Firstly I would like to congratulate and thank all the presenters for their amazing hard work. It was a pleasure to be part of such a great program and I will greatly miss being part of CAP.

In examining the many posts by my classmates I found that many took interest into the presentation, “Lenses onto the Occupy Movement”.  Marina Tischenko, Tess Cohen, and Gareth Chevreau gave a very interesting presentation on the Occupy movement. As we studied the occupy movement in Sociology, it was nice to hear a different perspective on the movement. Analise mentioned that she especially enjoyed it due to the fact that the occupy movement occurred so close to where she lived.

A common aspect of many of my classmates final blog post was regarding their CAP experience. Of what I read, CAP was praised as a great experience and a phenomenal program. Antonio reflected on what the UBC website defined CAPs purpose as, and stated that it did exactly that and more.

Claire mentioned the presentation by Helen Wagner called  “National Geographic and the Photographic Gaze: The Commodification of Indigenous peoples in Consumer Culture”. I personally thought that this presentation was incredibly well thought of and very well researched. I never realized myself how much National Geographic photographs indigenous people, despite the fact that I follow their Instagram account. Furthermore, after this presentation I went onto their account and examined all the photos of Indigenous people of the world, and was astonished at the sheer number of photographs that existed. This relates closely to how we studied the commodification of life narratives, and created a link between the two.

I would like to thank all my Global Citizens classmates for a truly amazing year, and wish everyone the best!

In reading Missing Sarah, my eyes were opened to real Vancouver. I have lived here all my life, however, I reside comfortably in a house in North Vancouver, a 180 degree switch from the sad apartments and run down building that fill the Downtown East side. I know about the Downtown East side, about the same amount of knowledge as most Vancouverites, that it is full of drugs and prostitution, and that one would like to avoid the area at all cost.

In my grade 12 year in high school, I was able to volunteer for a group called AGAPE that walks the Downtown East side at night to hand out bags of candy to the women. Although the women are only give the candy, we also carried supplies like mittens and socks that could be given to the men. At first I was incredibly scared, however, what I saw was very surprising. Yes the streets were filled with drugs and prostitution, but the residents of the poorest postal code in Canada, were incredibly nice and welcoming. They often wanted to stop and chat with us, telling us things ranging from how their day went, to more serious matters, like how they ended up on the streets.

Reading Missing Sarah touched me incredibly. Sarah was so young when she started on the streets, years younger than I am now. Missing Sarah is a mix of factual events surrounding the Missing Women’s Case, and the raw emotion from Sarah’s family, written by her sister, Maggie. Although i was very young when the women began to go missing I remember the trial of Robert Pickton, and being so horrified at the details, yet at the same time, not understanding the implications of what these missing women’s deaths meant. Mothers, sisters, aunts, and nieces, these women were taken, and it took years for justice to occur, some are still “missing”, having no DNA found at the farm.

Many of these women were forced onto the street, having no other option to either feed them self or their addiction. The public and media need to take a more caring and understanding view of the residents of the Downtown East side and realize it could be any one of us. Sarah de Vries came from a middle class white family, although herself was adopted, yet she still ended up with a life full of drugs and prostitution. We need to protect the women of the Downtown East side, the men as well, and show compassion for their situations.

In visiting the MOA this week, I learned a lot more about the residential schools then I previously knew. Growing up in Vancouver, I did study the history of residential schools in high school, however, I was very unaware of many aspects it. Visiting the Belkin last term opened my eyes a lot, to the extreme horror and devastation that these poor children had to go through on a daily basis. The abuse; physically, mentally, and sexually so horrific, its amazing that children were able to endure it for so long. The Belkin showed abuse through art which I very much enjoyed. The visual representations of the pain and sorrow the children experienced really opened my eyes to how horrific the schools were.

The MOA showed a the history of the residential school, St. Michaels. One particular wall was filled with confessions of those who attended the school as a child. Many spoke of abuse and always being hungry. However, a few particular confessions stuck out to me. A couple of the confessions on the wall spoke positively about their experience at St. Michaels. A direct opposite to the majority of the confessions, the positive ones said they were unaware of any abuse, or that they enjoyed their time at the school, being able to learn to read and write. It is very curious to see the differing memories of the school, in particular, the fact that most of the positive confessions were signed “anonymous”. The constant speak of negativity against the school makes one wonder how a positive experience could have been possible. However, in reading Angels article, I better understand how it is possible for differing memories to help those victims cope with their experiences.

I was also very curious to see the varying churches apologies toward the victims. The different styles and language used was very intriguing. It makes me curious to know what church ran what school, to better understand the abuse that was allowed. I went to Catholic school, so the idea that these horrors could have occurred under the churches knowledge is upsetting. I think it is amazing that those survivors of the residential schools, and all those effected, can be so strong today.

In reading “Diamond Grill” my eyes have been opened to a lot of the discrimination that occurred in Canada throughout the twentieth century. Ethnic groups such as the Chinese and Japanese went through some tremendous events to fight for their right to Canadian citizenship. Reading about the Fred Wah’s experience of going through the discrimination of being part Chinese led me to think about my family’s own story of discrimination.

The “troubles” began in Northern Ireland in the 1960’s. The Nationalists of Ireland, who were mainly Catholic were in conflict with the Loyalists, who were mainly protestant. The protestants of Northern Ireland wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom, where the Catholics wanted to be separated from the British ruling and intern create a united Ireland. The troubles lasted almost 30 years with the IRA, or Irish Republican Army, fighting against the British.

The majority of Northern Ireland was protestant, and therefore the catholic minority faced much discrimination. My Grandpa, a devote Catholic, was never content with sitting and watching as his people were continually mistreated and discriminated in their own country by the British. So, my Grandpa, the most prideful man I know, did what he had to do to fight for his home. My Grandpa, a member of the IRA fought the British to take back his country. The IRA were a group nationalists that used guerilla warfare to fight against the British and try to take back the land that was rightfully theirs.

My Grandpa was given the job of being the intelligence behind the missions, and intern stayed out of the actual fighting. The IRA took part in major weapons smuggling, car bombings, kidnappings, and other cringe-worthy activities. Although many frown upon what the IRA did, it was apparent to them at the time that it was the only way to be able to take back their home.

As the fighting escalated in the early 1970s, it was clear to my Grandpa that it was time to take his family out of the conflict. My Grandpa moved to Vancouver in 1972, with his wife, and four kids, following behind him a year later. My Dad, born in 1966 in Belfast, frequently tells me stories of what happened “back home” during the turmoil.

Being discriminated upon in your own country, because of you’re religion, is incredibly sad and disheartening. The “troubles” in Northern Ireland remind me a lot about the Chinese Head tax, and Japanese Internment Camps, and all lead me to question the judgements that people make about others based on race, sex, and religion.

This week we watched “Between: Living In The Hyphen” in class and I have not been able to stop thinking about it. As a young Caucasian woman, with blonde hair and blue eyes, it is very hard for me to imagine feeling racially discriminated against, as I never have been before. Living in Canada, a nation known for its diverse and accepting ways, it was incredibly hard for me to watch the documentary, as many told their stories of being discriminated against. Tying into “Diamond Grill” the question of identity was ever so present in both pieces of work. Fred Wah, being only 1/8th Chinese, still was discriminated against on many occasions, despite his European heritage. It is hard for me to fathom treating someone differently based on their race. Yes, when I look at someone I notice that they may look different than me, however, the color of their skin, or their ethnicity does not change my opinion of them in the slightest way. Yes, growing up in the 21st century means that I will not witness much of the discrimination that was present earlier years, however, “Between” was made in 2004 which is what is most shocking.

In “Diamond Grill” and “Between: Living In the Hyphen” the identity of mixed ethnicities is examined. In “Between” one of the major questions that stems is why one has to be one race or the other, but cannot relate to both? I remembered seeing a piece on CNN about children in the US who subconsciously racially discriminate. The children may not realize that they are discriminating others based on their ethnicities, yet this CNN piece showed how children in today’s society see race.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFbvBJULVnc

“1/4th of children saw their race more positively than the other” (CNN, 2012). A child is largely motivated by the people around them. The way they think and act, are all reflections of they way they have been taught. If a child is racially discriminatory, without even truly understanding race, it is unquestionably a reflection of what they have seen and heard form those who influence them. Parents are a child’s biggest influence in the early years of life. It is important to teach children that we are all people, no matter the color of ones skin, or the ethnicity of their parents or grandparents. Respect should be shown to all.

“Once upon a time they was two girls,” I say. “one girl had black skin, one girl had white.”
Mae Mobley look up at me. She listening.
“Little colored girl say to little white girl, ‘How come your skin be so pale?’ White girl say, ‘I don’t know. How come your skin be so black? What you think that mean?’
“But neither one a them little girls knew. So little white girl say, ‘Well, let’s see. You got hair, I got hair.'”I gives Mae Mobley a little tousle on her head.
“Little colored girl say ‘I got a nose, you got a nose.'”I gives her little snout a tweak. She got to reach up and do the same to me.
“Little white girl say, ‘I got toes, you got toes.’ And I do the little thing with her toes, but she can’t get to mine cause I got my white work shoes on.
“‘So we’s the same. Just a different color’, say that little colored girl. The little white girl she agreed and they was friends. The End.”

(The Help, Kathryn Stockett, 2008)

Continuing with the theme of memoirs and life narratives, I decided to post about another great example of this genre. As the media has such a vast impact on young people today, it is no wonder that the average teen is incredibly self conscious and may experience many self doubts. However, this is incredibly increased in LGBTQ teens. For those who are unaware of what LGBTQ stands for, it means Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning. As society slowly begins to accept the LGBTQ community, the discrimination that still occurs is incredibly upsetting. This discrimination is even worse for young people, especially those still in middle and high school, where many have to try and hide their sexuality, as many are bullied and tormented because of it.

In 2010 a revolutionary movement called “It Get’s Better” was created by Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller. Savage and Miller created it in response to the numerous youth suicides that occurred that year due to bullying because the victims were LGBTQ. Instantly receiving positive feedback, the “It Get’s Better” project became a phenomenon with numerous celebrities creating their own “It Gets Better” videos. Every video made, whether by a celebrity or a everyday person, makes a difference to someone struggling from not being accepted for who they are. These videos give people hope. Like “Gives me hope” and “Love Gives Me Hope” the “It Gets Better” project helps to show people how much they have to live for, and that there is someone out there that has gone through the same challenges and it does get better.

https://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject

The “It Gets Better” is a life narrative. It is a memoir for those who have been discriminated against because of being LGBTQ. It is truly inspirational and shows just how many people support and love those who are LGBQT. President Obama made a “It Get’s Better” video stating that ‘it is not an inevitable part of growing up” and that “feeling like you don’t belong is tough”, “there is nothing wrong with being different”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4qIn641AZA

Similar to “Post Secret” and “Six Word Memoir” the “It Gets Better” project allows for a sense of community to be formed for those struggling. A postcard that was posted on “Post Secret” this Sunday really shows the connection between the two sites.

There are people around the world that receive so much hope from going on sites such as “It Gets Better”, “Post Secret”, and “Six Word Memoir”. Frank Warren mentioned in his TED talk’s video about “Post Secret” stating that “Secrets connect people who will never meet” and that they provide community to those who feel as if they have no one.

Life Narratives such as “It Gets Better” help give people strength by taking stories of struggle and showing those who may be facing the same struggles that no matter what they are going through, It gets better.

http://www.itgetsbetter.org/pages/about-it-gets-better-project/

http://www.ted.com/talks/frank_warren_half_a_million_secrets.html

After reading “What is The What” and “God Grew Tired of Us”, I felt the need to research more about the terror that occurred in Sudan between 1983 and 2005. Not only were these boys left orphaned and for dead, they were forced to flee from the place they called home and live in refugee camps for years. In watching the documentary “God Grew Tired of Us” I was fascinated to see how many Lost Boys fled to the US to begin their new lives. The everyday challenges they faced are simple norms for westerners, yet for the Boys, the tasks were incredibly unnatural and difficult. Many basic necessities that every household has were deemed strange and unusual. The fridge and freezer were found to be very odd for the boys, humorous to the audience, but at the same time very sad. When looking further into books and movies depicting the struggles of the “Lost Boys” I came across one boy in particular.

Lopez Lomong was born January 5, 1985 in Lopepe Lomong, South Sudan. Lopez was abducted from mass at the age of six, and assumed dead by his mother and father. Lopez and three other boys were able to narrowly escape and were forced to run for three days to avoid recapture. After making it to the Kenyan border, like many of the Lost Boys, Lopez spent years in refugee camps, and eventually moved to New York in 2001 at the age of 16. Lopez was deemed a natural runner, he competed in his high school and helped lead the track team to the state championships. Lopez was accepted into Northern Arizona University and was of course selected as part of the track team. In 2007, Lopez was the division one NCAA champion at the 3000 meters as well as being the champion at the 1500 meters. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/columns/story?id=3468567&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2

That same year he was given citizenship to the US. Only a year later, Lopez was named to the US Olympic Team. Similar to Achak Deng, Lopez found it hard to consider himself anything other than Sudan, however, after being named part of the team, he announced that he was no longer just a lost boy, but now an american (Litke 2008). Having accomplished more than most people, Lopez was then given the honor of being named flag bearer for the US team at the Beijing Olympics. Although Lopez did not make it past the semi’s finals, Lopez went on to win his first national championships in the 1500m in 2009, and became a back to back champion by winning the next year as well. The obstacles Lopez overcame are absolutely incredible and Lopez is an inspirational role model to many. He is the perfect example that anyone can achieve anything if they simply believe!

http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Lopez-Lomong.aspx

Throughout the semester, our class has focused largely on the genre of life narratives, in particular, memoirs. Looking at examples of traumatic experiences displayed in life narratives such as “Persepolis”, and “What Is The What” it is difficult to relate to the experiences of Marjane Satrapi, and Valentino Achak Deng. Residing in such a rich and affluent country, it is increasingly hard to imagine the troubles they have experienced. This being said, the research sites of “6 Word Memoir” and “Post Secret” allow for the sharing of secrets, even memoir’s, but also make it easier for those of western culture to relate. In researching both these sites for my research paper, I stumbled across another site similar to these two. “Gives Me Hope” and  “Love Gives Me Hope” are anonymous sites where people are able to post about kind and loving experiences they have seen or even had. This is a refreshing change to the posts that are seen on “Post Secret” and “Six Word Memoir”. Although these two sites give readers a sense of community by uniting those who are experiencing the same challenges or struggles, a majority of these posts are sad and written about a negative experience. “Love Gives Me Hope” and “Gives Me Hope” allow for readers to browse through posts of incredible happiness and love and in doing so, they give readers hope. Since discovery this site about a week ago, it has been a popular site for me to visit when I am feeling down or upset. The posts instantly make me feel better, and “give me hope”.

Posts such as this one cannot help but bring a smile to oneself, and I honestly believe that they could help anyone who are experiencing feelings of loneliness. “Love Gives Me Hope” is the sister site of “Gives Me Hope” where they both aim to uplift readers. Although not necessarily an act of confession, as “Post Secret” or “Six Word Memoir” are, “Love Gives Me Hope” and “Gives Me Hope are a form of memoir, but relating to positive and uplifting experiences. Here is one of my favorite posts from “Gives Me Hope”

When I was younger, I went through a stage of reading “Chicken Soup For The Soul”. I find that both “Gives Me Hope” and “Love Gives Me Hope” are a modern version of “Chicken Soup For The Soul” and allows for everyday people to share their positive experiences and brighten someone’s day.

Their slogan “Life is Beautiful Everyday” helps to remind readers what the goal of these sites are; to give hope. The site has experienced much Media attention, as part of their “8 Websites to Brighten your Day” CNN wrote that the website can “help renew your faith in the goodness of the human experience.” (CNN, 2010).  http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/02/8.sites.brighten.day/index.html

This website helps to reaffirm how great life is and how truly blessed we are to be able to live another day.

A girl starts dreaming about her wedding at a very young age. What her dress will look like, what the color scheme will be, what kind of flowers she’ll have, and ultimately who her prince charming will be. Yet, in many parts of the world, young girls don’t dream about their wedding… They experience it.

About a month ago I stumbled upon a news article on the internet about a young girl in Yemen dying from internal bleeding that she suffered on her wedding night. The young girl, only eight years old, her prince charming… five times her age. Reading Persepolis, I learned more about the Middle East, and some of the very strict customs they follow. This reminded me of the article I read, so I decided to do more research about the issue of child brides in the Middle East.

The young girl named Rawan was from a small town in Yemen called Hardh. It is not uncommon in Yemen for girls to be wed at such a young age, especially to older men. In an article written by Mohammed Jamjoom and Hakim Almasmari for CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/world/meast/yemen-child-bride/index.html it is reported that “According to rights group Human Rights Watch, more than half of all young girls there are married before age 18. About 14% of girls in Yemen are married before age 15”.

Coming from such a developed nation like Canada, it is sickening to think that these girls are forced to get married and have a family, before they are even reach their teens. My stomach churns at the thought of getting married at the age of 18, yet some of these girls have multiple children by the time they turn 18. Almost all of these marriages are forced, with the girl’s family receiving money from the groom to be. The thought of not being able to have a say in who you marry, or what age you marry at, is such a foreign idea to me. Yet around the world, predominantly in countries of the Middle East, India, and many countries in Africa, it is a practiced tradition.

On July 21^st 2013, a video on YouTube sparked controversy when a young girl the age of 11, named Nada Al-Ahdal spoke out about her family’s plan for her to be wed, and how she was not going to allow that. The video has been viewed over 8 million times and has created an international debate over marriage laws in Yemen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J7_TKgw1To

Nada Al-Ahdal’s courage to run away from her family and speak out about the injustice is incredibly admirable. At only 11 years old Nada Al-Ahdal she should be a role model for all of us. Nada spoke about wanting education, not a marriage. “Death would be a better option for me” Nada exclaims, “What about the innocence of childhood? What have the children done wrong so that you would marry them off like that?” It truly makes me think about how incredibly blessed I am to live in a country like Canada, and not have to worry about the hardships many young girls face in this world. Child brides are a very serious issue in the world, and laws need to be established to help protect these girls.

Leading up to the TRC, I had heard a lot about the reasoning behind the events. Growing up in Vancouver, I was aware of what the Aboriginal residential schools were, However, I was unaware of what actually occurred. I knew that Aboriginal children were forcefully removed from their homes and families and brought to a school where their culture, language, and traditions were taken from them. We talked about the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in most of my classes, and were encouraged to take part in the various events. I chose to go to the Belkin Art Gallery to see WITNESS: Art and Canada’s Indian Residential Schools.

What I saw, words cannot describe. The raw emotion portrayed in the various art pieces was incredibly moving. I was not prepared for the darkness behind the art, to be so visible. As I wandered the gallery I became more aware of the devastating events that occurred at the Residential Schools. Abuse; cultural, psychological, physical, and sexual was an everyday occurrence for the young students. There was an artist that particularly drew my attention Gina Laing. Gina Laing had four sets of four paintings along one of the walls. There was an explanation of the artwork beside each set that detailed the pain that the artist suffered at the Alberni Residential School. She spoke of the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of a man that the supervisor had encouraged. She never intended for her drawings to be seen by the public, she completed them in rehabilitation to help with her healing process. Laing’s pictures were drawn to portray how she had experienced the sexual abuse incidents as a child. After seeing these sixteen pictures I decided to research the Alberni Indian Residential School.

I searched the residential school on Google and found numerous articles about the abuse that occurred at the school. One article, http://www.ammsa.com/node/11611 spoke about Arthur Plint, who was a supervisor at the Alberni Residential School from 1947-1968.  Plint sexually and physically assaulted boys and girls during his time at the school. He bribed the young boys with candy, making them perform oral sex on him.  Plint was ordered to serve eleven years for his crimes. Plint was convicted on 36 counts of indecent assault and three counts of assault causing bodily harm. These crimes were inflicted upon children as young as six years old. Arthur Plint was up for parole but was denied due to his lack of remorse over his actions. He refused to attend any sort of treatment for sexual offenders. He also continues to deny the abuse he inflicted on the children.  Many of his survivors spoke out about the abuse, stating that it led them to be suicidal, abuse alcohol and drugs, and even be abusive to their own loved ones. Another Alberni Indian Residential School student, Pearl Stelmacker, spoke about Arthur Plint in an article for the Prince George Free Press http://www.bishopaccountability.org/news2007/01_02/2007_01_17_Williams_SurvivorRemembers.htm. Stelmacker said that when Plint’s wife wasn’t around he would take the young girls and rape them.

The firsthand account from the survivors through their art was very moving and unforgettable. It is courageous and commendable for them to speak so openly about the trauma they endured. After seeing the Art at the Belkin gallery, my opinion about our nation has been altered. This truly raises the question about whether or not Canada is really a Global Citizen.