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What is the 'new normal' for youth with #ThisAbility? The hidden lessons from COVID-19
Love as a consciousness state
Over the years, I have struggled a lot with society’s obsession on happiness. Everywhere I look, I see motivational speeches from different people (some are public figures and others aren’t) about how you can be happy all of the time and life can be very simple if you just take their workshop, class, lecture, etc. And the reason why I struggle with it, is because I agree that sometimes life is breathtakingly beautiful and you don’t even want to blink because if you do, you are afraid you’ll miss it. However, there are the other times. The dark times. The days in which you wish there were a...
Giving youth voices accountability: Lessons learned from managing a global youth program
Young people are growing up in an unsettled time characterized by fear of political, social and economic instability. At the same time, young people are increasingly taking the lead in voicing the urgency and multiplicity of problems that affect them and their communities. From Emma Gonzalez demanding fierce and deliberate gun control policies to Muzoon Al-Mellehan fighting for the right to education for refugees, the needle of change has been moving for a while now. Despite dismissive stereotypes about millennials, young people are showing up, making themselves heard and are daring to act and...
Yemen crisis: The casualty of education
Every student across the world at some point of time or the other hopes, wishes and prays for that blissful moment when you wake up on a Monday morning and school is somehow magically closed. The idea of exams getting cancelled is a dream only some of us dare to see. The coronavirus pandemic in spite of wreaking havoc across the world has managed to grant these unrealistic wishes. Four months into the worldwide pandemic and the indefinite closure of schools and colleges across the world has left us questioning our wish and desperately missing those 8 am classes. For most students across the...
When I lost my hope
When I lost my hope I believe the Stars to give me hope. When I fell down to the ground I believe the Sun to give me strength. When I lost my way I believe the Moon to guide me. When I cry in sadness I believe my Love to wipe my tears. When I sleep in dying bed I believe my Mom to hug me once more; And call me 'My Son'. To go to Heaven is my last hope And my Father is waiting for me there.
The Truth About Education
I'm sure we all know at least one person whether it is ourselves or someone else say "We know how to find "x" but I don't know how to fill out a check" or something along those lines. I also cannot tell you how frustrated I get whenever I hear that. Sometimes it's because I know they learned that because I go to school with them, though they may not have paid attention. But I also get frustrated when I hear that because it truly shows us the flawed view people have on education. That flaw is that we believe that a normal education is supposed to just hand us everything in order to succeed in...
The Change Starts With YOU
Talking about change, I am reminded of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat for a white man, and by doing so, she violated the law of segregation in Alabama, and got arrested for the same. Her case was then taken up by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) and they formally challenged the legality of segregation, knowing the risks all too well. But this did not stop her from demanding basic human rights. She could have chosen to do just as she was told and be oppressed for decades to come. But, she stood up for herself, and by doing so, she stood up for...
FAWAKA with You(th): Most people underestimate the impact COVID-19 has on Youth Mental Health
As the coronavirus continues to spread across the world, everyone is trying to adapt to this ‘new normal ‘in their own way. Adapting in these challenging times can especially be difficult for young people. UNICEF Suriname recently conducted a Youth KAP survey to get more insight into the level of COVID-19 knowledge of young people and how this has impacted their lives. This blog series is a follow up to the key findings of the youth survey aimed at getting the stories behind the data. FAWAKA translates to “How are you doing?” in ‘Sranan Tongo’ (Surinamese Creole language). In this week’s...
74
74 memories in my 63 days of quarantine. Too many to name, but here are just a few. COVID-19 I have never seen nothing as perilous as you. Switching from in-class to virtual first attacked me physically. Figuring out a new method was just as hard, Teachers thought that this transition would be fairly easy. I took on some many more responsibilities as a caregiver and a friend. Sticking with my grandmother through her husband’s very end. COVID, you did not allow one of the greatest men I knew see his 74th, Oh what pain I felt. By the next week I knew I was strong because there I was getting...
Echo
In those unending days which screamed for a little pace, I stayed silent while fighting my inner disappointment, I was unable to search for the reason I wanted to face. Why I feel sad? Why I can’t spend a moment without a thought which is raising my inner demon? I loved how binging over my phone screen kept my brain busy, But how to find serendipity with just me! There are times when I feel insecure about myself. It’s when I am not able to find peace with oneself. It does not generally mean that I am depressed. But there is some wound which I need to heal to keep my progress. Waiting for...
Perspective
I might be standing on a plot of land with a few trees and it seemingly wouldn't look like a very photogenic place, but as soon as I look down and focus on one single strand of grass, it yields an entirely different picture. By going close to one of the stalks of grass and focusing on its purple seeds dripping and slightly bent with fresh rain droplets, I now have a totally new photograph of the same exact scene. One perspective shift results in an entirely different picture, yet the subject in both the pictures would be the same. Let us consider a situation where I am locked inside my house...
People are meant to cross your way, but not stay
So it happens like this - A person enters your life on one day, You both talk, and finally get close to each other. Then one day, That person leaves you without any explanation, Or an explanation that seems quite unjustifiable. I know how it feels, The person with whom you shared your secrets, With whom you shared your phobias, is now gone. There would be times, When you'd fall apart, when you'd weep, And when you'd feel constant affliction for a long, long time. But one day would come, When you'd start pretending, when you'd start to pretend That all this doesn't bother you anymore, and you...
Libraries as a space for self-actualization in the refugee context
Delivering the Learners’ Voice Program on forced migration for a second year in Athens revealed that the landscape has changed significantly since 2017 and especially since the peak of the refugee crisis in 2015. The historic state of emergency has subsided but more than 50,000 asylum seekers remain in Greece with many moving from island to camp to city. At the same time, there is much to be optimistic about as the city has collectively galvanized support for sustainable and long-term solutions for refugees and newcomers, moving away from a purely emergency response. Education is high on this...
Imposter Syndrome and How It’s Suffocating Too Many of Us
It wreaked havoc on my life before I realized that it had even taken root in my mind. It tore my life apart, and I didn’t even see it. So allow me to tell you about my story of imposter syndrome— so that you may prevent it from demolishing yours. It really all crashed into burning shambles a couple months ago when I had gotten back home and received an big essay grade from my AP Language class. I opened the email: the PDF froze, then loaded, and I hurriedly scrolled down to the bottom as blue marks flew by. An 80. In a completely unexplainable and absolute meltdown, I ran upstairs and. Broke...
The plight of students during COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria
The Covid-19 pandemic is no doubt a dangerous and deadly disease that ravages the world and humanity in general. It has shut down many activities including economies and businesses around the world, tourism, education and many others. This has forced many countries to resort to online media to conduct businesses, especially learning and important government meetings. Many countries around the world have adopted e-learning or virtual learning programs to facilitate the process of learning among their populations so as not to hinder the learning process which is a very vital and critical aspect...
The Art of Trusting Yourself
Trust. What is it? You probably think “ This girl is joking, of course I know what trust is.”. Yes, you’re right! You know that, but do you know what it means? “Both are the same” you’ll say. And even though I’m here to tell you otherwise, can you see how you’ve just trusted yourself with the smallest matter? Your instinct is so strongly grown inside of you, that you have just expressed your opinion concerning an important aspect of your life in front of a…stranger?! Well, if you ask Wikipedia or the dictionary, they’ll both tell you that trust is, and I quote: “to believe that someone is good...
The Good & The Bad
Being in lockdown for so long has given me a chance to reflect upon myself as well as to understand others around me. And one thing I have inferred from this long journey, is that none of us are born with a lot of love in our hearts and neither are we born with a lot of hate. We choose what we want to portray ourselves as; the good or the bad. It's very important that we choose our actions and our reactions, especially in these hard times when our mental health is being impacted so much. I urge all of you to have a relaxing day and self reflect on what you've done so far and how you can do...
My experience as a global schools advocate
Nelson Mandela once said "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world” and how great it is if this powerful weapon can be used to instill sustainable practices in young people. Late last year when I was trained to be a global schools advocate by SDSN youth, I was really excited to be part of this great initiative. It reflected my desire to help make a difference among young people who are the future generations and to educate them about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as global citizenship. At first, it was quite a challenge for me to get schools to...
Through Thick & Thin #SelfCare
We are all known to the phrase “health is wealth”, and it indeed in itself displays the significance of health. We all struggle with different problems in our lives, be it social, mental, physical or emotional. Similarly, many of us have also been victims of depression, anxiety, stress, violence, etc. But amidst all of this we forget to nurture ourselves. Since I’ve been in school, I myself have been under a lot of academic pressure, and stress. I have also lost a lot of friendships over these years. I am not been able to confide in people easily because in modern times it is difficult for one...