“People who are bisexual have to live with the knowledge that they could lose everyone they care about with just two words.” My initial research into what it meant to identify as being bisexual held terrifying promises such as these. Words that I initially dismissed as untrue or perhaps an exaggeration. When I first came…
Abdul Halim al-Attar, Syrian refugee and now the owner of 3 businesses, didn’t have a great start. A photograph of him selling pens on the street in Syria whilst carrying his sleeping daughter went viral throughout the world, sparking sympathy and grief. I remember seeing the picture online a few months ago in August, and…
Within the last year I have personally undergone immense change in my life. A year ago today I was a competitive athlete that trained 6 days a week and went to a school at the other side of the city with a mere 160 kids in grades 9-12. Now I am no longer an athlete…
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held in Le Bourget, Paris from November 30 to December 11. This will be the 11th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty established in Japan in 1997 in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The purpose of…
Intense nostalgia. Wishing to go back in time. Constant reminiscing of the past. All symptoms of growing up. The other day, as I was walking outside, I passed by an old memory. The school I had gone to for my first few years of elementary school. And although I had passed by it nearly everyday…
I was hoping to write this before classes had even started, but as you can tell I have procrastinated once again with my posts on YAA. 61 days have passed since the first day of school and now here I am, writing an open letter to myself before being bombarded with the stress of January…
How accepting my personal development had a positive effect on my life. (Source) I’ve always found myself around effervescent individuals, which seemed strange to me for I’ve never been the type to be truly vivacious. I’ll admit it, I was that quiet art kid who was very attentive but never…
Source It’s easy to admit we live in the digital age, where communication is easier than ever and the ability to share your message is as fast as a click of a button. I can share news-worthy stories within an instant, add my 2 cents to discussions and be tagged in those embarrassing childhood pictures…
Soweto, the name of the South West Township that borders Johannesburg, the city where I was born. Merely thirty kilometers from where I was born, a drastically different country seemingly resides. It’s paradoxical the drastic wealth disparity between the luxurious golf and country estates to the township that many call home. A tour took us past…
I am my biggest enemy. This is a simple truth that applies to every man or women, girl or boy, senior or youth, who has ever lost to self-doubt in any way, shape or form. A lot of the time it is subconscious, we don’t even realize we are hating on ourselves because it has…
I have been thinking a lot lately. I found out that I wanted to create better habits. First of all, I hardly exercise. Secondly, I tend to consume processed foods when I am hungry – horrible idea! I believe it’s time for a change. I know a friend who has been creating a better lifestyle for…
I was recently given the opportunity to participate in a webinar put on by RESULTS Canada designed to train people to advocate for ending world poverty. We have the ability to end poverty by 2030 if countries donate 0.7% of their GNI* as promised when the Millennium Development Goals were set by the United Nations…
I never really knew why we were taught how to write business letters in junior high until I attended a webinar designed to increase advocacy to encourage governments to prioritize ending poverty by 2030. Seem crazy? Well I assure you it is more than possible if we meet the goals we have previously set. Unfortunately…
Changing the world surprisingly isn’t such a far-fetched idea. In fact, people have been doing exactly that for hundreds of years. As long as there is someone willing to speak out for something they believe in, change is possible. And that goes for you too, no matter how old you are. Change is about voice,…
What is happiness? To me, it’s the feeling of my cheeks hurting from smiling too much, it’s the feeling of energy flowing inside of me, it’s the feeling of happy tears falling down my cheeks instead of sad tears. I, personally, have had a hard time finding happiness in my daily life. I wanted to change that. Over…