Be sure to check it out!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And dont be afraid to comment!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
NEW WEBSITE
We havre RELOCATED our website! It has changed from http://www.youthworldimpact.blogspot.com/ to...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Article to the Toronto Sun
Recently we endeavoured, once more, to have an article (written by us)published in a newspaper, in this case the Toronto Sun.
In our attempts at being published, we have been in touch with Rob Granatstein, an employee of the Toronto Sun who has been extremely helpful in helping us get our article out to the public.
We were informed that room was no longer available for a hard copy print of the article, however it was put online for us!
Check out our article available at the Toronto Sun Online!
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/2010/06/25/14521521.html
As for the G20 Contest, we are thinking about extending the deadline to get more submissions... We'll update you soon.
Thank you to everyone who has already sent in a submission!
-YouthWorldIMPACT
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Why should YOU care about G20 in Toronto?
What Is the G20?
Why are people protesting?
What decisions are being made that affect you?
These are questions that most of our classmates, do not seem to know how to answer. We also think that most of the youth is not engaged/aware about the event that is taking place right here in Toronto, on June , 26-27, 2010.
Our group, YouthWorldIMPACT, has decided to change this situation by learning and conducting research to educate ourselves.
We would also like to challenge other students in grade 9-12 to join us in learning, educating, and debating the issues, that will affect our collective future.
To make this a fun and interesting learning experience, we are organizing a contest to award the best submission/essay with a $100 Eaton Centre gift card.
Are YOU up to the challenge?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Oh, the scandals..
Some things you just hope never to see happen. Among these are the several scandals that arise each year, where those in authoritative positions stir up controversy beyond belief.
And just yesterday, another arose.
Britain has allegedly, in the past, knowingly handed over Afghan detainees as "routine" (Really? Come ON) interrogation, and yesterday, London judges were handed a a huge stack of papers(thousands, even) claiming this.
Ok. This is absolutely ridiculous. Prisoner or bureaucrat, guilty or innocent, nobody deserves to be tortured as a method of interrogation. That is NOT the way it goes. You prove someone guilty by way of unequivocal evidence, not by forcing them. And I don't mean to be so.. abrupt here, but DUH.
So what now?
Really, we can only wait and see. If there's justice to be had, we only hope that justice is served. Because if these detainees were indeed tortured as a method of interrogation, then they did NOT receive justice in the fairest way possible. And fairness is any government's job to achieve (not to say that they all achieve it, anyways).
Anyways, we'll follow the story, and fill you guys in when there's any new news!
Check back regularly!
-YouthWorldIMPACT
Monday, April 5, 2010
This can't be left alone..
Decision made. No, the J8 program isn't officially happening this year, but that doesn't mean we should just let our work go in vain.. and so we addressed the head of our country.. we contacted Stephen Harper.
Yesterday, a letter was sent to the office of the Prime Minister offering a few of our ideas, and pleading with him to allow us to attend the G8 summit, and present our ideas.
We don't know what to expect from this, though. But it was definitely worth a shot. Optimism is key in situations like this, and optimism will be kept.
Anyways, we'll see what happens!
Stay posted,
- YouthWorldIMPACT
Yesterday, a letter was sent to the office of the Prime Minister offering a few of our ideas, and pleading with him to allow us to attend the G8 summit, and present our ideas.
We don't know what to expect from this, though. But it was definitely worth a shot. Optimism is key in situations like this, and optimism will be kept.
Anyways, we'll see what happens!
Stay posted,
- YouthWorldIMPACT
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Good ol' Stephen Harper..
PM Stephen Harper is seeking Michael Jean's replacement.
Sometimes it's interesting the moves these politicians make.
Michael Jean did exactly what she needed to do as viceroy: she acquiesced to every last suggestion Stephen Harper passed by her.
SO WHAT THEN?
In this day and age, hardheadedness seems to have become all- too prevalent. First, we have Stephen Harper and his proroguing of Parliament, letting no persuasions make him question his decision. Then, we have Hilary Clinton and her implicated persistence to keep Canada's troops in Afghanistan while her own leave the Middle East to go home to their families.
WHAT IS THIS NOW?
When has there ever been anything wrong with playing it safe, and staying with a tried and true viceroy candidate? Michael Jean would continue to do her job exactly as her predecessors did should Stephen Harper have decided to make the ethically sound decision, and extend her term.
Now, of course useless speculation has begun. For nothing. Speculation like: Who will be the next Governor General? Will there be another Governor General?- Most Canadians believe that Michael Jean did well during her time at Rideau Hall. Many others believe that Canada doesn't even need a viceroy.
Canada has been through some ridiculous times, politically. Really, we don't need another. Michael Jean added an iconic diversity to Canada's political system. She made, and makes millions of Canadians proud quite regularly. Her response to Haiti's devastation with the earthquake was nearly instantaneous, showing a good face for Canada, and staying true to her heritage.
What more can you ask for in ONE Governor General?
Sadly though, Stephen Harper doesn't change his mind, whether his decision be for the good of Canada, or to its potential downfall. Which is unfortunate, because if one's mind can never be changed, they're prone to make more foolish decisions than beneficial ones. And a poor decision maker does not a good Prime Minister make.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Stephen Harper CARES. Well. Would you look at that?
Today was a good day. Today was a day of enlightenment, fulfillment... but most of all... closure.
Today, we as Canada have worked in spite of all the media's speculation that we piggy- back the US everywhere. Well. A change of heart, perhaps, occurred today..
For once, I can say that YES, Stephen Harper has Canada's best interests in mind. Why, you ask? Well. it's simple:
Many of us heard of the faulty reasoning US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton displayed yesterday when in a CTV interview clearly stated that the US wants Canada to stay in Afghanistan beyond its set deadline. WHAT?!?!?! WHY, as the US is well on its way out of Iraq must we stay in Afghanistan? We. Are. Canada. We have our own government whom we so painstakingly ELECTED. IN A DEMOCRATIC ENVIRONMENT. Sheesh.
But YOU, Uncle Sam, are withdrawing your troops from Iraq at a steady rate. And WE, the Canadians, must stay beyond our deadline in Afghanistan? For what? To rob more men and women of their lives? To thrust their friends and families into states of total agony and shock?
Yes, peace needs to made and kept in the Middle East. Clearly, the US thinks that. And as they profess their passion for peace in the Middle East, they withdraw thousands of troops from Iraq, to please their citizens. But WE, little ol' Canada, must stay in Afghanistan. Oh, no, no. Forget pleasing OUR citizens by leaving Afghanistan. Peace needs to be maintained.. remember? So Canada must stay to keep the peace while America, the "land of the free and the home of the brave" (*snort*. Brave.) sits back and watches Canada's already small population dwindle further.
Do they MOCK US?
The US wants peace to be kept forcefully without them having to keep it.. forcefully.
Huh.
Draw your own opinions from that, will you?
With Hilary Clinton's little "slip up", America's true intentions were revealed. A word to the wise, Mrs. Clinton: REHEARSE what you want to say in an interview, speech, whatever. And SAY NO MORE. Like Barack does.
Anyways, I was proud of Mr. Harper this morning when I read that he remained firm in his conviction: Canada will be out of Afghanistan by 2011. After he prorogued parliament last December, MANY Canadians lost hope. Thought he lost some screws. Lost them all, as a matter of fact. But now, as he defies this latest hypocritical request from the US, that hope which was lost has now been rekindled.
As our national anthem says:
O CANADA, WE STAND ON GUARD FOR THEE!
Yes, Mr. Harper, you've got the right idea. DEFEND Canada and its people. Stay strong. Make the right decisions. We knew you could do it, we knew you could prove yourself as our PM.. deep, deep, DEEP down.
And so for now, Mr. Harper, we salute you.
Today, we as Canada have worked in spite of all the media's speculation that we piggy- back the US everywhere. Well. A change of heart, perhaps, occurred today..
For once, I can say that YES, Stephen Harper has Canada's best interests in mind. Why, you ask? Well. it's simple:
Many of us heard of the faulty reasoning US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton displayed yesterday when in a CTV interview clearly stated that the US wants Canada to stay in Afghanistan beyond its set deadline. WHAT?!?!?! WHY, as the US is well on its way out of Iraq must we stay in Afghanistan? We. Are. Canada. We have our own government whom we so painstakingly ELECTED. IN A DEMOCRATIC ENVIRONMENT. Sheesh.
But YOU, Uncle Sam, are withdrawing your troops from Iraq at a steady rate. And WE, the Canadians, must stay beyond our deadline in Afghanistan? For what? To rob more men and women of their lives? To thrust their friends and families into states of total agony and shock?
Yes, peace needs to made and kept in the Middle East. Clearly, the US thinks that. And as they profess their passion for peace in the Middle East, they withdraw thousands of troops from Iraq, to please their citizens. But WE, little ol' Canada, must stay in Afghanistan. Oh, no, no. Forget pleasing OUR citizens by leaving Afghanistan. Peace needs to be maintained.. remember? So Canada must stay to keep the peace while America, the "land of the free and the home of the brave" (*snort*. Brave.) sits back and watches Canada's already small population dwindle further.
Do they MOCK US?
The US wants peace to be kept forcefully without them having to keep it.. forcefully.
Huh.
Draw your own opinions from that, will you?
With Hilary Clinton's little "slip up", America's true intentions were revealed. A word to the wise, Mrs. Clinton: REHEARSE what you want to say in an interview, speech, whatever. And SAY NO MORE. Like Barack does.
Anyways, I was proud of Mr. Harper this morning when I read that he remained firm in his conviction: Canada will be out of Afghanistan by 2011. After he prorogued parliament last December, MANY Canadians lost hope. Thought he lost some screws. Lost them all, as a matter of fact. But now, as he defies this latest hypocritical request from the US, that hope which was lost has now been rekindled.
As our national anthem says:
O CANADA, WE STAND ON GUARD FOR THEE!
Yes, Mr. Harper, you've got the right idea. DEFEND Canada and its people. Stay strong. Make the right decisions. We knew you could do it, we knew you could prove yourself as our PM.. deep, deep, DEEP down.
And so for now, Mr. Harper, we salute you.
-YouthWorldIMPACT
Monday, March 15, 2010
Aw, man!
So we heard back from the Globe and Mail..
Whew. It was rough.
How were we supposed to know that they're the only Canadian newspaper with a correspondent in Africa? hm.
Oh, well. They emailed us back saying that "their needs are well met in this area" and so they wouldn't need our contribution.
But be informed; our hope has NOT. BEEN. EXTINGUISHED! We still hope to get our work published.. moving on to the Toronto Star/ Scarborough Mirror!
-The next battle has begun! Our path towards publishing a piece for a paper is well under way, and we, the J8 prospects, intend to win.-
Any questions/comments/concerns? Email us at j8prospects@hotmail.com !
We are open to encouraging comments as well as constructive criticism
Whew. It was rough.
How were we supposed to know that they're the only Canadian newspaper with a correspondent in Africa? hm.
Oh, well. They emailed us back saying that "their needs are well met in this area" and so they wouldn't need our contribution.
But be informed; our hope has NOT. BEEN. EXTINGUISHED! We still hope to get our work published.. moving on to the Toronto Star/ Scarborough Mirror!
-The next battle has begun! Our path towards publishing a piece for a paper is well under way, and we, the J8 prospects, intend to win.-
Any questions/comments/concerns? Email us at j8prospects@hotmail.com !
We are open to encouraging comments as well as constructive criticism
-YouthWorldIMPACT
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Our Pitch to the Globe and Mail!
When the Globe and Mail called us back, we were simply elated. It was hard to fathom-the Globe and Mail took the time not only to listen to the message I (Rebecca) left them, but called back and clearly expressed their interest in our endeavours.
It was made clear to us by the Globe that in order to move further towards our goal of publishing a freelance article for them we would need to produce a pitch outlining our plans for the article. And that, we did.
After mass brainstorming :),we'd come up with the heart of the pitch. We knew what we wanted to write about for the paper, we knew what we wanted to tell the world.
Soon thereafter, we sent our pitch to the Globe (Pitch directly below):
To whom it may concern:
Across the globe, there are stories to be told; there's inspiration to be had; there are hearts to be touched. We are Rebecca Etienne, Sasen Efrem, Iffah Elnaz, and Katerina Mizrokhi. We have a story.
Sometimes it's hard to fathom what those across the globe are going through. Sometimes we think we know, but we really don't have much of an idea. To truly comprehend extreme poverty is to almost totally lack monetary solidity. To truly empathize with the starving one must once have starved.
Either of the two aforementioned topics would produce an incredible article, doubtlessly. However, there is another topic that our group (Sasen, Iffah, Katerina and myself) unequivocally believes the world should be made aware of, one that perhaps has not been given by the media the attention it deserves. That topic is foreign aid to Africa via various African governments (which is the most common means of foreign aid to Africa), and why it is not working the way it should.
We as a group wish to write an article for your paper regarding this thought- provoking topic. We strongly believe that the eyes of the public need to be opened in these regards. In our article, we will be referencing the book Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo. Ms. Moyo in her book writes of several highly innovative and realistic ways to maximize the true "aid" foreign aid money brings to African citizens.
We know that we can produce a truly powerful article for your newspaper. We trust that we can change the minds of many of your readers- convince them to invest in any of the several means of foreign aid that will help African citizens. All we ask of you is to do the same: trust our abilities, believe in our potential. We won't fall short of your expectations.
Thank you for your time, and please consider,
Rebecca Etienne, Sasen Efrem, Iffah Elnaz, Katerina Mizrokhi
~ Being proud of this pitch is a huge understatement as to what we felt for it. Now we just have to wait for a response.. CHECK BACK FOR RESULTS!~
>> [Think this is a good topic to write about for the Globe? let us know! We welcome encouraging comments as well as constructive criticism]
It was made clear to us by the Globe that in order to move further towards our goal of publishing a freelance article for them we would need to produce a pitch outlining our plans for the article. And that, we did.
After mass brainstorming :),we'd come up with the heart of the pitch. We knew what we wanted to write about for the paper, we knew what we wanted to tell the world.
Soon thereafter, we sent our pitch to the Globe (Pitch directly below):
To whom it may concern:
Across the globe, there are stories to be told; there's inspiration to be had; there are hearts to be touched. We are Rebecca Etienne, Sasen Efrem, Iffah Elnaz, and Katerina Mizrokhi. We have a story.
Sometimes it's hard to fathom what those across the globe are going through. Sometimes we think we know, but we really don't have much of an idea. To truly comprehend extreme poverty is to almost totally lack monetary solidity. To truly empathize with the starving one must once have starved.
Either of the two aforementioned topics would produce an incredible article, doubtlessly. However, there is another topic that our group (Sasen, Iffah, Katerina and myself) unequivocally believes the world should be made aware of, one that perhaps has not been given by the media the attention it deserves. That topic is foreign aid to Africa via various African governments (which is the most common means of foreign aid to Africa), and why it is not working the way it should.
We as a group wish to write an article for your paper regarding this thought- provoking topic. We strongly believe that the eyes of the public need to be opened in these regards. In our article, we will be referencing the book Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo. Ms. Moyo in her book writes of several highly innovative and realistic ways to maximize the true "aid" foreign aid money brings to African citizens.
We know that we can produce a truly powerful article for your newspaper. We trust that we can change the minds of many of your readers- convince them to invest in any of the several means of foreign aid that will help African citizens. All we ask of you is to do the same: trust our abilities, believe in our potential. We won't fall short of your expectations.
Thank you for your time, and please consider,
Rebecca Etienne, Sasen Efrem, Iffah Elnaz, Katerina Mizrokhi
~ Being proud of this pitch is a huge understatement as to what we felt for it. Now we just have to wait for a response.. CHECK BACK FOR RESULTS!~
>> [Think this is a good topic to write about for the Globe? let us know! We welcome encouraging comments as well as constructive criticism]
-YouthWorldIMPACT
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Our call to the Globe and Mail
So Rebecca started by leaving a message to the Globe and Mail, Publisher Office.
They called back a few days later, telling us what we will need to do to get an article considered in the Globe & Mail.
We need to start with our pitch; what were writing this article for.
Luckily we have Iffah, who is a Writing Wiz! We will all contribute to the pitch, and send it to them in a few days time.
She said she would send our pitch and our article to the editing office, and they will consider us for their newspaper.
~Until then
-YouthWorldIMPACT
They called back a few days later, telling us what we will need to do to get an article considered in the Globe & Mail.
We need to start with our pitch; what were writing this article for.
Luckily we have Iffah, who is a Writing Wiz! We will all contribute to the pitch, and send it to them in a few days time.
She said she would send our pitch and our article to the editing office, and they will consider us for their newspaper.
~Until then
-YouthWorldIMPACT
Friday, February 19, 2010
The Initial Plan:
We were so excited when we learned about the Junior G8 Summit. This was a chance for us to demonstrate our leadership skills, learn about world issues, and possibly have an impact. We are full of ideas and are determined to spread awareness about these issues. In this blog we will be documenting our plans & ideas, events, success and struggles. At the end of our journey we will be able to look at the process and the work involved, and we hope to not only learn more about these issues but also grow as people on our road to the J8 Summit.
Brainstorming Ideas:
Brainstorming Ideas:
- Pamphlets
- Spreading awareness through presentations at elementary schools
- Sending articles to the local paper
- Fundraisers [ To charities such as UNICEF ]
- Youtube channel, regular blogs
- Essay writing; including antithesis, to allow us to not only learn about issues but to hear both sides of a story
- Powerpoint Presentations
-YouthWorldIMPACT
About Me
- YouthWorldIMPACT
- Youth World IMPACT is an endeavour to encourage the youth of today to put forth their thoughts and ideas regarding world issues, feats, and crises. Our hope is to inspire youth by actively supporting assertiveness and confidence in aquired knowledge so that together, we can make a world impact.