Away We Go

For the past few years I've watched people around me take off to the farthest destinations in the world. My best friend took off to Japan to teach English, my cousin left to Rwanda to work for the UN, my other friend moved to England permanently, and the list could go on for days. Yet, here I am watching them all fly away as I sit here, in Hamilton Ontario, where I've been all my life, without moving an inch. Sure, I've done those 3 month trips to Trinidad, those minor vacations to Cancun and the Dominican - But where is my purpose? Why haven't I done the thing I want to do most - fly far away, and do something meaningful for people around the world...? The answer to that escapes me. Could it be because school has been my priority since the age of 5? Perhaps. Could it be that I'm so scared to leave what I know best, to venture out to unknown places? Maybe. but the truth is, I am still searching for the answer.

For the past 2 years I've been looking into travelling to India to volunteer in an orphanage I've been connected with for sometime. It has been something I've wanted to do for the past 4 years. In India, a common practice is female infanticide. Another common practice is the orphaning of baby girls. This is because of traditionally held views in most of India, that a girl child is inferior to a boy child, so much so, that people often have abortions based on the sex of the baby, or the baby girls are left to die in the most devastating circumstances. Ever since I learned more about this practice, I have wanted to travel there to work in a girls orphanage and make their lives better however I can.

However, the cost to volunteer, whether in India or another part of the world, is extremely expensive. When I looked into travelling as a volunteer with various programs, the cost to volunteer was over 5000 dollars. Yes that's right, over 5000 dollars to VOLUNTEER. Now, you would think that the bulk of this cost is attributed to food and shelter. But no, I know for a fact that the cost of living in India is very low. The bulk of the cost goes toward placing you in an orphanage as a volunteer, and keeping the program running. Of course, I can understand this, since these are non-profits, they need to make their money somewhere. However I find it hard to swallow that I am unable to volunteer and help people in another country because it costs too much.

But, I can only look around me for continued motivation. I look to my cousin, who always imagined himself working in Africa with refugees, but never thought it would come to pass, until this past summer when he received the acceptance letter, telling him that he was accepted as an intern for the UN, working in a refugee camp in Rwanda. I'm still working my way up to that point, but for now all I can do is keep working to ensure that one day I'll be able to help those people I've been waiting to help. Maybe before that, we'll find a way to volunteer for free? Maybe? I know, its a long shot but who knows.

Girls on Film

In Hollywood, specifically in Disney films, there have been various works of the past that highlight the female character as being the protagonist. This placement of female characters in the lead role can be misleading. In these Disney features, the heroine is idealized at the height of puberty, the evil queen is a middle-aged beauty at the peak of her sexuality and authority, and the elder mother figure is a pear-shaped, old woman representing sacrifice and nurturing. More recently, Pixar has produced various films such as Cars, Toy Story, and The Incredibles, which feature male characters in the lead role. The characters in these films are all striving to become the alpha male, experiencing individual struggles, most of which having to do with competition and power. This difference in gender representation seen in Disney films leads one to speculate on the representations seen in other Hollywood films.

Films that target an older audience also seem to convey a distorted representation of women. Films targeting teenage girls seem to demonstrate similarly unflattering representations. A socialization that occurs at a young age with Disney films, continues at the teenage years. In films and TV targeting young girls, media heroines are increasingly filling role-model functions previously provided by families or churches. Rather than depicting young women in films as being troubled, and irresponsible, it is necessary for these depictions of girls to be as strong, capable and competent women. If teenage girls are looking to films and heroines as examples, then it is the responsibility of the film industry to provide these girls with a strong model of femininity, in order to socialize them positively. As we move increasingly toward a world in which media holds more and more power, it should be understood then that the media holds a certain social responsibility, especially to their most vulnerable audiences; youth.

Make Trade Fair...

I’d like to invite all of you to take a minute out of your busy schedules to put the world into perspective. When we imagine the world, there are two things that can come to mind. The idea of the rich living in wealth, and the idea of the impoverished, struggling to live while surrounded by fear and death every day of their lives. When we live in a society that we as Canadians do, it is easy to ignore the idea of the third world, hunger and extreme poverty. But it is up to us, to say WHAT CAN WE DO? It is up to us to explore the causes of this global inequality in which we live. By exploring the causes, we can easier find a resolution.

Now more than ever, the gap between the rich and poor nations of the world is wider. If the two categories of these nations were to be compared, the difference in economy, living conditions and quality of life would be uncanny. The living conditions in the poorest countries are becoming increasingly worse. With factors devastating their quality of life, it is hard to say if they can ever recover. But, there is a way for these nations to recover. The process seems impossible in the state that we live in today, surrounded by war, natural disasters, and epidemics. But, it is up to us, the developed nations, to make a change and look at the possibilities that lie ahead. Global inequality is as much of a tragedy as any of the natural disasters that have so recently taken place, but there are factors that contribute to this global inequality that can and must be eliminated.

"Rich countries dump subsidized produce on developing countries, driving down the price of local produce - with devastating effects on the local economy. This unlevel playing field has made many poor farmers even poorer, or forced them off their land completely." (www.maketradefair.com)

The trade rules that have been regulated against farmers in less developed countries affects the living of the farmers themselves as well as the entire local economy. These rich countries export subsidized produce to these nations, which eliminates the jobs of the farmers as their locally produced goods have decreased in price and demand. Also, the local economy suffers as the demand is placed on more expensive imported goods. As a result, the cost of everyday living increases, making it hard for most to survive.

Along with the dumping of subsidized produce on impoverished nations, another devastating factor is that some of the richest countries control poor countries' share of the world market by implementing higher taxes on imports. Because of this, a large fraction of poor countries can only afford to export raw materials, allowing for a far lower income than the finished goods exported from industrialized nations. Have you begun to ask yourself how this is fair? Well the answer is, it is not.

Visit www.maketradefair.com to find out more.