PEACE Goals

SHORT TERM GOAL:
         * I would definitely have to say to have more patience towards my parents, siblings, peers and  most
            importantly MYSELF since that would expand the peace to all the ones that I love.
LONG TERM GOAL:
         * My long term goal would be to commit myself to a community project, that would ultimately benefit the
           El Paso community through an act of kindness and peace.

Striving for Inner Peace

It is easy for me to say, "try to give advice to your close peers," "make a strangers' day by simply smiling," "strive to create a peaceful environment in your home," when in real life I fail to practice my own advice. The truth is that inner peace can be very hard to obtain when we don't have a clear mind set of what this might involve or provoke in our every day lives. When I think of inner peace the first thing that pops into my head is being completely happy and true to ourselves.When we do this everything else will properly fall into place without forcing anything at all. Activities such as, yoga, meditation, reading etc.. can help us on the way to inner peace. I think that everyone should have a time alone where they can reflect and at the same time discharge all negative attitudes. Positiveness is always good along with good self-esteem. In general inner peace may involve a lot of other characteristics but as for me, I think that being peaceful and calm with yourself is the first action towards inner peace.

The Use of Technology: Helpful or Addicting?

            Scenerio: Pretend you forget your cell phone at home and you desperately need to call someone because your car broke down, you go to the nearest gas station and use the public phone…Can you dial your sisters’ cell phone number by memory? How about your best friend? Your boyfriend? Sadly, the answer might be no; the truth is that we have forgotten to practice memorizing important information such as cell phone numbers, street addresses etc..  

Technology has become a great part of our everyday life, often times relying a 100% on their effectiveness and credibility, resulting in the decrease of brain activity use (24/7).  Take a moment to think of the time when you were first introduced to an "IPod," by that time we thought it was a smart and effective way to listen to our songs. Of course we didn't think that in a short amount of time the Ipod nano would be introduced and two years later the famous Ipod Touch would finally hit the stores.

The fact is that without even noticing, technology has carefully taken control of a considerable portion of our every day routine. It is incredible to think how our lives have become in a way more easier compared to how people lived 50 years ago. No more staying home and listening to stories on the radio, or physically traveling to the nearest library and checking out a book. Technology has constantly replaced the hobbies that children and adults used to have in the early 1950's. Nevertheless, living in the 21st century has become more and more harder to catch up with the fast pacing of new technology.

New stuff like the nook color, IPad and Mac book Air can be just a few examples on how the society has quickly been distracted by the true and important meaning of life. Why do we need these things so bad? The answer is that we have installed technology so vastly into our everyday lives, never thinking about what might happen if it all went away. That is if one day our iPods, cell phones and hybrid cars stopped working...would we suffer?

The truth is that as a society we have become more and more dependable on the development of technology that is improving by every minute, often times forgetting on lives that we might be improving by a simple act of kindness. The valuable time wasted in the update of our status in Facebook or the downloading of new music to our iPod can just as well be the perfect time to break the isolationism and spend time with close friends sharing new ideas, giving advice, exchanging kind smiles and hugs to people we most care about.

 Yes, I admit that technology has helped us do everything faster, but it has also become some sort of addiction. Therefore it should be controlled in a livable non-life changing way since it seems that most of us are losing the track of time, and only caring about one certain question, "What's Next?"

It's always fun to use technology, however, if becoming dependent is evident, then other needs such as good health, exercise, sleep time, education, and especially natural things such as family or friends is constantly on the way of peace. Just think about it, life goes by fast so it is only reasonable to cherish every special moment rather than just being forced to wave at them as they pass by thanks to the unnecessary use of some technology products.

-General Audience-

Don't be a BULLY!

We all should respect others, especially since we have no idea what they might be going through. Sexuality is a broad issue that often times has a lot of point views and contradictions. This video shows us that we are united as a group that no matter the differences that might be between a person and yourself WE should appreciate their strength and honesty towards their sexuality. Every one is entitled to their own personal space; and sometimes it might take a while to admit and be completely ready to speak out loud. The guy on the video felt alone and with little self confidence in himself but he realized that he was not alone and that all of his classmates had his back and defended him against bullying.
I urge the ones that are homophobs to take a moment to realize what this certain guy went through and its no easy task to walk in his shoes. This would be a great act of peace that shows tolerance and would soon spread the world to future generation. Although our generations are far more tolerant on this issue compared to when this first started to take place.  It takes encouragement from loved ones and acceptance to walk in the streets without feeling self-conscious... I myself admire them because they make an effort to not change who they are no matter the cruel bullying, or the finger pointing or the murmurs behind their back. In general this was a very well organized and straight to the point video that persuades the audience that bullying is never an act of kindness and all this does is create a brick wall that they will soon tear down.

Tunisia Unemployment Riot

        Tunisia has been going through some hard times lately, mainly because of the lack of unemployment in the country. Everything started on December 17, 2010 when a 26-year-old man named, Mohammed Bouazizi, doused himself in paint thinner and set himself on fire in front of a local municipal office. Bouazizi's effort to support his family forced him to sell fruits and vegetables in the central town of Sidi Bouzid without a permit or a license; making the police confiscate his produce cart before this incident happened. Fortunately, Bouazizi's act of desperation and frustration did not result in worse consequences; he was taken to a hospital near Tunis for treatment of his third-degree burns. With this citizen act of speech on how the lack of unemployment is affecting the lives of every graduating citizens, highlights the public frustration over living standards, police violence and a lack of human rights. After this act done by Mohammed Bouazizi, the protest soon began to arise that same day, they quickly spreaded across the region and ultimately the country as a whole.
        Citizens of Tunisia have organized numerous protest against their leader Ben Ali, asking the Interpol to help arrest former president and former family so that they could be tried for theft and currency offeces on January 26th. In conclusion, the governments' lack of initiative caused the past events to occur in a ripple effect all of them joined as one in the same reason and purpose to keep protesting for their rights. It is very sad to see that most graduating college students are unable to find a good qualifying job that exceeds their expectations and the amount of effort each student put in their individual education. Despite the  low actions of the leader Ben Ali towards the employment of his country, it is great to see the citizens take action on protesting as a united group. Although many graduates that have yet and did not find jobs decided to commit suicide because of their ongoing frustration of low income and no money at all to their families. Friends and family of these people who have died as a result of this unfortunate reality are still continuing on the effort to make a difference in the governments mind, to finally take action and provide hope to its citizens. Because thats what they want... to be recognized and one day reach the attention of the government, causing them to realize that the country is trying to survive despite the consequences of unemployment.

The Barefoot Foundation

Date: February 13, 2011

To: 1311 students

From: Andrea Acosta

RE: The Barefoot Foundation

Violence and poverty is seen almost everywhere these days.  Young life’s have been disrupted by the lack of malnutrition; keeping these children away from their dreams.  Education has become a vital component to boys and girls living especially in regions of Columbia, but the lack of funding has prohibited them to excel in learning. Boys and girls have been victimized by poverty and displacement; empty stomachs and living in broken homes have made these children hold on to piles of books that will soon help them grow emotionally and socially in the world that they are exposed to.  Columbia is one of the three countries that have almost four million people displaced since 1985; while approximately having 3,000 civilians die every year in the civil conflict. It has been an ongoing battle to end poverty and malnutrition around the world, sacrificing young lives that have suffered from this cruel reality.

 The Barefoot Foundation has taken action over this situation and has strived to make a difference in the lives of young boys and girls. The Barefoot Foundation, also known as “Pies Descalzos”, was initiated by a former artist known as Shakira;  native of Baranquilla, Columbia and living in these streets herself promised to make a better future for the children living in these regions. The organization has devoted and worked to ensure that every child can exercise his or her right to a quality education, while at the same time giving nutritious meals to more than five thousand children. Their vision has been to “demonstrate a sustainable, replicable education model which provides quality education to Columbia’s most vulnerable people, thereby unlocking their intellectual, emotional and social potential.” The Barefoot Foundation currently supports six schools in the diverse Columbian regions of Baranquilla, Altos de Cazucá and Quibdó. More than five thousand children have received education and psychological support services ultimately benefiting 30,000 vulnerable children and families that have been affected by the population displacement.

                                                                                                                                              Although the foundation has been a success, there are still a lot of more teenagers outside these regions that make the decision to work in order to support their families; which is why the Barefoot Foundation offers income generating programs for parents so they don’t have to send their kids to work. Being a non-profit organization, they invite us to become donors so that way we continue the dreams of families and children across Columbia. Once a donor you can sign up for email newsletters that contain important upcoming projects, volunteer services and recommended organizations that you can partner with. The Barefoot Foundation gladly accepts donations from anyone around the world while also having the opportunity to sponsor a child struggling in Columbia. Anyone can become involved in this organization by visiting the given website and clicking on links provided for anyone who might be interested in joining the family.

                                                                                                                                                             The communication between the Barefoot Foundation and the community is really easy and straightforward. Shakira, founder of this great organization has made an impact that has brought peace into many lives; while at the same time being a role model. “Education is the key to a better world for everyone, not just underprivileged children. Education is not just books and facts; it is also social and emotional growth. The Barefoot Foundation is helping transform Columbia into a peaceful society that is committed to its most vulnerable citizens. Join Shakira in creating a more peaceful and brighter future for children and for Columbia.

Building Peace

Building peace one school at a time. Greg Mortison,cofounder and executive director of Central Asia Institute changed the process of education in regions of Pakinstan and Afghanistan. Statistics that showed that poverty, gender descrimination and tradition were lacks of  getting a good education; soon began to change. Thanks to a man who was determined to make a change in these childrens life by building a school for them and giving them all the necessary materials and resources to further their education. It is said that if a girl is educated to at least the 5th grade this does three important things: reduce infant mortality, reduce the population explotion and improve the basic quality of healthcare and life itself. Greg Mortinson is creating a dream for these girls that was far from being seen due to their economic status. Education is everything to these girls, which is a great way to keep them civilized and aware of the important news and impacts that the world experience everyday. This advantage will give them more information  that will keep them away from living in ignorance and make a difference in the world just how Mortinson did. It is incredible how perspectives of education shift from parts of the world; meaning that while these girls live a rather hard life where there may or may not be foodor water on the table everyday they still are determined to further an education that will help them in the future, while in some parts of the world education is taken for granted and sometimes ignored. I admire these girls for being determined to build a better future for them and their family. And just how Greg Mortinson said, " the best way to bring about hope and peace is through education."

What is peace?

Peace begins with a smile. There are many definitions of what peace is, feels or looks like according to peoples' beliefs around the world. But one thing for for sure is that peace equals to hapiness. Peace can be given to a person who needs it, for example giving a helping hand to someone who may need it. 
Peace should be active in everyones' home, having a harmonious mind and environment about life and not letting the violence that occur in the world, cross the door of your home. However, the clashing of perspectives of what peace feels like can go on forever. For example, violence is everywhere in today's world, and the people that create this violence can swear that these acts make them happy in their own little way.. Which may sound crazy but it may be true. Since i cant think if anything that makes them sin in the first place. It may sometimes be that they havent found peace anywhere else or simply because they dont have the love and care of their closed ones, which can be very sad and unfortunate. Peace should be something that we strive to find everyday in search of a better future full of happiness and serenity.