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Back to School with UNICEF
Do you like staying active? Do you enjoy making an impact? In the spirit of back-to-school, UNICEF Kid Power is a timely and year-round campaign from UNICEF that combines both into a single campaign. Below are some common questions that can help you get started, even if you're sitting in a classroom or stuck at home on a rainy day. Q: So what is UNICEF Kid Power? A: Formerly known as TeachUNICEF, UNICEF Kid Power is a highly accessible, super inclusive campaign that anyone can plug into for the fantastic price of free! Using short videos known as "Kid Power Ups", teachers and parents can guide...
12 Things to Consider in Your 20s
Youth empowerment for a better society
Young people are the backbone of a society. Their participation in all aspects of society is very important. Unfortunately, we see many Iraqi youth being deprived of this. They have no or limited roles in decision-making processes or leadership programs at the local and national level. Isolating young people, intentionally or unintentionally, especially in rural plantation areas, can contribute to drug abuse, illegal and criminal actions, depression, migration and so on. This is happening while youth are the potential group of actors for structuring the future of Iraq. Based on a report...
Silent message!
Islands are sinking. The Amazon forest is burning. Health is turning into disease. People are raising their "standards", but where is nature going? Towards destruction! Why are we still silent? We need to stop using words and start showing our deeds. It's time to show gratitude towards nature, who gives us so much and in return we are harming them! A silent message to all people: Plant more and more trees. Show a little act of kindness by not killing living lives for no reason. Save them save earth. Save yourself. The world is a better place to live if we stop using plastic shopping bags and...
When will there be peace on Earth?
It is 6 AM in the morning, I wake up and prepare myself for a job. When listening to the morning news I learn that more than 70.8 million people are displaced by civil and interstate wars. This is really shocking me, but then I ask myself who will help to bring peace on Earth, if not me? Creation of peace on earth is a duty of all human beings. While the majority of us enjoy peaceful conditions in our countries, our joy will be completed when we can help the people who are displaced and deprived of comfortable places to sleep, study or work for an income. In many parts of the world, people...
Peace can be a reality
In a world of war, I searched for peace In a world of hate, I searched for love In a world of discrimination, I searched for acceptance In a world of racism, I searched for equality In a world of injustice, I searched for fairness But I found NONE. Then I decided I will be peace. By accepting my neighbour for who they are. Remember peace can be a reality if we do not make religion a barrier in loving my neighbour. Peace can be a reality if I am ready to put aside all differences and accept my neighbour with open arms. Peace starts with you and me. If we are not peaceful in our heart, we...
Before it's too late: Ubud tourism
In recent years, Ubud, the cultural hub of Bali has been flooded with foreigners looking to find themselves or perhaps just visiting for the day. Ubud used to be known as the place of art, scenery, and culture. Today, it is more known to be a place for yoga, vegans and Instagram bucket-list hotspots. Thanks to the popularity of the Hollywood movie Eat, Pray, Love and social media. Somehow it has been flooded with young travelers staying in hostels and walking around with their Bintang beers. Monkey Forest road and Pengosekan resemble streets of Kuta, having bars, cafes, and shops with brightly...
Part 3: Thinking of peace and cruelty
(This is a continuation of the Mennonite identity series) I think often about the incredible lives my grandparents had to live. I can see my features in my moms. I have a sense that faith will not leave me, even if I am the only one left. If there's one thing I would share, it's that you can be a mixture of a lot of people. My mom and I certainly are. Sometimes I feel like I'm just a pile of the broken parts, the shards of whole people. But it doesn't mean you left them. Or that they left you. Mixed paint is incredibly beautiful. That's what my mom showed me. Also I would say that Mennonitism...
Every human being should be treated equally according to their human rights
When life gives you lemons...
“If life gives you lemons, make lemonade, but don’t drink it all by yourself.” How many people like to take a walk on the beach on a hot summer’s day? I am a person that likes to do just this. If at any given moment I am blessed with an instant of free time, I like to accompany my family to walk along the shore and dip our toes in the Pacific to cool off. Undoubtedly, we are not the only people that like to do this when the weather gets a bit warmer than what is comfortable; even at our nearest beach to home there are hundreds of others doing the exact same thing. My entire life I have been a...
Take action! Do it now!
You have to decide it now. After 10 years from now what do you want tell yourself? Either you dream it, work for it, do it or it is just a fairy tale! If you do it, you will be proud in the crowd! Yes you will be. You will have the courage to stand against all those naysayers, all those negative preachers and the people who didn’t want you to do something big in your life. You will be bold, bold enough to shout loudly in a crowd "I did it!" It was your dream and you worked for it and you did it. On the other side, alas! If you won’t do it... If you won’t do the work now you will fail tomorrow...
Voice of the Voiceless
It is not about being louder, it is about being bolder. We all wished to change the world when we were younger. We screamed it loud in our heads. We wanted to change poverty, we wanted to change violence and inequalities. However, very few committed to the voice inside their heads and pledged a change boldly. “When I was 6 years old, everybody wanted to treat me like a little princess, showering me with love and tenderness. Meanwhile, my brother was being prepared to be tough, to handle life and to lead,” sounds like every girl’s words. I hear this all the day, all the times. My life was a...
The thing about yourself
Have you ever read “The Thing about Jellyfish” by Ali Benjamin? If not let me enlighten you. It is about a young girl, Suzy, proving that a jellyfish is the reason why her best friend passed on. But, in reality it is about grief, guilt and moving on. I truly recommend this book because of its message and themes that, I believe everyone is experiencing or will experience in their lives. It takes one moment to change or break us. One moment everything we had may disappear right before our eyes. It’s hard to take everything on by yourself. But the thing is you’re not by yourself. Always remember...
How the internet helps me make informed choices
We live in a world that is awash with information, some of which can build us and some that can destroy us in just a click of a button. Access to the Internet is increasing worldwide. Between 2000 and 2015, global Internet penetration grew seven-fold from 6.5 percent to 43 percent. Yet millions of people still lack access to quality, credible information. In some instances, this lack of information can be life-threatening; in others it constrains social and economic growth. For a couple of months through Union National des Femmes Djiboutian (UNFD) I have been part of its online Life skills...
So, you think you are safe online?
Staying safe online is an important issue for young people using the internet, with cyberbullying becoming an increasingly serious problem all over the world. It must be noted, that technology is threatening child development by disrupting the crucial learning relationship between adults and children and has exposed many children to different vices of society. The advent of smartphones and social media nevertheless mean that today’s environment is now far more complex for young people to negotiate. The digital world is reducing contact time between the generations – a development with...
Zero tolerance to FGM - how youth are making a difference
The fight against FGM in Djibouti has existed for many years. The commitment of the authorities and civil society means that today the rate of girls aged 5-9 who endure excision is 37.7% (PAPFAM 2012). A law prohibiting the practice of female genital mutilation also exists but its application remains difficult, particularly in rural areas. As young people we are in front of a practice deeply rooted in mentalities for generations, and this is where community involvement becomes crucial. It’s not our mothers fight only… Many say that the battle against female genital mutilation is a matter of...
"He for She" from Syria
“I have a younger sister. It would be ridiculous if I don’t support her and other women to reach their full potentials” Eyad Al-Khayat a Syrian “He for She” example and a young - 22-year-old - entrepreneur aspiring to make a notable impact in his community. For Eyad, like many other guys in Syria, his options were limited as the Syrian crisis emerged in 2011. He finished his high school and aspired a bright future. Things didn’t go as perfectly as he imagined them to go. Eyad said that his childhood was not different from the childhood of other kids. However, he had to determine his future...
As youths lets be the change we want to see
The fourth industrial revolution is unfolding before our eyes, forever changing the way we connect and interact in this hyper information era. At the same time, we are living in a world faced with huge social challenges for young people. As per the Human Development Report 2019, the world reached a historic milestone with 7.7 billion people, 1.8 billion of which are youth aged 10 to 24. Of this young population, 90 percent live in developing countries. This generation, the most interconnected generation ever, continues to grow rapidly, and the challenges they face are ever more daunting I am...
Increasing digital access and skills to prepare Djiboutian youths for the digital economy
In its 2063 Agenda, the African Union states that one of its main aspirations is “an Africa, whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth.” Over the next few decades, us young Africans will play a critical and vital role in the social and economic development of the continent. Africa is facing a demographic explosion which will see its population double to more than two billion people in the next generation. This is happening in my country Djibouti, which has less than 1 million citizens now. In the digital age that we are...