Educate Girls, Change the World

For everyone who knows or is related to a girl or who simply cares about social justice, this 2013 documentary Girl Rising is a ‘must see’.  I recently had the opportunity to view it as part of the Sarnia Justice Film Series.  Our Library Theatre was filled to near capacity by an eclectic crowd which included many parents with their children.  It certainly is an intergenerational film. To view the trailer go to http://youtu.be/BJsvklXhYaE  .

Girl Rising tells the stories of nine impoverished girls each from countries where education for girls is not valued. Most girls portrayed themselves. Their stories were written by a leading writer from each girl’s own country and then narrated by stars including Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Selena Gomez. It is directed by Academy Award-nominated director Richard E. Robbins.

The film does deal with what has been described as “intense and disturbing topics including slavery, child marriage, rape and human trafficking”. These horrific realities, however, are presented in a very matter-of-fact way and nothing of a graphic nature is shown.

Here are some of the distressing facts presented:

• 80% of all human trafficking victims are female
• 33 million fewer girls than boys are in primary school worldwide
• 75% of AIDS cases in Sub-Saharan Africa are women and girls
• In one year million girls are victims of sexual violence
• Less than ½ of the girls in the developing world will ever reach secondary school.

While injustices are clearly highlighted, the film gives a message of hope. Education can make change happen, not only for girls, but also for humankind. Why? According to the documentary:

• A girl with 1 extra year of education can earn 20% more as an adult
• Because women operate the majority of farms and small businesses in the developing world. If India alone enrolled 1% more of its girls in secondary school, the GDP would rise be 5.5 billion.
• Educated girls are a powerful force for change and this kind of change happens fast.

I was impressed with the way the role of men in ensuring education for girls was gracefully handled through the straightforward, factual telling of some of the stories. One father sacrificed tremendously to ensure that his three daughters could be schooled. Another father truly inspired his daughter to create a better life for herself through education. In another instance a brother sold his possessions so his sister could avoid a forced marriage and go to school instead.

Beyond the facts presented and the wonderful cinematography, it is the ‘power of story’ that makes this documentary so compelling. Stories open our hearts and awaken our empathy, and, I would suggest, inspire us to make a difference in the world. The Girl Rising website issues the following “Call to Action”:

“We know that educating girls is the smartest investment of our time. When girls are educated, communities thrive and economies grow. Yet 62 million girls are missing from classrooms worldwide, and tremendous opportunities are lost.

Join the Girl Rising community and become a champion for girls’ education. Use your voice and talent to help us create meaningful change: spread the message, raise funds, and rally your community to advocate for policies supporting girls' education. Now is the time. Educate Girls, Change the World”

For more information go to http://girlrising.com/  .  

For the story behind Girl Rising go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-horansky/the-story-behind-girl-ris_b_4967372.html .

The film can be accessed through Netflix.

There is also a viewing guide available at http://oscs-mn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Teacher-Guide.pdf and a curriculum at http://girlrising.pearsonfoundation.org/

Ann Steadman, Associate

“Tweeting in the New Year and wondering What if….?”

As we enter this New Year, the future that is emerging calls us to respond to NEW challenges in new ways. The old ways are just not working.

These are some of the wonderings that were evoked in me as I reflected on what this New Year might look like and how we can help to shape it. I invite you, the reader, to consider what it is like when you or I do choose new ways of responding to the situations in which we find ourselves.

The emerging future that we envision for ourselves in 2015 depends on how we choose, and how we lead and encourage others to make this kind of change for a better world, a better reality.

As you consider these “tweets” below, let one or two choose YOU from which to wonder, “what if I were to choose to live this way?” this New Year. Happy “tweeting” and may it truly be a Happy New Year for all of us!

“Being happy is a soother, a choice, a decision we make. Not easy at first, but it can become a very good habit worth developing.

Love is not so much a ‘doing’ but a ‘being’, not so much a ‘receiving’ but a ‘giving’. Love is “for giving”. What we give comes back to us.”

Worry, a stimulant pill, habit-forming, dumps adrenaline into our systems and produces a ‘fight or flight’ response. We can find a better way to fly.

Separation is only the illusion of darkness. The light still shines all around us. It is only our focus on the dark that makes it seem real.

By focusing on the question, we miss the answer. Try focusing on the answer and see what question comes to mind.

Being happy is a gift from that which created us. It is ours. We can forget we have it but we can never lose it. We are here to remember it.

As we focus on right-minded thoughts of love, compassion, health, abundance, and happiness, these focused thoughts will attract their own witnesses.

By giving compassion to others, we are re-minded that we must have had it in the first place in order to have given it. How quickly we seem to forget.

Who’s in charge here? US, the Universal Spirit, expressing itself through, and as, you and me. Glad we got that straight.

Where’s the drama in knowing our lives are unfolding just as they should be? Drama is uncertainty. Truth is certain. We choose with every thought.”

Tweets for the Soul by Charlie Henry Thanks for viewing Chapter Four http://foundationforwellbeing.org/tweets1.htm  ©2010 by Charles Henry

Kathleen Lichti CSJ

Co-incidence or God-incidence?

I once read that a coincidence is when God works a miracle and decides to remain anonymous. So one of my goals in life has been to give God the credit wherever possible. Here is one such story.

My husband was given a new iPhone for Christmas and had no use for his old flip phone. His sister, a widower, has never owned a cell phone so we decided to gift her with a year of "pay as you go" with his old phone. I went to a bell store to ask how to go about this. There were 3 young sales reps all huddled together working with their own phones. I approached them and asked which one had the most patience since sometimes I have difficulty knowing which questions to ask. A young man, without looking up, said he would help. I proceeded to explain the situation and asked what to do. He was quite helpful, so I thanked him, to which he replied "You're welcome dear." I started to walk away but was struck by his response and returned to ask. "Why did you call me dear?" Upon looking up he said, "I was taught to respect my elders. Usually if I call a customer Mam, they become offended and reply that they are not old enough to be called Mam; so now I say dear. Besides, I do not know your name so I cannot call you Helen." During a long pregnant pause, I thought, I do not have a name tag. I did not tell him my name. He did not look up my account. Why did he choose Helen as a name? Smiling, I told him my name was indeed Helen and thanked him for the "God-incidence." Seeing the questioning look in his eyes, (and the other two sales reps looking up), I proceeded to explain how the universe is all one connected energy which some call God. When that connection comes to our attention we call it a coincidence. Carl Jung called it synchronicity. I call it a God-incidence. This time I thanked him for being open to the universe and gifting me with a miracle.

Experienced any miracles lately? Give the glory to God!

Helen Bonyai
CSJ Associate

What's Right with the World?

In a political cartoon recently, there was a picture of a woman in bed saying to her husband hiding in the bathroom, “It’s alright. You can come out now. The news is over.” And so it can seem at times. Each day brings new stories of bombings and violence, disruptions and loss.

And yet, there is also so much that is “right” in our world. On January 14, 2015, 15 of us gathered to begin a 6 week online course called Transformation of Business, Society and Self offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Here is what is right.

• Globally, there are 25,300 participants in this online venture. The course is inviting us to use mindfulness and self-awareness practices to reflect together on what is not working in our world, our cities, our communities, our selves. By tapping into our own lived experience, we are asking: Who is left out? Am I bringing the self I really want to be to the workplace? How can we shift to a world view that puts the good of the whole at the centre and not just the interests of a few.
• What is even more encouraging about this process is that of the over 25,000 participants, 60% are under the age of 40 years. People representing 192 countries are part of the course. We get to “experience” ourselves as a whole world looking together at who we are on the planet in 2015.
• At Dalhousie University we learn of the shocking behaviour of some male dentistry students. And yet, something new and also a bit chaotic seems to be emerging in how the situation is being handled. Rather than a quick and predictable response, there is a slowing down of the process: one hopes the women are being protected; there is concern about the safety of at least one of the men; a lawyer\researcher with a feminist lens has been hired to look into the events and the culture at Dalhousie; talk of restorative justice which aims to create real change is being explored.
• In the aftermath of the killing of 12 journalists at Charlie Hebdo, new questions are slowly seeping into consciousness. How do we value freedom of speech and are there limits? Are there new insights to help us live through these decades together that will help lessen the “need” for violence in all its expressions?

So, when we come out of hiding because the news is over, have an eye to all that is right with the world. See it shining in its take your breath away expressions, as well as in its dimly emerging newness.

Margo Ritchie, CSJ

Have you heard of Clyde River?

The people in the tiny hamlet of Clyde River live on the shore of Baffin Island’s Patricia Bay. As one of the world’s most remote communities, it is challenging the National Energy Board’s decision to approve a five-year search for oil off Clyde River’s coast. The exploration relies on seismic testing, a process of firing explosions through the ocean to find oil. This is a first step towards dangerous oil drilling in the Arctic and a precursor to oil drilling in the Baffin Bay Davis Strait area.

Seismic testing could cause biological damage to dolphins, porpoises and whales.  In fact, 80-90%of the world’s narwhales make the Arctic waters their home. Furthermore, explosions from testing can disrupt the paths of marine animals sometimes causing hearing loss and even death.

The 900 people of Clyde River have the Nunavut Association of Municipalities behind them as they press forward with their legal challenge. Every mayor from Nunavut’s 25 communities has signed on to support Clyde River’s challenge against the Conservative government that deferred the decision to their energy regulator. However, it is disheartening to note that the people who will be affected most and who possess the best knowledge of the region have not been consulted.

Let’s join the people of Clyde River in their fight to protect one of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems. Let’s petition the Canadian government and their National Energy Board to cease dangerous oil exploration in Canada’s Arctic.

To add your voice, please sign the petition in support of Clyde River’s endangered habitat by clicking on the following link:  http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/Blog/inuit-community-battles-big-oil-to-save-prime/blog/51250/

Jean Moylan, CSJ