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What is there to be celebrated?
As she gears towards the celebration of her 172 birthday, I mutter, confused to confide in her curse of ceaseless disasters. What is she truly celebrating? Her long but fruitless existence leading her children to beg and bootlick as they crumble at the mercy of exploiters. She stumbled, startled at the impediment placed upon her by so-called colonialism. A complete dissolution to her sovereignty. She claimed to be independent when truly dependency is at the avenue of her already weakened appearance-leading her children skedaddling in search for solace. And I wonder, what is there to be...
This is my planet
…. degradation, deforestation, pollution - are largely caused by us, humans, and I want to talk to you about it now… It worries me to read, “The biomass of wild mammals has fallen by 82%, natural ecosystems have lost half their area and millions of species are at the risk of extinction”. Today the situation is critical; we have made many mistakes and caused problems like air pollution, water pollution, global warming… Before I mention a few solutions of how we can solve these problems, I want to highlight how we formed them. What happened in 1750 has changed the course of history - a year when...
My case-study on marriage rituals among Christians in India
During my final year of high school, I had conducted a case study to understand the marriage rituals that took place among certain Christian communities in India - such as the Christians of Kerala, Goa and Mizoram - compared to the marriage rituals among Christians in western countries. The objective of my case study was to highlight the noticeable differences in these marriage rituals among the Christian communities in India as opposed to the Christians living in the west. To begin, a questionnaire was sent out to twenty three respondents belonging to Christian communities in both India as...
From rolling blackouts to electric trains: Tanzania economic miracle
2006 to 2013 marked the long and darkest period in the energy history of Tanzania. The longest drought period of 2005-2006 contributed to hydroelectric power plants inefficiencies leading to rolling blackouts. Efforts were made to rescue the problem, accompanied with the resignation of ministers, including the prime minister. By December 2009, rolling blackouts had triggered people to switch to the use of generators, leading to an increase in the cost of petroleum which increased the cost of import bills, goods and services and, eventually, the inflation rate to 12.1 percent. Citizens’...
Miami
We rode the morning metro heading to Miami Beach on the last day of school, which we had a little discussion and skipped it together. It was a radiant morning, and the excitement inside of us was in the brink of bursting. I smelled the perfume of fierce. Sam wore a pair of sunglass, looking perfect on her. Putting on her smiles only, Sarah looks stunning. Five of us sat on the smooth sand, hoping to get tan without peeling, which is highly impossible. Luisa was immersing herself in the transparent-blue ocean and facing toward the Bahama islands. She always wanted to be a sailor, which...
A gentle reminder for millennials to be kind
Kindness. An act from deep down in the heart human, without want feedback. In this era, I believe kindness can be fake and ignored. Many people misuse kindness. They know what kindness is, but they don't know how to use it, therefore, there are many people using kindness for gaining popularity and getting a good image. One day, I was doing charity work in my community by giving food and clothes to flood victims. My friend asked me to take a photo of him giving food to a child, which he then posted on Instagram. Later, I asked him why he did that and he answered that he wanted everyone to know...
My Earth, My Responsibility
Migration, diversity, and tolerance in Europe
Why cultural competence is crucial in healthcare
American healthcare is full of challenges for patients and medical professionals alike. With affordability concerns, interference from insurance companies, and healthcare staffing shortages, it can be hard to access treatment. An often neglected concern, however, is when doctors and patients have a communication breakdown, failing to realize that they’re on the same team. With health and lives at stake, communication and cultural competence is essential in healthcare. Cultural competence increases empathy and the necessary trust between medical professionals and the patients that rely on them...
How to get involved with UNICEF through your communities (Part 1/3)
Hello Voices of Youth! Did you know you are part of a global network of more than 180 countries? As members of Voices of Youth, we have a way to relay messages, dreams, conversations, and dialogues with peers around the world. In 1995, Voices of Youth began as way to relay messages from children in 81 countries to world leaders at the World Summit for Social Development. Today in 2019, it is so much more. Recently, I chatted with a delegate from UNICEF USA's National Council (the High School and Campus Initiative), who had no idea that this platform was available, connecting young people from...
5 things we can do to reduce violence in our schools
How to get involved with UNICEF through your communities (Part 2/3)
As supporters of UNICEF, we have access to incredible resources at our fingertips. Below are a few action items that everyone can explore to get more involved with UNICEF in his or her community. Like you, I am just a regular citizen with an Internet connection, a passion for UNICEF's lifesaving work, and a commitment to support the cause. WHAT YOU CAN DO Beyond the cross-pollination and exchange of ideas online, there are many ways to get involved with UNICEF on the ground, no matter where you live: Learn First, you can read the organization's annual flagship publication, The State of the...
How to get involved with UNICEF through your communities (Part 3/3)
As supporters of UNICEF, we have access to incredible resources at our fingertips. Below are a few action items that everyone can explore to get more involved with UNICEF in his or her community. Like you, I am just a regular citizen with an Internet connection, a passion for UNICEF's lifesaving work, and a commitment to support the cause. WHAT YOU CAN DO (continued from Part 2 here) Beyond the cross-pollination and exchange of ideas online, there are many ways to get involved with UNICEF on the ground, no matter where you live: Fundraise Many UNICEF nations offer the opportunity to join an...
No one has to suffer violence
Words unspoken
Do not be the one to sound the alarm. Do not be the one to ask questions. Do not be the one to say such words. Do not be the one who risks everything for the sake of another. They said. In 1915. In 1932. In 1938. And again in 1975...1994… 1995... 2004… 2016. And again and again and again and again... History is the storyteller that holds all truth, and yet when she speaks, much of mankind closes their ears. Is it that we are too afraid or too selfish? Is it that our own worlds are all too small or too large–– that we are too consumed with ourselves to notice the pain of others, that we are too...
Bullying: 4 years later #EndViolence
4 years later, and I still believe that "Bullying is not LOL" and if you see it, you can stop it. When I was in high school, I was bullied, and it took me so much strength to get out of this cycle. Then I joined university to see that cycle repeats itself. It's like you spent your whole life building yourself, and then someone has the power to destroy this in one minute, in one sentence and one word. I have to admit that I was naive to believe that once high school was over, it would get better. But it didn't. And it probably won't. We may sometimes think that bullying among adults or in...
My experience at Ocean Heroes Bootcamp 2019
I live on Montserrat, the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean. Growing up surrounded by natural beauty, I realized how important ocean conservation really is. I was happy to be at this year's Ocean Heroes Bootcamp to collaborate and connect with other youth activists to learn what they are doing to protect the ocean and their local communities. The bootcamp empowers existing and emerging youth leaders to create their own campaigns to take action against ocean plastic pollution. It was so exciting to learn about ocean conservation with other young people who are just as passionate as me. In...
Change begins with a dream
Contributed by Diego Arreola Fernandez, Ocean Hero Bootcamp participant Do you believe in the power of dreams? If I told you that you could change the world, even as a kid, would you believe me? My dream came to life. When I was ten years old I participated in a National Public Speaking Contest, where I wrote a speech about global peace. In the speech, I shared my opinion about problems such as violence, wars, and indifference among world leaders. One night, after spending all day thinking about these problems, I had an amazing dream. I became a superhero and flew to the White House, Russia...