In honour of the resiliency and courage humanity has against everyday atrocities, Youth Are Awesome has come together to present to you a compilation of our humble prayers for the world. Each prayer symbolizes a component of humanism that perhaps further needs to be developed within the people of our planet; each prayer symbolic in…
Imagine yourself cheerfully living your life without producing any garbage whatsoever, in your house and outside. Furthermore, imagine yourself creating your own homemade, chemical-free, hygienic and cleaning products, including makeup, shampoos, and toilet cleaners, with the comfort of knowing that you aren’t polluting the world. The zero waste, or waste-free, lifestyle is defined by…
On Saturday April 9th, I boarded a plane destined for Ottawa with one of my best friends in tow (shoutout to Furyal!!). I think it’s safe to say that I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into at that point. Two months prior, Furyal approached me about Encounters With Canada over Facebook Messenger,…
So I wanna quit piano. And you’re probably reading this right now thinking “Big deal, you want to quit. Why do I care?” Well, I should probably give you some background info. You see, piano was the first instrument I learned. My sister played it, and she taught me a few basics,…
Introducing: Hafsah Syed, April 2016 Blogger of the Month! Not too long ago, I had the enlightening opportunity to get to know outstanding Youth Are Awesome blogger Hafsah Syed. (actually, we chatted on her 17th birthday!) We sat down at Good Earth Coffeehouse, and didn’t end up eating or drinking anything, but I still learned…
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Storybook Theater’s rendition of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. I walked out of the theater with a single collective emotion: horror. The audience was able to journey with the characters through their spiral into insanity and with the close proximity of the actors to the audience,…
Happy Army Day everybody! Did YOU know that today is Army day? I posed this question to a lot of my friends, and their answers mainly consisted of… “no”‘. I was also unaware of this day of appreciation until recently, and it’s safe to say that the significance of those who form the army is…
On Thursday, March 17th, my friend and I had the opportunity to attend the Calgary Philharmonic’s show “Rush Hour // Northern Exposure: Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor” down at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Totally spontaneous (shoutout to our band teacher, Mr. Gingrich, for the tickets!), we headed down to the concert hall for…
Recently, at the end of August of last year, I moved from Edmonton to Calgary. Now this was not my first rodeo as I haven’t really lived in the same place for more than three years of my life. I was born in New Delhi, and then I moved to Houston, then to San Francisco,…
If you immediately assumed this article to be an advertisement, or perhaps just more internet spam, you would not be entirely wrong. I admit this with some degree of shame; generally, I take great lengths to avoid being the person who is constantly popping up on your Facebook page or Twitter feed, the one you see in…
Religion has always been a fundamental aspect of identity, community and worldview. It has formed nations and destroyed them. It has driven people to explore new lands and also to close their borders. Religious beliefs, or even lack thereof, ultimately shapes our understanding of those around us, our interaction with others and ultimately the entire…
There is something to learn anytime and anywhere. Knowledge sprouts on the tiny buds rising to greet the sun and the waters that battle each other during the stormy nights. It’s chirped by the morning birds flying past your window each morning and by the tiny ants that scramble and work together to collect the…
February 14th 2016 marked the day of the Democratic primary election in New Hampshire, winning by 60.4% against his opponent Hillary Clinton. Making Bernie Sanders officially one of the front runners in the Democratic race. After entering America’s Presidential Election on April 30th 2015, Sanders was considered an underdog, starting out with only 7% of predicted…
Debate. What a great idea. I mean, as my debate coach says ; “50 kids in a room who all like to talk. What could possibly go wrong?” So yes, debate can get a tad bit chaotic. But it’s actually a really amazing experience, and one that I think everyone should at least try at…
(Disclaimer: All ideas expressed are my own and sources for facts are provided throughout the article. I am not a professional counsellor and therefore if you are finding it difficult to cope with loss, please seek professional help. The Distress Centre’s ConnecTeen program is a great resource.) [source] On Saturday, February 6th, Calgary was rocked with the news…