How Will You Create Positive Change

“How Will YOU Create Positive Change?”

By Leah Oviedo

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Is there something negative about your community or the world that you want to change? The good news is that YOU ARE CPABALE of making that happen. Real sustainable change happens when we consciously choose to change our individual lives and make different decisions. Through our personal actions we create a ripple effect, we become role models, and we inspire others to see how they can succeed by showing them what works. If you want to make a positive difference in the life of others you must lead by example.

The founders of 16 amazing organizations, programs, and social movements have shared their experience with how they created positive change and what inspired them to act. They shared what obstacles they overcame and the results of all that work. From their stories you will have a blueprint of how to get involved and create positive change.

The role models in this book are not famous and don‘t have millions of dollars. They are not politicians or CEO‘s of large corporations. The media doesn‘t report their every move in the news, yet they are creating change that affects you, me, and billions of people. They are human rights activists, environmentalists, health activists, youth mentors, educators, innovators, and community leaders. They are different genders, ages, and skin colors. They live in different countries and have different beliefs. What they share in common is taking action to solve a problem. They consciously chose to make our world happier, healthier, safer, and accepting of others. They were not simply handed an opportunity, but instead saw problems and created solutions.

At the end of the book is information to help you take that first step and some resources to help you succeed.

My hope is this inspires you to be a force of change for good. Always remember that you are capable. Follow your passion to people and places who can guide you on your path. It has been said many times that you must actively be the change you want to see(in your personal life, community, and the world) for that change to happen. Wishing for and hoping will not make change. Learn from these amazing people.

Take that first step and see what you can create.

Change is up to you. *As you read please keep in mind that not all of the people in this book

write or speak English as their first language.

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Jasmine Gray of Jaz’s Jammies & More Than Skin Deep pg.4 Frank Baird of Walk a Mile in Her Shoes pg.7 Ameila Roskin Frazee of Make it Safe pg.11 Ryland King of Sprout Up pg.13 Lauren Parsekian & Molly Thompson of the Kind Campaign pg.16 Ian Quinn of Halt the Hate pg.19 Maria Mejia an AIDS and HIV activist pg.22 Emily May of Hollaback pg.26 Tun Sukonthamarn Flancman of PooPoo Paper pg.29 Shadrak Kyobe of Empower And Care Organization, EACO pg.31 Nakisha Varlack-Harris of Girl Power United pg.35 Katia Gomez of Educate 2 Envision pg.38 Ron Tinsley of Prophetik Soul pg.41 Linda Le of San Diego Veg Fest pg.44 Christopher McFadden Jr. Youth Mentor pg.47 Kirin Macapugay of BIBAK Youth pg.50 - It’s Up To You pg.55

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Jasmine Gray “Jaz’s Jammies” and “More Than Skin Deep” Jasmine Gray is the founder of Jaz‘s Jammies which provides free, new pajamas to children who experience extended stays in hospitals and shelters. She was inspired from her own experiences with fighting a rare and painful birth defect AVM(Arteriovenous Malformation). More Than Skin Deep is a documentary she is creating to share the story of herself and others who are fighting AVM, including her surgeon and his search for a cure.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? I was inspired to start Jaz‘s Jammies Inc. after spending months in the hospital battling a rare birth defect called Arteriovenous Malformation. I continued to be as active as I could in Girl Scouts throughout the years, and when it was time to do our senior community service project, I decided to address the need for more comfort for those staying extended periods of time in the hospital.

More Than Skin Deep was inspired by my specialist James Suen at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences telling me that at 71-yearsold he was determined to find a cure for Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) and then retire. He was building a super team of doctors and scientist for the task. I felt the world needed to know about their efforts and about the patients surviving and thriving with AVM. I decided to put the M.A. in TV/Film that I had recently earned from Syracuse University to a good cause, and document it all.

What steps did you take to create your program? To create Jaz Jammies Inc., I first completed a pajama drive as a Girl Scout Gold Award project, and we collected over 850 pairs of pajamas. Then, I decided to continue the drive by partnering with the school I was attending for undergrad, Middle Tennessee State University. The school‘s Office of Leadership and Development allowed me to have collection boxes in various buildings and also paid for flyers. I also developed relationships with campus groups who collected pajamas on behalf of our organization. Then, while at Syracuse, I submitted the necessary paperwork to become a 501c3.

For More Than Skin Deep, I created an fundraiser with the intention of raising $5,000 toward the documentary. With the help of Indiegogo and other personal/organizational contributions, we were able to raise $10,000. This money has gone toward purchasing a camera and filming

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of short films featuring AVM survivors. Then, these films will be used to garner awareness and secure a partner to fund the full-length documentary.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? With Jaz‘s Jammies, one obstacle was making sure that communities and people on campus were aware that the drive was going on so that we would have enough people collecting pajamas.

With More Than Skin Deep, one obstacle was finding the funding to move forward with production. We have at least been able to gather enough resources to start the process.

What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take? The hardest problem to solve with Jaz‘s Jammies is maintaining the same level of pajama collection each year. Because my family and I have the majority of the responsibility with the small size of Jaz‘s Jammies at this point, it can be hard to complete all the work necessary to keep the pajamas rolling in. It is a matter of people knowing about the organization and taking the time to collect.

With More Than Skin Deep, the hardest problems revolve around being able to follow the most compelling AVM survivors and getting a network or other partner to get involved with providing the funding needed to complete the film. Production cost can mount with travel and other expenses. Even though technology has made filming cheaper, it still costs travel to different locations, have the necessary equipment and complete the post production necessary to create a high quality film project.

What must you do to stay operational? With Jaz‘s Jammies, now that we have a solid foundation, we need to create partnerships with other organizations that have access to people who could create pajama drives on behalf of the organization. We also need to develop a strong board that can provide the knowledge and resources needed to expand the organizational infrastructure of the organization.

More Than Skin Deep has to continue filming with AVM patients, continue to build buzz around the films progress, and the capitalize with partnerships that yield access to funding and distribution sources.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? My faith and dependence on God have allowed me the emotional and spiritual foundation I‘ve needed

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to overcome my personal obstacles and the opportunities needed to further my goals. My family – parents, sister, extended family – and loved ones have been instrumental in giving me the support and encouragement needed along the way.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? The best advice I can give you is look at the obstacles you have survived in your life and ask yourself, ―how can I use all of these things to make a positive impact in someones life?‖ ―What lessons have I learned and how can I find creative ways to pass those lessons on to those around me?‖ Make sure you have a strong spiritual foundation and a few people you can trust because this will carry you through the challenges you will face as you begin your journey to starting your own program.

What else should we know about your work? Jaz‘s Jammies and More Than Skin Deep both need passionate, hardworking people to keep the nonprofit and film project moving forward. Jaz‘s Jammies needs people who can host drives, create events, or otherwise participate.

More Than Skin Deep needs creative minds of all kinds to create an awareness movement for rare vascular abnormalities around this film.

Please go to www.JazsJammies.org and www.MoreThanSkinDeep.me to find out more.

Email jazsjammies@gmail.com or morethanskindeepmovie@gmail.com to get involved.

Follow on Twitter at @MoreThanAVM

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Frank Baird “Walk a Mile In Her Shoes” Frank Baird created a program to involve men in ending sexual assault and violence towards women. Walk a Mile In Her Shoes is an ―international march to stop rape, sexual assault, and gender violence‖.

Men participate by actually walking a mile in women‘s high heel shoes.

This is not to prove that men can handle pain. It is an opportunity for whole communities to talk about violence against women. Gender and sexual violence can be uncomfortable to talk about. With these marches, both victims and those who would like to pretend it doesn‘t exist are given a chance to create long term change in their communities and support local rape crisis centers.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? Most perpetrators of sexualized violence are men, but most men are not perpetrators. I was working as a therapist at a rape crisis center that helped women overcome the negative effects of sexualized violence. The organization had a prevention education program, but it was small and the typical didactic information spoken at people instead of with them. Experiential education is much more effective than didactic information, so I wanted to create an education program that was dramatic, impactful and could reach more and more men, something with publicity power. Typical prevention education programs require an organization to actively outreach. If we could develop a program that was so interesting people would seek us out, we could spend more time educating rather than looking for opportunities to educate.

What steps did you take to create your program? We wanted to create an opportunity for men to want to become involved in efforts to end sexualized violence. We wanted to avoid traditional didactic information that "talks at" instead of "with." We wanted to create an experience that has greater impact and memorability than simple didactic information.

We thought it would be fun to use the metaphor, "you can't really understand a person's experience until you walk a mile in their shoes," and have men literally walk one mile in women's high heeled shoes. Patti Dengler and I explored and developed how it would work, how we would insure that men and onlookers would have the experience we intended and get the messages we intended. Then we pitched the idea to small groups of women and men. We wanted to get the first reaction when

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someone heard about this. When that went well, we enlisted the aid of a local rape crisis center and organized the first Walk a Mile in Her ShoesÂŽ Event in 2001 in the San Fernando Valley in California.

Following the first Walk Event, the enthusiasm of the organizers and the participants spread throughout California as everyone talked about the event and and their experience of it. Walk Events began in California, then in a few other states and Canada. Once we put up a web page where people world-wide could get information on the Walk and see pictures of men in heels that legitimized this effort, the momentum gained exponentially.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome?

Obstacles we overcame: Uncertainty that this was a good idea.

Uncertainty that this idea would actually get men involved in ending sexualized violence.

Uncertainty that this idea would be understood as a sincere effort and not parody.

Uncertainty that men would actually learn something from the experience.

Uncertainty that this idea would actually raise funds for local rape crisis centers or domestic violence shelters.

Recruiting local rape crisis centers, some of whom were suspicious of men who claimed to be interested in helping with this cause.

Making sure the press got the intended message and did not distort or mis-report.

Figuring out how to coordinate world-wide efforts with next to no money and nearly no staff.

How to expand the message and effectiveness of Walk Events.

Making money for headquarters in addition to all the local organizations.

Ok, we haven't overcome that obstacle yet. Except for registration fees and a few donations here and there, all the money raised by Walk Events goes to the local rape crisis center or domestic violence shelter beneficiary. We are still trying to figure out how our headquarters can earn more money so we can further develop the Walk and its effectiveness.

What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take? The hardest problem to solve has been coordinating world-wide efforts with an extremely small staff at headquarters. We have managed to automate some tasks, but we continue to have to manually process Walk

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Event registrations, personally return lots of phone calls and emails, both from would-be and ongoing organizers and press.

We must also follow up to make sure no one is organizing an unauthorized Walk Event or taking our idea and using it to raise funds for some other cause like breast cancer. While we respect the efforts being made to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer, our Walk is specifically designed to raise awareness and funds for chronically underfunded rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters.

What must you do to stay operational? Staying operational requires diligent ongoing work to keep our project in circulation, maintaining its relevance, improving it and expanding its effectiveness, both as an educational program and a fundraiser. We receive little income ourselves, All monies raised by a Walk Event goes to the local rape crisis center or domestic violence shelter beneficiary. We only make money on Walk Event registrations (to pay for staff to process the registrations) and donations. Because we operate with little money, it requires us to continually be inspired by the efforts of organizers around the world to keep us dedicating far more hours than we will ever be paid for. These kinds of projects require ongoing heart and community to support the meaningfulness and enthusiasm.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? The most outstanding contributor has been my wife, Patti Dengler. She continues to both inspire me and provide valuable strategic and logistical support. She is the former Executive Director of a Rape Crisis center and a master at organizing and networking.

Bernie Fatla at LeDame Shoes has made sure our Walk Events have women's high heeled shoes in men's shoe sizes.

The greatest contributions have been made by the many many organizers world-wide who have taken up this campaign in their own communities. Small Walk Events and large Walk Events are happening world-wide because because local organizers have recognized this campaign is a great way to involve men in efforts to end sexualized violence, to educate their communities about causes, remedies and treatments for sexualized violence and to raise funds for their local rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters. Without those enthusiastic, dedicated and hard-working individuals and organizations, there would not be an International Walk a Mile in Her ShoesÂŽ. Sharing their ideas,

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experiences and photographs have generated interest and built networks that have lasted well beyond their Walk Event.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? If by "similar program" you mean "something that will excite and involve the world in doing good," then I'd say, search your heart for great compassion. Where you find it, take action. Don't take action alone, though. You can gain strength and momentum in community. Find like-minded individuals and communities.

Excite them with the possibilities of your ideas and invite them to join you in taking action. Starting your project, then, will be the least of your accomplishments in transforming the world into a better place.

Frank Baird, Walk Founder Walk a Mile in Her ShoesÂŽ a project of Venture Humanity, Inc. 32119 Beachlake Lane Westlake Village, CA 91361 www.WalkaMileInHerShoes.org Phone: 800/604-1218 Fax: 888/688-1274 Join us on Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/Walk-a-Mile-in-HerShoes/128826218866?ref=ts Follow us on Twitter: @WAMIHS

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Amelia Roskin Frazee “Make it Safe” What happens to teenagers who don‘t have any positive resources when they come out as or realize they are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, or Questioning their sexuality(LGBTQ)? They feel scared. It‘s terrible that anyone should feel afraid because of discriminatory beliefs about their sexuality. But we can stop discrimination and bullies by creating support in our schools. That is what Amelia Roskin-Frazee did. She created the Make It Safe Project, which donates books on sexual orientation and gender identity to schools and youth homeless shelters.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? I got involved in activism after I came out. When I got mixed reactions, I decided to start my middle school‘s Gay-Straight Alliance and later became a Student Ambassador for The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

After the 2011 suicide of Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old who was bullied for being gay, I decided I wanted to do more to help LGBT students feel safe. The idea of sending books to schools came to me when I went to my school‘s library in search of books about being LGBT and discovered that not only was there a lack of books in my school, but a lack of books in schools and youth homeless shelters nationwide.

What steps did you take to create your program? I spent hours combing the internet for resources that are good for LGBT teens. I read through dozens of books, both fiction and nonfiction, to pick the best ten to include in my boxes. I designed and maintain my website, raise awareness in media and in my school about bullying, reach out to youth homeless shelters, handle donations, and most importantly, talk to the teens who send us e-mails with their stories. Listening to what other people my age have to say is the greatest part of the project for me.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? Every beginning organization struggles to get funding and publicity. Beyond those challenges, not everyone agrees with The Make It Safe Project‘s goal to make schools and shelters a safe and healthy environment for all children. Many of the schools we send books to refused to pay for resources themselves. It can be hard for students to come forward and request books when they have been discouraged. However, with every new article about The Make It Safe Project, more teens find us and can get the books they desperately need.

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What must you do to stay operational? I continue to raise awareness about the need for LGBT-related books in schools, frequently update my website, and reach out to youth homeless shelters.

Donations of any size are wonderful and helpful. You can donate on our website,www.makeitsafeproject.org. You can also simply share the link with your friends, on Facebook, or on other social networking sites.

Little things like that can make a huge impact.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? While I am the founder and president of The Make It Safe Project, I would not call it a solo project.

Every person who has taken part–whether they have donated, posted the link on their Facebook page, or shared their stories on our website–is part of the team. We are all working towards equality for all.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? Go for it. You can make a difference. Also remember that education is the key to ending bullying. Doing work with schools is enormously important. www.MakeItSafeProject.org Facebook: TheMakeItSafeProject Twitter: @MakeItSafeLGBT

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Ryland King “Sprout Up” Ryland King founded Sprout Up to instill knowledge and appreciation about the environment in young children. He is encouraging a new generation to preserve our world. This free program is offered in elementary schools, teaching children in their earliest years of development. Each student starts with a seed they plant and care for during the program. Through games, discussions, and lessons children learn to care for their environment at school and home.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? Two ―Thank you‘s‖ started it all.

As junior in high school, I taught at a local surf camp, where I developed a special connection with a developmentally disabled child. In our week-long journey together, the little boy overcame his fear of the shoreline, conquering the surf and finding his passion.

After signing out the last camper, the child‘s mom and dad walked up to me, and with a tone overcome with emotion, told me, ―Thank you.‖ Their son had connected better with them that week than ever before, and they were going to continue coming down to the beach to further what had blossomed in their son.

In that moment, I learned that the promise of teaching youth extends beyond the individual student, significantly impacting the lives of parents and the actions of the community as a whole.

Two years later, I was walking out of a 2nd grade classroom after teaching a sequence of environmental education lessons and felt a tug on the bottom of his shirt. I turned around to look into two young hazel eyes staring at me behind coke-bottle-thick glasses and a beaming bucktooth smile. The girl looking up at me said, ―Ryland, thank you,‖ and embraced me in a heartfelt hug. From that, the vision blossomed.

A group of motivated college students then got together and turned my vision into their mission, and founded Sprout Up--a nonprofit aimed at promoting environmental stewardship throughout communities, from the youngest members of society up.

Since, we‘ve journeyed together from our first class of 25 kids to teaching thousands of kids across California, bringing hundreds of

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passionate friends on board along the way.

Today, it‘s the countless ―Thank you‘s‖ our team exchanges with kids, teachers, parents, and communities that continues to shape our story everyday.

What steps did you take to create your program? The first step to creating a program is to get it on paper. Draw it out. After begin showing it to friends and colleagues and continue making new iterations for improvement. In simple terms, this is everything you need to do.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? In the early days of Sprout Up, the biggest challenge we faced was demonstrating to elementary school teachers, administrators, and parents that we were serious about building a long-term partnership with the school system, and about offering our program completely free of charge. Since we hadn‘t yet proven ourselves, it felt like our youth was actually working against us, as many who agreed to meet with us were skeptical about our commitment and ability to execute on the vision we presented. Once we broke into our first few classrooms, however, perceptions rapidly began to change.

What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take?

Running a nonprofit organization while managing a full university course load over the past three years has taught me a lot about the importance of personal sustainability. It‘s been overwhelming at times, but I‘ve always remembered to take a minute to enjoy the little things in life, share smiles, and communicate with my teammates with 100% honesty.

The most important thing I‘ve learned is to lead my team the way I live my life: with compassion, authenticity, enthusiasm, and joy above all else.

What must you do to stay operational? My team and I work hard writing grants, managing membership, donation campaigns, and events.

We are working with business professionals on creating a strong business plan for greater financial independence that will launch in the coming year.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? Sprout Up wouldn‘t be where it is today without the incredible community of supporters that have taken up our cause. I work day in and day out knowing that my team of directors and over 200 volunteer instructors share my vision for creating change from the youngest members of society up. When times get

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tough, I need only look to this group for the inspiration to pull my head up, press on, and continue doing all that I can to make our shared dream a reality.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? In the early stages of bringing any idea to reality, it‘s easy to get discouraged. Don‘t give up! Build a team of peers that share your vision, and communicate regularly to keep each other motivated, focused, and on the same page. Be patient and start small, but never lose sight of your overarching vision. No matter what you do,

have fun.

Get involved at: SproutUp.org Facebook: Facebook.com/sproutupfb Twitter: @ sproutup

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Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson “The Kind Campaign” Despite what many people proclaim, being teased and bullied is not just the way life goes. It is not just how girls or boys at a young age.

Mean is taught. It is encouraged and it is wrong. Mean words hurt! We do not need to grow tough skin because someone has a bad attitude or is angry. Children and teens are capable of learning kindness towards their peers. This happens when someone makes a firm decision to encourage kindness. That is exactly what Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson did. They made a decision to take action and end bullying.

Their focus is girl on girl bullying and their tool is the Kind Campaign.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? Lauren Parsekian: Kind Campaign began with the idea for the documentary, Finding Kind. Ever since Middle School, I had wanted to create something that would give girls an outlet to speak out about girl-against-girl ―crime.‖ Throughout 7th and 8th grade I was tortured by a group of girls. That experience left me in a very dark, very lonely place at the age of 12 and 13.

It was that struggle that put this issue on my heart and gave me my passion for it. At Pepperdine, both Molly and I were film majors. After I worked on a documentary, I realized that would be the perfect way to share this story with the world. Molly had a life changing experience with female bullying in High School and the two of us had worked on films together so it just felt like the most organic pairing to go in on this documentary together. It was through our experience in pre-production on Finding Kind that we were inspired to start our non-profit, Kind Campaign.

What steps did you take to create your program? Molly Thompson: We were seniors at Pepperdine University when we founded Kind Campaign. We were juggling classes and college social events with starting a non-profit and pre-production on a documentary film. Our minds were constantly spinning with new ideas for the film and the movement, so we did everything we could to keep up with our ideas.

Besides the heaps of paperwork that are needed to create a non-profit organization, one of the first things we did was create our website. We were working with an amazing designer, Nick Mason, who helped us create the branding and feel of Kind Campaign. Having the website up

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and running was incredibly important so that people had a place to go and get more information from the very beginning.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? Lauren Parsekian: There have been many twists and turns throughout the Kind Campaign journeys. Raising the money to make any of this possible is always an obstacle, but lucky for us, people deeply believe in our mission and have made it possible for us to make these ideas and dreams into reality.

I think the biggest obstacle has just been to persevere when things get so overwhelming and tiring. The two of us manage and have created every aspect of the film, non-profit, business and movement. It can be very intense. When we tour with our assembly program, there are times where we are immersed in such crazy travel schedules– being on the road on and off from September-June. So just to remind ourselves of how hard we have worked and what this work has done for so many girls really keeps us going and moving forward.

What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take?

Molly Thompson: One of the hardest problems to solve was constantly figuring out different fundraising ideas and how to create a quality product on a budget.

What must you do to stay operational? Lauren Parsekian: Communicate. Molly and I communicate about everything so well and that is a huge reason why we have been able to maintain a friendship and working relationship. Of course there is always paperwork, emails, website maintenance and those sorts of things that keep KC moving.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? Molly Thompson: There have been so many people along the way that have helped us get to where we are today. From the people close to us who believed in us from the very beginning, to the generous support from donors, to the hundreds of thousands of girls and women who have shared their story and become a part of the movement.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson: We love for people to get involved, that‘s how we have grown into what we are today. A great way to get involved is to become a Kind Ambassador and work with your community to host a screening of Finding Kind.

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Other ways to get involved are by spreading the word, donating, and participating in the interactive features on the website.

Also, if you are passionate about something and want to start your own organization – do it! We encourage you to go after your dreams and accomplish your goals. Get your friends together and do it with them – you really can change the world with your friends.

What else do you want to share? Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson: In February 2009, while attending Seaver College, the two of us joined forces having both been affected by female bullying throughout our youth and decided to create change by giving females a platform to speak out about this universal experience. What began as an idea for a documentary about girl-against-girl bullying, ultimately became Kind Campaign, an internationally recognized movement, documentary, and school assembly program based on the powerful belief in KINDness that brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girl-against-girl ―crime.‖ Immediately upon graduating with our degrees in Film and Television Production, we drove across the country for two months to shoot our documentary and began to implement our school program into schools across the nation. The documentary, Finding Kind, was released in theaters in New York and Los Angeles, was accepted and awarded in over 20 film festivals, and has screened in thousands of schools across America and Canada. We have personally spoken in over 400 schools across North America and have completed four international anti-bullying school tours.

We are excited to continue our work of the last four years by creating what we call the KIND KIT. Set to release in Spring 2013, the KIND KIT is an anti-bullying curriculum which will include the Finding Kind documentary, an assembly DVD, Kind Campaign materials, and a copy of our Kind Club curriculum.

Get involved at www.KindCampaign.com or www.FindingKind.com http://bit.ly/KindCampaignFacebook http://twitter.com/kindcampaign http://www.youtube.com/user/KindCampaign

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Ian Quinn “Halt The Hate” Fear of people who are different is taught and only through education and personal experience will we learn that different is not scary.

Different is simply new. Violence against people who identify with a non heterosexual orientation is one example of our worst human qualities.

Thankfully people like Ian Quinn are educating those who are scared of differences to be respectful and tolerant of their neighbors, friends, and family who identify as LGBTQ. He also teaches self-defense to those who can so easily become victims of hate. He is a certified self defense instructor making positive change in our world through his program, Halt The Hate.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? I grew up in a very open-minded and accepting Catholic household. One of my cousins ―came out‖ when I was six years old. From then on I saw firsthand some of the violence and difficulties he faced. Through high school, college, and even in my personal life now I have seen family, friends, and community members victimized simply for who they love. No one has the right to hurt others unless in true selfdefense. As a martial artist I feel it is my obligation to teach our loved ones how to defend themselves against hate crimes. The saying ―with great power comes great responsibility‖ is the best way of explaining why.

What steps did you take to create your program? Research, research, and more research into hate crimes. I had to know the history, the various causes, the current political and social positions, and everything I could learn about the subject. A sort of self imposed Hate Crime 101 educational boot camp. My research did not just include reading books and pouring over volumes of educational resources, but also interviewing my gay and straight family, friends, and community members about their experiences with hate crimes.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? The biggest obstacle was my own personal fears. I was afraid that if I took this stand with equality and taught others how to stand up and fight for their rights and fight against violence that there would be others who would disapprove of this. I was afraid of people knowing my stance on equality and hate groups would retaliate and send me death threats. But again with great power comes great responsibility. The power of the martial arts is why I teach. Once you experience this power it is impossible not

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to want to share it with others. I knew that if I allowed my fear to win and stop me, then I don‘t understand fear. Fear is important, when it is in check it keeps us alive and alert.

Since overcoming this fear and making my stance I have had people question me on why I would create a self-defense program for the needs of the LGBTQ community I have received hateful emails and phone calls but it doesn‘t matter. You have to do what is right.

What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take?

Breaking through social barriers and religious beliefs of individuals. The sad fact is less than 5% of hate crimes are committed by organized hate groups. That means normal everyday people commit these violence acts.

We need to attack this situation from two directions: First, empower the individual to fight back against victimization. Secondly, help educate individuals on how to recognize their own prejudice and provide them with steps to overcome them.

What must you do to stay operational? We are constantly relying on our network of volunteers to keep this cause moving forward. It is always more powerful to have a network of like-minded passionate people who can connect you with their networks, thus expanding your outreach and impact.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? My wife has been my number one support. Also, everyone I meet and discuss this material with has helped me succeed with this program. To make a positive impact on hate crimes it requires more than one individual; it requires a community.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? I always welcome help and it‘s very easy to get involved. The simplest way to get involved is to share this life saving knowledge with a local gay and lesbian resource center. Simply help us connect with these groups in your area and we‘ll show how it‘s done from there.

My advice for starting a similar program: There are so many ways we can help make this world a better place. It all starts with you. The talents, education, experiences, and resources you have will be a great source of inspiration as to what you can do to make a positive impact in this world. This may sound really simple but follow what you are

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passionate about and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish with patience.

Get involved with Ian‘s work in teaching self-defense to the LGBTQ community. www.PumaAssociation.org Facebook.com/HaltTheHate

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Maria Mejia “HIV/Aids Activist” As of 2009, around the world, SIXTY MILLION people were infected with HIV/AIDS and a percentage of these people are children. One million people in the US alone are infected with HIV. Sadly, 1 in 5 don‘t know it. We desperately need more education on preventing infection, and the truth about who can catch HIV/AIDS. Anybody can! There is still discrimination against those who are infected and there is still a stigma attached with this being a disease only of the poor, uneducated, drug addicts, prostitutes, and homosexuals. Thankfully there are people destroying that stigma through outreach, counseling, and education.

One of those amazing people is Maria Mejia.

This is her very personal story about how she became an activist for HIV/AIDS. It was one week after my 18th BDAY when I found out I was HIV positive. I was very young. Back in those days, this was a death sentence. It was around the same time Magic Johnson came out saying he was positive. I was studying in a program in Kentucky named Job Corp and they did HIV testing to all the students that came in new. I remember before all of us kids were getting tested I was answering all the questions correct about HIV (how ironic) To me, this was a disease for prostitutes, drug users or homosexuals so I never thought I would ever be positive.

A month passed and I kept on getting slips from the clinic telling me to come in. As I started getting homesick, I went to the clinic, and boom, there I remember an Asian doctor looking at me with eyes of horror…asking me, why didn‘t you come sooner? I answered like any teen would. I don‘t know. Well he sat me down and he didn‘t even prepare me! He just said you have AIDS. I went into shock. I didn‘t say a word. I saw my whole life pass in front of me! I thought I am going to DIE. It‘s over and I will never marry or have kids. I received the news alone. All my immediate family was in Miami.

I got it from my first boyfriend. I was just 16 years old. I was so lost.

They told me there was another kid that had it and I could continue to stay there, but all I wanted was to go and die at home. I called my mom and she was always my strength. I told her ―Mom, I have AIDS‖, she paused and told me, ―Don‘t worry you will not die from this.‖ Two days later I was home and just waiting for death. Back then, people were

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dropping like flies and AZT was the only thing available. I went to a social worker they referred me to and a doctor that gave me a paper saying ‗if you take AZT, it may damage your internal organs‘. I said NO WAY I‘m taking that, and I believe I did the right thing not taking those high dosages of AZT back then.

I didn‘t take any anti retrovirals for almost 10 years and kept myself healthy–or as healthy as I could be–with natural medicine. I do take my medication now. It has been almost 24 years. I have learned a lot in this process and also helped many along the way infected and affected. First of all, I never died as I thought…I learned to love myself more and to take care of myself more. I have taken away the stigma of being HIV+ and taught many people. I also became an activist and HIV peer educator. I learned, in this process, that I am still living to have hope, how being positive made me a more positive person! I am also an International Social media activist.

I blog for Thebody.com ,The Well Project ( a girl like me) and Until There‘s A Cure. I am with the Gilead‘s advocate network and am the founder of 2 international support groups in Facebook for the infected and affected from all over the world, in English and Spanish.

I am a motivation speaker (in all types of events for the LGBT community, international conferences in panels with people like Dr.Kevin Fenton from the CDC, have been a part of many HIV campaigns here in the USA and also modeled for HIV medication ) I am with the speakers bureau for Miami- Dade schools and also Universities ,jails ,churches, high risk groups etc. I also have many vlogs in Youtube in English and Spanish, Twitter, and a huge activism page on Facebook. I have been a part of many documentaries that ASO‘s use as learning tools for their patients also many doctors use them (the latest one with Merck and Latino commission on AIDS in both languages). I am also a small business owner with my partner Lisa.

Although I say I am HIV positive. The way I feel is that I am a human being who happens to have the condition of being HIV positive. I have learned to be stronger, and in all of this journey where I am the most fulfilled is helping everyone, especially young people, because I also became infected at such a young age So I have gone to schools to teach them and tell them look at me. Not to toot my own horn but I am an attractive female (I use my looks to attract) and they look at me and think.

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I am also a trained Pre- and Post- counselor by the CDC.. testing people, as well as an HIV educator for Jackson Memorial Hospital for many, many years, a volunteer for the red cross and just very involved. I wish I would of had someone like me when I was told I was infected! As I do with them when I told them ‗you are HIV positive‘, but wait. I hold them and say ‗look at me I am too. You are not alone and if you do what you are supposed to do you will live a long life.‘ Just look at me as your example and that calms them down. That makes me happy. To give is one of the most wonderful things a human being can do.

I just have so much to tell and my story is very complex. I have been through so much and learned so much in these almost 24 years and I am still going through different phases in my life…with life‘s ups and downs. I can truly say that being positive saved my life and brought many learning experiences…Although almost all my life I have been in long term relationships with HIV negative men, I am happily married to a woman that is wonderful and caring. We have been together 5 years.

She is HIV negative and a wonderful human being that I love. I have no children but we will look into having (maybe) I do have a little dog, Flea :) I am an activist, a peer educator, a caregiver, a wife ,a friend ,a sister a daughter. I was a little caterpillar that turned into a butterfly ♥ I am a hard worker, passionate, loving, honest, daring, caring, and a warrior. I am NOT A VICTIM! I AM A SURVIVOR!. I am a hustler in a good way now :) Being HIV positive is nothing to be ashamed about! We are strong, and we will take away all the stigmas slowly but we have to open up. COME OUT OF THE HIV CLOSET! For those that are not ready. I and other activists will continue to represent you.

I remember my poor, strong mother when I told her. She told me you will not die from this, but you will tell the family you have another disease. I was a kid and she was ignorant to the subject, but without her love and support I would of never made it.

Being HIV+ is not a punishment, it is just a condition that we have to live with! And it‘s not a disease of homosexuals, drug addicts, or prostitutes. I have seen everyone from infants to 80 year old ladies with this condition! We have to empower ourselves and give ourselves self worth and teach people not to pity us. And believe me, at the end of the day they end up admiring us because as I say, we are soldiers. We were struck with something delicate and serious.

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I am not going to sit here and minimize the seriousness of the illness.

It is not easy. That is also what I teach people that think ‗oh, I will just not protect myself because I just take some pills and I am fine!‘ just ‗cause they see I look good and look healthy. They don‘t know the side effects and things we have to endure mentally with this illness! So with all this being said, let‘s continue this battle because one day we will look back and say YES, WE MADE IT. Remember for those who are negative HIV/AIDS is not death sentence anymore, but it is a life sentence! From the darkest places comes the brightest lights. ♥ We are someone! We are worthy!

Please!!! LOVE YOURSELF, TEST YOURSELF, PROTECT YOURSELF FINALLY MY DREAM OF WRITING A BILINGUAL BOOK IS GOING TO HAPPEN! THIS HAS BEEN A DREAM OF MINE AND I HOPE IT REACHES THE WHOLE WORLD. ♥ JUST DREAM!! AND WORK HARD! AND PRAY. ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE. ♥ Another huge even that happened for me including so many panels I have been a part of this year and so many wonderful emails that I get from all over the world that people are changing their views about us!

Getting tested, getting inspired to come out of their HIV closet! And also giving hope to the hopeless! last but not least I am thankful that University used my story to do a play (what an honor) and who knows where that will go. ♥ And that beautiful award I got from ADAP association for social media activist 2011/2012 in Washington for my fight for the people that have no HIV meds and are in these ADAP waiting lists! :( I am a proud ambassador of Dab the AIDS bear and also an Ambassador for The Stigma Project! I believe in them.

If you are an activist take advantage of social media! TV, Radio , Magazines, etc. etc.!! Spread the word! Do not go in it for the money!

NO MONEY HERE!! it is a passion!!

After living with AIDS for 24 years, Maria will turn 40 in April 2013. She continues to actively make a positive difference.

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Emily May “Hollaback” What if you and a group of friends were sitting around discussing gender inequality and decided you were ready to end street harassment?

This is what happened to Emily May, executive director of Hollaback. She and her friends(women and men) started this action movement to create a worldwide community support system to stop the street harassment of women and girls. They encourage women to take action by speaking out and showing others how street harassment is a real problem that should stop. With cell phone cameras and videos so widely available, Hollaback encourages is to document their harassment and share their stories on the website to show were harassment is happening.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? I started the journey to end street harassment when I was 24 years old. My friends and I — four woman and three men — were sitting on a roof deck in Brooklyn, when the women started talking about the crap men said to us on the street. My friend Samuel Carter – who grew up in the same town as me and went to the same college with me, said quite bluntly, ―Emily, you live in a different NYC than I do.‖ And we resolved to change that.

It was 2005 and we‘d recently heard the story of Thao Nyugen, a young woman who was riding the NYC subway when an older man sat down across from her and began to masturbate. She pulled out her newfangled cell phone camera — because remember, this was 2005 — and took his picture so that she would have evidence to give to the police. But when Thao showed the photo to the police, they dismissed her and her story. They didn‘t take the photo as evidence, and they didn‘t file a report.

What Thao did next was a game-changer. She put that photo up on flickr, where her story quickly went viral. It made the front cover of the NY Daily News and ignited a citywide conversation about public masturbation. It felt like everyone either had a story or they knew someone who did. My boss at the time had seen that exact guy masturbating on the subway. We inspired by Thao‘s story. So we logically did what any other twenty-something would do in 2005: we decided to start a blog. We named it Hollaback, and we documented stories and photos of street harassment in New York City.

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What steps did you take to create your program? Our little bog struck a nerve. Almost immediately after launching we were overwhelmed with requests from activists wanting to bring Hollaback to their town. So, in 2010, I applied to 8 foundations and 2 fellowships. I was rejected from all of them. And so, with no promise of an income, I took the leap, left my job, and built wings on the way down. Today, I am proud to announce we have scaled our work to over 60 cities in 20 countries and in 12 different languages —- and now we‘re expanding to address sexual harassment on college campuses too.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? For the first six months, I shot up out of bed at 6 a.m. and worked straight until midnight. To save money, I ate mostly dried beans. I gained ten pounds.

I barely saw my friends – or the light of day. At my worst moments, it was an obsession. At my best, it was a calling.

All I knew was that I had to make this happen. And I did.

In those first six months, we launched iPhone and Droids apps to give people a real-time response to street harassment, and a new website to house local sites; and began working with the New York City Council on ways to address street harassment.

What must you do to stay operational? We‘re in over 60 cities, but we only have two full time staff. To keep this movement moving, we need to build additional capacity. Support us by donating or becoming a member: https://npo1.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionI d=1006067 Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? So, so, many people. My mother, who raised me with courage and confidence. My small but mighty staff, who make this organization what it is. Our site leaders, who keep this movement moving internationally. Our donors, without which we wouldn‘t be here today. Our volunteers, who give over a half million a year in in-kind services. Our board, who goes above and beyond to keep us on track. The list could go on forever.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? If you want to start a Hollaback site, check out our website for details! It‘s a free, three month on-line training a planning process — but the result is world-changing.

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And if you‘re looking at starting your own venture, my best advice is surround yourself with people who believe in what you‘re trying to do.

This includes volunteers, a board, and friends for sure — but it also includes a supportive partner. It‘s a hard road, and there will be times when you‘ll need to come home and cuddle it out. Having a supportive partner in my life has made all the difference.

Get involved at www.iHollaBack.org Facebook.com/ihollback

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Tun Sukonthamarn Flancman “PooPoo Paper” Capitalism and invention are great tools for positive change. When we spend our money on products and services that are environmentally sustainable and non toxic, the world produces more of those to meet our demand. That is a basis of capitalism. When we use sustainable resources to invent new products that reduce pollution instead of creating new unsustainable products we are creating a healthier world.

That is a benefit of invention. Tun Sukonthamarn and her husband Michael Flancman prove that even the least appetizing of resources can be not only useful, but environmentally friendly. They create paper out of animal waste such as elephants, mixed with natural fibers such as banana leafs. It may sound weird, but the end result is an odorless paper that is good for the world.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? A combination of things inspired us to start this business. Asides from wanting to start our own business by leveraging my familiarity with Thailand and my Canadian husband‘s familiarity and contacts in western markets, we loved the concept, happy nature of the products and the marketing challenge that manufacturing a product made from poop would present! We liked how the focus of our products would be sustainable and we were inspired more broadly by the opportunities of developing additional alternative, non-wood, tree-free papers in the future.

What steps did you take to create your program? We started off small with a very limited product range, developed a nice display and signage to help sell the product and tested it at one account in Canada that we thought would be an ideal retail outlet for our products. We offered very reasonable pricing (too reasonable actually), told the account that we‘d take the product back if they didn‘t sell and then we waited to see what would happen. The positive feedback came in fast and we ramped up quickly from that point.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? Mostly the obstacles were related to planning and determining the risk level we were comfortable with during the ramp up phase. After all, we weren‘t certain that one successful test in one account would translate to wider success in the market so we were most concerned with how to establish a scalable production facility that would minimize our risk and inventory planning in North America. These risk were amplified of course when

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the recession hit. We knew our products weren‘t a necessity for consumers but we also were convinced that there was a passionate niche market for our products regardless of the state of the economy.

We modified our product mix and focused on developed less expensive, smaller items that everyone could afford and we manufactured less of the pricier expensive items. Navigating through a downturn with mixed signals from the market is tough but we have tried to keep our focus on the long term to help steer us.

What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take?

Personally, juggling family life and the business was/ is a challenge.

We‘ve had three kids since we started our business and we like to be closely involved with them so managing our time and scheduling is important and poses a great challenge. This probably means our business hasn‘t grown as fast as it may have if we didn‘t have kids but we‘re happy with the trade-off. In terms of my relationship with my husband, well, we‘ve both had to learn to understand and appreciate each other‘s approach which can be very different coming from different cultures.

What must you do to stay operational? Have a few good, key, trustworthy people in supervisory roles and watch the business everyday closely. It‘s tiring but rewarding and it does get easier if you can retain your staff and have low turnover.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed?

My husband is my partner and can apparently sell anything – including paper made from poop! He‘s great at marketing and he‘s takes the lead on the extroverted stuff like sales, PR, product design and development.

He has been critical. Having said that I‘m responsible for the day-to-day operations, production, administrative, and managing the staff…equally as critical! Perfect partnership.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program?

My general advice would be do something that you can get passionate about. It takes a lot of energy to stay motivated day in and day out when running your own business and it helps tremendously to know that your focus is on something important and of interest to you. www.New.PooPooPaper.com Facebook.com/POOPOOPAPER

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Shadrak Kyobe “Empower and Care Organization, EACO” What if you grew up in a community surrounded by poverty along with a high infection of HIV/Aids? Would you have the strength to know you were capable of changing these conditions? Shadrak Kyobe grew up with a supportive family and a dream to make his home country of Uganda a healthier happier place for everyone. He is an active supporter of women‘s rights, is working hard to reduce the infection of HIV/Aids, and has decreased the cycle of poverty. He does all of this by teaching people that they are capable of creating change in their own lives. He founded the Empower and Care Organization in Uganda.

His mission is ―to reduce poverty and HIV/AIDS through economic empowerment, educational opportunities and support for disadvantaged groups. Their activities are targeted toward vulnerable women, especially widows and those living with HIV/AIDS; vulnerable children, youth, and the elderly.‖ What was your inspiration to begin this adventure? I grew up in a very poor environment and I also used to see vulnerable people not living a happy and healthy life. Now I devote my time to make a difference in people‘s lives, develop a wide network, develop a range of skills and experience that can be used in everyday life, Each week, my gift of time will help nourish and sustain the quality of life for someone less fortunate than me and I love to see vulnerable people living a better and healthy life.

People who are poor and ill with AIDS are vulnerable to social isolation, depression, and the inability to care for their own and their family‘s basic needs; Children are often forced to leave school to care for their dying parents. A widespread response is a home-based care program, which provides a community with trained volunteers to visit the homes of the ill. Home-based care volunteers assist with a range of needs, including food preparation, hygiene, basic medical care, and counseling. You can take your time and volunteer with this Uganda organization. And to me I have a belief that every human being is a unique individual and that we all have a right to good health and basic needs and should access means to a comfortable life in one way or another.

Therefore I want to see women (since they are the mothers of the world) to be transforming from a state of hopelessness to a state of

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excellence hence freeing them from exploitation and fully exhaust their potential.

What steps did you take to create your program? Identified the status of these people and then the needs of these communities after that it was easier for me to start a program in this community.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? That was poverty in our community, most of the people in our community thought that they were poor but these people were rich only that they didn‘t know, so I am giving these communities the skills and knowledge on how to utilize the resources surrounding them.

What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take? Is to drive out people‘s mind that for them its poverty that has kept them to be vulnerable and they need money to solve their problems. Then I let them know that its not money that can solve a problem, but their the ideas if well expressed can bring money!

What must you do to stay operational? I must be trust worthy, Focused, Determined, Patient with a positive mind!

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? My Parents and few friends have been on my side to see that I be what I am today, I remember my parents used to tell me that Shadrak you need to be patient, Hardworking and you have to listen to what others are saying as well as respecting their views if you are to win the battle. Besides that they advised me to have friends who are productive and that I should never and never look behind or having any negative thought in me because this can affect my future.

Please we are interested in your ideas, like finding information and items for programs, and partnering organizations together to exchange services & share ideas, and sometimes find funding, actually we need your support you can as well share this page with your family members and friends.

Most of our projects have been built by volunteers and people like you in terms of knowledge sharing, technical support and financial support.

And we believe in ideas if well expressed they can solve a problem, and to me Empowering vulnerable people with Resources, Information and Creativity is the best way to create, nourish and sustain the quality of life for someone less fortunate than you.

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Am looking at the idea of you linking us to resourceful people either families, groups, companies individuals, volunteers to volunteer with EACO. Here your gift of time will help nourish and improve the quality of life of someone less fortunate than them. How do you see? Bellow are the Current volunteering opportunities In your own communities: • Campaigning and fundraising – in your own communities you can help by campaigning, raising awareness and fundraising for access to safe water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, reproductive health knowledge and practices, income generating activities for the disadvantaged and more.

In Uganda in the Mukono and Maracha districts: • Hands-on assistance to families – they can help with the daily household chores of families with children that have been orphaned as a result of poverty, HIV/AIDS, violence, conflict related displacement or war. People with social work skills will find this experience very rewarding.

• Help establish income-generating activities – provide assistance to our projects that create and implement income-generating opportunities for women, vulnerable children, orphans, youth and the elderly. You can become a valuable incubator of a new family business.

• Office and logistic activities – deliver office support, assist with administrative tasks such as budgeting, accounting, updating paperwork, and maintaining personnel files on children and other beneficiaries. Bring your organizational experience to bear in a different setting.

• Project management – develop and write project proposals, write grant proposals, help in fundraising, sensitizing the community about health and sanitation. Write progress reports on EACO projects. Bring your project skills to enhance our skills.

• Teach children – teach math, language, science, personal health, and other topics at schools. Organize day-care activities in the roles of teachers, camp counselors and day care workers. Good for people who love children. Bring your games, songs, musical instrument and enthusiasm to the village!

• Peers education – deliver training to staff and volunteers on issues relevant to the activities where EACO is involved. Help enhance our knowledge base. Be a co-coordinator of one of our peer education projects or help develop a new peer education project. Be a teacher of

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teachers. • Train farmers – give our rural beneficiaries information and training on applicable technology for best-of-breed agricultural practices, land conservation, food security, bee keeping and others. Bring your knowledge and ability to teach and work the land.

Volunteer requirements and qualifications: EACO particularly welcomes skilled professionals who can help us improve and develop our own capabilities. EACO welcomes enthusiasm and commitment in all volunteers and is committed to ensuring all voluntary experiences are as mutually beneficial as possible. We assure you will return home with memories of a very rewarding experience, just as our friend Claire Miller did.

All volunteers train through working closely with our local volunteers and are supervised by the organization director. When visiting rural areas the volunteers also work in partnership with other local volunteers."

Get involved and learn more about the EACO at www.EacoUganda.webs.com Join their group on Facebook: Empower And Care Organization (EACO)

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Nakisha Varlack-Harris “Girl Power United�

Life is full of confusing or scary experiences disguised as lessons. This can be hard to understand when we are young. With the help of an older wiser mentor we can learn to be aware of how our choices guide us and to learn from our mistakes. When we don't have anyone to show us the way we may flounder and become afraid of life. Nakisha Varlack-Harris understands the importance of mentoring and that is why she created Girl Power United. Along with a wonderful group of volunteers she guides and empowers young girls with inner strength, education, and guidance. After all they are the future female role models of our world.

What these girls grow up believing will impact future generations so it is imperative we guide them well.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? My vision for Girl Power United was ignited by my passion to inspire girls by enabling them to recognize their inner ability to achieve greatness and reach their full potential. My two daughters are also a source of inspiration as I prepare them to meet society‘s challenges while reinforcing positive attitudes and behaviors. Simply stated Girl Power United was conceived out of a fervent desire to inspire and empower girls regardless of ethnicity, cultural, or economical standing.

Committed to liberation through self-empowerment, I strive to motivate, empower, and inspire girls from all walks of life. Girl Power United has enabled me to touch the lives of many young women while encouraging them to have the mindset to view their aspirations as possibilities.

What steps did you take to create your program? The first step of creating Girl Power United was having a vision and a purpose. Through this vision, we were able to expand the program by simply finding a group of girls that were interested in changing their lives by being empowered. Various activities and events were scheduled that kept the interest of teen girls within the community.

Obtaining our 501c3 status was also important for the purpose of being recognized as a tax exempt organization. Social media and the internet also played a major role in getting our message out to the public. Having a quality website and reaching out to the younger generation through social media was a successful tool in recruiting new members.

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What obstacles were you forced to overcome? One of the most challenging obstacles to overcome was obtaining the non-profit 501c3 tax exempt status. It required a great deal of time and attention.

Through persistence and great diligence, we were successful in gaining recognition as a non-profit organization.

What must you do to stay operational? To stay operational, Girl Power United must keep the interest of our teen members, but also the interest of our adult volunteers. It is important that our volunteers feel a sense of purpose. It is difficult to juggle family, work, school and other obligations that our volunteers have, but a few hours a month can make a huge difference in the life of a child.

Individual donations and corporate sponsorships are crucial for our economic survival. Each dollar donated is a powerful gift that brings us closer to our goal of empowering the life of another teen girl.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? GPU is a non-profit volunteer led organization that focuses on positively empowering the lives of young girls between the ages of 12 and 19. The GPU staff and team of volunteers work to inspire teenage girls from all facets of the community to view their aspirations as possibilities to achieve greatness. The entire GPU staff continues to unite a coalition of empowered minds to produce the next generation of educated and successful young female leaders.

The Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, Charmin Rickards was also very instrumental in helping Girl Power United succeed. Ms. Charmin Rickards joined GPU as a Co-Founder in 2011 and eagerly took on a leadership role. Inspired by the vision and mission of GPU, Ms. Rickards embraced the core values and the worked diligently towards establishing a solid foundation. Her primary inspiration is to build and leave a legacy for her daughter as well as the desire to ensure that she is prepared through education, mentorship, and awareness. She believes that exposure to different programs will inspire teens and provide a resource to opportunities that may not have been available to them through other means.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? To get involved is as simple as making a commitment to serve as a volunteer or signing up as a member.

Additionally, for those that are interested in starting a similar program, the best advice is to never give up on your vision. Embrace the vision

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and put it on paper. Outline the steps that need to be taken and create a check list and follow it to stay organized. You will find yourself working through the checklist and coming that much closer to forming a successful organization.

Get involved at www.GirlPowerUnited.org Facebook.com/GirlPowerUnited Girl Power United, Inc. 4196 Merchant Plaza Suite 343, Lake Ridge, VA 22192 Email: Info@GirlPowerUnited.org Phone: (757) GPU-0300

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Katia Gomez “Educate2Envision�

Education has proven to reduce poverty, increase life expectancy and create more community involvement. If you can read this book you are lucky because you were given an opportunity to learn. Katia Gomez understands how providing education can help not just an individual, but whole communities, and future generations. Starting in Honduras she has created a program that provides mentors, an informal library system, community involvement, high school, and adult school. Beyond education her presence has encouraged a whole community to work together and take control of their future.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? My inspiration was planted in my mind as a young girl.

As the child of a single parent, resources were always scarce and financial hardships came upon us consistently. Towards the end of primary school, however, a member from our church decided to sponsor me all the way through university and it was this priceless gift that led me to Honduras during a study abroad trip, sparking the impetus that would become Educate2Envision. It was during my trip of 2009 that I met a young girl from the village we worked in whose presence stuck me with the whole way back to the US. I decided to try and sponsor her through school and I learned that she was an orphan and at age 12 had been pulled out of school to work. I saw in her a future that was being stripped away simply because she did not have the financial means to decide her own fate. But I had been incredibly lucky to be in the shoes that I was in - to be the college volunteer visiting a new country and able to give back to the world; it was a luxury she did not have. For this reason, I knew that I needed to at least put forth an effort, no matter how small, to help change the course of her life and the many others I had yet to know.

What steps did you take to create your program? When I arrived back home from Honduras, I immediately began my research to understand the larger scope of the education problems affecting the country. I met with professors in the field and NGO technical staff who were experts in this area and could provide me with a knowledge base that I then worked off of to begin designing Educate2Envision's programs. The library became a place that I found myself in frequently reading "how to" books on starting and running a nonprofit organization.

I used these materials to help me understand enough of the lengthy paperwork process to file in 2010 and officially become an organization.

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Once I had things in place at home, I headed back to Honduras to revisit the same community and held meetings, collected more data, and learned from the stories of the local families that education was a necessary tool to change the course of their lives.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? I was met with a lot of skepticism and doubt at first by the local government who believed that the community I had chosen was a lost cause and would be unresponsive to our efforts. Even some of the local teachers expressed a disinterest in providing the community with a greater level of education basing this on their belief that they would not take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. This was tough to hear after so much time spent in preparation to assist this community, but we triumphed through the pessimism to prove them wrong. We also struggled with funding, being an unknown group of recent college grads, it was tough to fundraise sufficiently for the ambitions that we had. We held countless bake sales just to ensure we could sponsor our students through the first years of high school.

What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take? The hardest actions to take were probably those relating to our adolescent girls because of how time-sensitive of an issue we were dealing with and still are today. Finding a girl in the nick of time before she is married off to an older man or becomes pregnant before even reaching 14 years old is a major challenge. Not only must we first find these girls, who are hard to reach in rural villages that we work in, but we must then convince them and their families to forego early marriage and choose the path towards education instead. There are monumental societal barriers and preexisting mindsets that come in to play that can deter progress. Although we are able to create access to higher education for these communities that live in poverty, the hardest obstacle to confront on a daily basis is the belief system and lack of self-esteem many children suffer from.

What must you do to stay operational? A dedicated and dynamic board of directors is essential to any sustainable organization especially a small start-up without much paid staff. You need these people who not only believe in you as a person but in your mission whole-heartedly. For our organization, we also thrive off of partnerships both here at home and in Honduras where we operate because it is such an essential tool for growing your programs and collaborating with other great establishments to increase your impact.

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Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? Having my core staff in the beginning helped me immensely because running an international organization can never be a "one woman" job. Having support from them and professors from my university instilled confidence in me and gave me the positive reinforcement I needed to carry through my projects. I believe that it helps to have people who remind you to redefine success in your mind, as a young entrepreneur, so that you can savor the small victories and not be held hostage by the most ambitious goals that will undoubtedly take more time to achieve. The first success to be celebrated is any first step taken towards action.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? My advice for future social entrepreneurs can be summed up in one word: patience. Patience with the rate as which your programs grow, patience with the recognition you may strive for, and most importantly patience within yourself as a human being. I believe that it is so important to remember that we are not in a race and to stray away from a "contest-mentality" in which we feel the need to win each and every time. If you want to succeed with your endeavors, keep those you aim to help at the heart of all you do because distractions will make an appearance, whether it be notoriety or bureaucracy or other pressures, remember why you started this.

Remember the first moment that the light was ignited and then move forward with patience.

Volunteer or find an internship at www.Educate2Envision.org Facebook.com/Educate2EnvisionInternational Follow on Twitter @E2Envision

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Ron Tinsley “Prophetik Soul, Youth Mentor�

Ron Tinsley became a mentor because he was mentored in his youth.

His work is a classic example of how the cycle of helping others continues on to inspire future generations to help those in need. One reason he is a great mentor is how he listens and allows teens to realize that he is not just there to tell them what to do. Listening shows how their opinions are valid and gives them an opportunity to learn new ideas by also listening when others speak. With this method he allows youth to have a say in their future because they realize that their opinion is valued.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? I began working in youth development because of the love and care I received from adults as a young person. I grew up in a poor single parent family in North Philadelphia with few opportunities.

Members of a local church mentored me and helped me understand my full potential. As they helped me become spiritually grounded and made me a part of their families, I began to want other young people to have this same experience. Once I completed college, I began thinking more creatively about youth development. I started working with youth in my church and community. Over time, I became a youth advocate for low income families in areas of education, skill building and mentorship. I have been on this journey ever since.

What steps did you take to create your program? I have created programs and worked within programs. When I became an Area Director (1999-2006) for an organization in Wilmington, DE, the first thing I did was spend time with youth listening to them at their school and in their community. Since my background is in art, it wasn‘t hard to get their attention. Once I listened, they began to reveal their fears and dreams.

From there, I started initiatives giving them the opportunity to reach for their dreams and face their fears. I trained some for leadership positions and over time, the programs take on a life of their own. Once empowered, they wanted to empower others. So I spent time finding adult volunteers to guide and encourage them.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? Since I was starting programs inside of schools, I had to overcome initial skepticism from teachers, staff and students. So I understood that, in the beginning, I would attract students that were familiar with me personally and culturally. As I trained the student leaders and teacher volunteers,

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this began to change but it took at least 3 years. At one point, 20% of the school population was showing up to my programs. We did not change the racial dynamics but we became an example of what is possible. As teachers volunteered, more students showed up.

What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take? I realized that I could not change the racial dynamics at the school but I could model a different attitude. Although the group eventually became more multiethnic, I became increasingly concerned about students on the margins. I set up the program so that it was self sustaining with teacher volunteers and student leaders making decisions. I put more of my energies into befriending hard-to-reach kids who did not fit inside my cultural norms. The goal was not to get them into my programs although they were welcome to attend. It was to spend time in their space and show that there was an adult who cared. This took tremendous time and energy. Over time, I did not win all of them over but some realized that I was simply trying to help them.

What must you do to stay operational? Right now, I work for a private high school that caters to at-risk students. One thing that we consistently emphasize is the need for our students to develop more social capital. Low income minority students tend to be isolated from supportive networks. So we continue to encourage service learning and provide opportunities for them to lead to expose them to professionals.

We also must find new ways to be financially sustainable so they can afford our tuition. They are usually the first one in their family to attend college.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? There are too many people to name. I am standing on a lot of shoulders from people who financially helped me complete college to people who simply gave me advice.

Today, there are 2-3 adult men that have been mentoring me for over 15 years. I stay in contact with them regularly. I also give credit to my late mother who may have had a hard life but was the first one I saw in my extended family attempt to go to college. She did not finish but that example inspired me. Today, I have 2 college degrees.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? Grab a few youth and go deep over a long period of time. There are too many youth programs that have very few adult mentors and a lot of youth. Often times, the impact is minimal.

Some youth, like me, don‘t grow up with wisdom being passed to them from their mother and father. So, we must overcompensate for what is

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lacking by pouring into them. Because the deficit is great, being a physical presence will demand a lot from us. This is why I recommend starting small. There are young adults that I have been mentoring since they were in elementary school.

I developed the Bulls Eye Method based on how Jesus developed his leaders. Select a small group of 10 students. The center circle is you.

The second circle around you is 3 youth who go on special assignments with you. They should feel a deeper sense of responsibility than the others. Let them see how you teach, interact and lead. The third circle is 7 youth who are committed but need more development. Use the second circle to develop the third circle. Then you have the fourth circle of youth who are curious about your programs. They see what you are doing and are partial to it. Youth should have the ability to move up through those circles if they display a sense of mission and duty over time. Celebrate them as much as you can because they may not be receiving it at home.

When you go deep with them, they will bond together (but you will lose some). In the end, they need to know that they do not have to live life alone and that you wont abandon them. I teach them we were not put on this earth simply for ourselves.

Learn more about mentoring youth at www.PropehtikSoul.com

Ron Tinsley is a teacher and communications director at a private high school in Philadelphia. He has worked with different organizations serving youth in Lancaster, PA, Wilmington, DE and Philadelphia, PA. He has a BFA in Graphic Design from The University of the Arts and a MA in Urban Studies from Eastern University. For the past 20 years, he has worked with children, youth, and families in disadvantaged communities in Christian and secular contexts. He owns Prophetik Soul, a media company that promotes his t-shirt designs and his writings on media, youth development and social change. He is also an adjunct college instructor. He resides in his native Philadelphia with his family.

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Linda Le “San Diego Veg Fest” Do you ever think about the food you eat and what all those ingredients are that you can‘t pronounce without a dictionary? As technology has progressed much of our food has become processed, full of preservatives, and plumped up with hormones. While our food may last longer and cost less, it isn‘t necessarily healthier. Linda Le started San Diego Veg Fest to give the opportunity for others to learn about healthier and tastier foods. Her work has the added bonuses of being environmentally sustainable and bringing together members of her community.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? San Diego Veg Festival emerged from my passion for healthy and compassionate living. I saw the need for a veg festival.

Being a San Diego native (I was raised here most of my life and lived in the Bay Area for 6 years for college), I was surprised we didn‘t have a veg festival considering the fact that every big, metropolitan city in the US has a veg festival.

As a daughter of Vietnamese American refugees, I am thankful for my background. I grew up with access to year-round, fresh produce. It was there in the comfort of my parents' backyard garden that I developed an understanding of the interconnected energy between what we consume and how it affects our planet. I spent time meditating with a very inspirational and compassionate Sangha in Oakland, California during my undergraduate studies in the Bay Area. They inspired me to frequent monasteries where I volunteered in the organic gardens and cultivated compassionate eating. Such experiences taught me to honor the practice of mindful, vegan eating—with such lasting impacts that I underwent a spiritual awakening.

Recent events such as the declaration of National Food Day on October 24th, the contributions of the First Lady‘s Let‘s Move campaign, and the presence of Proposition 37 on this year‘s California ballot have helped to really push the issue of health to the forefront of our public consciousness. We can see it at the local level in San Diego. We have about 70 restaurants that offer veg-friendly items on their menus, and that list keeps growing. We are not converting people--rather, we want to educate people of healthy lifestyle choices and plant the seeds of consciousness.

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I get inspiration from many areas of my life. There is so much inspiration in our daily lives if we choose to be aware. I follow current news, community events, policies, campaigns in order to understand the dynamic world that we live in. I look at leaders from our past and present for inspiration also. One in particular is a compassionate, Zen Buddhist Monk named ThichNhatHanh. I find his quote very inspiring: ―Each moment is a chance for us to make peace with the world, to make peace possible for the world, to make happiness possible for the world.‖ It makes me feel like my personal eating choices are not so personal because this singular action has a ripple effect on our immediate environment.

What steps did you take to create your program? It started off as a side project while I was the Managing Director of San Diego Health Fairs (SDHF). At the time, which was last spring of 2012, I was working with an intern at SDHF. Business was going well with SDHF but I felt like there was something more I could be doing to contribute to the health of San Diegans. With the launch of Our Greater San Diego Vision, I felt compelled to think about the long term health of our local community. I knew that I had wanted to visit some other veg festivals in other cities but the more the pondered, the more I questioned why we didn‘t have one here. It just all came together in a moment of ―aha‖ epiphany. We then brought on another intern and the three of us began the ground work for what is now the San Diego Veg Festival.

What obstacles were you forced to overcome? Like every start-up, the issues of defining ourselves such as branding and choosing particular events to participate in so that we can best serve our mission of healthy, sustainable living. Another issue we are dealing with is funding for our festival. Being that we all volunteered our time and energy, we have to look at how we want to structure ourselves so that we can continue to do this work for years to come.

What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take? I‘m in grad school for holistic health/acupuncture so that takes up a lot of my time. I also enjoy volunteering my time with progressive organizations in San Diego. Therefore, time management is a big obstacle for me. I find myself needing to be more disciplined with planning and defining my days, weeks, months.

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What must you do to stay operational? Currently, we are looking at the 2013 agenda and working to acquire sponsors to at least cover the overhead costs for the venue and printing costs.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? Many people and things have helped San Diego Veg Festival to succeed. It‘s great to know that it‘s being supported by the community. It‘s about the network that allows for us to do well, and we were able to pitch the idea and event to partners that have similar missions. The San Diego Veg Festival received very well reception from them. These include: the online veg-friendly community like Happy Cow and Plant Powered Living, other veg festivals across the nation, local press coverage, local businesses such as Veg Appeal, World Beat Center in Balboa Park, Jimbo‘s grocery store, Loving Hut restaurant, as well as organizations like the Animal Protection and Rescue League, Green Lifestyles Film Festival, San Diego Master Gardener Association, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, True Kitchen Creatives, Operation Samahan, and local Community Supported Agriculture programs.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? Believe in your vision 110%. If you are not the most ardent, firm believer in your vision, no one else will believe in you. I would use the metaphor of growing your own garden. The seeds must be ready to be planted so know yourself well. Know your boundaries and your values. Once your seeds are ready to be sprouted, be prudent: do your research and ask for collaborative supporters! Look at the seasons. Look at the possible strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Plan accordingly and create a budget for overhead costs that you may not even anticipate but are necessary in the execution of your vision. Know the sunny days but be aware of the rainy seasons too. Like a great soil foundation, building a team can be your greatest foundation so that you don‘t burn out—but not just any team…I once read: ―If you are the smartest person on your team, then you do not have a strong team.‖ Lastly, be original and claim it. No one wants to just plant peas and radish. Add kale, strawberries and microgreens! Make your program unique and stand out. There is a niche for almost everything. If you are a firm believer of your vision, you will cultivate supporters. Happy growing.

SanDiegoVegFestival.com info@sandiegovegfestival.com Facebook.com/sandiegovegfestival Follow on Twitter: sandiegovegfest Instagram: sandiegovegfest

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Christopher McFadden Jr. “Philadelphia Youth Project” How do you get a whole community to change? Violence has become a way of life for many people in Philadelphia, but some residents have decided this must end. Christopher McFadden Jr. is working hard to end the violence that is destroying his hometown. He created the Philadelphia Youth Project(PYP) to rally his community to work together.

He wants people to wake up and show the youth that selling drugs and using violence are not their only options. At the time this book was published, the first community PYP event successfully took place with speakers and workshops.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? I am Christopher McFadden Jr. I was born, raised, and still reside in Philadelphia, PA. In the summer of 2004 I attended West Chester University of PA and graduated with a BS in Philosophy in 2009.

I then went on to attend the University of Phoenix in 2010 and graduated with my Master‘s degree in Criminal Justice. Because of my appreciation and vigorous focus on my education, I was blind to the conditions in my community and the digression of the youth in Philadelphia.

When I say, I was blind to the conditions in my community and the digression of the youth in Philadelphia, I mean that I was oblivious to the youth (boys and girls ages 12 – 17) selling drugs, the constant senseless violence, the lack of love and respect for oneself and others, etc. A large number of youth in Philadelphia come from dysfunctional homes with minimal parental guidance. This lack of familial role models plays an important part in a young person's development. Along with the lack of role models in the family, there is often a lack of any role models.

Often, the influencers in the community are also the products of dysfunctional homes. In addition, one of the main problems in Philadelphia that affects the youth is the fact that there is a lack of community. Many neighbors lack a bond with the people who live in their neighborhoods, with little initiative to help them; consequently, the youth suffers.

From August 2010 to June 2012, I was a middle school Special Education Co-Teacher at Young Scholars Frederick Douglass School, that which is located in North Philadelphia. My time being employed at that school and spending so much time in that community was an eye opener. It taught me to appreciate the youth even more than I did and

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that appreciation gave me the motivation for wanting change in my community. My current focus is community involvement; helping young men focus on academic and social progress. Currently, I am a mentor at Overbrook High School, that which is located in West Philadelphia. I mentor young men between ninth and twelfth grade. My mentoring includes social and academic after schools programs, those programs are MAN Up, Homework club, Reading Club, and Fitness Friday.

What steps did you take to create your event or program?

Initially, this event (The Philadelphia Youth Project) was going to be a call to action / rally to bring the city of Philadelphia together and speak about the constant violence that is quickly sabotaging our communities.

This was event was going to be held on the steps of The Philadelphia Museum of Art. There were going to be influential speakers, poets, rappers and singers at this event. Because of the lack of support, the event didn‘t happen. Though this was extremely discouraging, my passion for helping my community progress gave me the drive to keep working to bring this event to life.

I started by changing the focus of my event. I decided that it would more important to focus specifically on the youth. Making the youth a priority is extremely important because they are the next generation and to them inspiration the progress and empower themselves and the people around them, will be a big step toward saving the community.

With this in mind, I need to meet with like-minded individuals to assist me with turning this life changing idea into something concrete that will actually change lives. After a few meetings, The Philadelphia Youth Project was planned, then came time for the ground work of getting nonprofit organizations, schools, community organizations, and city officials involved.

At this event, The Philadelphia Youth Project (PYP), there will be poets and a panel of speakers who will emphasize the importance of nonviolence and support the positive progression of the youth in Philadelphia. Along with the speakers and poets there will be interactive educational workshops to engage and educate the youth and community members. There will also be companies and organizations that are specifically geared toward supporting the Philadelphia youth. The youth themselves will have the opportunity to sign up with the organizations and/or speak with the companies about volunteer work.

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What obstacles were you forced to overcome? In order to be successful, you must overcome obstacles. This is true no matter what endeavor you are pursuing. If you are working on a big goal, I guarantee you that there are going to be problems, issues, and roadblocks along the way. This is not negative, it is reality.

Because West Philadelphia High School is a newly renovated high school, it was a great idea to host The Philadelphia Youth Project there as a way to promote the importance of education. However, I learned that it would be extremely difficult and expensive to host the event at a public school in Philadelphia. When I learned this, I began to get overwhelmed because I was wedded to West Philadelphia High School as a venue, when I as planning my event. Fortunately, I was able to get in contact with an administrator at Birney Preparatory Charter Academy, in Philadelphia, PA. After presenting my proposal for The Philadelphia Youth Project to the school‘s administration, they gave me the approval to host the event at their school.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? Genuine individuals who shared the same passions as me!! I put my trust in quite a few people to help me put this event together but there are only two people that I would give major credit to for helping bring this event to light. The names of those two individuals are Takia McClendon and ShefonNachelle.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? If anyone would like to start a similar event, research is a must. It is important to know exactly what your goals are and who your target audience is. It is also important to collaborate with others that express similar interests. Collaborating is always good. If your goal is to change the world in the positive way and another group has that same goal, look into working with that group, because eighty hands working together is better than one or two. Collective works brings more people together, brings more ideas to the table, and more people will become aware of the goals that you are working to achieve.

Facebook.com/BlackExcellencexBlog

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Kirin Macapugay “BIBAK Youth San Diego” Preserving and celebrating our culture is a wonderful gift. Culture gives an individual a unique identity and character. It enables us to find value in our lives and gives us a foundation on how to live. Traditions that are passed to each new generation connect older and younger members of family and community by creating common ground. Celebrating our own and other cultures allow us to accept and respect the differences of our world. Kirin Macapugay is preserving her Igorot culture by helping to teach the next generation about their traditions and beliefs through BIBAK Youth San Diego. Aside from passing on traditions they perform and educate other Filipinos and non-Filipino people creating a more accepting and friendly community.

What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? I am a full blooded Igorota, a term meaning ―people of the mountain,‖ describing the indigenous ―tribes‖ of people from the Philippine Cordilleras. We constitute three percent of the total population. Igorots are historically known for resisting Spanish rule during Spain‘s 400 year reign of the Philippines. This was due in large part to the warrior head hunting culture, the mountainous terrain that was difficult to navigate, and the fierce protection of ancestral lands.

Unfortunately, this also caused rifts between Igorots and other Filipinos.

With little external influence however, we have been able to maintain the same rituals and traditions handed down for thousands of years. To this day, there are challenges for Igorots who still live in the cordilleras.

These include a constant struggle to hold political office as well as secure quality education, healthcare, and resources.

The Banaue rice terraces, considered the eighth wonder of the world, were carved into the mountains thousands of years ago by Igorots. We are also known for cloth weaving, basket weaving, metal works, and adornments. Music and dance accompany significant life rituals, and different tribes teach their youth particular instrumentation and dance during various life stages. Although my parents emigrated to the United States (via the US Navy) when I was two years old, they continued to practice our traditional rites. My parents taught me about my culture as early as third grade, when my mom dressed me up in a traditional Kalinga tapis (skirt), blouse, and beads for the annual school costume party. She said ―no one else will have this, this is unique.‖ And it was. I was too young to vocalize it at the time, and people just thought I was dressing up as a native American.

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I have family pictures of me wearing my traditional tapis (skirt) when I was eight years old. There‘s an even earlier photo of me at less than a year old, wearing bongor (beaded necklace) playing in my family clan‘s yard in Kalinga, Philippines, where I was born. I was blessed to grow up with unique traditions and cultures, though many times it was not easy explaining these traditions to my other Filipino friends, much less friends of other ethnicities.

BIBAK, which stands for the five tribes of the Cordilleras—Benguet, Ifugao, Bontoc, Apayao, Kalinga--is an organization I consider my extended family. I am both Kalinga (on my mother‘s side) and Bontoc (on my father‘s). When I became a young adult, I would assist the younger girls in dressing up in our traditional clothing, coaching them as they danced. It was a natural transition, teaching the younger ones the way my mom and aunts taught me.

When I became a mother in 2008, I realized I needed to be able to answer the questions my son would have about his heritage. My younger cousins were already asking questions I realized I didn‘t have sufficient answers for, like what did the tattoos on my grandmother‘s arms, chest, and back mean? What did the music, rituals, customs signify? Why do we spread our arms like wings of birds when we dance? Why do we consider birds a good omen? Why do we believe our ancestors spirits are constantly present, that they have an active role in our everyday lives?

And why didn‘t other Filipinos and Filipino-Americans do/believe the same things? I began delving into the meanings and underlyings of the rituals I knew, which lead me to mapping out my family‘s history. I can trace my ancestors back nearly nine generations. I know that my great great grandfathers down to my father are/were ―mingor,‖ the Kalinga term for exalted warrior. I witnessed my own father‘s datum (warrior ritual) when he returned from the Persian Gulf War, carried out by my grand uncle, a respected elder and scholar. I know that my Bontoc grandmother was a master weaver, that my Bontoc grandfather was a respected sergeant for the Philippine Constabulary during World War II. I know the great great grandfather for whom my son is named after (we give our children the nick-name of an ancestor, with the belief that ancestor will guard them throughout life) was a warrior, and that my great grandfather was a renowned hunter whom people called ―the King of Wild Boars.‖ Learning more about my bloodline has been an inspiring reminder of all the history that has occurred to bring me to where I am now, in this point of my life in this corner of the world.

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What steps did you take to create your program? I was part of the first round of BIBAK San Diego Youth, in the late 80s when the chapter was formed. We were a small handful, and have various levels of exposure to our respective tribal cultures. Willingness to be engaged and learn the appropriate dances and music differed as well, with the girls being more willing than the boys. Understandably, the traditional wear for boys is much more scant than girls, and the young males at the time were simply not willing to put themselves in traditional loincloths for the public.

Now however, BIBAK San Diego has a large number of youth ages 524, the children and grandchildren of the founding members. One of the elders is a lead instructor, and these youth have learned to play a few songs and dances as early as six years old. In the mid-90s, knowledgeable elders were more visible, displaying ritualistic dances at Filipino-American festivals. These public appearances tapered however, for several reasons, yet we continued to carry on our traditions and performances for our own internal (Igorot related) audiences. In 2008, the same year I became a mom, BIBAK San Diego held a grand ―canao (celebration).‖ It was attended by more than 800 igorot, Filipino and non-Filipino people, with our youth being a highlight of the program, in homage to the theme, ―The Beat Goes On.‖ Public requests for performances for other audiences, particularly our youth, began to grow.

With more performance requests for non-Igorot, non-Filipino audiences came an interest from our youth to learn more about the rituals tied into our dances. During this same time, one our members, Mark Leo, who is Benguet, began presenting his Master‘s thesis on Igorot identity (San Francisco State University) within the larger Filipino and FilipinoAmerican community. His work shed insight on the sociopolitical history of Igorots, as one of the Philippines indigenous people, as well as critiqued nation state politics. Culture and the preservation of culture should be viewed from a holistic lens of its people. Therefore, we began to teach our youth more about our own unique history as a people. As for folk art, I made it a point to introduce other traditions including backstrap weaving (a once practical art form dying with the older generations who still remember how to weave), beading, and broadening their repertoire of musical instrumentation and dance from the various tribes. What is unique for us Igorots living in America, is the ability to learn cross-culturally from other Igorot tribes, which is not common practice in the Philippines. I consult with my parents and relatives to help educate our youth, taking advantage of our family gatherings and key life events, e.g. weddings, birth of a new child.

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What obstacles were you forced to overcome? I grew up in Paradise Hills, one of the largest Filipino-American communities in Southern California. I heard all kinds of disparaging remarks about Igorots growing up. Sometimes I didn‘t have the energy to dispel myths, and even when I did, people would look at me quizzically as if they couldn‘t believe I was Igorot. I think in their minds my people really are savage beasts in some remote jungle somewhere. I figure they‘ll come to their own enlightenment on their own terms. I am very comfortable in my skin now, and quite proud of my heritage. Instead of being resentful, I see it as my duty to educate others about my culture while I navigate being an immigrant American living in the greater United States society.

Being entrenched in the greater Filipino American civic scene of San Diego, I feel my cultural knowledge has served as an asset. I can trace my lineage back hundreds of years. I indeed descended from warriors, and I do my best to carry that spirit with me whether I‘m battling it out at a city hearing or a advocating for a program I know will improve the health and wellness of my fellow Filipinos and non-Filipino neighbors.

Honestly, the only obstacle I have right now is simply not having enough time.  What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take?

There are certain members of each tribe who are knowledgeable about particular rituals, dance, and music. Staying true to our traditions, we don‘t use instruction via things like Youtube videos. These are rituals that must be handed down, taught live, to reinforce the importance of the interactions between generations. The very interaction of learning how to play certain songs, in the correct ―order‖ and cadence is a learning experience in and of itself. The student, usually a younger family member, must be attentive, listen carefully, and accept his/her order in the family clan‘s hierarchy. As s/he gets older, they will then be responsible for teaching younger generations as well.

What must you do to stay operational? n/a. There‘s no need to be paid to learn and protect one‘s culture. When we perform for outside audiences, we do ask for a small honorarium (usually $150-300 for at least 12 dancers and a 20 minute performance). This usually pays for a communal meal after the performance or for traditional clothing that one youth‘s family may not have on hand. For public lectures and discussions, we find venues that are provided to the community at no

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cost, like the public libraries. Our time conducting these educational lectures is voluntary.

Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? All our family, all the ancestors before us, all those who fought off colonization to protect our traditions. More importantly, I am blessed to have my parents, who are very knowledgeable and proud of our culture, drilled it into me from day one. I know many igorot youth whose parents prefer not to be known as Igorot, who can‘t shake the shame and ridicule they faced growing up. My parents chose to hold their heads up higher, and passed that pride on to me.

Do you have any advice for readers who want to get involved or start a similar program? Regardless of who you are, where your family is from, or even if you don‘t have much family you care to speak to, it‘s important to be comfortable in your own skin, and all the things that go with being who you are. If you feel you would like to learn more about your culture of origin or even if you just want to learn more about your family history, do your due diligence. Speak to your parents, your grandparents, your relatives. Be the historian for your family, for your people. More importantly, document these things so you can pass the information on.

Learn more at www.BibakSanDiego.net Follow on Facebook ―Bibak Youth San Diego‖

Kirin Amiling Macapugay was born in Kalinga, Philippines, and immigrated with her U.S Navy father and mother to San Diego in the late 70‘s. She grew up in Barrio Logan, National City, and Paradise Hills.

Experiencing the effects of rampant gang activities prevalent in Filipino American communities during the 90‘s, Kirin was drawn to community work early on, and finished a Master‘s in Social Work with the intent of strengthening underserved communities.

Igorots, meaning "people of the mountain," are one of the recognized indigenous peoples of the Philippines‘ northern Luzon island, from the area known as the Cordilleras. The five major tribes of the Igorot people are the Benguet, Ifugao, Bontoc, Apayao, and Kalinga, with various subtribes. BIBAK San Diego is an organization dedicated to teaching the history and culture of igorot people, as well as preserving and teaching traditions to future generations.

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Now It’s Your Turn!

Now that you are ready to create positive change, ask yourself a few questions to get started.     

What injustice makes you upset?

Why do you think this problem persists?

How would you fix the problem?

How have others solved this problem in their community?

What attempts to solve this problem failed and why did those fail?

  

Who can you ask to solve this problem with you?

Do you know a mentor who can guide you?

What are the first actions you must take?

 

Can you think of any obstacles that could hinder your success?

If so, what can you do to prepare for or remove those obstacles?

As these interviews have shown, the best way to get started is by working together with people you already know who have also voiced concern for the injustice you want to solve. When you find a partner or team that is ready to take action, have a meeting once a week or once a month to discuss your goals. Write out a plan! Just like when you start a business, creating a plan to outline your work keeps you focused and allows you to plan the route of change. Your first plan doesn‘t need to be too detailed, but should cover the basics.

Your first plan should include the following:  An outline of the problem and how it negatively affects your community or the world.  The solution(s) that will solve the problem.  The tools and actions you will need to make it happen.  A list of responsibilities for each person involved.  A mission statement that sums up your goals. Keep it simple and short, about 1-2 sentences that tells others what you are doing.

Once you have a plan make it happen. Resources are available in your local city and state. Check out the following organizations online.

DoSomething.org helps youth create positive change with grants, scholarships, and resources. FoundationCenter.org provides access and information about philanthropy. GatesFoundation.org funds innovative ideas that end poverty, and improve health or education.

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Many great leaders have paved the road for future generations to create positive change. They were not born great leaders, but became great because they believed in something better and they took action. It is a lot of hard work, but worth the success of having a world with healthy, educated, tolerant, compassionate people.

Change is up to YOU! What are you waiting for?

―We must trust our own thinking. Trust where we‘re going. And get the job done.‖ Wilma Mankiller (Cherokee chief) ―We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.‖ Albert Einstein (Scientist and humanitarian) ―To the wrongs that need resistance, to the right that needs assistance, to the future in the distance, give yourself.‖ Carrie Chapman Catt (Equal rights activist) ―I believe that every person is born with talent‖ Maya Angelou (Writer and speaker) ―In every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations‖. Iroquois proverb ―It takes a village to raise a child.‖ African proverb

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More Books from Leah Oviedo Fierce: A New Generation of Female Empowerment Resources and information that give a voice and a choice to young women.

You Can Fight Back: Emotional and Physical Self Defense A guide for learnig skills to overcome violence.

More Than Just a Girl: Empowered, Informed, Equal A fun interactive book for girls ages 13 and older.

Word Art and Affirmations A selection of positive words and an affirmation exercise.

Read these books and purchase copies at www.Bookemon.com

How Will You Create Positive Change Copyright Š 2014 by Leah Oviedo Leah Oviedo loves to write and is the author of "Fierce: A New Generation of Female Empowerment", "I Am More Than Just a Girl", "You Can Fight Back: Emotional and Physical Self Defense", and "Word Art and Affirmations". Learn more at ImpowerYou.org Acknowledgment Thank you to everyone who shared their story of successful change.

Thank you to my family and friends for your unconditional love and support.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from Leah Oviedo The interviews in this book may not be used in any way shape or form without consent from the writer or organization with which they are affiliated.

ISBN-13: 9781605004525 Powered By Bookemon. www.bookemon.com

This is the first book in a series that encourages people to solve problems and create sustainable solutions in their communities. Sixteen amazing people from around the world have shared successful stories of how they created positive change in their communities. Each interview includes a blueprint for how they took action, what obstacles they overcame, and advice on how everyone can be an active participant in creating a better world.

These agents of change are championing for human rights, education, health, environmental sustainability, ending violence, eradicating poverty, mentoring youth, improving their communities, and inventing products that create a better world. They are different genders, skin colors, and ages who live in different countries, and have different beliefs. What they share in common is taking action to create sustainable solutions.

After reading this book you will be inspired to take action too. Use the resources inside to get started and create positive change!