#youeffect

Jack Layton: The Man of Hope, Love and Optimism

While all my friends are enjoying the summer, hanging out at the beach, going out to the malls, attending concerts, visiting family and friends before school starts, I am busy working on a campaign as the election season has begun in Canada. While working, organizing and gearing up for Election Day, I realized that on this day, August 22, a man name Jack Layton, who was one of my inspirations, passed away four years ago. It’s hard to believe that such a passionate man like Jack Layton, who was a politician and former leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Canada is gone. He was one of the reasons why I wanted to pursue a career and education in politics. I remember when I heard about his death, I was in the living room watching the news with my dad, we were both shocked about his passing, and we didn’t know what to say. I remember my dad telling me stories how he met Jack in many local community events and how Jack was a people’s person. He would approach an individual and treat them like a human being; he would listen to their stories and concerns. He was the type of guy you can go out for coffee with and just discuss about current issues. Unfortunately, I did not meet Jack Layton, but the stories I heard about him from people that met him including my dad, watching and reading the news made me realize that Jack Layton was an amazing person who cared about Canadians, especially the youth, which we sometimes rarely hear from politicians. Jack was a huge advocate for getting young Canadians involved in politics because he knew we were the generation of today. Before his passing, Jack Layton left a special message to his young Canadians by stating:

“All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.”

It is clear that we young people are the champions for change. If you are someone that is passionate about making a change, follow your dreams, be hopeful and be optimistic, just like Jack Layton. Hope and optimism is something that resulted in Jack Layton to be one of the most successful Canadian politicians in the past years, as he was a huge advocate for women’s rights, youth rights, homelessness and poverty. Hope and optimism were the defining pivotal moment in his political career that allowed the NDP to become the first official opposition party of Canada. If you have something that you are so passionate about, like for example Malala Yousafzai who is a huge advocate for girls’ education, fight until that dream becomes a reality because the only person that can make that reality is yourself. One way of making your dreams a reality is exercising your right through voting. With many countries across the world, such as Canada, United States, and etc., who are gearing up for elections, it is important that young people vote as it demonstrates to many politicians that we care about change and this type of action will allow politicians to see that we, young people actually care and will find ways of creating policies that would be relatable towards the youth. Besides voting, a great way of getting involved and getting your dreams and ideas to be heard is volunteering and getting involved during election time. Going out and volunteering at a political campaign office demonstrates that you are passionate for change, this will show the politician that you are ready for change and this also shows that you care about matters that are close to you. Also, volunteering in a campaign office will allow you to bring your ideas to the candidate that are running in your area because once he or she gets elected they can bring up your ideas up either the house of commons, congress or governmental insitutitons. At the end of the day, being involved not just politically, but being involved in your school, local community centre, different organizations and etc., will allow you to share your ideas and to meet people alike that can share your passion and dreams.

Just remember if you feel like giving up, or you feel that no one is listening to your ideas, or your being brought down, I always remember and look back at what Jack Layton said in his letter before his death: “love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

Malala Yousafzai Has Just Aced her GCSEs

Is there anything this girl can’t do? After becoming the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner, together with Indian child rights campaigner Kailash Satyarthi, for their work risking for children’s rights, and showing immense bravery after being shot by the Taliban. Yousafzai has become one of the world’s best-known female education rights campaigner and she can add another thing to her resume, for acing her GCSE exams.

The 18 year old girl education advocate achieved an impressive 6 A* and 4 As, including Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Geography, while busy opening an all-girls school in Lebanon for Syrian refugees, working on her Malala Foundation, campaigning for world leaders to prioritize in achieving universal education. Seriously, when I was 18 I was struggling to figure out the value of x in Algebra, making sure I don’t burn the school down in Chemistry class and on top of that choosing which university to go to.

Her proud father Ziauddin Yousafzai broke the news on Twitter with a sweet message: “ My wife Toor Pekai and I are proud of Malala getting 6 A*s and 4 As. #education for every child.”

Last year at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony she said, “Why is it that countries which we call strong are so powerful in creating wars but are so weak to bringing peace? Why is it that giving guns is so easy, but giving books is so hard?”

She also said that whilst at school that she and her classmates would doodle mathematical formulas and equations. That explains so much as to why she did so well in Math. I wished I did that when I was struggling with Math in high school. Luckily for me I managed to do pretty well in university Math thanks to my amazing teachers in high school and professors at Brock University!

Oh behalf of YOU Effect, Congratulation Malala Yousafzai, you are an inspiration to many girls out there including myself. Keep fighting until every girl and boy gets an education, because as Nelson Mandela would say “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Malala Yousafzai Has Just Aced her GCSEs

Is there anything this girl can’t do? After becoming the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner, together with Indian child rights campaigner Kailash Satyarthi, for their work risking for children’s rights, and showing immense bravery after being shot by the Taliban. Yousafzai has become one of the world’s best-known female education rights campaigner and she can add another thing to her resume, for acing her GCSE exams.

The 18 year old girl education advocate achieved an impressive 6 A* and 4 As, including Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Geography, while busy opening an all-girls school in Lebanon for Syrian refugees, working on her Malala Foundation, campaigning for world leaders to prioritize in achieving universal education. Seriously, when I was 18 I was struggling to figure out the value of x in Algebra, making sure I don’t burn the school down in Chemistry class and on top of that choosing which university to go to.

Her proud father Ziauddin Yousafzai broke the news on Twitter with a sweet message: “ My wife Toor Pekai and I are proud of Malala getting 6 A*s and 4 As. #education for every child.”

Last year at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony she said, “Why is it that countries which we call strong are so powerful in creating wars but are so weak to bringing peace? Why is it that giving guns is so easy, but giving books is so hard?”

She also said that whilst at school that she and her classmates would doodle mathematical formulas and equations. That explains so much as to why she did so well in Math. I wished I did that when I was struggling with Math in high school. Luckily for me I managed to do pretty well in university Math thanks to my amazing teachers in high school and professors at Brock University!

Oh behalf of YOU Effect, Congratulation Malala Yousafzai, you are an inspiration to many girls out there including myself. Keep fighting until every girl and boy gets an education, because as Nelson Mandela would say “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Caitlyn Jenner delivers powerful speech at ESPY Awards

Sorry Kim Kardashian, but Caitlyn Jenner is officially my favourite Kardashian/Jenner family member.  Caitlyn Jenner called for acceptance on Wednesday night as she delivered a powerful speech at the ESPY Awards.

Jenner’s segment began with a montage narrated by “Mad Men” star Jonn Hamm. “People were looking for a hero to believe in and there he was,” Hamm said as images of Jenner participating in the Olympics games played. “Bruce Jenner made patriotism cool again.”

As the montage wrapped, the camera panned to a teary eyed Jenner in the audience. “Wow. I have to talk after that?” she said.

“Thank you so much. It is so wonderful to be here tonight. Now the last few months have been a whirlwind of so many different experiences and emotions, but to tell you the truth it seems like every time I turn around in life I’m putting myself in high-pressure situations,” she opened.

“I’ve never felt more pressure. Picking out this outfit- OK girls, I get it!” she joked. “And next the ‘Fashion Police.” Please be kind on me, I’m new at this.” (Dont worry Jenner I have a feeling Joan Rivers is smiling up  there in heavens and proud of you for coming out and accepting who you are!).

But Jenner’s acceptance speech took a serious turn when she addressed bullying, suicide and murder plaguing the transgender community. “The real truth is before a few months ago, I had never met anybody elese who was trans, who was like me. I had never met a trans person, never. As you saw, I dealth with my situation on my own, in private,” she explained. “It’s been eye-opening… inspiring, but also frightening.”

“Transgender people are getting bullied. They’re getting beaten up. They’re getting murdered and they’re committing suicide,” she continued.

She encouraged the audience to accept people for “who they are.”

“My plea to you tonight is to join me and make this one of your issues as well. We start with education. I was fortunate to meet Arthur Ashe a few times and I know how important education was to him. I know people in this room have respect for hard work. This transition has been harder on me than anything I could have imagined. Trans people deserve soemthing vital- they deserve your respect. And from that respect, comes a more compassionate community, a more empahtetic society and a better world for all of us.”

Before exiting the stage, the 65-year-old made sure to thank her family- as the camera cut to Kim and Khloe Kardashian and Kendall, Kylie (who was captured wiping away tears) and Brody Jenner- for all their support.

“I’d like to thank my family. The biggest fear I’ve always had in coming out is that I never wanted to hurt anyone else. Most of all my family and kids. I always wanted my children to be so proud of their dad. You guys have given so much back to me, you have given me so much support. I am so, so grateful to have all of you in my life. Thank you.”

After thanking her mother, Esther, Jenner saluted the athletic community.

“It is an honor to have the word courage associated with my life. Another word I have is fortunate. I owe a lot to sports. It has given me an identity. If someone wanted to bully me [back then], it didn’t matter because I was the MVP. Same thing goes tonight, if you wanna make jokes, go ahead, I can take it. But for the kids out there coming to terms with being true to who they are, they shouldn’t have to take it.”

“It’s about what happens from here. It’s not just about one person. It’s about thousands of people. It’s not just about me, it’s about all of us accepting one and another. We’re all different, thats not a bad thing- that’s a good thing.”

Caitlyn Jenner you are an inspiration to so many people out there and your speech has touch not just myself, but many boys and girls out there and inspired myself and others to accept who we are and to love ourselves. Cause LOVE is the only thing that matters! You are the perfect definition of courage.  Thank you Caitlyn Jenner for sharing your story and being a positive role models to transgender community and many out there who are struggling to find acceptance and confidence within themselves. If you want to know more about transgender community please visit these sites below.

Resources: 

http://www.glaad.org/transgender/transfaq

http://www.familyservicetoronto.org/programs/dks/res_trans.html

http://tgeu.org

http://www.advocate.com/transgender

Maisie Williams gives speech to Feminism at #likeagirl launch

As a big fan of Game of Thrones, I am pleased to see that Maisie Williams aka Arya Stark is joining the ranks of famous feminist such as Emma Watson, Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson, and many more.

  British actress Maisie Williams gave a rousing speech on feminism at the launch of a new campaign advertisement aimed at empowering young women.

  The “Game of Thrones” star has become a brand ambassador for feminine hygiene product company Always, and she helped the company unveil its new #likeagirl advert in New York City this week.

  During the launch of the film, which aims to highlight how many women feel limited by society’s expectation of them, Williams, 18 urged fellow young females to aim high with their goals and dreams.

  She said, “It’s time for girls to be free; free to nurture and celebrate whatever qualities and talents make them different. It’s the most liberating time moving into adulthood. But that transition should not happen with labels and expectations, but with an open heart and mind… Confidence gives us what we need in life. So build yours, protect yours, fight for yours, grab it with both hands and hold it like the course of your future depends on it. Because it does… The world is desperate for leaders, male and female. It’s not about gender, its about purpose… The Like a Girl movement has done so much to elevate the conversation. Girls, we have to stick together, please support each other… You’re allowed to be the most important person in your story.”

  Right on Arya, Maisie Williams! Girls we got to stick together, support each other and encourage one another to follow our dreams.

Check out this video of Arya  Maisie Williams discuss why she is part of the #LikeaGirlcampaign: 

  Also check out the lastest ad from Always #LikeaGirl:

Millennial: You need to listen to this!

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie dropped some awesome feminist knowledge in a speech at Wellesley College’s graduation ceremony on May 29th.

In the speech, award-winning author discussed feminism, male privilege, and daring to speak your mind.

Adichie said that she understood from a young age that the world did not cater to women they way it does men. She knew “that men were not inherently bad or evil. They were merely privileged. And I knew that privilege blinds because it is the nature of privilege to blind.”

She later on told the crowd of recent graduates that they too now hold a certain privilege after graduating from prestigious women’s college. “No matter what your background. That degree, and the experience of being here, is a privilege,” she said. “Don’t let it blind you too often. Sometimes you will need to push it aside in order to see clearly.”

Adichie went on to give life advice to inspire minds and motivate action, telling the audience: “ I urge you to try and create the world you want to live in… Minister to the world in a way that can change it. Minister radically in a real, active, practical, get your hands dirty way.”

She continues, by listing a number of ways in which the recent grads can take the real world by storm:

“Write television shows in which female strength is not depicted as remarkable but merely normal. Teach your students to see that vulnerability is a human rather than a female trait.”

“Commission magazine articles that teach men how to keep a woman happy. Because there are already too many articles that tell women how to keep a man happy.”

“Campaign and agitate for paid paternity leave everywhere in America.”

“Hire more women where there are few. But remember that a woman you hire doesn’t have to be exceptionally good. Like a majority of the men who get hired, she just needs to be good enough.”

Adichie reminded the audience that feminism really is for everybody. “Feminism should be an inclusive party. Feminism should be a party full of different feminisms,” she said, adding “And so, class of 2015, please go out there and make feminism a big, raucous, inclusive party.”

Adichie concluded the address on a beautiful and poignant note, telling the young women that the most important thing in the world is love, but remembering to give love and take love is key. “Now girls are often raised to see love only giving. Women are praised for their love when that love is an act of giving. But to love is to give and to take,” she said. “Please love by giving and by taking. Give and be given. If you are only giving and not taking, you’ll know. You’ll know from that small and true voice inside you that we females are often socialized to silence.”

Adicihie finished her speech by telling the crowd: “Don’t silence that voice. Dare to take.”