Organizacion Venezolana de Jovenes para las Naciones Unidas y sus amigos , realizaron un momento de arte y expresion ambiental; el 6 de julio el grupo de jóvenes de la OVJNU y dos amigos especiales se reunieron y realizaron un momento donde la técnica del maquillaje y la interpretación con la pachamama, recreamos a la criaturas del bosque, protectores de la naturaleza y la conservación.
En esta jornada se realizo un compartir y convivir , el objeto de la actividad es el arte como vehículo a promover el contacto y la conservación a los jóvenes y adolescentes
dentro del proyecto Joven GEO .
Nos pareció un bello momento y queremos compartir con el mundo nuestro Día Ambiente e Interculturalidad.
Agradecimientos al rio La Mucuy del Estado Mérida, a Beatriz, Paola, Monica,Ralex,Jhon, Simòn y Andreina
Nairobi, the city under the sun- one would call it a home away from home, with all the beautiful scenery at the national park, sky scrappers in the central business district, the beautiful roundabouts, the diversity of cultures and many other fascinating sights for the visitors’ eyes. It can also be called the home of hospitality- one can not get stranded in such a city, all you have to do in case you lose your bearings is to look for a face that looks friendly, of which you will always find and ask for directions- some people are always heart-warming with their welcoming attitude and willingness to help.
Who said that a breath-taking place does not have shortcomings? Well, Nairobi just like any other big city is not exempted from its fair share of flaws. From pollution, to pickpockets, to overpopulation- you name it. Kenya actually offers one of the largest markets for imported vehicles in Africa. This provides a paradox because you would expect it to be up-to-date with the road network. Sadly, the vehicles seem to outnumber the people- One would be stuck in the traffic jam for hours on end. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to get to where they are going, but the jam keeps slowing them down. Kenya’s population is on the rapid growth, with the cosmopolitan Nairobi having approximately 3 million people. -The irony is that our infrastructure has failed to keep the pace with our growth, resulting in one of the worst traffic jams in the continent.
With jams there are the traffic rules which seem to be a waste of time for some ruthless motorists. One morning I witnessed an ugly scene on my way to school- a man was knocked by a public service vehicle also known as a Matatu and to add salt to injury, it was at a zebra crossing. I am sure that the person who invented the black and white lines did not intend them to be mere decorations. Then there’s this issue of un-roadworthy vehicles that emit exhaust fumes which add to the air pollution.
Speaking of pollution, there are days when I walk on the streets carrying a ticket from my bus ride, or a wrapper from a finished piece of candy on my hand- it would be much easier to just drop it down and comfortably walk away- but my conscience does not allow me to do it. Unfortunately, not everyone is like minded, so you’ll find litter everywhere. During the strolls, I still see papers everywhere. It is a good thing that the Nairobi City council endorsed tough rules against throwing of things haphazardly in the city centre. Ever since, the Nairobi Central Business District has been in prim shape, but I am almost sure that without such stringent regulations- we would surely bounce back to our old ways. My worry ceases to be with the city centre; instead it is with the estates that lack dustbins on the streets and have no one to keep watch of the occupants’ conduct. Worse still, with the informal settlements, where any open ground seems to have a silent name on it, “dumpsite”.
This prompts me on the largest problem that is now faced by the capital. The gap between the rich and poor is daily on the increase, more and more people still migrate from the rural areas to come to the capital in search of jobs which always are nowhere to be found. The cost of living on the other hand is ascending daily, leading to the development of urban slums due to expensive proper housing. The vast majority, actually two thirds of Nairobi’s population lives in these slums, with horrid living conditions. Of course one can not deny the fact that many plans to upgrade the slum areas have been put in place, but have instead been met with contempt from the dwellers. This is because they predict that once the housing has been upgraded, they will not afford the rents.
Behind nearly every posh estate you will most probably find the slums. The problems in these settlements are numerous; they lack proper sanitation, poor road system, indecent housing, overpopulation, lack of healthcare facilities and insecurity among others. The Government on the other hand does not recognize them in the allocation of social amenities. Officials say that the settlements have to be organised; by upgrading them first before they can be considered in allocation of basic facilities; like schools and health centres. I have worked in the slum community and had a first-hand experience on these challenges. One of the most recent and vivid ordeals is with City Carton slum area in the Eastland’s part of Nairobi. There was an upgrading program that was targeting land allocation to squatters in 2007- this is an activity that made City Cotton among the news items, with residents complaining about the mode of allocation.
The thing that annoyed me with the allocation; was that the residents insisted to be allocated every piece of available land, overlooking the fact that they only have one public toilet serving an entire population of over five thousand people. They were to build their own houses with individual toilets- which up to now, some have not gotten the money to set up even a basic structure. They end up selling their plots of land due to the frustration; they also continue with their use of the infamous “flying toilets”.
There is also this issue of traffic jam that extends to the slum in the evenings. Vehicles using the main road divert into the shortcut of the slum in avoidance of the traffic. Some of the drivers drive very recklessly, not considering that there might be children playing along that path which they have turned into a highway. It is usually not a pleasant experience walking along the dusty path during these times of trying to distinguish your way through the dust. This poses another health hazard to the residents by causing respiratory infections for example asthma and bronchitis.
Another example is clean tapped water – until August 2007, the residents were purchasing water from illegally diverted pipes which were from the neighbouring Buruburu Phase one estate. This water was not even safe for drinking, because plastic pipes were being used for supply throughout the area. The problem with the plastic pipes was that they would burst and since they passed underground; the dirt would seep in, endangering the health of the consumers. Thanks to the city council, all the illegal water supply was cut off. They then installed communal taps for the residents to access free and safe water. After two months, some of the pipes started disappearing. Simply put, these people did not own the noble gesture that was meant to relieve them from the agony of buying water from unscrupulous dealers.
WHAT DO I LONG FOR IN NAIROBI?
In September 2000, 189 nations came together under the United Nations and agreed on eight goals that must be achieved by 2015; to ensure the world is a better place for everyone. Among the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) are: goal number one- To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and goal number seven- To ensure environmental sustainability. Many efforts have been put in place to reach these goals but in my view, we still have a very long way to go. But that does not mean that these are overly ambitious and unrealistic wishes that can never be met. I see them as a possibility especially in Nairobi.
The Nairobi I long for is one that has well organised, more hygienic slums with basic social amenities such as health centres, schools and proper housing. City Cotton is just an example of the numerous informal settlements with challenges in the city of Nairobi. There are more than two hundred similar, even more densely populated than City Cotton. I don’t think that it is fair for human beings should live in such indecent conditions. Achieving these enviable dreams is a possibility. We may have a resort of blame game- that our leaders have let us down; overlooking the part we ought to play in making these dreams a reality.
AVENUES FOR ACTION WITH MY PEERS.
We have been trying the same tired tactics over and over again. Community based clean-ups for instance- I have nothing against them, but I’m looking at it from a realist’s perspective; it takes a lot of time, logistics and planning to arrange for a one day’s clean up and yet, the majority of the young people living in the community are left out in the planning of the whole event- this leads to apathy from the community members towards a well intended projects. I think that a community should own initiatives targeted at improving their environment.
We can start small initiatives targeted at improving the environment. An ideal starting point would be by sensitizing the communities around informal settlements on hygienic practices. We could do this by magnet theatre- where you play short educative skits, in the process drawing an audience; and educating them on cleanliness. I could mobilize my peers and we start working in these communities. We could also as a result, start small income generating activities with the youth by: - garbage collection, general clean ups involving the peers who live in the informal settlements, setting up groups of young people who ensure that no one destroys the resources that have been put in place and that everyone co-operates with the efforts to make the environment a pleasant place to live in.
A pleasant place to live in starts with our houses; I think that we should develop a habit of garbage separation even in our homes, and spread the habit to our peers. People should be made to see the worth of keeping something they discard as waste; and a good way is to sell the idea of storing plastics for sale- to them. With the garbage collection, we could do garbage separation and sell different categories of the garbage to recyclers who transform the things we dismiss as useless; into beautiful things that we later buy. Some products made out of waste plastic material are: - colourful baskets, mats and jewellery weaved from pure waste plastic bags and roofing slabs made of molten plastic. In fact, the thing we see as a nuisance could bean avenue for our success. We could actually get cheap building material from plastic. I believe where there is a will there is a way and we could organize for capacity building; from the people with the technical know how. Some of these organizations are like the city garbage recyclers.
These groups can form self help groups that could enable them to raise money for building their houses. They could as a result use cheap building material made from recycled garbage; like the plastic roofing slabs made from molten plastics. We can also use bricks made from mud and cement. These ideas may actually reduce the cost of building.
We could also seek audience with our Members of parliament, councillors and local leaders so as to keep them on their toes regarding development of informal settlements. This tradition of seeing our politicians just near the election; when they are desperate for our votes and the next time we see them is after five years. Politicians have resorted to buying their way into the leadership positions by bribing constituents, who are more than willing to sell their votes. It has become a vicious cycle that must be broken in order to realise tangible development. We are the employers of our political leaders, so we should monitor their work.
This should be followed up by proposals to the Community Development funds (CDF) and Local Authority Service Delivery Action Plan (LASDAP) among other funds that are available for the development in our communities. It is our full right to access these monies. Only after all these efforts can we sit back and analyse who is failing us. Knowing that we have played our part, we could also use the media to inform our leaders of our disappointments with their leadership strategies. Along with proposals to government bodies, there are also Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), both local and international that would be interested in funding similar projects. Through our activities and networking with various groups, we may end up attracting the external donors’ interest. This indeed is possible, because I have witnessed groups form and start activities that now earn them a living.
Our fascinating city has all kinds of imaginable talents, some of which would even surprise you; examples are Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) football team, the Eco-sandals industry which makes sandals out of recycled tyres, the City garbage recyclers in the east lands estate; Makadara , local musicians, Koch FM- a radio station in Korogocho slum, several youth groups and numerous other enterprises initiated especially by young people- most of whom live in resource strained suburbs of the capital. With these talents also comes innumerable untapped potential, which may be discovered during the youth activities. The vast population living in the slums is majorly jobless, or living under a dollar a day. The initiatives would be a good job creation strategy that could be appreciated by the people. I believe that together we stand, divided we fall.
I am honoured to share a reflection on my experience at the 2008 Silver Bay Leadership Forum in Silver Bay, New York where they are celebrating their 90th Anniversary of a conference that explores the current and emerging state of leadership.
Last night I was one of three recipients of the Inaugural Leadership Forum Awards. As stated in the program “each of this year’s honoured recipients has been selected for his/her demonstrated ability to take bold action, provide solutions to complex leadership dilemmas, and generate tremendous followership. These leaders have also exhibited the rare ability to cross streams and address issues through commercial, governmental, social and economic channels”. We were recognized for our work in solving ‘wicked’ problems and as you might imagine, it was a very humbling and uplifting experience for me.
In accepting the award, we were each asked to make a few remarks and share our perspectives on leadership. I kicked off my comments on how leadership emerges based on your state of mind. I asked the room two questions. The first – ‘how many of you believe that every problem has a solution’? A collection of people put up their hands. I then asked ‘how many of you believe that NOT every problem has a solution’. An even larger group of people raised their hands. I then went on to share a visual diagram that came to mind while travelling to Silver Bay and reflecting on my perspective of leadership.
In the past, my perspective on leadership was somewhat simplistic and singular. Today, I see leadership in the context of trying to solve some of the world’s most complex and interconnected challenges. It is a moving and evolving target that requires constant re-alignment and mobility. In response to my questions that I posed to the room, I shared my realization that problems are interconnected – and YES – there are solutions, though we often need to invent and co-create them.
While preparing for my remarks on leadership on the plane, in addition to my diagram, I also prepared a series of reflections on what I have learned about leadership over the years:
For me, leadership has been about...
- Being aware of problems and taking an active role in being part of creating solutions
- Being called upon to reflect and represent collective and shared experiences
- Asking critical questions in order to better understand realties
- Energizing processes through taking interest, showing appreciation and participating
- Making connections between diverging ideas and different people with diverse backgrounds
- Reflecting on lessons of the past and making decisions that move towards a brighter future
- Having perspective with the ability to both focus in on a situation as well as see a bigger picture
- Taking responsibility for my actions and intentions
- Believing in ideas and possibilities
- Convening conversations across differences and differences
- Resolving conflict through deep listening, understanding and building trust
- Transforming ideas into actions and new realities
- Dancing with life and celebrating beauty in the midst of it all
While at Silver Bay, in addition to connecting with official conference delegates from various corporations and non-profit organizations, I also enjoyed spending time with the children of the delegates. They were truly delightful and took great interest in TakingITGlobal and my experiences with leadership. I enjoyed responding to their questions and learning from their own experiences. A highlight was also being able to go Kayaking & make a necklace at the Craft Shop!
It was so exciting for the TakingITGlobal team to be part of our sixth year at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) these past few days here in San Antonio, Texas! TakingITGlobal had a great presence across the conference, and I am proud to share the ways in which we were able to reach out and connect with so many educators. To start with, I’ve personally just renewed my commitment to serve on the NECC conference committee for the next two years. I see my role as helping to think about the ways in which we can best engage the next generation of educators.
Before the NECC conference kicks off on opening day (Sunday, June 29th this year), an International Reception is held at the Global Connections Lounge, to welcome attendees from around the world (over 30 countries this year!) and to provide a space to share and discuss opportunities for global connections.
This year, TakingITGlobal was an organizing sponsor of the International Reception, and my co-founder Michael Furdyk along with our US Education Program Manager Emily Kornblut, presented an overview of TakingITGlobal’s recent work and invited the attendees to collaborate with us for greater global awareness. Following the International Reception, the conference’s Opening Reception was held, and provided about a dozen poster sessions for presenters to share their work. TakingITGlobal was one of the organizations provided with this opportunity. We spoke with hundreds of attendees and were able to share our programs with many enthusiastic educators.
On the following afternoon, we had a Spotlight Session, Social Networking for Social Good, held in the Lila Cochrell Auditorium, where we discussed the opportunity for educators to incorporate TakingITGlobal programs into the classroom, and shared many stories of how young people’s use of social web tools have provided them with life-changing opportunities to engage with the issues facing our planet. For the rest of the afternoon, our booth was abuzz with discussions of classroom collaboration and opportunities for partnership with dozens of school districts and organizations.
TakingITGlobal was also featured as an example of positive youth engagement by Education Technology consultant Sara Armstrong in her session Educating Students about Online Safety. The following morning was an exciting one – two educators who have been using our TIGed tools, Mali Bickley and Jim Carleton, were invited by ISTE to give a keynote speech about the collaborations they developed with schools around the world. During their talk, they highlighted TakingITGlobal.org as a social network for social good, and also showed screenshots of the TIG homepage and their TIGed classroom space.
On the final afternoon, Steve Dembo from Discovery Education featured TakingITGlobal as a resource in his session Policies, Safety and Socialm, where he provided our website as an example of well moderated, classroom friendly, safe social networking website. The conference was closed by TakingITGlobal US Advisor Idit Caperton, who provided the conference’s closing keynote, and highlighted TakingITGlobal as a resource for positive student engagement.
We have been so pleased to work with ISTE and engage with the NECC conference on so many fronts! Our partnership with ISTE has also lead to a recent presentation in Dubai and a future event in Singapore, and we were honoured to be mentioned in ISTE’s 2008 Annual Report as one of their key institutional partners!
Special Thanks to our TakingITGlobal staff at NECC !
(below photo: from left to right)
Michael Furdyk
Jennifer Corriero
Emily Kornblut
Kirsten Jordan
Luke Walker
What kind of Leadership do we need in Government, for Youth, for Families & Businesses?
When Actors, Businesses push big numbers around, money & try to pedle influence, Youth Need Leadership that can say, "No".
Youth Need Leadership that can set goals for the future of Self Reinforcing Native Indigenous AncstraL Community of Well Being.
Communities & Families Need Leadership that meet NEED instead of attrating what Criminals "Want".
When there are immediate NEEDS in any Community of Youth, Families impoverished while there's no Legal Or Economic Justification for Poverty, Youth, Families & Communities need Action, not talk.
You can teach a Young person how to speak in front of crowds on any topic, but a Leader is one who knows how to solve problems.
Constitutional Governments exist to provide for basic needs as entitlements that assure self sustainable KID SAFE Self Reinforcing Native Indigenous Ancestral Communities of Well Being.
Leaders that want to be acknowledged aren't focused on solving problems & most often distract those who are otherwise employed to solve problems.
This type of Leader is called many names, most of those sound like Egoist or Populist. They go about trying to gain attention in any Community while expressly trying to diminish the stature those established Community Leaders.
Native Indigenous Ancestral Leadership acknowledges Community Leadership, shows respect to those in the Community or Organization with Seniority & makes sure to enhance the importance of Community Leaders already in place rather than position or posture as a better leader.
Nigeria A Well Earth builds Communities with Leadership that wants to Reinforce Native Indigenous Ancestral Communities of Well Being, the Native Inidgenous Ancestral Traditions & Languages.
Many Native Indigenous Ancestries reinforce the Natural way of Commerce, Family & Community well being naturally.
Nuestro proyecto escolar “Planeta Azul” se basa en los 4 elementos Aire, Tierra, Fuego y agua con una herramienta pedagogía un micro de 4 minutos sobre la conservación del agua y la tradición oral local. Luego de la sensibilización los niños y niñas expresan de manera artística el cambio climático (Pintura, videos, teatro, blogs, cuentos) y la tradición oral de su localidad.
Objetivo General : Sensibilizar, capacitar y motivar a los niños y niñas sobre la conservación del ambiente y el rescate de la tradición a través del arte en 4 instituciones del municipio San Cristóbal e Independencia
Read about the LQ Water System
Q-bit Water Storage Tank
Customized to Residence or Residential Area
http://gknot.net/unmdg/Q-bit/LQEwaterstoragetanksystem.pdf
I'd like to invite TakingITGlobal members to engage in a discussion with Queen Rania from Jordan about stereotypes about the Arab World and the Middle East from now until August 12 (International Youth Day)! This initiative is a catalyst for youth to reflect on misconceptions they may hold in their own minds and to participate in an exchange of combating misunderstandings.
In my personal experience working with many Arab youth throughout the TIG community and traveling to countries such as Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, I have been able to challenge pre-existing stereotypes of my own through the kindness and open hearts of the many people I have connected with. It is sad that negative perceptions are so heavily influenced and shaped by the many images portrayed in the media.
Utilizing online social networking tools can provide avenues for people to challenge perceptions and engage in a meaningful exchange. That said, we still need to be open minded and willing to be wrong. We need to be willing to both accept and embrace what we do not understand - and perhaps even fear. We must be curious and willing to ask questions with the ability to question our own assumptions.
Learn more about Queen Rania's efforts to combat stereotypes on YouTube.
I'd like to share some of the outcomes from my participation at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Latin America in Cancun, Mexico. I was invited to attend as part of the Young Global Leaders (YGLs) which is a group honoured and designated World Economic Forum who are identified as part of the top young leaders (under 40) from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.
Our program started off with a field visit to the offices of Compartamos - the largest microfinance institution in Latin America serving 835,000 low-income micro entrepreneurs. I was fascinated to learn that 98% of their client base are women who were previously un-banked. During our visit we attended a presentation and then went into the community and learned about the economic and social benefits of the services from a group of women who have each received loans. Each week they meet and make payments.
After our field visit we had a session with Young Global Leaders to talk about leadership trends. I joined the break-out group that focused on generational leadership differences. Some of the themes identified among generation Y include: questioning ‘why’ a lot, action and authorship, education focus, seek inspiration, concept of leadership has shifted from authority figure to facilitator, power is less concentrated in organizations, authority is earned based on respect and trust.
I then joined called 'Is Latin America ready to be a winner in the Digital Ecosystem?' as a discussion leader and group facilitator. During our group discussion, we prepared the following inputs:
Recommendations for Government:
1) Make universal access (broadband connectivity and devices/hardware) a priority on the agenda
2) Increase education and skills training to help people see the value of applications
3) Invest in entrepreneurs as content and platform creators (currently websites used in LAC did not originate from LAC)
Recommendations for Business:
1) Lobby government to prioritize the above recommendations
2) Utilize the web as a key investment strategy of the business
3) Invest in specialized training in educational institutions
Another critically important session for me was joining as the founding member of the Latin America Gender Parity Group in our session on Applying Womenomics. In our break-out group we highlighted the importance of investing in leadership skills training for women, transformation of educational systems to participatory learning environments in order to overcome cultural barriers and developing an awareness campaign to promote the understanding and value of investing in gender parity.
In our session entitled 'Addressing Economic Insecurity in Latin America' the following recommendations were highlighted in my break-out group on addressing inequitable income distribution:
1) The importance of investing in a multi-year approach in order to ensure continual monitoring of impact and retaining of institutional memory
2) Adoption of business practices related to managerial structures and processes (i.e. succession planning, development plans)
3) Working to ensure greater collaboration across sectors (government, business, civil society)
4) Educational systems require improvements and sometimes financial resources are not enough
5) It is important for businesses to have a social responsibility budget in addition to principles
6) The need to incent entrepreneurs to help society and encourage collaboration
Policy Roundtable: Mexico's Successes and Challenges with Felipe Calderón, President of Mexico
A major highlight in attending this forum was having the opportunity to ask a question to President Calderón. I asked about how to address issues of cynicism that exists in the political system and increase interest among young people in politics. I was impressed with the passion he demonstrated in response and the statement that politics is too important to leave to the politicians.
At the end of the session I had the pleasure of meeting the First Lady of Mexico, Mrs. Marganta Zavala!
I enjoyed attending the session on New Leadership in the Americas.
During our break-out discussion we talked about leadership trends in the workplace and the theme of genY and the impact on workplace culture was common among all those in the discussion. There was talk of changing lifestyle expectations, higher levels of education, values-driven culture vs. deception, inspiration vs. command and control, contribution to workplace not being limited to years of experience.
I was selected by the group to report back and comment on actions that leaders should prioritize. I suggested that leaders of organizations should:
1) Pay greater attention to Gen Y and various generational differences
2) Foster inclusive and participatory approaches to strategic planning and decision-making
3) Address generational gaps
4) Reward social benefit approaches to solving business problems
I am mesmerised by the colour of the ocean water in Cancun and the touch of the sand that tickles my toes when standing on the beach. The shades of blue, green and turquoise are enchanting and inviting. The rays of sun glistening through the clouds that pass by moves me to connect with my own inner joyful radiance.
The power of the beauty attracts me, as does the sounds and sensations of the waves that continue to flow and greet the shoreline. I am drawn to connect with my surroundings though I am not prepared to be reminded of my own vulnerabilities and powerlessness to the forces of nature.
While standing at the edge of the sand facing the ocean walking towards the waves, I feel excitement and anticipation at the thrill of contact. I move forward step by step and once the water was up to my knees I am hit by a wave crashing down towards the shore. Swept up and flowing forward I grasp for air.
Gulp.
I have accidentally swallowed a part of the salt water. My system in is in shock. Being close enough to the shore I am able to recover and regain control over myself. I am grateful for my ability to recover.
Such a simple encounter can bring up many fears and hesitations. With that one gulp, I realized that my serene scene of peace and beauty was also filled with danger, vulnerability, powerlessness and risk.
And so, I move forward with balance. I am reminded of my power and powerlessness and the harmony that is offered by our gracious earth, sky, wind and water.
Stop for a moment and calm your thought,put off your anxieties and look around your Communities,Country,Continent and the World.
What do you see?
You see a life filled with possibilities,
You see dreams being born being nurtured and being fulfilled.
It is true there are Challenges,
Yes there is Sorry,
Yes there is violence and hatred but there are so many reason to love and stop violence,
because there is nothing through anger or blame but through Love,Compassion and the strength to make a positive difference,
See yourself as moving the world positively forward and you will with your Thought,Action you will feel the Urgent need to do something and indeed you CAN,
You can help in your Community,Country,Continent and the whole world,
You can protect the Kids and bring to an end the extreme Poverty, Promote Zero Tolerance for NARCOTIC,
Your voice can be part of those that will bring our Leaders Government to fulfill their Promises,bring them to justice,
Our kids and Youth are dying in POVERTY
Right Now,You are in a position to create real,Lasting Positive Value for the WORLD in which you live.
Lamidi Muideen Abiodun
Interim Executive Director
NIGERIA A Well Earth
