was to encourage family and friends and even people I didn't know to not start smoking or to quit," she said.
Nelson continued her association with JEL through her high school years. During her sophomore year at Bishop Heelan, she attended her first JEL summit, a three-day rally that provides participants with information and encouragement to continue their fight against smoking.
"There were 300 teens at that summit and that's when I really decided to throw myself into this," Nelson said. "I went ahead and applied to be on the executive council."
The 35 members of the JEL executive council are the driving force behind gathering information, scheduling events and orchestrating meetings. Nelson made it through the application process and was chosen to join the group during her junior year.
Nelson was elected secretary her senior year and now, as a freshman at the University of Iowa, she serves as the president. Among the pluses of being associated with JEL are the summits -- which Nelson has attended at Ames, Grinnell and Indianola -- and other travel, such as Minneapolis, Oklahoma City and New York.
Mother Mickey Nelson said her daughter tends to be humble about her involvement with JEL.
"Her trip to New York? She missed her high school prom," Mickey Nelson said. "She said it wasn't a big deal, but I think for most girls, prom is a big deal. I'm so proud of her commitment to JEL."
Nelson visited an Altria share-holders' meeting, the parent company of Philip Morris International, as part of a protest.
"Some of those in attendance were pretty verbal at the end of the meeting asking questions," she said. "We were all asked to leave, but I think we got our point across."
This year, JEL members advocated for legislation that supports local control of smoke-free ordinances in the State of Iowa. Each year, JEL Youth Advocacy Day in Des Moines gives young Iowans a chance to speak to their legislators about current tobacco control issues and bills. Approximately 250 JEL members, including Nelson, participated in this year's advocacy day on Feb. 13 on the west steps of the Capitol.
As a college student, Nelson, 18, continues working with JEL. She will remain on the executive council for another year as the past president.
"I want to stay with it because I see the effect we have on people," she said. "And then, you never know who you might help to quit or never start smoking."
VITA
Name: Melissa Nelson
Hometown: Sioux City
Education: 2007 graduate of Bishop Heelan High School; presently a freshman at the University of Iowa, majoring in communication studies
Professional: worked for Younkers in Sioux City; continues to work at Younkers in Iowa City
Personal: daughter of Randy and Mickey Nelson; three older brothers, Eric, Jim and Andy
How she's making a difference: by volunteering with Just Eliminate Lies
Want to know more?
Contact your high school or visit the JEL Web site at www.jeliowa.org.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Making Voices Heard
Who: Fatuma Roba
Age: 21
What: Making Voices Heard
This week we are featuring a Digital Diary from UNICEF about a young woman from Kenya who is making voices heard. Fatuma is a founding member of a girls' centre in her community and has been moderating her own discussion group at the centre. Knowledge is power.
Listen to the audio here
Fatuma’s Digital Diary: Daily life for girls in the slums of Kenya
By Blue Chevigny
NEW YORK, USA, 24 October 2007 – Fatuma Roba, 21, lives in Kibera, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Deeply concerned about the rights of girls and women, she is a founding member of the Binti Pamoja group – a girls’ centre in her community.
During the last year she has been moderating her own discussion group at the centre, where she and other girls can talk about their concerns openly, safely and freely.
Over the past few months Fatuma has also started recording interviews for the Digital Diaries project of Voices of Youth (UNICEF’s online community for young people) and UNICEF Radio. She received radio equipment and training at UNICEF headquarters in March, while she was in New York as a Kenyan delegate to the 51st Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Fatuma's objective
In the first instalment of her Digital Diary, Fatuma asks girls aged 13 through 21 in her community – mostly members of her girls’ centre – how they feel about their lives in Kibera. Along with her recordings, she has sent her own written description of her objectives for this Digital Diary:
“I’m interested in how young people feel about living in Kibera and what they fear most about being a young girl here,” Fatuma writes. “Most of the responses demonstrate that they feel good because [the cost of living] in Kibera is cheap and one can afford to live here even if they are jobless.
“Some argued that life is scary because of increasing insecurity and the dirty environment and the increased joblessness of youth. There are also incidents of rape, which most of the girls mentioned as a fear. This has been an issue because there are no rules and the laws must be amended by the government to punish those guilty of such acts.”
Access to unique viewpoints
Fatuma’s diary is an eye-opening cross-section of opinions and reflections by young women in Kibera, one of the largest slum districts in the world. Her intimate interviews allow listeners access to a point of view that they don’t often hear.
The girls who tell their stories have the unique experience of being in a group where they can express themselves and learn things like homework skills, self-defence methods and strategies for achieving their dreams. These are girls with hopes for the future and a sense that they can get what they need, despite their difficult beginnings in an impoverished and dangerous community.
“I am very proud living in Kibera,” says one young woman named Maureen, her voice forceful and full of energy. “I know that no one but me can make my life better. It’s up to me to create the change I want in my life and in the lives of others.”
Age: 21
What: Making Voices Heard
This week we are featuring a Digital Diary from UNICEF about a young woman from Kenya who is making voices heard. Fatuma is a founding member of a girls' centre in her community and has been moderating her own discussion group at the centre. Knowledge is power.
Listen to the audio here
Fatuma’s Digital Diary: Daily life for girls in the slums of Kenya
By Blue Chevigny
NEW YORK, USA, 24 October 2007 – Fatuma Roba, 21, lives in Kibera, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Deeply concerned about the rights of girls and women, she is a founding member of the Binti Pamoja group – a girls’ centre in her community.
During the last year she has been moderating her own discussion group at the centre, where she and other girls can talk about their concerns openly, safely and freely.
Over the past few months Fatuma has also started recording interviews for the Digital Diaries project of Voices of Youth (UNICEF’s online community for young people) and UNICEF Radio. She received radio equipment and training at UNICEF headquarters in March, while she was in New York as a Kenyan delegate to the 51st Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Fatuma's objective
In the first instalment of her Digital Diary, Fatuma asks girls aged 13 through 21 in her community – mostly members of her girls’ centre – how they feel about their lives in Kibera. Along with her recordings, she has sent her own written description of her objectives for this Digital Diary:
“I’m interested in how young people feel about living in Kibera and what they fear most about being a young girl here,” Fatuma writes. “Most of the responses demonstrate that they feel good because [the cost of living] in Kibera is cheap and one can afford to live here even if they are jobless.
“Some argued that life is scary because of increasing insecurity and the dirty environment and the increased joblessness of youth. There are also incidents of rape, which most of the girls mentioned as a fear. This has been an issue because there are no rules and the laws must be amended by the government to punish those guilty of such acts.”
Access to unique viewpoints
Fatuma’s diary is an eye-opening cross-section of opinions and reflections by young women in Kibera, one of the largest slum districts in the world. Her intimate interviews allow listeners access to a point of view that they don’t often hear.
The girls who tell their stories have the unique experience of being in a group where they can express themselves and learn things like homework skills, self-defence methods and strategies for achieving their dreams. These are girls with hopes for the future and a sense that they can get what they need, despite their difficult beginnings in an impoverished and dangerous community.
“I am very proud living in Kibera,” says one young woman named Maureen, her voice forceful and full of energy. “I know that no one but me can make my life better. It’s up to me to create the change I want in my life and in the lives of others.”
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