Today, a status update on the Facebook fan page of the Daily Nation has clarified the guidelines that users are expected to follow. The rationale behind the guidelines is to promote spirited discussions that remain within the bounds of decency and the law. This is not surprising at all. January 23^rd 2012 is an important day in Kenyan history. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has finally made the ruling that four Kenyan men will stand trial for allegedly committing crimes against humanity during the 2007-2008 Post Election Violence (PEV). The four men are William Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta, Francis Muthaura and Joshua Arap Sang.

Today, a status update on the Facebook fan page of the Daily Nation has clarified the guidelines that users are expected to follow. The rationale behind the guidelines is to promote spirited discussions that remain within the bounds of decency and the law. This is not surprising at all. January 23^rd 2012 is an important day in Kenyan history. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has finally made the ruling that four Kenyan men will stand trial for allegedly committing crimes against humanity during the 2007-2008 Post Election Violence (PEV). The four men are William Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta, Francis Muthaura and Joshua Arap Sang.

Today a popular East African radio show host received a message from one of her fans, an aspiring writer who was seeking advice about how to get published. The young writer made the mistake of sending the radio show host a message ridden with grammatical errors and typos. How did the radio show host respond? She posted the young writer’s message, complete with her name, age and alma mater on her Facebook wall, with a statement to the effect that nobody would take a self-proclaimed writer seriously if she couldn’t be bothered to write her message properly.

The radio show host had a point about the importance of such details as grammar and spelling in letters of inquiry about jobs and about opportunities for publication. Hiring managers routinely disqualify candidates who send them documents that are full of errors. In their experience, people who don’t pay attention to detail in their formal communication are bound to carry the same casual attitude into the job. This is especially the case in the writing professions, where the correct use of language is necessary for clear communication. It is important for those in the know to convey this information to aspiring professionals as they would otherwise continually sabotage their efforts to find decent jobs and opportunities.

The radio show host was likely thinking along these lines when she set out to show her fan “tough love” on her page. However, she went overboard. Her attempt to shame her fan ended up overshadowing any lessons she might have imparted and probably earned her a huge chunk of ill will.

Now, it is not the role of an entertainer to teach her fans the finer points of English grammar or to connect them to professional opportunities. So the radio show host would have been entirely within her rights to ignore her fan’s letter. However, she did choose to respond, and she did so in her professional capacity. So she should have taken the time to do it properly: she should have sent a private response to her fan, answering her question, and pointing out the flaws in her approach. Then, if she felt inclined to turn it into a teachable moment for her other fans, she should have written a note on the subject without singling out the fan and sharing the specific contents of her letter.

Radio entertainers may not view themselves as journalists, but they do have a public platform, and the capacity to reach and affect hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of listeners with their words. Their profession brings with it great responsibility. More so if they take it upon themselves to inform or educate their fans on matters that fall outside their immediate purview. Belittling their fans for lacking sophistication in professional etiquette is unprofessional. It is also a wasted opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

Today a popular East African radio show host received a message from one of her fans, an aspiring writer who was seeking advice about how to get published. The young writer made the mistake of sending the radio show host a message ridden with grammatical errors and typos. How did the radio show host respond? She posted the young writer’s message, complete with her name, age and alma mater on her Facebook wall, with a statement to the effect that nobody would take a self-proclaimed writer seriously if she couldn’t be bothered to write her message properly.

The radio show host had a point about the importance of such details as grammar and spelling in letters of inquiry about jobs and about opportunities for publication. Hiring managers routinely disqualify candidates who send them documents that are full of errors. In their experience, people who don’t pay attention to detail in their formal communication are bound to carry the same casual attitude into the job. This is especially the case in the writing professions, where the correct use of language is necessary for clear communication. It is important for those in the know to convey this information to aspiring professionals as they would otherwise continually sabotage their efforts to find decent jobs and opportunities.

The radio show host was likely thinking along these lines when she set out to show her fan “tough love” on her page. However, she went overboard. Her attempt to shame her fan ended up overshadowing any lessons she might have imparted and probably earned her a huge chunk of ill will.

Now, it is not the role of an entertainer to teach her fans the finer points of English grammar or to connect them to professional opportunities. So the radio show host would have been entirely within her rights to ignore her fan’s letter. However, she did choose to respond, and she did so in her professional capacity. So she should have taken the time to do it properly: she should have sent a private response to her fan, answering her question, and pointing out the flaws in her approach. Then, if she felt inclined to turn it into a teachable moment for her other fans, she should have written a note on the subject without singling out the fan and sharing the specific contents of her letter.

Radio entertainers may not view themselves as journalists, but they do have a public platform, and the capacity to reach and affect hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of listeners with their words. Their profession brings with it great responsibility. More so if they take it upon themselves to inform or educate their fans on matters that fall outside their immediate purview. Belittling their fans for lacking sophistication in professional etiquette is unprofessional. It is also a wasted opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

Today a popular East African radio show host received a message from one of her fans, an aspiring writer who was seeking advice about how to get published. The young writer made the mistake of sending the radio show host a message ridden with grammatical errors and typos. How did the radio show host respond? She posted the young writer’s message, complete with her name, age and alma mater on her Facebook wall, with a statement to the effect that nobody would take a self-proclaimed writer seriously if she couldn’t be bothered to write her message properly.

The radio show host had a point about the importance of such details as grammar and spelling in letters of inquiry about jobs and about opportunities for publication. Hiring managers routinely disqualify candidates who send them documents that are full of errors. In their experience, people who don’t pay attention to detail in their formal communication are bound to carry the same casual attitude into the job. This is especially the case in the writing professions, where the correct use of language is necessary for clear communication. It is important for those in the know to convey this information to aspiring professionals as they would otherwise continually sabotage their efforts to find decent jobs and opportunities.

The radio show host was likely thinking along these lines when she set out to show her fan “tough love” on her page. However, she went overboard. Her attempt to shame her fan ended up overshadowing any lessons she might have imparted and probably earned her a huge chunk of ill will.

Now, it is not the role of an entertainer to teach her fans the finer points of English grammar or to connect them to professional opportunities. So the radio show host would have been entirely within her rights to ignore her fan’s letter. However, she did choose to respond, and she did so in her professional capacity. So she should have taken the time to do it properly: she should have sent a private response to her fan, answering her question, and pointing out the flaws in her approach. Then, if she felt inclined to turn it into a teachable moment for her other fans, she should have written a note on the subject without singling out the fan and sharing the specific contents of her letter.

Radio entertainers may not view themselves as journalists, but they do have a public platform, and the capacity to reach and affect hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of listeners with their words. Their profession brings with it great responsibility. More so if they take it upon themselves to inform or educate their fans on matters that fall outside their immediate purview. Belittling their fans for lacking sophistication in professional etiquette is unprofessional. It is also a wasted opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

I am going to start off by saying that Thunder Bay's Lakehead University has an amazing campus diversity and there are many genders, lifestyles, cultures, classes, sizes, and shapes.  But, for one day a year, the women of the school come together for one solid purpose - to honour women.  Women need to be honoured for their wisdom, knowledge, artistic expression, creativity, style, and personality.  This conference was a chance to indulge in womanhood and become a part of the academic community, but for me, it was a day camp for my holiday break.

The first workshop was depicting Ophelia, the Shakespearian character, in pictures as expressed by Bellocq in "Ophelia."  Through art, a women, a prostitute, was depicted in her natural beauty, where she transformed into physical form.  This, the presenters said, gave her agency over her identity which was originally made my men, thus subject to oppression.  This is the power of ARTIST AGENCY.

The second workshop was a panel of local leaders in women's community engagement.  There were mixed reviews about whether women's work has been well received, but there was an agreement that women's roles are changing.  There is a need to create safe spaces for women of any sexuality.  A sign of the times is feminist scholarship and the feminization of poverty.

There was a speaker named Jessica Polzer, PHD, from the Department of Women's Studies and Feminist Research and School of Health Studies and the Western.  She discussed "The Political Anatomy of Women's Health: Risk, Technology, and Biological Citizenship in a Neo-Liberal Era."  She made reference to genetic testing for heredity in breast cancer.  This further embeds the risk in body, she says.  The second reference she made was HPV vaccination as represented through popular media.  She noted that parents were encouraged to vaccinate their daughters and the cost is $400.  Girls need to make this decision when they are very young.  Pap screening is thus discredited and this presents the challenge of whether governmentality makes it important for self-regulation.  She showed an image used to promote the vaccination, with a women from her underwear down with a disinterested man in the background, with the caption, "GET VACCINATED."  This encourages young women to take the responsibility to know and manage risk.  This pronounces the idea that female bodies are carriers for risk and disease while clearly exemplifying the duty for parents to protect their daughters.  Healthy sex becomes getting vaccinated and young women who are not vaccinated are further oppressed by their peers.  Women become "medicalized objects and subjects."  She ended with a Saturday Night Live video of "Pound Cake Doll" who injects little girls as a humourous representation of the extent of advertising.

The last workshop I went to was called "The Old Woman and the Barefoot Maiden."  Katja Maki and Taina Maki Chahal represented Finnish Folk Characters through art, song, and story.  The song they played was in Finnish, but they handed out the lyrics below:

I want to tell thee my worries now.

O mother, my breast is troubled

As the storms of life stole my peace

And that which was dearest to me

In the morning of my life I fell in love

And watched the golden clouds.

O mother if only I had known to look

In the black earth of death

Perhaps I would have kept

My childhood faith in my breast

And perhaps the glow of my hope

Would still be light in the sky

O mother comfort me

Thy child's cheek is burning

As the struggle and disappointment of life

Have hurt me sorely 

How are young people engaging with COP 17 (the 17th Conference of the Parties) Conference, as world leaders and environment ministers meet to discuss Climate Change and the future of our planet?

In many ways: young people an important role to play because we have the most at stake in these negotiations, it is our future which is being decided, and we who will inherit the decisions made or the terribly implications of the decisions not made at these conferences.

There is also a wide variety of young people here and we all have different ideas about how to be most effective in the process itself.

Firstly, there is YOUNGO, the official group for youth which has the ability to make interventions (deliver speeches) in the plenary sessions. This youth group meets every morning in a spokes council to share information, decide how to effectively engage and plot strategy for the day to come.

Some government delegations have young people participating in the delegations themselves. These young people wear pink badges in the conference center and are involved in tracking the negotiations, help to shape national policy, and represent the voice of youth in the delegations.

Next up there are nationally organized youth delegations such as the SustainUS, the Indian Youth Climate Coalition, the United Kingdom Youth Climate Coalition and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, These groups work to raise the profile of their countries policy stances, amplify the voices of communities which are not being heard in the negotiations and harness the power of traditional and social media to communicate the events at the conference to the world.

As a young person witnessing the process and the sometimes painful inaction on the part of those who hold power in the negotiations, each day is an incredibly fast paced and very very long roller-coaster. Each hour can bring new highs and lows and sometimes it is difficult to say exactly how effective our actions are at moving the negotiations themselves.

When I meet with other youth from around the world and learn about how climate change is effecting front line communitiies along with what they are doing to confront this immense challenge, I can’t help but be motivated to rise to the occasion, push through the exhaustion and fight with all I’ve got for a better, sustainable future.

The Regional Multicultural Youth Council started by re-evaluating the ideas we had in my former blog about their Christmas party.  We decided to do activities with a purpose, such as donations of food and clothing, carolling, and clothing making, such as knitting to donate to causes in Thunder Bay.  The RMYC does frequent walk-throughs in the community to find issues and make surveys from their results for youth.  They may do one of these at the party if it’s nice enough weather.  They began to further discuss their dance they are planning for Dennis Franklin Cromarty students.  They asked Josh DePerry, a local DJ, to come to their dance.  Also, because it’s an overnighter, they looked at providing snacks, breakfast and Christmas movies.

We set a date to meet with the Mayor and focused their topics to bullying, the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, the new youth centre plans and its importance, and a campaign to end racism.  The reason we are having the meeting is to refresh what we are doing in the community, creating our new youth centre, and bringing issues to his attention with possible solutions.

The youth council had a two hour discussion after the meeting about getting to a point in their lives where they can reach open acceptance of others.  We discussed ways of starting something where everyone realizes their potential.  The team each went around the circle and described turning points in our lives and our involvement with the RMYC.  Some themes were responsibility, power, interaction, skills, encouragement, and meaningful engagement.  There were two masters of education students there who were presenting that the youth go around to schools and show how we get along, through video or other means.  The challenge we may encounter is students forgetting about their learning in the workshop after returning to daily life, so it was suggested that we have RMYC chapters in all of the schools, ongoing workshops in schools, and follow-up from events.

The overall consensus is to, “create places and people that welcome youth, where youth see themselves reflected in those who have chosen to work with them” (Block, p. 166).  The youth are all in agreement that there is a stark difference between their schools and the centre.  One young woman stated that she could meet someone at school and not develop any sort of friendship, but if that same person went to the RMYC, s/he would be her best friend.  The youth feel a strong connection and love coming back because they are happier and more fulfilled.  They are proud that their group is diverse and they see that as their strength.  After all, the mission is to engage all youths, regardless of race, ethnicity, or cultural background. 

The RMYC began because of the International Youth Year in 1985, where the government funded a regional youth conference.  The youth from the conference convened and wanted to make change happen.  But, the turning point was before that, when Moffat Makuto was hired to start the Multicultural Association of Northwestern Ontario, by travelling to communities across the region to recruit board members.  The board formed in 1980 and acted as a parent organization for the RMYC.  The founding president, Melanie Goodchild, is of First Nations background, and though the group had a goal to bridge the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, they decided to name the group Multicultural to represent who they were, all inclusive.

The youth are fighting against the negative representation in the media.  They also said that they do not like the mindless glorification of ideal youth culture, which they think perpetuates a lot of false ideals and unachievable feats.  These youth are not all privileged, but they have common ground of open-minded acceptance.  I have so much hope for these youth and I see myself in them.  As Peter Block, author of Community, says, “youth are a unifying force in community.  Hard to argue against the next generation.  An alternative future opens when we shift our view of youth (say 14 to 24 years old) from problem to possibility, from deficiency to gift” (p. 165).

The website www.cssdp.org defines the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) as, “a grassroots network comprised of youth and students who are concerned about the negative impact our drug policies have on individuals and communities. CSSDP considers problematic drug use in society primarily a health issue rather than a criminal justice issue, and advocates for appropriate responses to reduce and prevent harm from drug use. CSSDP provides education and resources to empower chapters formed by students and youth in their work on substance use issues facing their peer groups and communities. CSSDP mobilizes it members to participate in the political process at all levels, pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future, while combating counterproductive drug policies, particularly those that directly harm young people.”

The Thunder Bay group is in its initial stages of becoming a chapter of Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP).  However, unlike the many other chapters it is not based out of a university, as we wanted to be inclusive with our group because who we are is not limited to university students.  It took some time to come up with a chapter name, but the slower things are done, the better the process is at addressing everyone’s ideas.  The name is now CSSDP – Thunder Bay Region, so that we may one day involve other communities in the initiatives that we undertake.  The initiative will be housed by the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy who gets moneys and reports back with the City Council.  Their funders also meet twice a year to meet the needs of the priorities established by the drug strategy.  This group is credible because of what they have produced, so it is great that students and youth of CSSDP are invited to have the Thunder Bay Youth Strategy as adult partners.

Some of the people we are inviting to the table are students of social work, sociology, nursing, law, child and youth worker, and paramedics as well as other programs.  The group decided on an executive with a chair, vice-chair, secretary, technology, and outreach officer.  The conference that they had last year was a huge success, and please sees my previous “Pot, Pills and Parties” blog for more information.  We are already in the works of planning another conference, with themes identified by young people and organized through hard work.  The idea is to start working and the money will flow through fundraising efforts.

Some of the other sub-committees are the technology committee, media, and research/education.  Someone brought up the idea of having an advocacy committee, but everyone agreed that this group is all about advocacy, so that will be an overarching objective of all the group members.  The group is diverse, with members from smaller Northwestern Ontario communities and representing agencies such as Dilico and AIDS Thunder Bay.  The facebook page for the group is more active than any I’ve ever seen before and can be founds here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2344624843#!/groups/potpillsandparties/ We are also planning on starting a twitter page.

What place does a controversial, youth-run organization have in our community?  It provides fresh, new ideas to a system that nobody questions or possibly even understands.  It gives youth a stake in proactive initiatives and sheds light on some of their rights that may not be common knowledge.  It gives youth responsibility over their future and creating the harm reduction approaches that help them get there.  The idea is that someone/others believe in what we’re doing and will help us in our efforts to provide for the best interests of our community.  CSSDP is now meeting in a local coffeehouse back room, but that is where change must begin.  It is a slow movement, but the slower it is, the better it is when the project all comes together.

Imagine a bicycle recycling project that involved the community at every level: the collecting, fixing, fundraising, and shipping of bikes at our end; and the maintenance, distribution, transportation, and operation of bikes sent to 3^rd world countries.  As a Social Work student, I eat this up.  Bicycles for Humanity has sent 8 containers of donated and tuned up bikes and most recently sent a container of 500 bikes this month!  You can view a video documenting the process here:  http://player.vimeo.com/video/16983718?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0

This project is very grassroots, as the bikes come from community members and fixed by people who have local roots, but they are achieving something that would seem near impossible without collaboration.  They operate out of the basement of an art gallery in downtown Fort William in Thunder Bay.  I had the chance to see the location and learn about fixing bikes along with youth from the Katimavik program and the New Experiences Program.  A portion of the bikes that are donated go towards local projects such as these.  There have been over 4500 bikes donated altogether.

What the bikes do in countries such as Namibia, is provide transportation, health care, and food.  An orphanage that was donated bikes had over 30 youth staying there.  They were all into drugs and violence but when given the bikes, they immediately all turned their lives around and every single one of them is in school.  The program provides jobs to the community, as the bikes are not just dumped in Africa, but they are given to maintenance workers who then distribute them as a business venture and work on the bikes to create sustainability of the project.  Where hospitals are far away and people used to transport others on the end of their bike, the maintenance shops have created bicycle carts to attach to the end of their bike.  Medical supplies such as first aid kits and HIV/AIDS prevention packages are also distributed to at-risk areas with the use of the bikes.  Also, what used to be a difficult trip to access food at long distances, is now made easier.

The community members who receive, improve, and send the bikes are passionate about the cause.  And, those who donate the bikes are glad to get rid of the dust collectors in their sheds.  The Thunder Bay youth get to learn bicycle maintenance skills and may get to keep one which they ordinarily wouldn’t be able to afford.  At all levels, this is a truly innovative, inventive, and inspiring undertaking and involves the community in an organic way.

The next step after involving small business in social entrepreneurship is to blur the sectors of not-for-profit and for-profit.  I attended a webinar on November 16, 2011 on this the topic of creating shared values among the business and non-profit world, which was put on by the Social Innovation Generation (SIG) organization.  The idea of collaborating with business invites new avenues for philanthropy and new ways of engaging the community.  This past summer, I had a Program Development Intern position for PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise.  PARO’s idea is to engage small business owners in Thunder Bay in training, support and circles to enhance the scope of small business start-up and growth in Northwestern Ontario. 

Many smaller organizations could benefit from getting business on board.  The SIG webinar presenter, Alyson Hewitt, gave some important tips she had learned through her involvement with MaRS Discovery District.  She said to stay grounded and that knowing the language, tools and resources you need to move to the next level is important.  For businesses, instead of handing over a giant cheque in the picture, their dedication to the social impact bonds would be shown in volunteering for the organization.  The main pull for businesses to get involved in social ventures and enterprising is the social return on investment, such as reduced criminal justice, lower school drop-out numbers and reduced young Moms. 

The changes that are brought about at the corporate level change the way we see corporations.  Success stories, such as the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ project and Shoppers Drug Mart’s ‘Women’s Health’ project can provide examples for businesses who want to engage in social change.  Staff and volunteers can learn from the involvement.  Not-for-profits can meet the business where they are at by aligning themselves with the business. Peter Block , author of the book ‘Community,’ describes small business for, “social activists [who] acknowledge that without some wealth coming into their neighbourhoods, they will continue to depopulate and deteriorate” (p. 168).

There is a place for small business and a place for government and Universities in building community.  Listening to the speaker, I began to get ideas about the potential of smaller communities to encourage and nurture social entrepreneurship.  What usually stops the two hemispheres of business and non-profit from overlapping is the fear of the power of business.  But we need to change our perception of business in order to get a stake in our community.  When the two hemispheres collide, there would be no real reason to fear the stronghold of money-making endeavours because they have a role in knowledge brokering and the accumulation of new skills.