2018 International Essay Contest for Young People
List of Winners
Theme: “The Change I Want to Make”
No. of participating countries: 162
No. of entries:21,705 (Children’s category: 7,890 / Youth category: 13,815)*All ages are as of June 15, 2018.

1st Prize
Children's category (1 entrant)

Oldy-Goldy Club

Youth category (1 entrant)

Engineering for the People

Shreenabh Moujesh Agrawal

Kent Harry Perez Cumpio(Age 14, India)(Age 22, The Philippines)

2nd Prize
Children's category (2 entrants)

Three Actions That Start with Me

Youth category (2 entrants)


Sayo Tanaka (Age 12, Japan)


The Change I want To make In My

The Battle Against Plastic Pollution
Kate Yeo (Age 16, Singapore)Sweet Duels
Nermin Delić

School(Age 22, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Yeatsho Doekar Gyeltshen(Age 12, Bhutan)

3rd Prize
Children's category (5 entrants)



Hinami Totake(Age 12, Japan <Living in Canada>)
Ji Won Baek (Age 13, South Korea)
Neda Simic(Age 13, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Eri Nakayama (Age 14, Japan)

Keonhee Lee (Age 14, Canada)Youth category (5 entrants)Keisuke Horie (Age 16, Japan)
Sae Tamura (Age 16, Japan)
Melissa Johns (Age 22, U.S.A.)
Sanam Bukhari (Age 22, Pakistan)

Jing Hui Fu (Age 24, Malaysia)

Honorable Mention
Children's category (25 entrants)

Youth category (25 entrants)

Yukie Kataoka (Age 8, Japan)

Mahika Halepete (Age 15, U.S.A.)

Thomas Tafur (Age 9, Colombia)

Felicia Rose DaryonoputriElla-Mei Graham (Age 11, Australia)

Elle Paris Wirtz (Age 11, Seychelles)

Kaho Asami (Age 16, Japan)Tenzin Wangmo (Age 11, Bhutan)

Kiri Shinzato (Age 16, Japan)

Angateeah Aditi Devi



Kyu Won Kim (Age 16, China)(Age 12, Mauritius)

Mi Sung Ledwaba (Age 16, South Africa)Celine Serin Joo (Age 12, South Korea)

Shiori Naito (Age 16, Japan)Ines Indira Rei (Age 12, Indonesia)

Bayarmagnai Bilguuntuguldur



Kaiji Kosaka (Age 12, Japan)



Kylee Kest (Age 12, U.S.A.)

Masato Takagi (Age 12, Japan)Yuto Tsumura (Age 13, Japan)Abiral Gautam (Age 13, Nepal)Alice Min Seo Kim



Miu Kato (Age 17, Japan)(Age 13, South Korea)



Oufan Hai (Age 17, Singapore)Coloco Jane Jacyln

Yufei Gao (Age 17, China)

(Age 13, India <Living in Qatar>)

Domokos Péter Kovács (Age 18, Hungary)Kyle Galea (Age 13, Malta)

Raj Aaryan (Age 18, India)

Maya Morita (Age 13, Japan)

Rocío Alejandra Cruz (Age 19, Honduras)

Bhaskar Mishra (Age 14, India)Trish Larissa Miranda (Age 21, India)

Chaeeun Jung (Age 14, South Korea)

Victoria Onyinye OnyeacholemHaru Yamauchi (Age 14, Japan &Mongolia <Living in Japan>)(Age 16, Indonesia)(Age 17,Mongolia <Living in Japan>)Fabrina Tayane Guedes Farias(Age 17, Brazil)



Fátima Melendez Gutiérrez
(Age 17, México)(Age 21, Nigeria)

Daniela Maria Ballen Barrios(Age 22, Colombia)



Kelerayani Vorakitaki (Age 14, Fiji)

Mizuki Uchida (Age 14, Japan)

Mauro Adriel Martinez (Age 22, Argentina)Naru Kondo (Age 14, Japan)Cynthia Tze Keng KoPetra Štrk (Age 14, Croatia)Viengphouthone PhomsengsavanhAstha Srivastava (Age 24, India)(Age 14, Laos)

Fortunate Prosper Tillya (Age 24,(Age 23, The Netherlands)

Tanzania <Living in Australia>)Mbaya Isaac Diop (Age 24, Senegal)Otim Nicholas Ojara (Age 24, Uganda)

Best School Award (2 schools)

Hiroshima Nagisa Junior High School (Japan)

Showa Women's University Senior High School, Tokyo (Japan)

School Incentive Award (33 schools)Assumption Academy, Osaka (Japan)

Bunka Gakuen Nagano Junior High School & High School, Nagano (Japan)

Chicago Futabakai Japanese School-Saturday School, Illinois (USA)Chikushi Jogakuen Junior High School, Fukuoka (Japan)

Escuela Preparatoria No. 8, Universidad de Guadalajara (México)Fukushima Prefectural Asakakaisei Senior High School (Japan)

Honjo Higashi Junior High School, Saitama (Japan)

Hosen Gakuen Junior & Senior High School, Tokyo (Japan)

Ibaraki Prefectural Koga Secondary School (Japan)Institucion Educativa Carlos Alberto Camargo Mendez (Colombia)

Japaniche Schule in Zurich (Hoshuko) (Switzerland)

Jonan Gakuen High School, Osaka (Japan)

Joso Gakuin, Ibaraki (Japan)

Kamezaki Junior High School of Handa City, Aichi (Japan)



Kinki University Wakayama Junior High School (Japan)



Koka Gakuen Junior and Senior High School for Girls, Tokyo (Japan)



Kokugojuku KURU, Tokyo (Japan)

Kyoto Gakuen Junior and Senior Highschool (Japan)Matsumoto Shuho Secondary School, Nagano (Japan)

Meijo University Senior High School, Aichi (Japan)



MITA International School, Tokyo (Japan)

Motherland Secondary School (Nepal)

Okinawa Prefectural Gushikawa High SchoolOkinawa Prefectural Nago High School (Japan)Omori 6th Junior High School of Ota City, Tokyo (Japan)Otsuma Ranzan Junior and Senior High School, Saitama (Japan)

Peacezone MA. VI., Itahari (Nepal)

Rikkyo School in England, West Sussex (UK)

Ritsumeikan Keisho Junior & Senior High School, Hokkaido (Japan)

Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sri Nipah, Johor (Malaysia)



Setagaya Junior High School attached to Tokyo Gakugei University (Japan)

Teikyo Senior High School, Tokyo (Japan)



Waseda Shibuya Senior High School (Singapore)

International Essay Contest for Young People
Panel of Judges:
ChairmanGenshitsu Sen
Shinji HattoriKoïchiro Matsuura
Suzue Miuchi
Junji Narita
Masami Saionji
Akira Suzuki
Shunichi Tokura
Kazuhiko Yazaki
Shomei Yoh
Organized by:Endorsed by:Former Grand Tea Master of Urasenke,
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
Chairman & Group CEO,SEIKO HOLDINGS CORPORATION
President of The Africa Society of Japan,
Former Director-General of UNESCO
Cartoonist
Directo and Senior Advisor, Hakuhodo Inc.
Chairperson, The Goi Peace Foundation
Language educator
ComposerPresident & CEO, FELISSIMO CORPORATION
Picture book author

The Goi Peace Foundation
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan,
Japanese National Commission for UNESCO, Japan Private High School
Federation, Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education,

Supported by:

Japanese Broadcasting Corporation, Nikkei Inc.
FELISSIMO CORPORATION, SEIKO HOLDINGS CORPORATION,
PLUS CORPORATION

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Childrenʼs Category – 1st Prize】

Oldy-Goldy Club
(Original)
Shreenabh Moujesh Agrawal(Age 14, India)
The Chanda Devi Saraf School, Nagpur
When I see old people around me looking helplessly
towards the young not for their money or protection but
for a little time to sit with them, hold their hands and listen
to them, I feel very sad. Why are the hands that rocked
our cradle and held us strongly so that we may live happily
shaking so much? The question is what can we do to repay
them for what they have done for us? Is earning money
and keeping a nurse for them our only way to express our
gratitude and love for them?
When I see the old retired professionals who wererespected throughout their life for their work and wisdom
looking for someone who could just notice them, I feelsad. The vast ocean of knowledge that they hold in their minds and hearts is ready to
overflow and guide the paths of the struggling youth; but where is that youth? Why are thefingers that wrote the policies for the nation and led the country to the acme ofdevelopment searching in dim light a finger to hold? The question is what can we do toharness the energy they still have to guide the nation to a brighter path?
When I see an old grandmother shedding tears silently because when she happily rushed
to the kitchen to make a delicacy for her grandchildren she was asked to sit and relax, I feelsad. Why is she not allowed to cook the food that not only her children but their friends
enjoyed too? The question is what can we do to let them live naturally and help them to feelan important part of the family?
I wish to change this helpless situation of the old people all over the world. I have tried
to bring about a small change in the town where I stay to see if my thought can beconverted into fruitful action. When I saw the idea working and the grandparents actuallyfeeling ʻGrandʼ, my happiness knew no bounds.
One fine day when I was visiting my friend, I saw his younger sister and her friends
sitting near his grandfather and all of them were laughing merrily. My friend told me thatevery evening his grandfather took a one hour session for the children of the colony which
included yoga, meditation, story-telling and vocabulary building. I was amazed. I camehome and chalked out a plan of action and then visited sixteen libraries in my town. I
requested them to allow me to conduct one life skills session every week. They readily
agreed as the footfall in the libraries has been decreasing day by day due to the advent ofinternet. I then approached the retired people in my town and requested them to spend
time with the young children of our town every weekend. Some of them showed a bit ofhesitation but then big smiles adorned their faces. Now with two main tasks accomplished I
turned my attention to the most difficult task; the task of convincing the parents to send
their children for these life skills sessions. But believe me, they all readily agreed. The big
day arrived and our first session started. There was sheer happiness all around. The ʻgoldyoldiesʼ-thatʼs what I call them were looking ten years younger! They had the reins in theirhands once again.
I wish to bring this change in every nook and corner of the world. I am sure that theclueless young generation will get a guided path to walk upon. There can be ʻoldy-goldyʼ
clubs of old scientists for the teenagers and the college students to guide them on
innovative projects. There can be ʻoldy-goldyʼ clubs of grandmothers for the young
daughters who want to equip themselves for a happy married life. There can be ʻoldy-goldyʼ
clubs of artists to colour the life of the young.
I wish I could start ʻoldy-goldyʼ clubs all over the world not only to make my oldies live
healthy and happy but in turn help the stressed, disoriented, self centered, unsympathetic
youth live their life with internal satisfaction. Only the experienced can shape theinexperienced!

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Youth Category – 1st Prize】

Engineering for the People(Original)
Kent Harry Perez Cumpio(Age 22, The Philippines)
University of the Philippines
In my country, everyone wants me to leave.
My parents, friends, and relatives all say the samething: “Leave the Philippines once you graduate and geta high-paying job abroad. Donʼt waste your talents.
There arenʼt any opportunities here.” All young Filipinos
know this advice: study hard so you can get into thebest university in Manila and it would be easier to leavefrom there.
I took this advice to heart because I have faced
poverty myself. I know how it feels to eat nothing but
rice for lunch because your parents donʼt have themoney to buy meat. I know how it feels to attend a
Christmas party in school wearing a worn-out shirt while the rest of your classmates are
wearing new clothes. As a young kid, I had a deep-seated desire for a better life, and when
my teacher told us that we could someday become rich if we studied hard and aced our
exams, I believed her.
Studying became my passion since then. I was the valedictorian in grade school and won
many awards. Later on, I was admitted to the countryʼs best science high school where
many graduates proceed to the countryʼs top universities. I was filled with much prideknowing that I came closer to my goal. Every day I would remind myself why I was doing
all these: I am studying because I want to leave the country and get a better life.
But in college, I learned to rethink my life choices. It is where I was faced with adiversity of ideas that challenged my own. I can never forget what my social science
professor told us: “This university is funded by the public so we can use our education to
help the country. But many of our graduates forget this the moment they get theirdiplomas. Instead of helping the countryʼs poor, they work in foreign lands to get highwages. They use their education to enrich themselves. And when they return to thePhilippines, they are quick to complain that the country remains poor! Ask yourselves, what
have you done to help the country? And who will help the countryʼs poor when all of you aregone?”
It was a turning point for me. I realized that education has a much deeper purpose. It is
not simply about learning how to solve textbook problems or acing exams. Its purpose is
not to enrich ourselves with material wealth, but to learn to question why weʼre obsessedwith material wealth to begin with. We must learn to see the bigger picture and ask the
tough questions. What is our role in society and how can we use our education to help?
I became one of the founding members of Engineers Without Borders – Diliman, hoping
to use my engineering education to help the countryʼs poor. This is the first humanitarian
engineering organization on campus. We want to let people know that engineering is notjust about working in large factories. It is also about building water filters in rural areas, ordesigning better tools for cleaning polluted rivers. My project was to build small biodigesters
that convert food waste into gas for cooking and heating. I wanted to prove that we do notneed complicated concepts to make a difference in peopleʼs lives. Even the application of
simple scientific concepts can have a huge impact.
I no longer want to leave the country. When I graduate, I want to improve my expertiseon building biodigesters and teach communities how this technology works. I want to use
my writing skills to propose legislation to one of our Senators so we can soon have anational biodigester programme. This project can help farmers and households save on
costs. Instead of buying expensive gas, families can generate their own fuel at home fromfood and animal waste.
Through my civic activities, I want to convince my fellow youth to stay and tell them that
thereʼs more to life than the pursuit of money. We have a people to serve and a nation tobuild. We ought to ask ourselves: Who will help the countryʼs poor when all of us have left?

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Children’s Category – 2nd Prize】

Three Actions That Start with Me(Original in Japanese)
Sayo Tanaka(Age 12, Japan)
Takatsuki Junior High School & Takatsuki Senior High School attached to Educational
Foundation of Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University
If I didn’t exist, everyone could live happily. Then, that girl wouldn’t need to pick on me.
If only I didn’t exist.
There was a time when thoughts like these were constantly going around in my head.
And I still remember the horrible things that happened.
When I was in elementary school, I transferred into a new school and was bullied there.
I guess that girl had some hostility toward me. When teachers or others were around, she
didn’t do anything, but after school and on the way home she tormented me for no reason.
Her words were like knives in my heart, and the wounds are still there today. Without
saying anything, I just waited for the time to pass by. In my mind, there were things I
wanted to say back to her, but I was afraid that she would pick on me even more, which
only added to my frustration. Gradually, I became unable to eat dinner, and eventually I
couldn’t eat breakfast, either. My mother couldn’t bear to see this, so she talked with theteacher, and the bullying stopped.
Ultimately, I just endured it without consulting anyone, but when I think about it calmly
now, I wonder if it was the best thing to do. Even if I had disappeared, I don’t think thebullying would have stopped. Instead, some other kid would have become the target, andmaybe it would have escalated even more.
I have seen others get picked on, too, but I just pretended that I didn’t see it. I was
afraid that if I pointed it out, I would get picked on next. I think that by pretending not tosee, I also indirectly bullied them and ran out on them.
I think those who pick on others feel very insecure, and so they take out their anger out
on other people. They bully others because they are lonely and want friends. Even if only
one person is doing the bullying, it creates an atmosphere where others have to join in, andso it spreads.

The people who are bullied are never at fault. They should not try to act strong byenduring or ignoring what is happening. Rather, what I hope is that they will find someone
to talk with.
If we notice that someone is being bullied, we should believe in them and stick up forthem. Which is better—to stick up for someone and be excluded by our peers, or not tostick up for them and continue to see them suffering? I hope each of us will think about thisfor ourselves. We must acknowledge that bullying should never be tolerated and if we
happen to come across it, I think that we should not forget to lend a helping hand.
Also, I would like us to think about whether our casual words are hurtful to others, andwhether we might have been taking the bully’s side unintentionally. Are we not looking
away and thinking, It has nothing to do with me, I don’t say those kinds of things? A heart
that’s been wounded once, like mine, can never go back to the way it was.
Life is invaluable and irreplaceable. Everyone has the right to pass their days with peaceof mind, and to live a wonderful life filled with precious experiences.
Bullying is a frightening weapon that can even drive people to suicide. I absolutely do notwant to see this happen at my school. And I also do not want it to happen at other schools,
or in society.
To begin, there are three things I intend to do. Firstly, when I greet someone, I will
smile. Secondly, I will praise my friends’ good points. Thirdly, I will show that I am thankful
whenever I receive even a small kindness. Just by doing these small actions over and over,I think we can eliminate bullying. When I spread feelings of mutual trust, I believe thatthose feelings reach all the people connected with me. The good intentions of each person
and words like “I’m here to listen” will help people who feel insecure. My wish is for thispositive influence to spread from my class to the whole school, and from there to all ofsociety. To see the importance of considering what others are feeling, and to realize thatsomeone right in front of us might be suffering—I hope to advocate for these small changes
in attitude which will become stronger together, and create a society where bullying is nevertolerated.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Children’s Category – 2nd Prize】

The Change I want To make In My School.
(Original)
Yeatsho Doekar Gyeltshen(Age 12, Bhutan)
Drukgyel Central School (Lower Campus), Paro
Bhutan is a peaceful mountainous country. The people live in harmony with each other.
But it does not mean that a peaceful country don’t have any problems. Every country has
problems and its in need of change with the change of time.
Among the problems, I would like to talk about waste. Waste has been eye sore. Waste
like bottles, plastics, papers and rags etc are seen in nook and corner. Because of thewaste, different pollutions arise making the life of the people and animals uneasy anddestroying the pristine environment of our country.
When the waste are thrown in the forest, the animals consume the waste and get
infected or killed, the forest gets polluted, the plants and trees cannot grow well thus theecosystem gets ruined. When the rain falls or in monsoon season, the water gets clogged
and the waste does not allow water to seep into the soil. The waste does not decay and thefoul smell spreads to nook and corner of the forest, leading to air pollution thus the animals
do not get good fresh air to breathe.
Throwing waste is another concern for many of us. The garbage in the water affects theaquatic animals, leading to many disasters like water pollution, sickness, infections anddeath to aquatic animals. The water becomes infected and makes the life of aquatic animals
and plants a miserable one. Time will come where there will be no clean water for drinking.
In the towns we see the dustbins placed in front of every shops yet garbage scene iscommon. Whenever there is an event or a program, people do not take care of their waste
so at the end of the event, the venue is carpeted with trash. People throw both degradable
and non degradable waste, not knowing the consequence of throwing it.
As a little girl, I would like to be a change of an agent, an agent to make a difference inmy school through advocacy in managing the waste. I am in Peer Helper Club and I will
begin from my club members by asking my club friends to help me in my advocacy
program. First I will inform my club members the pros and cons of not taking care of thewaste. In the morning assembly, I will volunteer to give speech and talks about the waste
management and make the students aware of the importance of taking care of one’s own
waste. With the help of Health Coordinators, we will organize cleaning campaign every
month and make sure everyone participates and takes the responsibility of keeping our areaclean.
I would get help of my club members to put container or dust bins in every corner of theschool campus and advocate the students to use the dustbins wisely. The club will also planand organize monthly pet bottles collection competition. We will announce to the children tocollect pet bottles and bring it in the school. Monthly, with the help of our teacher we willsell the pet bottles and give ten percent of the profit to the highest pet bottles contributor.
Rest of the money we will use it to carry out our campaign of waste management. In linewith pet bottles, we can ask children to contribute their old books too.
I would request the schools prefects to encourage the students to bring reusable
containers to carry their water and bags to carry their lunch box. Discourage children frombringing packaged junk foods and plastic carry bags. Let students take care of their waste
and make it a habit of carrying back their waste.
I strongly believe that if everyone carryout the waste management policy seriously, we
can address to the issues of waste and preserve our pristine forest, water and environment
before it’s too late and becomes a nation issue. Thus I repeat again, I want to be a changeof an Agent, an agent to make my school litter free zone.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Youth Category – 2nd Prize】

The Battle Against Plastic Pollution(Original)
Kate Yeo(Age 16, Singapore)
Plastic is amazing, because it’s cheap and durable.
Plastic is terrible, because it’s cheap and durable.
In fact, plastic is so durable that it can take up to 1000 years to decompose.
The past decade has seen plastic production escalate at breakneck speed. Termed a‘miracle material’, plastic is easily one of the most wondrous and commonly-used inventionsof all time – it’s cheap, lightweight, durable, and easy to make. Today, single-use plastics
have become a daily necessity in our lives, from plastic drinking bottles to coffee stirrers,
and are virtually everywhere.
Unfortunately, this has led to one of the greatest environment scourges of our time. Ourland and oceans are now under assault — treated as dumping grounds, collecting pools ofplastic waste as a result of our ignorance and laziness. Plastic also presents an entire host ofother issues – it clogs drainage systems, resulting in floods and increased rates of vectorborne diseases; it chokes and poisons hapless marine life who mistake it for food; itstealthily leaches into our food and drinks, damaging our health. All these consequences, formere minutes of convenience. Yet only 9% of plastic we’ve ever produced has been
recycled. At current rates, by 2050, there will be over 12 billion tonnes of plastic waste inlandfills, and more plastic than fish in our oceans. Plastic pollution is no longer just alooming catastrophe; it’s happening now, and it’s a battle we have to win.
The problem doesn’t lie in plastic itself. It’s how we use it that makes a difference.
Therefore, the change I want to make is to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics in
my society.
A fundamental aspect of this issue is public awareness – to re-shape consumers’
mindsets towards plastic, and create a culture of minimal waste in Singapore. This is why I
decided to try to start a “BYO (Bring Your Own) Bottle Singapore” movement, encouraging
consumers to bring their own reusable cups or bottles whenever they purchase drinks fortake-away. The @byobottlesg Instagram page started off receiving a daily average of 5 newfollowers – it may not seem like much for now, but that could mean twenty fewer plastic
bottles in the ocean each week, and it’s just starting.
Of course, it’s not just consumers who contribute to this problem. It is also essential toengage all the other stakeholders – from retailers, to industry representatives, to thegovernment. Thus I emailed over 50 F&B businesses with a range of ambitious, but
important requests: to support the BYO movement, or change their automatic straw polices,or even ditch plastic straws entirely. As a 16 year-old student, it was daunting trying toreach out to these organisations, but thankfully the sheer determination paid off. Someagreed to consider and implement my suggestions. It just goes to show how far a little
initiative and courage can go in making a difference!
Going forward, I hope to reach out to more F&B outlets to support the BYO Bottle
movement, for instance by offering consumers small incentives. At the same time, I believe
peer influence is another powerful means to catalyse change. By setting an example for mypeers to follow, such as by rejecting plastic straws when we dine together, I believe I canhelp to reduce plastic waste consumption in Singapore.
The plastic crisis wasn’t created overnight, and it certainly won’t be resolved in a day.
However, it’s vital we understand how our plastic consumption all adds up – just one plastic
straw a day, or a cup of coffee every morning, has immense consequences, to the extent
that it can form a massive oceanic gyre of trash three times the size of France. In the sameway, it’s the little, every day actions that will make a difference in our battle against plastic
pollution.
That is the change I want to make. For people to see that the Earth is not ours to
exploit; that we must stop taking nature for granted; that we have the power to win thisbattle. It’s no longer a matter of “we can” — it’s that we must.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Youth Category – 2nd Prize】

Sweet Duels(Original)
Nermin Delić(Age 22, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Almost all that strangers know about the Balkans are wars. This European peninsula – aplace of death - is where I live. All countries have turbulent past here. Their people show
hatred, anger and sorrow and it makes the world think that here is still no chance for a real
peace. The truth is that even if twenty-three years of the last war have past, there is still ahard situation in my country.
A lot of people lost members of their family or a part of the body. Unfortunately, myfather lost both. During the last months of the 3-years' long war, in a couple of days, he lost
his brother and his right leg. He was trying to pick up a pear for his little hungry daughter,but he step on an anti-personnel mine. Before the war, he was a football player with a great
potential. One Italian football club wanted him to play for them at that time. He’s still known
as one of the most talented football players ever in this region. So, instead of playing
football in Italy, he remained in a wheelchair, as disabled.
There are thousands of people on the streets who have a similar situation. That’s why
you can see a lot of blind, deaf, disabled and mentally unstable people outside. Generally,they’re all with the same diagnosis – War disease.
When I was thinking what I should do to change something in my community, I didn’t
have a right plan. So, I studied hard and got excellent marks in Elementary and HighSchool. I enrolled Medicine successfully, realizing that it’s the best way to help people in mycountry. Now, I'm in 5th year of my Medicine studies at the university. It’s a trend for
doctors here to go to other richer European countries to work for better salaries. I decided
to stay, because the only change I want to make is to teach myself to help these people.
Leaving them would be surrender – not a change for me.
I also knew that health isn’t just a physical condition, so I used my talent for writing andmy popularity in the community to teach my people how to look forward with all their
damages, disadvantages and weaknesses which are permanent and indelible. As a wellknown young artist here, I decided to do something new in my community, so I couldimprove the bad relation between the Balkan nations. It was hard, because they’re fromdifferent cultures, have different points of view towards life and the most important thing –
different side of the war. For some of them, one participant of the war was a hero, forothers - a killer. But I realized, they all have the same thing – a big heart. Actually, I knewthat only artists could make the change I wanted to see in this region.
It was a big decision, but I founded the first online poetry contest on the Balkans, called"Sweet Duels". Instead of comments of hatred on social networks, I started a competition,
which prolongs words of peace in verses. Six years later, we have grown to a group withover one thousand Balkan poets. It becomes very popular here and every year, I proudly
organize it, because there are more and more poets, who want to join us. We already have
one common collection of poems and we sell the book here.
I wanted to share this to the world, as an example to others, because the art always
wins. Now, it looks like culture differences between us are an advantage.
In a future, I would like to read world newspapers writing about “Sweet Duels” as aproject which helps the Balkan people to show their talents, exchange their knowledge andexperience with each other. If we cannot change our past, we really can change our future!
As a poet, I want to make my people stop suffering of War disease. As a future doctor of
medicine, I know that real emotion, knowledge and empathy can heal every other disease. I
am sure that my way can make a change in the Balkans – from a place of death to a placeof Sweet Duels!

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Children’s Category – 3rd Prize】

The Change I Want to Make
(Original)
Hinami Totake(Age 12, Japan <Living in Canada>)
Vancouver Japanese School
Nature. There is probably nothing closer to me, or more important. However, it’s clearthat year after year, more of nature is being destroyed. How will this affect our lives, andwhat will happen to this earth that we live on? It pains my heart to think about thesethings.
I believe that we are part of nature, and therefore, when we go out into nature it ishealing for us. I love to play with my iPad, but even for me, going camping on an island
where there’s no Wi-Fi is strangely healing, and makes my senses more alert. I can hear thewind and waves and the chirping of small birds, which I usually can’t hear over the noise ofcars. I can smell the grass and the freshly cut wood, and when I look up at the many stars
scattered throughout the sky, I can feel that I am part of nature. In that environment, iteven seems like all the fighting in the world has disappeared. When we go out in nature,
mysteriously, we feel good despite the inconveniences.
So, why are we destroying nature? I tried thinking about this in my own way. The firstreason, I think, is the pursuit of convenience. We are always trying to make our lives even alittle more convenient. For example, in Japan, there is an abundance of different types ofelectronic devices, toys, and other products. The pace of progress and change is faster thanin Canada. This provides a lot of convenience, but as a result, people end up throwing away
things that can still be used. It seems that they are overflowing with things they don’t need,and the amount of trash is increasing. The more convenient our lives become, the more ofnature is lost.
I have lived in Canada since I was little. In my own way, I see the differences between
Canada and Japan, and the good points of each. Whenever I go back to Japan, I feel thatpeople are very busy and on edge. As if symbolizing this, there are artificial lights andsounds flashing everywhere, and the noise of cars and the stuffy air feel suffocating. On theother hand, I think Japan is really convenient and comfortable. But it’s also true that bypursuing convenience too much, we are causing the destruction of nature all over the world.
If we keep trying to make life even a little more convenient, choosing material wealth overwealth in our heart, what will things be like in the future?
Human beings are meant to live together with nature, I think. Nature that has been
destroyed once can never return to its original state. Realizing this, what can we do toprevent nature from being destroyed anymore? I think the thing to do is not to pursue
convenience so much. Compared to Japan, Canada seems inconvenient. Yet, people in
Canada are living happily enough. Even without all the conveniences, we can still be happyand enjoy life. It’s because I have the experience of living in both Canada and Japan that I
was able to realize this. And it’s because I realized this that I would like to change the way
the world is now, in which we pursue only convenience. I think we need to recognize that,
although convenience can be enjoyable, we are also losing something very valuable, andthat we can be happy even without pursuing convenience. We need to know this so that thedestruction of nature does not continue.
These days in school, we are learning about outer space. Although there are so manythings that we still don’t know about the universe, the earth is part of it, and despite how
beautiful the earth is when we look at it from space, on earth all kinds of changes are
happening. If the world becoming more convenient means that we are losing many things,
then I think it’s important to have a mindset of not pursuing and accumulating more than
we need. I believe that as each person changes their mind and makes efforts to do this,something will change.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Children’s Category – 3rd Prize】

Education Gap(Original)
Ji Won Baek
(Age 13, South Korea)
Chungdahm Institute, Seoul
Human intelligence is given nearly equally to everyone around the world, opportunity isnot. There aren't many people who are poor because of their lack of ability. Most of those inpoverty stay poor for all of their life simply because they were born poor and had poor
parents. The wealth gap leads to an opportunity gap in education, university admissions andcareer advancement. Like this, the education gap repeats itself again and again. Although it
is a complicated problem, we already have all the tools to solve it. I want to resolve theeducation gap based on uneven wealth through technology, intelligence and kindness.
The poor have less time to study than the rich, often because they need to work more,
have less money for tutoring and after-school classes, go to less-qualitied schools, and evensuffer discrimination. Wealthier students can just focus on studying and hire individual
tutors to get better grades. They have the resources to get extra help and usually learn
above their grade level. However, poorer students need to work to earn money and can
only study after finishing their work. While some are able to learn above their grade level,
most get left behind.
To help resolve this gap, I will film Internet lectures with my friends for students my age
and younger. I can do this for free using current technology. I can film the lectures with mysmartphone, which has great image quality. For editing, there are many free apps that canbe used for subtitles and graphics. I will post the video lectures on platforms like YouTube.
But even if I post the videos, it is no use if no one is watching. For promotion, I can use
SNS to promote our video channel. Since teens use SNS every day, my videos could quickly
become popular.
Students always want to do what’s fun and avoid what’s boring. To attract many
students to my lectures, I will use celebrities. Since many teenagers love celebrities, this
could increase the popularity of my lectures. For example, I could use K-Pop songs to teachlanguage arts and use as examples. I could also use popular movies and change some partsto make the lectures more interesting.
For subjects, I will teach language arts and social studies for the second year of middle
school. I will look through the book and decide what I need to teach. Then, I will solve
questions in my workbook, from easy ones to applying questions. When I am done with
this, I am going to write the important parts down, think about how to make the lesson fun,and film using my notes. This will also help me study because one of the most effective
ways to learn is to teach. But also it will help other students too. I can recruit friends andclassmates to help me by giving volunteer credit for it. Students are required to fillvolunteer time and this will help them fill all their hours. I think this will attract many
students to join me. By getting many excellent students involved, the channel will havediversified subjects.
Many people use the internet just to play and use SNS. But why not use it to solve theeducation gap in our society? I think this would help many teenagers going through hardtime because of studying. If many students get help watching the internet lectures, theirgrades will increase and the education gap problem will improve.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Children’s Category –3rd Prize】

A letter travelling through time
(Original)
Neda Simic(Age 13, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Elementary School „Sveti Sava“, Modrica
12.April 2025.
Dear reader,
It might be strange when you see the date on this letter. My intention is not to scareyou. I just want to give you an important message. I am writing you from 2025. My planet
is in danger and I need your help. You probably ask yourself

what you have to do withthat. Nothing special, you are just the one who created a problem for me. Before solving aproblem,you have to understand it first. I will tell you what kind of problems I am facing.
The fantastic blue universe called The Ocean is in danger. Your generation throws a lot ofplastic into the ocean. Plastic presents the biggest risk for marine life. They eat plastic anddie thinking it is food or they get trapped in plastic packaging. The scientists of your time
said that by 2015 there could be 155 tones of plastic in the ocean. They were wrong. Thereis double more. You are the one who needs to find a way to stop this. Solution is in yourhands. You are the consumer. You can start using reusable bags for shopping. Also, you
could stop buying bottled water. Plastic bottles are among top five polluters. So, it is better
to use reusable water canteens instead.
I have one more suggestion for you. Famous people, including musicians, artists, actors
and fashion designers can change people's mindset. They could help people to accept
creative and inventive new products. Ocean plastic can be turned into wearable fashion.
Some activewear companies can make some products from recovered ocean plastics. Why
wouldn't other companies follow this example? It could help to clean oceans faster and to
take plastic from shorelines worldwide.
It is well known that oceans absorb 30 procents of carbon dioxide that humans produce.
You are soon going to feel that impact. It is necessary to recognize that danger, tounderstand potential consequences and to raise awareness. People should look into

alternatives to driving. They should walk instead. They also could use bicycles, go by public
transport or share car with their friends.
You probably think there is plenty of fish in the oceans but not that much as some people
think. Illegal fishing leads to overfishing. The millions of people depend on the ocean forfood. We are not talking about expensive restaurants. We are talking about poor people
whose lives depend on catching fish. Their ways of taking fish out of the ocean is not a big
problem. Fishing industries are. They use technology and equipment that catch too muchfish. They also catch little fish and they don't give them opportunity to reproduce. Your
generations cought more fish than it can be replaced through natural production. The result
didn't only affect the balance of life in the oceans, but also coastal communities who dependon fish for their way of life. You should put more pressure on governments to monitor andbe hard to companies that break the law and do overfishing.
Jacques Yves Cousteau, the famous oceanographer said:“The sea is the universal
sewer!“ You should do all to change this. Think about what you do every day and what kindof impact those actions have on ocean and its marine life. Be aware that if the oceans die,
we die too. Do not lean on others and think that they will solve this problem. There aremany organisations fighting to protect ocean and marine life. Definitely you should be partof such organisation, but be aware that they can not solve all problems. Start from yourself,change your mindset and inspire other people to do the same. That's the only way to makebetter future for yourself.
Your friend from the future, Neda

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Children’s Category –3rd Prize】

Three Actions That Start with Me(Original in Japanese)
Eri Nakayama(Age 14, Japan)
Hiroshima Nagisa Junior High School
In the mornings, I ride the train to school. I ride in the same train car at the same time
every day. And every day, a blind man rides in the same car as me, and always sits in thesame seat. He gets off the train at a different station. He gets off at the station where themost people get on. When his station is announced, with a flutter he takes out a folding
white cane from his bag, and as though he can see perfectly, he weaves his way throughthe crowd and exits the train.
I observe this same scene every day. When the man passes by, many people look at him
as if he’s a bother to them. It always pains my heart to see this, and every time, I think
about moving to another car. Why do people look at this blind man so coldly? Why does thecrowd feel the need to avoid him even though there’s nothing bad about him? Every time I
see this, I want to change people’s cold hearts, and I want to be able to do more than justobserve.
When I was still in grade 8, we had a series of classes on the theme of “living together”.
We tried to understand the situations of blind and deaf people by identifying with them, andwe thought about what we can do for them. What stuck in my mind most from thoseclasses was a talk by a deaf person named Ms. Kohri. Ms. Kohri has a wonderful job
traveling the world almost daily, bringing countries together by translating the sign
languages of various countries into English, Japanese and other languages. I imagined that,
before she got such an important position, she must surely have wished she could breakfree of her deafness. But Ms. Kohri took pride in being unable to hear, and was actually
happy about it.
I was very surprised to hear this. I had always said things like “Poor them” in regards toblind and deaf people, and now I felt that I owed Ms. Kohri an apology for thinking that way
about something that she was proud of. And not only Ms. Kohri—I felt deeply apologetic toblind and deaf people all over the world.

I also learned something from Ms. Kohri. The title of her talk was “I’m Fine, I’m Fine.” I
interpreted it to mean that no matter how disabled someone is, they are all right, and that if
we have the courage to reach out to them without hesitating, we can make a connection
with anyone and come to understand each other. I don’t know if this interpretation iscorrect or not. But that, I think, is what I learned from Ms. Kohri. I feel that Ms. Kohri filled
a gaping hole in my mind with new ways of thinking about blind and deaf people.
Recently, everyone is talking about ‘equality’. Among those calling for equality are somewho, like I once did, take a narrow-minded view of blind and deaf people, saying, “Poorthem”. I know I can’t have all of these people hear Ms. Kohri’s talk, so what I would like isto reach out to those with the same mistaken view that I had, and teach them what I
learned from Ms. Kohri’s talk, and how it changed me. We are all the same. Even though welook different, we live on the same earth, we look up at the same sky, and we are all living
as human beings. I want to change the minds of people who are unaware of this. Thechange doesn’t have to happen all at once. Through the actions we take, our message
spreads, even a little, to the people around us, and one by one, I think people will start tochange. Since I’m still in junior high school, there is only a little I can do right now. But
when big changes come from small, gradual actions, I believe we can call it a great success.
One idea that I’ve had is to create train cars specifically for disabled people, so they can ridewith peace of mind and live easier.
Morning again, same time, same train car, same scene. The car is so packed with people
that the blind man can’t get off. “He’s getting off,” I say to the people around me, and guidethe man to the platform. The man smiles at me and says, “Thank you.” I feel that I’ve taken
the first step to change.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Children’s Category –3rd Prize】

A Small Conversation(Original)
Keonhee Lee(Age 14, Canada)
University Transition Program
Some days I would take the train home, smoothly gliding on elevated rails over rushhour traffic, crowds pouring in and out of the car as I watched the world rush by throughthe windows. It often rained in Vancouver where I lived, and raindrops hit the composite
body of the train car with stunningly consistent thud-thuds before forming unpredictablestreaks of grey water down the sides of the train. We all sat in our ugly blue seats, silently
listening to that thud-thud of the rain; occasionally we yielded our seat to a standing
neighbour out of politeness. Wordless, we smoothly glided on elevated rails over rush-hourtraffic, watching the world go by.
At first, it all seemed normal to me. People got on, people got off. Everyone arrived
where they needed to be, and if there were no unreasonable delays everyone was happy.
We simply looked forwards to arrival, caught in our bubbles of obliviousness to the rest of
the passengers. Some stared into their phones, while others enjoyed music or appeared lostin thought. I doubt that many of the passengers were anything but satisfied. After all, all ofus made it to our destinations, more or less unharmed. I think that few were truly aware of
the realisation I came to, when one day I witnessed two strangers engaging inconversation.
This conversation was not one of politeness. It was not an offering of a seat, or a terse“thank you” at some small favour that had been done. An older woman and a middle-aged
man – to whom I must apologise for eavesdropping – had entered conversation, anddiscovered that both were immigrants. The woman had moved to Vancouver in the 1990s,
and the man had just arrived from Hong Kong with his young children. As he described his
worries and hopes for himself and his family, I watched the woman nod, sharing her own
stories, radiating with sympathy. I watched as the two created a meaningful connection, therare kind based upon authentic understanding of one another. They had met on a random
train car, and would likely never see each other again, but for a fleeting moment, they

shared a human bond that could only result from true compassion. They shared that instantof empathy that we all seek so much, and I almost felt lonely in contrast to them.
It was then that I discovered how isolated we were from each other. We had crammed
ourselves into a small metal tube, united by the shared goal of arriving home, andnevertheless acted as if we were alone, our relations limited to the occasional polite “thankyou” at a yielded seat. How could we be satisfied with such meager and meaninglessassociations? I realised what change I wanted to make to our world.
I wanted people to communicate more. I wanted them to form genuine connections,even if they were small ones. I wanted people to break their bubbles, and reach out to one
another. We had become a lonely group of people who had neglected our links to the rest of
the world; to the people we passed by on the street, stood in line with at the grocery, andheld a door open for when they walked in behind us. Our interactions were limited to mere
vestiges of human contact.
When both the strangers had left the train for their respective stations, I sat in silenceagain, listening to the thud-thud in my ugly blue seat while pondering about the vast oceanof knowledge and personality that, every day of my life, I had passed by, not giving asecond thought. So many inspirations and influences that could have been had, but were in
the possession of strangers, out of reach to those who were confined to themselves. So
many lonely people, who were all surrounded by millions just like them. Yet, each of us was
holding the key. We were all able to seek in each other what we did not have ourselves – toreach out just a little. A quaint bravery, a simple “how are you?” was all it took.
And imagine how much meaning just a small conversation could give.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Youth Category – 3rd Prize】

Protecting the Amagi Forests(Original in Japanese)
Keisuke Horie(Age 16, Japan)
Tagata Agriculture High School of Shizuoka Prefecture
Boooom… In the silence, the low tone of the large taiko drum rings out.
Itʼs the opening of a piece called Yamanari (Rumbling of the Mountain), inspired by thenature of the Amagi Mountains. It represents the rumbling of the mountain deep within thedense forest—an omen that an earthquake is coming.
I belong to Amagi Mountain Taiko, a local musical group in the Amagi district of Izu, in
Shizuoka Prefecture. My father leads the group. Most of the members work in forestry,
spending their days in nature, and they put what they feel and experience into the music.
And in conducting our group activities, we value each memberʼs feelings and opinions.
My father is the type of person who speaks with his actions. He is loved and admired by
the members of both the taiko group and the forestry association. He is also my role model.
Ever since I was old enough, I would accompany my father into the mountains. He would
gallantly make his way through the forests of the Amagi Mountains, making preparations forfelling trees in an efficient way. It was like magic watching him cut down one tree after
another with precision, operating the powerful machinery. The forestry system that myfather introduced to this area has enabled low-cost mass production of lumber, and it also
protects the forests of Amagi.
Since olden times, Japanese people have used the blessings of the forests to make theirlivelihood. The forests of Amagi are no exception. Not only do the forests allow us toprocess lumber and other forest products such as mushrooms, but they have other diverse
functions, such as protecting the soil and the watershed, which help support our livelihoodfor the long term.
When I asked my father, my grandfather, and other people from this area about the stateof things today, I learned that because the forest is planted, for the sake of future
generations, management of the forest is absolutely essential. However, because of thedeclining price of lumber and the lack of people to succeed them in this industry, much of

the forest is going unmanaged, and the distance between the habitats of wild animals andthe human settlements in the hills is shrinking.
In particular, the damage caused by deer is worsening. Bark is being stripped off trees,and plants are being eaten up. It is an unbearable thing to see.
When the trees die off and the top soil disappears, it is disastrous for the forests. Theirability to retain water declines, they lose their functionality, and they cannot withstand thedamage caused by typhoons and other events, resulting in large-scale calamities in certain
places.
What can we do about this? Protecting the Amagi forests through correct management
and making use of the lumber is an urgent issue that we need to deal with now. I told myfather that I felt a need to do something about this now, and we talked about the future.
Nowadays in the lumber industry, people have thought up different ways to use the millremnants and the timber from forest thinning, and all kind of goods are being produced.
One of these is pellet fuel. The mill remnants and tree bark are pulverized and hardened,
and used as fuel for stoves and home heaters. If we use this kind of biomass energy as
much as possible in place of fossil fuels, it reduces the burden on the environment, and themountains can become a source of treasure.
In addition, wood can be chipped and hardened to make particle board. Any size productcan be made, and the strength can be adjusted by varying the density. In this way, thepossibilities for using lumber are expanding. I am resolved that what I need to do is to
discover the resources hidden in this region and find practical uses for them.
I think that what we should value most is the culture we have inherited up to this day.
I want to protect the Amagi forests! This dream of following after my father is gradually
becoming more concrete.
In the future, as one who supports forestry in this region and protects the Amagi forests,
I will make the best use of the nature of this region, and I will pass on to the next
generation the forests and the culture that have been nurtured and preserved since ancient
times. Although my individual steps may be small, I hope that by taking these steps I canhelp to change this region and my country.
I would like for my steps to be like the opening beats of a drum ringing out through theAmagi Mountains.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Youth Category – 3rd Prize】

Understanding(Original)
Sae Tamura(Age 16, Japan)
St. Josephʼs Senior High School, Kanagawa
What a colorful parade! That was my first thought. Then, I realized that the parade wastaking place right in the center of Shibuya. Both my eyes and my heart were captivated bythis colorful parade, the likes of which I had never seen before.
In this way, in the spring of my grade 8 year, I encountered the LGBT community. In the
Shibuya district of Tokyo, which I had visited several times before, I saw the Pride Parade
for the first time. Normally, if I saw some new words that caught my eye, I would not feelso curious that I had to look them up later at home. But this time, I couldn’t forget the
impressive rainbow colors. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. Two of these words I had
heard before, and two I was seeing for the first time. I quickly took an interest in these fourterms.
Right away, I started to learn more. In the spring of grade 9, I participated in an LGBT
gathering in Tokyo’s Shinagawa district. At that time, I was somewhat aware that LGBT
people were often discriminated against and treated unfairly by society, and therefore I felt
nervous imagining how gloomy this meeting would be. But actually, contrary to my
expectations, all the participants were smiling. And even though neither I nor anyone in myfamily was part of the LGBT community, they accepted me and talked to me about theirsituation. It was the first time I had talked with someone from that community. I didn’t findthem strange or unpleasant at all—actually, I thought they were rather lovely. I admired theway they held on to their own way of living. However it was not all smiles—they also told
me many sad things, and I saw some tears. I want to change the situation. I want to helpchange things so that LGBT people are accepted as normal by society. That was how I felt.
Now, I have taken the first two steps toward that goal. The first step was to make thepeople around me more aware of LGBT issues. To do that, I entered two English speech
contests at school and presented the situation of the LGBT community from different pointsof view. What happened after the speech contests made me very happy. Friends of minecame to me and asked me about LGBT issues, and for the first time, I felt I could accurately
inform them.
My second step is to study abroad in the United States, which I am going to do in Augustof this year. Same-sex marriage is legally recognized in the United States, and many wellknown people have come out as gay, lesbian, transgender, and so on. I was also surprised
to learn that many American high schools have clubs for LGBT students to gather and holdactivities. What still seems impossible in Japan has already become accepted in the UnitedStates. By going there, I hope to learn about what I can do from the administrative andjudicial side to make LGBT rights accepted in Japan as they are in the U.S.
Although I am still lacking in knowledge, what I would like first of all is for people insociety to stop turning away from things that are unfamiliar to them. In fact, my motheralso had negative feelings about the LGBT community before she learned more about it. Sheeven told me not to go to the gathering. But when I told her in detail about the meeting I
participated in, my mother admitted that all of us have our differences, and she said she
was ashamed to have thought badly of people just for being different. Thus, I would like forother people to learn the truth about the LGBT community, as my mother did. If people do
not just get information from the news, but hear firsthand from people in the LGBT
community, I don’t think there is anyone who will be unaccepting.
So far, the only action I have taken is to participate in the speech contests. But by
studying abroad in the United States and studying law at university, I hope to work with theLGBT community to create many more possibilities in the future.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Youth Category – 3rd Prize】

End Mental Illness Stigmas(Original)
Melissa Johns(Age 22, U.S.A.)
Today, the world is littered with negativity, hate and judgement, specifically within mygeneration- the millennials. One topic that has so many stigmas attached to it today, and isnear to my heart, is mental illnesses. These illnesses are unfortunately very common inpeople today. In fact, one in five Americans suffer from a form of them every single year,
including myself, and that’s why I want to make a change.
I was diagnosed with chronic anxiety and panic disorders about five years ago after
graduating high school, but unknowingly showed symptoms throughout my entire life.
Anxiety and panic disorders effect just about every aspect of a person’s body, but mostly
target the brain. During my attacks, my breathing becomes compromised, my thoughts
increase at the speed of light and all of emotions serge through my body at their extremes.
However, I believe that mental illnesses come in different shapes and sizes, causing each“sufferer” to experience their own list of invisible symptoms. I’ve personally lost friends,
relationships, jobs and almost my life due to my illnesses.
It’s been a little over a year since my suicide attempt and, although I was able to peel
myself from rock bottom, I still struggle every day. My symptoms linger in me constantly,
making daily activities and even my job difficult to get through. I recently landed my dream
job as a journalist which, ironically enough, also ties into my biggest nightmare, beingsocial. Mental illnesses pump people full of irrational fears like this which makes just about
everything a challenge.
I started getting frustrated with the world for not understanding what I was going
through. Since my symptoms are invisible and confusing, outsiders or “non-sufferers”
weren’t taking me seriously when I talked about my situation. I knew what I was going
though was very much real and painful but I wasn’t getting through to anyone, until I
started my blog.
I created my blog in December 2017 and named it Coffee with a Side of Xanax. At first, I
was just submitting little stories about a day in the life of a twenty-something anxious

female. Some posts were funny, others were inspirational, but I never knew what was going
to come of it. People in my community then began to privately message me and tell me
how related to the situations I talked about in my posts. It was then that I realized mywriting had become therapeutic, not only for me, but also my peers.
I was first driven to make a bigger impact when I heard that only half of those one infive Americans suffering seek treatment. I immediately thought of three possible reasons
why those people weren’t looking for solutions or help: they were either uneducated onthese specific illnesses and didn’t know they were experiencing symptoms; they wereembarrassed due to the velocity of stigmas attached to these illnesses or they just didn’t
have the money to seek correct treatment. My heart sank deeper and deeper into my chestthe more I thought about those hopeless, untreated sufferers, so I decided to start the “YouAre Not Alone Movement.” I wanted to find a way to end stigmas, provide support to those
suffering and maybe even safe a life or two.
I developed the first phase of the movement in May and called it StruggLetters, which I
decided would be anonymous submissions of a daily life struggle or obstacle by someone
living with a mental illness. I opened up a post office box in my town and encouraged
people to mail in their StruggLetters without a return address, leaving it completely
anonymous. I’ve also set up an anonymous commenting option on my blog for people tosubmit StruggLetters that way. The next step in this phase includes choosing select lettersand posting them to my blog every Sunday with a response from me relating to the specificstruggles. My hope is that the people who write letters will see my responses and realizethat they aren’t alone in their struggles, and that it’s okay to not be okay.
So far, I haven’t received any letters but hope to change the world, one StruggLetter at atime.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Youth Category – 3rd Prize】

I Want to Live My Life
(Original)
Sanam Bukhari(Age 22, Pakistan)
Department of Islamic Studies, Govt. AKL Postgraduate College, Matta Swat, KP
When I was born, my mother bewailed my birth because I was not a son, I was adaughter. When I grew old, I was admitted to a school unlike my brother who went to a
private school which was a privilege. When I entered high school, my father, with the adviceof my mother, wrapped me in a burqa. The burqa covered my eyes, nose and mouth inwhich I could not freely breathe nor could I see clearly. My world was made blurred before
my eyes. My face was covered and my identity was taken from me. The burqa forced me tojoin the worthless herd of women around. I did not utter a single word. The burqa led to
one more injustice: It did not save me, contrary to our cultural opinions, it attracted
thousands of hungry male eyes upon my body. I could not withstand this cultural hunger. I
shrank into myself. I did not say a single word for myself.
My mother was not happy at all with my going to school. She argued, “You should stayat home, what use of going to school? You will soon get married and then serve yourhusband.” She was partially right. She cared for me and for my future; she wanted toprotect me from my society. I loved school so much. I could not obey my mother. I had toinsist on my educational journey but my insistence gave way to the orders of my family.
After matriculation, I had to discontinue my education. I was held back at home where I
felt a kind of housemaid, serving my parents, brothers and sisters. I had to comply with
their orders and they were quite satisfied with my imprisoned life.
For one whole long year, I served my home, kept thinking and gnawed at my heart for
my condition which was shaped by someone else. During this period, I was also forced toget engaged to a person whom I had not even seen before. After all, I had to yes, and I
yessed.
It was quite a slavish and meaningless life for me. This life was against my grain. I was
not made for this life and I was breaking inside. I thought I have to speak for myself. Whoelse will speak for me if I don’t? I raised a faint and shaky voice in front of my family for myeducation to start again. They laughed away my eager voice. How could it be started after
having stayed at home for one year? I gathered courage and strengthened my voice toreach to the soft corners of my family’ heart. They did not listen. I repeated, they ignored; I
shouted, they frowned; I resisted their frown and they started thinking about me. Though I
had got shrunk into myself, yet I brought out my inner being without any regard to the fearof being called disobedient and rude which are the qualities most expected from women.
I wanted to get rid of my betrothal and I succeeded in breaking it which was not an easytask. I had to bear so many nasty judgments of the people. I got admitted to a
Postgraduate College where co-education has recently been introduced; where again themales try to keep us confined to our classrooms only, where there are no sports
opportunities for female students; where the female students are expected to keep theireyes down in respect, honor and shyness to the males and where they are not encouraged
to participate in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
I speak for myself. I encourage my female class fellows to speak for themselves to beequal and not be treated discriminately.
I have overcome the fear which had made me dimensionless. The fear is gone by now. I
am me; I am someone; I want a due recognition. I want to convince in my favour suchpeople who want to efface me from the social fabric and who feel ashamed of the existenceof their daughters, sisters and mothers. This change I made and this change I will make.

2018 International Essay Contest for Young People【Youth Category – 3rd Prize】

Wheels of Dreams(Original)
Jing hui Fu(Age 24, Malaysia)“Haha! What are you doing? You look silly!”
My wheels got stuck in a pothole on the pedestrian street. I was determined to get out ofthe pothole without getting up from the wheelchair. However, hearing my neighbour smirk
made me feel humiliated.
‘Ahh, is this how my friends feel?’ As my hands gripped tighter shamefully on the rims of
my wheels, I sighed and thought to myself.
I am on a personal project called The WheelPower and have spent 2 weeks functioning
intermittently on a wheelchair. I strongly believe in the significance of the project because
this is an opportunity to put myself in the perspective of our fellow wheelchair users, tounderstand the pain they experience, and to discover effective ways for redesigning oururban environment to be more disabled-inclusive.
As a developing country, the circumstances of our disabled citizens are often ignored.
Unconsciously, once upon a time, I, too, had guiltily defined the entirety of the wheelchairusers with their disability. For a long time, we have nonchalantly allowed the stigmatizationof this contemporary issue to grow, to a point when the label of being “disabled” hasbecome more disabling than one’s disability. Our biases have clouded our judgement, somuch so that although visually functional, we have become blinded to the needs of our
special friends.
The motivation of the WheelPower Project was my uncle. A 54-year-old difficult man
who was obesed with shuffling gait, Uncle Sunshine was labelled as a “Disabled Citizen” dueto a suspected brain infection, which partially crippled his mental ability in the 1960s. His
frustrating nature had villagers nicknamed him the “Madman of Town” that the mere notionof his presence terrified the them. Therefore, towards the end of 2017, we have decided toact as caretakers and brought him to live with us in Kuala Lumpur.
I dedicated the next 3 months communicating with Uncle Sunshine while helping him to
be independent. Every morning during breakfast, he learned to analyse issues by reciting

the headlines on newspaper and discussed its content with me. During the day, he was
responsible as a home manager to coordinate the details of house chores. He had graduallylearned how to express his emotions appropriately. In the evening, we do simple exercise tocorrect his walking gait to prevent falls. At night, we would study English Alphabets,
geometry and revise arithmetic to train his focus.
The result was shocking. With consistent compliments and a conducive environment,
Uncle Sunshine has become well-behaved and empathetic. He is polite, and able to blend
with his social circle, holds conversations with his friends and becomes well accepted. He
now has improved on self-care and through discipline, he has also lost a significant amountof weight for health. Villagers have swamped to us, telling us about his new, fantastic
reputation as a great companion. Uncle Sunshine also walks without falling, and mostimportantly, is happy and independent. Currently, he is preparing to return to workforce asa restaurant waiter.
This 3-month stint with Uncle Sunshine makes me re-evaluate our attitude towards the
population with special needs. What if we could do more for our friends? What if we can redesign a city that allows the wheelchair users to head out of home, become independent,
and participate in employment?
The flash of memory reminded me of my inspiration and calmed me down.
“Hey Mr Neighbour. I am on a wheelchair not because of any injury, but to understandhow my friends on wheelchair feel when they leave home. I want to help improve their life
by redesigning our city,” I smiled and continued wiggling the wheels to get out of thepothole.
Suddenly I felt light. The wheelchair was lifted out of the pothole. My neighbour hadcome to help me through the haphazard, uneven street.
“What you’re doing is… amazing,” he quietly mumbled, “maybe we could do something
together next time, on wheelchairs.”
That was the exact moment I knew, that however small, I have made a change in mycommunity. By instilling awareness in Mr neighbour, we take ownership of our community
and the wellbeing of our friends with special needs. Let’s give our friends the wheels of
dreams.