The First Thing I Ever Wrote (not including school work)

I wrote this short little inspirational page about 3 years ago. It was the first thing I had felt comfortable writing and putting my name on. It was exhilarating at the time because all I had ever tried to write was school papers. The energy you can feel when you put your thoughts on paper is limitless. It is probably where the seed was planted for me to start this, and try to get as much of these short inspirations out of my head and out into the world. So here is the seed, hope you enjoy it:

The Only Thing We Can Know For Sure: The Time is Here and Now
Go where the wind takes you. Day by day. Don’t think about where the wind will take you tomorrow. Just let it happen. The second you get caught up in what might happen, you forget about what is happening. Whether you believe in fate, destiny, or coincidence, everyone believes things will happen. Let it. Live it. Love it. Each second of everyday brings with it an eternity. These eternities can never be relived. Enjoy every one of them.
The problem with looking to the future is you become anxious, and grow unhappy with what is. The future never comes quite as we expect it or want it to, and the only result is disappointment. To quote the book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, “Your sorrow, your fear and anger, regret and guilt, your envy and plans and cravings live only in the past or in the future. Santiago, the main character in The Alchemist, is an example of just living. He flows with the wind and lets life happen. His reward is beyond everything he wanted or needed, but the journey was his treasure. He realized happiness and his dreams. He let it. He lived it. He absorbed it all.
Dan Millman wrote, “You don’t just gaze up at the top of the mountain, you look directly in front of you and take one step at a time”. That’s how life is meant to be lived; one step at a time, wherever the wind takes you.

UNICEF Tap Project

It was World Water Day last Saturday and I was too busy to post anything to remind people. However, a friend of mine wanted to share this video and I think it is a really interesting campaign that is something anyone can participate in. For your viewing pleasure:



For more about UNICEF's Tap Project check out their website.

Sunset on the North Pole

I got this picture awhile back from a friend, and then yesterday another friend had this amazing quote to share: "Dream Big Dreams. Small Ones Have No Magic." There was no known author but I thought that the picture and the quote reminded me of one another. Have any ideas why?

Natural Highs

I received this email from a friend of mine a month or so ago and thought I would share it. Think about each one separately before moving on to the next.

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15 The beach
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19 Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
29. Playing with a new puppy.
30. Having someone play with your hair.
31. Sweet dreams.
32. Hot chocolate.
33. Road trips with friends.
34. Swinging on swings.
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
36. Making chocolate chip cookies.
37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
38 Holding hands with someone you care about.
39 Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
40. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
41. Watching the sunrise.
42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
43. Knowing that somebody misses you.
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
45. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think

CGI U: Working Session #1

Key Facts From Session:
* The internet is finding ways for people to fight poverty. Using pay-per-click advertising, organizations can generate profits that fund innovative yet simple programs. For example, one program enables students to donate gradually to microfinance recipients through repeated use of their website.

Another program donates 20 grains of rice each time a person clicks on the website. To encourage people to continue clicking, the site provides a vocabulary-building quiz. Since this program went live in October 2007, over 21 billion grains of rice have been donated to and distributed by the UN World Food Program (which currently aids 78 countries). This is enough to feed 1 million people per day.

At the same time, hunger and poverty claim 25, 000 lives every day.

* America is the richest in the world, yet 37 million American live below the official poverty line. For comparison, the population of California is 36.5 million.

* America is ranked 24 out of 25 developed nations when measuring how well countries combat poverty (what share of a country's population has income below 50% of the nation's median income). Only Mexico has a higher poverty rate than in the United States among rich nations.

* The number of people in developing countries living on less than US$1 a day fell to 980 million in 2004; down from 1.25 billion in 1990

* As of December 31, 2006, 3,316 microcredit institutions reported reaching 133,030,913 clients. Microfinance can help the poor to generate income, build viable businesses, and increase domestic savings. It can also be a powerful instrument for self-empowerment by enabling the poor, especially women, to become economic agents of change. However, we need to find ways to ensure that even more people have access to capital.

The title of this session was "Students Ending Poverty: Start from Where you Are". The speakers were Lawrence S. Bacow, President of Tufts University; Anat Binur, Co-Founder and Executive Board Member, Middle East Education Through Technology (MEET); Dave Eggers, Founder McSweeney's and TED 2008 Award Recipient; Jacqueline Marrie Rupert, President, Edun Live on Campus; and Premal Shah, President, Kiva.org

The session was extremely interesting. Dave Eggers was the panel moderator and he was extremely gifted at the role. Each member of the panel spoke about their experience with their particular organization and what they were doing.

Perhaps the closest to my age was Ms. Rupert. She started the program at Miami University. In 2005 Bono and his wife Ali Hewson started the fashion brand Edun to show that a brand could be profitable and do good (a social enterprise by definition). Not long after, Edun Live on Campus was launched to provide clothing for screen printing for college campuses and start spreading the word that clothing was about more than the product. When Jacqueline Marie graduates in the coming year she will be leaving behind a true legacy on her campus and throughout the world as the brand continues to grow. Her tireless work will have a lasting impact. It was a simple concept, one that can be replicated on any campus around the world, but one that has the potential to make some very big changes. Check out Edun Live on Campus.

Perhaps the most widely known story was that of Premal Shah, the President of Kiva.org. Kiva has grown to be one of the biggest stories of the philanthropic world over the past couple of years. A simple concept of combining the power of the internet with microcredit, Kiva allows people from all over the world to provide small loans to people in the developing world to help start or grow their small businesses. At the mere age of 32 Premal is the oldest employee of the organization. When they first created the organization he remembers wondering whether the idea was even legal. As they plan to expand the website to include people in the US on the list of loanees, he still isn't sure whether it is legal, but they aren't going to let that stop them. The idea was simple but has sent some serious waves throughout the world in the fight against poverty. I am very excited to see this organization grow.

The other two were also extremely interesting. While I didn't relate to them nearly as well, Lawrence Bracow, the President of Tufts University and Anat Binur had very interesting stories to tell as well. Mr. Bracow and Tufts University had created an endowment fund of $112 million that provided microcredit institutions with capital to make loans as well as to do poverty reduction projects all over the world. It is the only current university with such an endowment in place, or at least to the knowledge of anyone in attendance.

The message that the panel was parlaying was that small ideas, with hard work, can become large agents of change. Each of the panelists started their ideas in the environment of their respective universities and have continued to grow well beyond the borders of the campus. Schools can be the perfect breeding grounds for passionate people with an idea. Think about that if you happen to be on a campus, and if you are not then don't fret because your ideas will find a home if you want them to. These panelists had done things few would have thought possible. They would have dreamed about them but they would never have thought to take the next step. Ideas without action are failed dreams. But the combination of ideas and action can change the world. Combine the two and you have one powerful recipe for change. That is a lesson we all need to assimilate.

CGI U: Opening Plenary

The opening plenary was a panel discussion which included Lance Armstrong, President Clinton, Brittany Cochran (a graduate student from Xavier), and the president of Cornell University - David Skorton. The title of the session was: Working Together - Students and Universities Take the Lead on Global Challenges. It was an interesting session targeted to getting students and school administrations to understand some of the processes and nuances of getting an organization or idea into action.

Lance spoke about his experience of getting Livestrong started and how it has grown into what it is today. Brittany talked about her experience of getting her environmental group started at her school of around 2000 people and the challenges that occurred along the way. Finally, David spoke about the support his college gives its students and the what his school has done for starting some new and interesting programs on its campus.

Each speaker brought something interesting and unique to the table. It was an interesting dynamic and I could see the value of what each was speaking about. President Clinton tried to urge everyone in attendance to think about the possibility of each school creating its own branded NGO to help combat global issues. An organization where students and faculty worked together to come up with new and interesting solutions to some of the worlds most pressing matters. While I see some value in such a situation, I also see it being difficult to sell to the student population. I know on the Laurier campus that hundreds of general interest groups are present on the campus and if the administration were to create its own and aim its support for that particular cause, it might create some conflict with these other groups. It makes sense in terms of set up and having the blend of student and professor working on the same cause and solution, but I also see the issue with just such a set up.

In terms of setting up a campus NGO, if this is something of interest to any of you readers, I urge you to look for an already established organization either already working on your campus, or not yet there, and help them to either grow or establish themselves on the campus. The sheer amount of worthy causes out there makes it easy to find something that matches your unique values, and which can use your support. If you are more ambitious and want to start your own organization then all the power to you. If you feel passionate about doing such a thing then do your research. There are plenty of valuable resources available. Each campus is different for setting up a club or group, so consult your student affairs or union group and make sure you understand the process. It is easy to have an idea and think about making it a reality. It is far more difficult to make it a reality, to come up with the time and energy required. I urge anyone to pour their hearts into a cause, to provide their skills and energy to something bigger than themselves. It will show you things about yourself you never knew existed. You will learn things about yourself that you never thought you could do, that you never thought you could accomplish.

A funny thing will happen when you wear your passion on your sleeve: people will join in. Everyone is looking for passion and when you have it people instantly want to be apart of it in hopes that it somehow rubs off on them. When you show your passion for a cause, and go through the work to do something about it, you instantly become a light tower for others. Your efforts will cause other people to put in effort. That is what leadership is about. It isn't about being in a position of power, it is about allowing other people to show the best parts of themselves, to allow them to rise out of the depths of apathy and make a difference. Lance, Brittany, and David are leaders in every sense of the word. Be a leader and let others see your passion.

CGI U

Amazing! CGI U was an incredible experience and charged my batteries. I got there a little late on Friday night for the reception, but I was able to register and get my weekend package. I first checked into the hotel to drop my stuff off and quickly freshen up. Out of sheer coincidence I was able to catch a ride with one of the bus drivers over to the reception. I say that because just at the time I was leaving the hotel he was pulling up to drop off his last airport passengers and then make his way over to the reception. I hopped aboard and started asking questions. Turns out where I was staying was one of the only hotels open just after the flooding as the water stopped about 2 blocks away from it. The bus driver lost his house in the flooding and it was scheduled to be knocked down in a matter of days. It was the house he grew up in, and was in his family for a couple of generations. He told me he was lucky because he was able to afford another home but most weren't so lucky. I heard this sentiment once before when I was in Biloxi, Mississippi after the hurricane. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes such a horrible experience to help people realize the value of life. I am not saying that this man didn't but he did appear to have a stronger sense of life as a result of it nonetheless.

On the bus ride home from registering I met a few people who were also headed back to the hotels. We exchanged business cards and talked about our commitments that all of us were required to make in order to attend. I heard some really interesting ideas over the course of the weekend, and I am looking forward to hearing the progress many people will make towards their commitments over the coming months. One person I met, Ryan, was a masters student at Rutgers in Clinical Psychology. His particular interest was on the new area of Community Psychology, which out of sheer luck I knew a tiny bit about from my studies. He was creating a scholarship for a student from a conflict region to come over and take the program he is in. A number of students I met over the weekend wanted to do something similar.

On the Saturday morning I got up bright and early to partake in the core part of the weekend. I could and will write several posts on the different sessions I was in, because they each deserve special consideration. Each session I learned a bundle from and met interesting people throughout.

During the lunch we were separated into regions, with all the international students attending the same lunch, in order to discuss how best CGI U could continue to build upon the experience and how to facilitate keeping all of us in touch afterwards. We talked about several questions to get to these core questions. During the discussion many of the people in my group were talking about the value of integrating some of the experience of the staff of CGI as well as our 'adult' or global leader counterparts from the annual CGI event. After having Kevin, a friend of mine and the man behind the Kev Blog, in to speak to my classmates, (he spoke about the power of young peoples inexperience) I felt it was pertinent for any mentor relationship between us to be mutual in benefit. I feel very strongly that both our roles could be enhanced by combining forces and using our new ideas and willing to fail attitude with their resources and experience, we could see some ground breaking work occur. I will keep you updated as I continue the dialogue on this subject with CGI in the coming months ahead.

After 2 more afternoon sessions, a traditional crawl fish broil, and a bout of comedy, the day was over and I was asleep on my feet. When all was said and done I was there for 14 and a half hours straight. A lot to take in and absorb, and I am still going over my notes and thoughts to make sure I got what I could out of it.

On the Sunday we were all taken to the lower ninth ward to do a service project. We worked on the Make It Right housing development project spearheaded by Brad Pitt. The approximately 10 block development is based around cradle to cradle design which brings in products that have as little as possible environmental impact, often requiring the manufacturing of all new products, to create houses with as little to no environmental impact or carbon footprint. We went around and cleaned up the sidewalks, cleaned the grime and soot out of the gutters and unclogged the sewer grates and installed some natural filters so that when they start digging things up any run off will find its way into the sewers and not fill them up with mud. The morning was a lot of work but I managed to snap a few photos of President Clinton and Brad as they made their rounds through the development and meet a few more people I had not yet met over the weekend.

While this is a really brief overview of the weekend I will in the near future speak in more detail about each of the sessions I attended. If you are particularly curious though, there is a webcast of all the sessions available here. From the sounds of it it will become an annual event, and if so I encourage everyone to apply to attend. There is a lot to learn by participating in such experiences and I came away with an even greater belief in what I am trying to do. If I didn't think the Ideal World Book was a great idea before I certainly do now. When you surround yourself with people who have a sense of passion and that unique blend of realism and idealism, you can really absorb energy beyond that which you ever thought you could. It is like reaching the highest of highs and having the increased capacity and desire to stay there. Some times you find yourself in a place that brings out the best in you, and you bring out the best in other people. This was one of those places.

Sorry

I just wanted to apologize for the lack of posts lately. I am heading to the Clinton Global Initiative University Conference this weekend. Coupled with all the assignments I have due and getting ready to apply for internships my life has been rather hectic. Hopefully I will get back to a more regular schedule beginning next week once the conference is off my agenda.

I am super pumped to be heading down to New Orleans this weekend. I haven't been back that way since I went down to Biloxi after Hurricane Katrina and I am interested to see what has changed since then. We are scheduled to work on a project in the lower ninth ward (the hardest hit area after the levees broke) on a housing project that Brad Pitt has spearheaded. It should be a lot of fun. It looks like there are about 750 or so students from all around the world attending so it will be a lot of fun to see everyone getting their hands dirty and making a difference.

I will try to post one or two updates throughout the conference as it happens. I am not sure, however, whether I will have an internet connection. If I do you will be the first to know what occurs. I am attending a couple of sessions on Poverty Alleviation, along with 2 or 3 keynotes. The Friday is a networking cocktail(I think I will have the mocktails) reception. I am excited to meet so many people with similar hopes. Should be a real enthusiastic weekend.

I also want to share my new logo. I had a graphic designer do one up for me and I am very pleased with the result. I think it reflects my personality a lot in the design and I hope you will like it too. I am having a hard time uploading it but when I figure that out it will be up there soon enough.

You Can't Change the World With Cynicism

We had a guest speaker this week from WaterCan, a Canadian organization which has this vision: "Improving people's access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation, and hygiene education, can make a huge difference in the lives of millions in the developing world."

The speaker was the Executive Director, Gary Pluim. Through his many years in banking, Gary found himself looking for a change of scenery in the area of development nearly 20 years ago. Through working with World Vision he ended up at WaterCan where he has been for a number of years. An intelligent, and talented speaker, I found myself laughing and learning at the same time.

At the end of his prepared address, he opened it up for questions from us. One of the last questions from one of my classmates was, "Do you find yourself being cynical after seeing some dire situations and the lack of answering them by the general public?" His answer was one I think we forget, or fall prey to. His answer was, "You can't change the world with cynicism." While he said he may have brief periods of not understanding, he has not fallen into the trap of being a cynic. He has hope because he believes that things can change and require that we believe they can.

His message is one I share and have tried to pass on through this blog. If you let yourself slip into the trap of being hopeless, and give up, then you make it that much more difficult for those of us who haven't given up and who continue to fight to turn the world around for the better. Cynicism is a disease and it is highly communicable. When it infects you you breath it, and emanate it from your very being. It is written on your face, you wear it like a badge. Everyone around you becomes stunted, they lose a little hope themselves. You have the ability to be hope or be hopeless, and whatever you choose to be is what others will feel around you. You have more influence on the world then you dare to realize, but when you do decide to use it, choose to use it to pass along positivity and hope. You can change the world with that.

Check out WaterCan here.

Tour of Free the Children

I had the opportunity to take a tour of the Free the Children facilities yesterday. My friend Beth got a job there a few months ago and I got her to give me the VIP tour of where they worked. I got the opportunity to ask a lot of questions and get a better understanding of the organizational structure and culture.

From the second I stepped in the building I got the feeling that it wasn't just another place of work. The receptionist was vibrant and kind, the surroundings were bright and colorful, and there was something in the air. Everybody smiled and introduced themselves on the way through, each time I entered a room everyone stopped what they were doing and made sure that I felt welcome. When I asked a question they were more than willing to tell me what the knew or tell me who would. You could tell that it was a very organic culture - unstructured but had grown and become informally formal - it was as if in an unspoken way everyone was a part of a greater good, a team of like-minded individuals with no agenda. Authenticity. Genuine.

From asking all the questions I did I got a feel for how new the organization really is. While it was started in 1995, it wasn't until the last 3 or 4 years that things really started to pick up. In the past 6-8 months they have hired 60 or more people, and they are continuing to grow. The average age of employees is an estimated 23. The Toronto head office is now over 100 people and with its many satellite offices in the countries it works in, that number is significantly higher. With so much youth and promise the organization has unlimited potential. They have started to create something that is far bigger than the sum of its parts.

Through its partnership with Oprah's Angel Network, FTC is in the process of developing a school chapter program throughout the US with a goal of 3000 schools participating. They were also developing material for an April episode of the Oprah show where they will officially launch the campaign. The partnership with Oprah would appear to be a significant boost to the reach of the organization, particularly as it expands into the US.

The program that has me most excited, however, is called Directors of Change. It is a film project where students who go on trips document their experience through video and then put together a documentary. The documentaries will be used in classrooms to help teach about international issues. The world as seen through youth eyes will be very interesting. It also happens to be one of the few programs they are developing in French as well as English. I think in the future in order to continue to engage young people to lead in the process of positive change, organizations are going to have to find new participating ways for youth to engage. In my estimation, social media will be a key in this.

The tour was a real eye opener. It is not everyday you get to see the inner workings of an organization such as FTC. I will continue to watch out for more exciting news as they announce it. If you would like to take a tour yourself, I believe that if you contact the organization then they give group tours all the time.

Being Right or Being Happy

I started reading a new book, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, this week. I am only a couple of chapters in and I have found a couple of interesting things. While I don't agree with everything that is said in the book thus far, the author raises some thought provoking questions for me. In one part of the book, which if you have not read it it may sound a little abstract, he discusses how the role our ego plays in conflicts, including wars. At the risk of simplifying it too much, Eckhart refers to how instead of allowing ourselves the option that we are not the only holders of truth, we insist that we hold the only truth. We must be right, regardless of the implication, because our ego will not allow us to be wrong. For example, religion has lost track of the important role compassion plays, and instead each religion insists that it is the single truth. In doing so it causes conflict. The argument is that we force our point of view as being right at the cost of being happy. Without paraphrasing too much he says we would rather go to war for our beliefs than be happy knowing that we could possibly be wrong, or at least not the only one that is right.

I don't disagree with this assertion. I had a discussion today with two of my classmates, me on one side and them on the other. The discussion centered around mass media and essentially how awful it is here in North America and how ethically unjust it is (the argument centered around the television). I sat on the side saying that mass media is not to blame in and of itself, because people play a role in how awful it really is, and to say that television is bad/wrong, to me implies that we have no control over it. The point I am trying to make is that we both had a point of view and neither of us thought we were wrong. I believe we were both right, and I am willing to accept that they were right. While we certainly wouldn't go to war over such a silly discussion the fact that we were all open to listening to one another made the discussion enjoyable and challenging rather than frustrating.

Think about a time when you were on one side of an argument or discussion. Did you leave yourself open to the possibility that the opposition could be right? Or, did you stick to your guns to the point that instead of listening you became frustrated and stopped listening? This is an important shift in mentality that we all need to embrace. We need to open ourselves up to the idea that anyone can be right, we can all be right, all at the same time, even when all of us disagree. We don't need to 'win' an argument, we don't need to be on any side. What we need to do is listen and open up to a world of possibility. When we make this change we can be happy no matter what. We can allow others to be different without judgment, we can let others have their opinions without being angry.

If you want to change the world, if you want to make the environment you inhabit better, then let go of the necessity to be right. Open yourself up to others being right, even when it opposes your thoughts. We can all exist together, we don't need to group ourselves into the dichotomy of right and wrong, good and bad. The world is big enough for everyone to have their own faith, their own thoughts, their own feelings. Maybe it wont stop the next war from occurring, but it will make everyone happier knowing that they can speak to you without fear of judgment, with the realization that you are truly open to listening to them. That is a better world. That is a simple act that will make a big difference.

Oprahs Big Give

Just thought I would let everyone know Oprah's new show called Big Give starts tonight on ABC. Looks to be an interesting premise to the show and I am interested to see how it plays out. Anything where the object is to give away money to people who need it and make a positive impact on the world in the process is alright in my book. If you have a minute tonight check it out.