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The Importance of Indigenous and Cultural Memory in Post-conflict Colombia
Following the signing of the Colombian Peace Agreement in 2016, the deep impact of the armed conflict on Colombian society has become more evident. This conflict has touched, in particular, the communities which have lived in the territories that have been disputed historically. Indigenous communities have been one of the most affected not only in a physical, economic and social level, but also in terms of their cultural identity. Memory has been a fundamental tool for the construction of historical processes and, as we know, this is not only an individual process, it also has a collective...
Technology in Health Care - Curse or Blessing?
In today’s world, technology plays a major role in almost every economic and social aspect of society as well as in our daily life. A life without it has become unimaginable. Also, the health sector has become highly dependent on it, in terms of medical devices and equipment for diagnosis and therapy, process organisation and data management, for the development of pharmaceuticals etc. While the people working in the medical sector are thrilled by these developments and face the future optimistically, patients on the other hand increasingly voice fear and unease concerning the mechanisation...
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More than only mere facts…
Health or Religion?
A sustainability experiment: living with no plastics for two weeks
Strip yourself from all the plastic! You are probably aware of the fact that we are currently facing a very critical and concerning time when it comes to the state of our planet. We all do. The news is spilling with reports on global warming, extreme weather changes, plastic and chemical pollution (pesticides, insecticides, antibodies and hormones), especially since the start of the “Fridays for future” movement. We all know that these things exist, and we are all concerned. We want politicians to make a change. But be totally honest – have you ever asked yourself what role you play? What...
Hope for the world
This is the story of the Olympian God of hope (I invented). He saw how sick and sad and dark the world has become with Coronavirus. So he travels from his cloud to the world and at night, he enters all the rooms of the musicians all over the world. In their dreams he inspires them to spread hope and happiness during lockdown. So the next morning they all go to their windows and balconies and began to play for all the people in lockdown. People find hope again. Doctors and nurses find strengths again and all are happy again. Soon he sits on his cloud, and the world is not all healthy but there...
Activism starts with a story
It all started when… I left my home, in Romania, almost four years ago. It was due to various reasons, but the main one was the wish to escape the broken system that kept getting in the way of my dreams. I did not leave for economic reasons or for a western version of the American dream, but for the lack of perspective and the feeling of being powerless every time I wanted to fight for something I believed in. I can assure you no one leaves their home if everything is alright. I would not have left either if things were different. But sadly, they were far away from that. I was desperately...
Altruistic Service
I am a member of the "Tibi Rident Foundation" where we seek to train young people in the city of Pereira in an environment of altruistic service, carrying out training in five areas which are the fundamental pillars, which are "Family, Social, Spiritual, Personal and Educational". For society in recent years, indifference towards social or economic classes has increased exponentially, where the neglect of vulnerable communities has been the main reason for the lack of support for them, from the departmental to the national government. For this reason, young people from the city of Pereira...
Why it’s never too late to care
Nature to be a place of relaxation, peace and carelessness, now being filled with dreads, stress and those, we should now be caring for best. The heat you feel on your skin, will be as deadly as the fire, the monkey is in. Water flowing and melting, slowly, it’s peacefulness to be a feeling, to the day it crashes down and covers everyone, in it’s deadly crown. Although you might just think ”it’s too late” the crisis is like ink, permanent, but with hard work able to be changed one date. Let this date be now, don’t hesitate, don’t get mad, simply vow, take action and agitate, it’s never too...
I believe I am beautiful, so I am
If you’re like me, you grew up with a low self-esteem, saw traditionally beautiful models all over social media, and perhaps even got bullied for your looks. And even if you were fortunate enough to not have had to experience this, stay here and join me on our journey of self-love! Let’s heal from these past experiences and thinking patterns and start a new lovely chapter! Why you need to be independent Let’s take a new step toward confidence and independence. And if I’m talking about independence, I am referring to your self-esteem and mental well-being not depending on someone else telling...
Solitude
It's a reality we've been living in for the past eight months. February, the month of transformation - this year for me it began in Goa. The jungle, the sea, colors, wind, sunshine... and companionship. Seems almost like a dream to us now. Then March came, and ''companionship'' as a term itself became a taboo. But what is companionship? Do you need love? Do you need tenderness, socializing, mobility - to be aware that you are a living being? Of course you do. We all do. The world is in need of kindness and compassion. Instead we are living are present lives in solitude, and solitude is the key...
How I started to love myself
I know that myself, something bothers me and that even in myself. But what exactly bothers me, I didn't know for a long time. That's why I'm telling you my story now, how I managed to love and accept myself: I started to sit down and go through my whole life in my mind. What has strengthened me? And what has weakened me? I wrote this down in a book, where I often collect my feelings and thoughts. On the basis of these notes I could see what I liked, but the points I liked were very important and I put them in the foreground. Through this I started to accept myself better! I also realized that...
Western Balkans diversity #YouthDay
I think there is no other place with such a history of nationalism hate as the Balkans and former Yugoslavia. We all have harsh history with each others. Wars after the break of Yugoslavia spread hatred and chauvinism that lead us to the state where a lot of people are afraid of each other. Xenophobia is present in every country, because our political leaders have taught us, in the past 30 years, that that phenomenon is normal. They wanted us to hate each other, because it was easier that way for them to rule. Nowadays, we, as a young people, are aware of this problem and the harm it can cause...
Everyday discrimination
Discrimination and hatred is a "disease" of our society. Those affected do not feel comfortable in their society. Every kind of exclusion leaves traces, in worst cases it is even pretended. In this blog article, I would like to mention one discrimination that I have witnessed first hand in my life. The discriminations of the LGBTQIA+ community. Some people today unfortunately still think being into the same gender is a crime. People from the LGBTQIA+ community are excluded and feel discriminated against. They also experience discrimination and are insulted at school. If you witness something...
9 Questions about communication
Every day is a chance… to be selfish
Being selfish to make a change. I have lately worked at a summer leadership academy for international students aged 11 to 16. On the last day we wanted the students to write a “letter to self” as part of their reflections. Joining in on the activity and rereading the letter before slipping it into the envelope, I suddenly had a terrible awakening: I am living a very unhealthy lifestyle – and I would argue that many other young active people are doing just the same. My days are tightly packed: university, night shifts in the hospital, tutoring, teaching at the institute for anatomy, sports, my...
I’d like to say “Thank You” #IFeltIncluded
Inclusion (noun): “the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure.” Is the world a safe place for everyone to be the truest version of themselves? I would say that it isn’t – and that we have a long way to go. However, just as important as planning ahead is trying to realize how far we’ve come. In order to find the strength to keep on moving, we need to acknowledge and appreciate all the effort we already put into our work, and how it influenced the outcome. The #IFeltIncluded is a way to portray exactly that for me. Sometimes, it’s tough to get out of your...