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Many children in Syria out of school as coronavirus rises
By: Joie Cooper
Tags: Hunger, Coronavirus, Poverty, War, Syria

Many children in Syria out of school as coronavirus rises Joie Cooper ·Dec 10, 2020

Coronavirus is increasingly spreading in Syria bringing education to a stop for many of Syria’s children after many years of conflict, displacement and poverty, an estimated half of the children that were going to school in North Syria before the Coronavirus outbreak have now dropped out.

These children lack access to education as COVID-19 is rapidly increasing in the country, also after years of conflict, war, hunger and poverty. It is hard for many people in Syria to recover.
Covid 19 the global enemy
Tags: Health, Poverty Alleviation, Poverty, Social Life, Friendship Stories

Covid 19 the global enemy

As the year goes to an end it is important to look back and see what you accomplished.

But this is year has been the hardest for all of us many of us have lost loved ones and jobs, forced to stay in doors for our own benefit and affecting our social life negativily.

Nevertheless there is always light after a dark day, a vaccine or should I say vaccines have been found which is good news to everyone, but my question is to the black undeveloped counties in Africa is there hope for them?

Am talking about the countries that depend mostly on aid is there hope for them as well or we are just going to let them die like flies?

This vaccine is on high demand and from the looks of things only the developed counties will have access to it.
Homecoming
By: Mira Okpala
Tags: Homecoming, Prison, Poverty, Fatherhood, Family

He was away for long. Too long it felt like eternity. The days roll faster when the bread winner of a family is whisked off to prison in another man’s land. Drugs it was. His life was an unending spin. He would be deemed successful but that was a mediocre’s language. He wouldn’t settle until he had built the dream home for his gorgeous wife who meant the world to him.

She had aged a lot in his absence and considerably so. She took on the role of a father to their three sons. Each day saw her looking paler, the veins in her neck stretching like roots. She would sit in the compound with a gaze toward the heavens searching for answers. None came.

He tightened his face as he made past the main gate. This used to be home before prison. This was where he first heard the cry of a baby. His first son. The memories hit him so hard that he staggered. Integrating with his family was all that mattered to him at this point. The world was vain and the pursuit for riches pointless.

“Who are you?” A voice behind him called. It was tender and innocent, a version of him some forty years ago. “Who are you now?” The six year old repeated.

“I am your daddy" he answered trying to fight back the tears that was starting to well up in his eyes. How could one be a stranger to his own son? This boy was barely one when he was imprisoned. He looked so emaciated.

“I don’t have a daddy, it’s only mummy I have" the little boy retorted quizzically. Confusion was starting to get a better grip of him.

His father lifted him to his shoulders and proceeded to the back door of the house where his wife usually sat. She met him halfway, jaw-dropping. She would have run into his arms but for the extra weight. Her protruding stomach housed a life that was not his. The silence between both was laced with palpitations and tremor in what seemed like a lifetime. Her water broke.
Africa’s Baby Stealing Economy
By: Mya Williamson
Tags: Education, Politics, Corruption, Poverty, Africa

There are many mothers in Africa who are mounring for thier missing child. Everyday a child has been swept off the streets and taken by baby traffickers.

BBC Africa Eye uncovered the underground trade in children stealing from innocent mothers living on the streets, as well as illegal clinic’s in Nairobi, where babies are being sold to.

The Baby Stealers, a documentary produced by BBC News Africa which can be viewed on Youtube, higlighted the seriousness of a issue which is expansively growing within many African boarders.

Children Stolen From a Nairboi Public Hospital

It is sad that every day a mother gives birth and many African countries babys have been taken from their mothers and sold for either sacrifce or to a barren mother. BBC Africa’s documentary shun light on the realities of what is happening in many Third World countires. Hospital officials have been seen to use legitimate paperowrk to take custody of pregnant mothers whom have just given birth and selling them to buyers.

“Buying a baby on Nairobi’s black market”

We have to consider that there are not many reliable statistics on child trafficking in Kenya, There is no public rpeorts and very few to no national surveys. A good trustworthy organisation called Missing Child Kenya, has done much to support the victims of thisn cruel money making scheme. Children can be sold for as much as 300,000 shillings wbich is equivalent to £2,000 in cash.

What to do next?

Spread awarness of this issue as these individuals clearly do not have a voice. Wc cannot turn a blind eye to the issues others face which are far greater than our own.
Mother India (1957)
By: Amit Kumar Gupta
Tags: Rajendra Kumar, Motherhood, Poverty, Nargis Dutt, Sunil Dutt

‘

Mother India’ is basically a tribute to spirit of the Indian woman! The only film before ‘Lagaan’ to get a nomination in the Best Foreign Film Category at the Oscars, ‘Mother India’ is an epic. Nargis as Radha, a ‘Mother Courage’ like character was spectacular in the film. It was a performance of a lifetime, a role to die for. The film is emotionally charged as Radha represents millions of women across the country struggling to preserve their dignity while bringing up their children single-handedly. She works like a beast to feed her children and pay off the moneylender. Her sons played by Rajendra Kumar and Sunil Dutt help her in getting back their land from the vile clutches of the local moneylender. Sunil Dutt as the rebel son whom she shoots in the end is brilliant. While shooting for the film Sunil Dutt had rescued Nargis from a fire that had broken out on the sets. The two later married spinning a romantic folklore around the film.
My, my. You have spoken the truth.
By: Toni Crowe
Tags: Life, Poverty, Drug Addiction, Children, America

My, my. You have spoken the truth. It is shameful that the children of addicts have the stigma attached to them. I came up hard but was lucky that my parents never used. Bad treatment for children is not deserved. For sure, you are making me look at my own behavior and not tolerate it from others. thank you for this insightful article. I will do better at helping.
We are on that path now.
By: Sandra Rea
Tags: Life, World News, Caring, Poverty, Extinction

We are on that path now. Sadly. But look at our world. Look at our divorce rate and stats on child and spousal abuse. People are largely without purpose. Interesting article.
Students Falling Behind: SO WHAT?
By: Johanna Baynard
Tags: Pandemic, Education, Poverty, Social Structures

The educators are saying “they are falling behind and it breaks our hearts”. Why, if everyone is falling behind then why can’t we do this whole year over again?

Neonbrand from Unsplash

I think people forget that we decide on the structure of our society. If we need to change a very small piece, then we change that piece.

An entire nation of children falling behind in education calls for an educational reset. It takes time to work on skills and there are no shortcuts to the acquisition of skills. You have to practice them. If we don’t want to lose the skill, we will have to take the time. We don’t get a shortcut just because the pandemic has caused changes.

The failing grades will disproportionately affect kids who live in poverty stricken homes. There is a lot of hype about how kids are not able to access computers and wi-fi. There is not a lot of resolution. Again, skills acquisition is a social construct; human beings make the rules. Human beings can change the rules. If everyone is failing, then reset the school year at day one and start again. But start again with the wisdom of the pandemic: do we need classrooms all the time? What is an appropriate schedule for children?

Zach Vessels from Unsplash

It goes without saying that the disruption of the pandemic this year has ruined a stratosphere of activities that we have come to expect. Our expectations do not mean that the activities are correct, or appropriate.

We need to change with a changing world and if nothing else, we can use the pandemic to show us how much needs to change.

Those who believe children are failing have got it all wrong. It is us, the adults, who are failing. Children did not construct the educational system. Children did not design the classroom or the social system that is operating today. As a matter of fact, the school year was designed around the agrarian calendar to help farmers use their children in the fields to help with planting. How is that the truth in the twenty first century? Why would we continue to have a system that is based on farming?

Our social structure is a shame. The educational system is proving that. Colleges scrambling for tuition and fees that they don’t earn. School systems scrambling for tax money that it takes an MBA to understand in complexity. It’s all a shame and in some very serious cases it’s a sham too.

If you question my opinion, ask yourself this: “why are we failing in this pandemic?” What is making us end up at the failing end of the effect of the pandemic?
Bertelsmann Stiftung publishes about DreamSpace Academy in the change Magazin !!!
By: Aravinth Panch
Tags: Empowerment, Sri Lanka, Open Innovation, Changemaker, Social Entrepreneurship

Bertelsmann Stiftung | DreamSpace Academy

🥁 𝙸𝙼𝙿𝙰𝙲𝚃 𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶: Bertelsmann Foundation published an eight-page article in their 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻 about how we — DreamSpace Academy — are empowering underprivileged communities in Sri Lanka’s war-affected regions.

🔻 Bertelsmann Foundation considers itself an engine of reform & a promoter of social change toward a sustainable society to identify social challenges and problems early on and develop and implement model solutions.

🔻 DreamSpace Academy is a community innovation centre to achieve 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 with challenge-based learning.

🙏 Thanks to Katja Guttmann, an independent journalist based in New York, for covering our excellent article and Niklas Marzinek from Falling Walls Foundation for giving this opportunity.

🙏 Honoured to share the magazine with interviews from phenomenal changemakers: Kishoth, Shanjeevan, Jayanthan, Abinaya, Manuela Barišić, Dominik Gross, Sebastian Borek, Sabine Jung-Baß, Jörg Dräger, Brigitte Mohn, Wlada Kolosowa, Hans Ludwig Meyer.

👉 Read the complete the article/magazine at https://bit.ly/2X1UTU9 (only in German).

☝️ More info about us at https://dreamspace.academy

#ChangeMakers #Empowerment #OpenInnovation #SocialEntrepreneurship #SriLanka
Return to love
By: Diplove Gautam
Tags: Empowerment, Love, Happiness, Glory

There was a time when i looked around and wanted to feel unconditional love, then there came movies that taught us to run after beautiful heroine, literally inspiring people belief system that the girls are source of love for boys or boys are source of love for girls, as i grew up i see people racing after getting in relationship to feel pure love and then i see people being messed up, irritated, unhappy by relationship too.

Then I eventually tried it all then, is there really love outside of us?

Probably yes, when my mother speaks, when a child in a street passes smile, when a flower blossoms, when a bird looks at your eyes or a cow with innocence sees you. Have you ever looked around and noticed that there could be love and you cant grasp it.

or

Maybe we feel love when our love proposal is accepted and we experience a day out, romantic date, travel abroad, long drive, Wait a minute donot lose your desire for unconditional love, Dont let ur responsibilities and urgency of time supress your calling for love.

Do you think you can experience unconditional love with a life of challenges and uncertainties,

Majority of people then get into Episode of marriage thinking we have now entered the gates of love and we are gonna be happy and together, is this thing called marriage really bond of love, yeah ofcourse its a great teacher, maybe yes for lucky handful, many lessons learned and many faces of life seen.

Do you think we are getting unconditional love?

The world is giving stimulus to revisit lands of love inside us, through eyes of beloved, beautiful romantic nature, innocent dog or lovely flower. My purpose is to recall the love and restore it in life of my own and others, Isn’t it a simple truth that when we feel love for a moment and its a strong inner feeling of melting and merging of our identity to a larger scheme of life, feeling that we own something large or this moment is infinite love and is our purpose.

How can we live with ownership of love and claim each moment is infinite love and live each day with love while working towards dreams?

Consider Sparing few moments to be more aware of love thats awaiting your return.
How Getting Healthier Gave Me The Power To Be Myself Again
By: Erin King
Tags: Empowerment, Lifestyle, Health, Self, Self Improvement

Health is something we take for granted whether it’s good or bad.

If we’re healthy we don’t think about it at all and if we’re unhealthy we can feel trapped inside a body that doesn’t work the way we want it to.

I totally understand.

For years I suffered from chronic fatigue brought on by an undiagnosed heart condition combined with self-medication and poor lifestyle choices.

I thought I was just aging poorly until surgery and lifestyle changes opened my eyes.

I’m hoping that sharing my experience can inspire you to take the steps you need to get control of your health and start living the life you were meant to live.

Better health enabled me to change my life in the following ways:

Image by author via Canva.

I’ve revisited dreams that I’d let go dormant.

One of the earliest memories I have is listening to my parent’s records while pretending to play piano on the side of the couch.

I’d performed in my 20’s, but I did it for my ego. I liked being on stage, the center of attention. I burned out by the time I was 30, walked away from it all, and never looked back.

In the years after I quit, the absence of music in my life left a gaping hole in my soul. It was so painful to address that I couldn’t even bring myself to think about it.

But my subconscious wasn’t done and I began having dreams about performing again.

So, last year I got reacquainted with my creative self, bought a guitar, and played almost every day for the love of it. The act of doing something that I love so much reminded me of who I was from the very beginning.

Who the hell do I think I am? Why on earth would someone my age bother with all of this nonsense?

Because I can, that’s why, because I have the energy.

Image by author via Canva.

I’ve become more assertive.

When I got the horsepower to start living again, I had to make time for myself. This incarnation needed the time to do my own things.

Vitality gave me the clarity to see how I’d been shortchanging myself.

So I stopped being afraid to advocate for myself, and guess what?

My life became a whole lot easier.

I do less housework now, I have more time for myself, and that little ball of energy that tamps down my opinions and makes my chest hurt has dissipated.

The most startling realization was that all these years, the only one who was oppressing me was me.

In not being forthcoming about my needs, I was creating situations where they weren’t always being met.
Getting closer to my mega project
By: Aqsa Arif
Tags: Woman Empowerment, Amal Academy, Empowerment

Getting closer to my mega project

when i was assigned a mega project i started thinking what problem i care about then i think about the topic that scroll in my mind was the women empowerment. In the present time in many areas of our country doesn’t GIVES IMPORTANCE ABOUT THE education of women.

This topics means alot to me because i belong from a backward area here about women education has no importance because they thinks women is only for housekeeping and to cook food.

My family allow me to study and for higher education they also allow to study out of city but every girl not has a family like mine.But i want to think and work for the girls .

Islam recognized the empowerment of women separate and independent identity and gave them numerous economic rights such as right to own property, share inheritance, engage in various economic activities to increase their fortune, can get education etc.

Education is not only the right, but the duty of every Muslim, male or female. The best gift from a father to his child is education and upbringing.Even today, girls are not more literate than matriculation.

Gender discrimination to be discouraged and the concept of ‘education for all’ should be propagated.Technical education is also must. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan emphasised education to fight the masters and powerful of that time.

The constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan says, ‘‘The State of Pakistan shall remove illiteracy and provide free and compulsory secondary education within minimum possible period’’. The human Development Report placed Pakistan at 136th position due to 49.9 percent literacy rate. According to UNESCO the rate of completion of primary education is 33.8 percent in female and 47.18 percent in males.

The reasons are numerous and highlighting them repeatedly is not the solution. Awareness is needed on all levels from individuals to policy makers to accord education a high priority in order to bring a change and improve the condition of the country. The first step is having a practical policy fully implemented. Increase in budget of education is must. A uniform system of education where the medium of instruction should be one.

I start up this work from my self i want to made an academy and those who are not able to pay i teach them free.

And i want to work on this project as more.

I want girls get education because education of a women is very important.she build up a generation.
14 Noble Edicts Guaranteed to Make You Master of Your Job Hunt in the Crazy Land of America
By: Markus Scorelius
Tags: Empowerment, Job Hunting, Corporate America, Corporate Culture, Secret To Success

14 Noble Edicts Guaranteed to Make You Master of Your Job Hunt in the Crazy Land of America Markus Scorelius Follow Dec 23, 2020 · 8 min read

Presenting the Wise Sayings of the American Tao of Employment

American Flag Yin Yang from creatzilla.com

The unnatural Social Darwinian nature of employment in the United States is very different from the civilized world.

In my 35 years of navigating these treacherous, shark infested waters without knowing the unwritten rules of how to seek work and stay employed in the United States, I have compiled these observations to assist future generations.

Think of this as your American Tao of Employment as you enter this bizarre world where up is usually down, but also can be left, has been seen to sometimes be to the right, and rarely, but occasionally will be up.

I have complied here for you the unspoken secrets to attaining success within the short-sighted, socially and clinically insane world of Corporate America, where facts don’t exist, experience means you know too much, and opinions although frequently requested, are a poisonous seed.

I will lay out for you here the keys that will keep you from destroying your career, sliding into poverty, sustaining yourself off the roaches in your parents basement while seeking gig work as an online sex worker with no hope for self-sufficiency or self-confidence ever again, eventually dying bankrupt with no health insurance.

You will notice that this collection of 14 edicts does NOT contain any positive statements. I do not tell you what you should do, as that is completely between you and your consenting employer. My edicts, compiled from a lifetime of meditation upon corporate America, provide you with a firm foundation, a gift of my insight into activities which are never discussed but are strictly forbidden.

Do NOT listen to professionals! Do you think they are on your friends? They are only there to confuse you and to put you into a zombie-like state of complacency. Do NOT slip up! Trust only me and the information contained herein within this document, the American Tao of Employment.
Not interested in becoming a junky.
By: Lisamarie Helm
Tags: Empowerment, Rehabilitation, Rise Up, Strong Women, Stroke

The struggle is real today, the frustration is insurmountable! I’m completely pissed off by the fact that I’m having to make my bedroom out of my living room couch that is less then comfortable, noisy, far from private. I certainly didn’t expect things to be this difficult, this annoying or my body as well as my brain to road block me every damn chance it got. I have the worst neuropathy which limits me tremendously from even grabbing things out of my own cupboards with my good arm and hand. I’m not interested in eating the pain pills that I’ve quickly been sent home with and I find myself on a quest for alternative medicine, natural resources as well as things much more favourable for ones body, mind, soul. I’ve suffered a stroke, I’m certainly not interested in becoming a junky to! How easy it is to gulp down these pain meds by the hand fulls, stifle the pain right now, live in a zombie state. Forget this nightmare has ever happened, but I’m not interested in the easy way out. I’m that Crazy Ass tough Bitch who dug herself out of that bed, who has lived to tell THIS story!
Empowerment in the COVID Era
By: Andrew Garvey
Tags: Empowerment, Sociology, Economics, Covid 19, Psychology

As with general mass ignorance of economics, the nature of POWER itself is also overlooked. While these two are mostly discrete and separate elements, they DO overlap on a Venn diagram where their smaller and smaller intersections contribute to mass ignorance of the frames of reference influencing all human existence on the planet.

It’s much like the silent intersection of science and economics in the COVID era. I have not yet heard from a trained virologist with an economics degree explain to me the outcome of lockdowns on the greater public good. To say that science is the only good in what has become a global POLITICAL issue is the same as, effectively, saying that destroying vast swaths of businesses and business sectors via lockdowns is the only matter of issue. There are human elements and economic elements at play in the “discussion” of the COVID world, they eventually intersect in their own Venn diagram, and neither should be ignored, although it seems people choose politicians to speak for them on matters unconcerned with the intersection of public health and economics at large.

Additionally, PSYCHOLOGY and SOCIOLOGY are largely put aside in the POLITICAL discussion of lockdowns. Suicide rates due to isolation, unemployment, and homelessness are untouched topics by the trained LAWYERS in government who are also neither ECONOMISTS nor VIROLOGISTS.

Complexity abounds in the COVID world, but needless to say, the right types of people are not being honest wherever politics are involved. I’d love to see an economist, a virologist, a psychologist, and a sociologist — all unconnected to politics — sit down to discuss solutions in a room far from the lawyers of D.C. But we don’t get to see those discussions because they would illuminate the nature of power covertly governing all human lives and, frankly, looting the Treasury.

Broadly, there are five types of power: Force power, Stealth power, Artificial power, Real power, and Staying power. There are obviously subsets of each, but just as most Americans have widespread ignorance of the effects of economics on their ability to continuing living in a developed, 1st world nation, there’s does not exist ANY school that teaches about the nature of power currently or through time. Power is not even considered much of a field of study … even in the schools of philosophy … because to be ignorant about the complexities of power keeps the masses depowered where Power (generally speaking) needs the masses to remain in order to simply define itself by having an opposite.

We are now in a place where arguing with a screen about the unfairness of federal spending bills from inside an apartment without basic human touch is seen and promoted as empowerment.

Is it really?

Where is YOUR power and what in the world does that word even mean?

Perhaps one should focus on the acquisition of multiple frames of reference as long as we’re just sitting around pushing political points into discussions that span the fields of medicine, economics, psychology, sociology, and yes … lawyers.
Live Your Truth
Tags: Empowerment, Meditation, Self Improvement, Self Love, Self-awareness

Create art, paint

Live your truth,

However it looks.

Cooking,

Organizing,

Creating,

Writing,

Designing,

Singing,

Dancing,

Speaking.

This is how we heal the world.

Do what brings joy

to your heart.

TRY THIS

List three things that make you happy.

If it’s cooking, try one new recipe this week.

If it’s writing, commit to writing for 15 minutes every morning — like in The Artist’s Way.

If it’s speaking, record yourself on your phone.

Practice.

Do what you love,

Be your most authentic self.

The world needs you.

Namaste
The Power of Bad Advice & Exaggeration
By: Michaela Grek
Tags: Empowerment, Life, Life Lessons, Self Improvement, Advice

This dialog is certainly out of the ordinary. Not the typical conversation you’d have with someone, especially not your client. No punching and smashing actually took place. The client said it was refreshing and entertaining. It provided her with a new way of looking at her problem. She realized how ridiculous it felt to be so emotionally invested in a little technical problem and asked for similar coaching the next time she got upset like this. Who knew!

The moral of the story

Let’s look at the benefits of bad advice and exaggeration, shall we? Here are a few reasons to consider trying it in one of your daily conversations.

Sparks creativity

I don’t know what this will tell you about me but I especially enjoy giving bad advice ever since I discovered it. It somehow taps into my creativity like nothing else. Maybe it’s because it’s so wrong, immoral and it’s fuelled by humor. It also feels sarcastic which is favored by many!

Provides distance

Even though it seems like we’re zooming in on the problem by exaggerating it, it takes us away from it. It creates a distraction and space.

Laughter

It’s extremely entertaining to ridicule the shit out of our problems. To purposely blow things out of proportion and offer the most inappropriate advice. It’s obvious that it’s bad and that makes it funny. Comedians do this all the time. I had to do my best not to burst out laughing during the conversation with my client.

Laughter is pure medicine.

Seeing a clear solution

How many times have you tried to find a solution to something so hard that it hurt your brain only to realize it’s getting you nowhere? The sheer focus on finding THE solution is limiting and narrow-minded. It doesn’t allow for outside-of-box thinking. Give yourself or someone the worst advice to the most ridiculed problem, and voila! you’ll realize what needs to be done.

Different perspective

Whether you’re the one who’s giving the bad advice or receiving it, it changes the problem entirely. It provides you with a bird’s eye view and you suddenly see the problem differently.

Empowering AF

Especially if you get to tap into the creative side of you. It’s empowering because it’s often easier to give terrible advice. Why? Any advice is terrible because we’re not an expert on someone’s life. They are. It doesn’t matter how good the ‘solution’ or advice looks on paper. If they don’t think it’s helpful, it’s bad advice.

But since we’re giving bad advice here, what would you suggest to the client above to do? I’ll read three stories of whoever comments the best bad advice! It’s on! Accept the challenge now.
How Sophie Tea Art is painting the path to empowerment.
By: Holly Berry
Tags: Empowerment, Art, Feminism, Body Image, Sophie Tea

Nudes play a significant part of Tea’s branding, and the paintings on her Instagram are based on real nude photographs that women all around the world have submitted to her. The first day that she asked her followers to send nudes, she saw over 1000 photos being sent, and this number will have only increased over the last year as more and more women pluck up the courage to share their intimate photos. The process of submitting a nude to a stranger may at first seem daunting, but the incredible artwork that they are turned into is the perfect opportunity to see the beauty of your body from an artist’s perception. You might take a nude on your phone and have the courage to send it to Tea whilst mistakenly believing that your rolls are unflattering, and then later see your nude painted and realise that rolls are a stunning example of contrasting light and dark, like the first image above. The opportunity to send nudes is open to everyone (over the age of 18, of course), so women all around the world can feel the empowerment that comes with embracing your body in all it’s natural beauty.

Another way that Sophie Tea encourages empowerment through nudity is with her live ‘Send Nudes’ shows, which are known for their jaw-dropping scenes (in many cases, these are probably literal jaws dropping) across London. Women of all ethnicities, ages, sizes, and disabilities strip down and get hand-painted by Tea before showcasing their colourful beauty across the gallery and city. The most recent show took place in October, when Sophie was sadly stuck on the other side of the world in Sydney due to Covid lockdowns. Her team took the lead to manage this amazing feat, with bold strokes of every colour under the sun layered across the volunteers- who are known affectionately as ‘nudies’. The nudies then strutted their stuff all over the city, as a “huge f*ck you to unrealistic female body standards” as they donned only a pair of trainers and a Covid-compliant face mask in Tea’s signature shade of pink. Photos and videos taken by the public, who happened to be in the right place at the right time, showed a group of courageous, powerful women owning every inch of their body and baring it to the streets of London with pride. The energy from the official posts that Tea shared is off the charts: a blend of excitement, pride, and, most importantly, empowerment at seeing women reflective of every walk of life coming together to unapologetically display the magic of the female body to the general public and Tea’s followers.

In conclusion, Sophie Tea Art represents a brand that is innovative, revolutionary, and empowering, with a focus on ensuring that all women embrace every part of themselves. It’s a message that needs to be yelled from every rooftop in the world: love yourself in all your unique and unapologetic glory.

October’s ‘Send Nudes’ show in London. (Credit: Sophie Tea, Instagram)
社交媒體也可以做外交-數位外交協會理事長郭家佑
By: Emily Wu
Tags: Empowerment, Diplomacy, Digital, Sharing, Youth

我熱愛國際事務，這裡是我分享旅遊、遊學、講座心得的空間。 A girl needs to wear two things to look great: confidence and smile.
How Film Photography Increased My Self-Esteem
By: Charlotte Ad.
Tags: Empowerment, Self, Self Love, Photography

So, you may well be asking, “Charlotte, when does the whole 35mm thing come in?”

Right about now.

Something undeniably terrifying, as someone who often takes 80 selfies to find a good angle, promptly deletes 79, then the 80th, unable to look at it, is the concept of having a mere 36 (or less) exposures.

Us humans seem to completely change our tune, when given a film camera.

I only ever take one photo in every situation on film. One.

I then wait until I’m next in the town centre I live closest to (an hour away from my home) and get them developed.

There is nothing I can do if I don’t like them.

I find, as mind-boggling and foreign as it is, that I always like them.

The ones, had they been taken on my darling iPhone 11 I would’ve called ugly, I seem to think are endearing.

We take this one for example:

Had this been taken on my phone, it wouldn’t have lasted more than 10 minutes.

My mirror is filthy, for one thing. My hand looks pale. My stomach is pulling on my tucked-in shirt, a feature that would make this photo absolutely irredeemable, had I disregarded the others.

And yet, taken on my handy dandy 35mm, I couldn’t love this photo more.

Simply because I couldn’t retake it. There it is, unquestionable and solid. So that is how it stays. Imperfect and completely unashamed.

So, my dear reader, embrace your inner hipster. Tell everyone about that 70s horror movie you watched on the weekend. Drink terribly overpriced coffee. Grow that moustache. Buy that 2 thousand dollar guitar and play only ‘Smoke On the Water’. Tell everyone your clothes are thrifted, and most importantly, buy a film camera and love yourself, whichever comes first.
What kind of woman would you be?
Tags: Empowerment, Womanhood, Creativity, Empowered, Writing

What kind of woman would you be?

Finally true to yourself.

Time to say thank you and really feel it. Deep down in yourself. Appreciate your ability and your beauty.

Thank you GB for your support, your reads and your claps. You are as deserving as I am. We both are. Don’t you think?
Black Girls Don’t Cry is a Lie
By: Janet Autherine
Tags: Empowerment, BlackLivesMatter, Vulnerability, Poetry, Self-awareness

Photo by Rikonavt on Unsplash

Black Girls Don’t Cry is a Lie

Vulnerability inspires fear

so they tell you that the world

doesn’t want to see a bleeding heart

There is no empathy for black damsels

in distress so hold it all in, tears cause a mess

to the narrative of the strong black woman

Sisters, your emotions is your currency

Never fear the ugly cry

Are you needy? Hell, yes!

Wear your heart in your hands and

your emotions on your sleeves

Black girls don’t cry has been the biggest lie

Poem is from the book, the Heart and Soul of Black Women by Janet Autherine.
I am More
Tags: Empowerment, Mixed Race, Poetry, Worthy



I am more than my tan, sun kissed skin

I am more than the binary labels that society expects me to fit in

I am more than the tears from yesterday that claim my grieving eyes

I am more than those words,

"You have been through a lot."

I am more than the sum of my parts

I am more than my ancestor's wildest hopes, dreams, and aspirations

I am more than the expectation to fail

I am more than the truth that pours from my innocent lips

I am more than the one box, one option, one check mark, one race. I am more than an attempt to bring me down

I am more than the skills you use me for

I am more than the second best

I am more than the repeated lesson

I am more than the homeless youth with trampled dreams and no food

I am more than the apologies and the waiting

and the unclear path to nowhere

I am more than the weight on my shoulders

I am more than the constant worry if I get sick,

will I be denied care?

I am more than the stares, the insults,

and the disbelief in my truth

I am more than an empty prayer, a fake promise,

and a sigh of disappointment. I am more.
To The Woman Who Destroyed My Self-Confidence
By: Tiffany Hsu
Tags: Empowerment, Letters, Self Confidence, Body Image, Forgiveness

To the Woman Who Destroyed My Self-Confidence,

I’m sure you don’t remember the moment you destroyed my self-confidence. I mean, it has been over ten years since this has happened. But I remember it like it was yesterday.

I was having a great evening with my friends, my closest friends. We were laughing, having dinner, and enjoying our evening. Then you came up to us. You were smiling with a gentle smile and talking to us casually. I thought you were only here to have a pleasant conversation, nothing alarming. Besides, why should I be alarmed? You were friends with our parents. I have known you for a few years now, and my friends grew up with you. I thought you were a kind and gentle person. You always spoke kindly to us and made us laugh. But little did I know that a serpent disguised as an angel was amongst us.

You looked at every single one of my friends and complimented them on how beautiful they were. One by one, you flattered and charmed them with your sweet words. When you looked at me, you said to me in your sweetest voice, “You’ll be prettier if you’ve lost weight. Right now, you’re too fat.”

I was too speechless, too embarrassed. I was completely and utterly shocked. I didn’t know how to respond, and before I can even say a word, you had disappeared, only to be seen with our parents.

I wish I can say that your words didn’t affect me, but it did. I wish I can say that I moved on and never thought about the incident again, but I still do.

I struggle with my weight, and every time I see myself, I repeat those same venomous words you had spoken to me all those years ago. I had continuously blamed myself for gaining weight and have thought of myself as lazy and unmotivated.

But not this time, this time, I blame you. You chose to value appearance over character and decided that you, an adult, would speak such damaging words to a child.

But here I am today, an adult, and I want to tell you that I forgive you. I forgive you for choosing destructive words over words of nourishment. I forgive you for your lack of discernment. And most importantly, I forgive you for destroying my self-confidence.

Your words still influence how I see myself, but now, I can speak words of kindness to myself because I have a husband who nourishes me with his loving words. Now, I can forgive myself for repeating the same words to myself because I have people who value my character more than my appearance.

Building up my self-confidence will be a journey. But it is a journey that you will never be a part of, and you will never have the privilege of seeing the fruits of my labor.

From,

The Girl Whose Self-Confidence You Destroyed

P.S. Someday, I will be, The Woman Who Overcame Brokenness.
Truth / Lies
By: Daniel A. Teo
Tags: Empowerment, Lies, Truth, Wonder Woman, Poetry

Truth / Lies

Be folded into life’s pageless autobiography,

the wheel of visions and experience is for us to steer

without any reflection in the hindsight mirrors

nor refraction from the beams of light

penetrating through our conceived darkness.

We can either powder our faces with lies

till the dust fills our mouth

and chokes us from within.

Because in the termed autobiography,

we are the author, director, and cast

in our very distinguished stage directions.

Whether we bask in the conceit from the spotlights

or be nude in the glamour that is unseen,

our limbs and organ(s) hang out their belonging sockets nonetheless

in the perforation lodged between ribs;

the beating heart —

that stays the same.

And will always be.

Either blessed by the almighty

or cursed by the cynical crackling pits of softwood,

we all have the ability

to swallow the dust

or to spit it back out.

Because when we enter what we call existence

with nothing with wails and 5 pounds of additional weight

the lenses in our eyes

start off bare.

And it is only through the mastering of the art of deceit

where we can regurgitate lies

construed by ownself

to confuse oneself.

But as we grow the extra limbs

and the supplementary hair down and up

it is our duty

to choose between the two distinct paths of

truth or fabricated crap.

Those who choose to assemble that of distraught thoughts

into that of amorphous lies

live a beautiful, fantastical life

where they leave glass heels onto stairways

kiss frogs till they transition princes

blessed into million-dollar bills.

They get it all,

but at what price?

Because as they check out from their lifetimes and

see their payment history,

find out that happiness, love, and warmth

is missing from the receipt.

Whilst those who choose truth

nothing really happens

as they continue to breathe the same old air

go home to the same old broken coffee maker

sit on rusted swings lie on uncut weeds

drinking diluted black coffee.

But somehow, in their own perception,

their own formulated dictionary,

this is what forms their allotted span —

comprised of happiness, grief, and melancholy

all blended into that one simple term;

Life.

And that.

That is beautiful.
Self-love
By: Alice Floris
Tags: Empowerment, Poetry, Self, Self Love, Blue Insights

Thank you for reading my poem! Before you pour your love into someone else’s cup, your own cup needs to be filled with enough self-love.

If you liked this, please take a look at my previous work:
In pursuit of Oz
By: Heather Rosen
Tags: Empowerment, Conflict Resolution, Wizard Of Oz, Journey Of Life, Lessons Learned

Like many musicals, “The Wizard of Oz” begins with an “I wish” song. Bored of living in Kansas and tired of being harassed by her neighbor, Dorothy Gale wishes for a trouble-free, colorful future where she can soar with the bluebirds in a better place, over the rainbow. Shortly thereafter, Dorothy’s life takes a turn for the worse — her neighbor kidnaps her dog, Toto, and threatens to kill him. When Toto escapes and returns home, Dorothy decides that she and Toto must run away from their problems in Kansas. They leave home, but Dorothy soon realizes that she is not ready to leave. She returns home, but the universe has other plans for her.

The winds of change have brought a cyclone that destroys her house, knocks her unconscious and carries her away. When she regains consciousness, Dorothy realizes that she got what she wished for — she is on the other side of the rainbow. But because she had not made the decision to leave and was unprepared for the journey, she is scared and wants to go home again. But this is not an option, so she goes on a journey to find someone who can help her — a wizard who presides over the emerald city of Oz.

Dorothy finds the wizard, but ultimately learns that he cannot help her. Just when she feels that all is lost, a wise and kind woman tells Dorothy that she has the power to help herself. As it turns out, she and her traveling companions each possessed the power to create the futures that they desired, and as a team, they were able to make it through the treacherous woods.

The only thing they had lacked was the confidence that comes from experience. Their journey to Oz gave them that experience, and they learned some new skills along the way — how to lead, enlist help, solve problems, recover from setbacks, and stand up to bullies. Perhaps coincidentally, Dorothy’s journey also prepared her to confront her problems in Kansas. Once Dorothy realized she had the power to change her future and decided what she wanted her future to look like, she was able to leverage her new skills and confidence and use her own two feet to make that happen.

We have all encountered a cyclone of unplanned and unwanted changes this year, and many of us feel like our lives have been turned upside down. A silver lining, though, is that we have all acquired some new skills along the way including, but not limited to, resilience, problem solving, creativity, and getting comfortable with new technology.

Have your priorities changed this year? Do you need to do something different to have the things that are now important to you? If so, what did you learn this year that will serve you on your journey?

To bluebirds, brighter skies and sunnier days ahead…
From Sourdough to Scholarships…
By: Arzu Gocmen
Tags: Empowerment, Philanthropy, Scholarships, Türkiye, English

SD Bakers started as a hobby of two sourdough enthusiasts…

It all started in the Fall of 2019 when two friends would get together every Wednesday to bake sourdough bread… Before we knew it sourdough took over us and we were making more bread than our families could consume. What do you do with extra bread fresh from the oven? We started sharing the rest with friends, mostly our Turkish- American community in San Diego. Seckin began using sourdough to bake traditional Turkish favorites like simit and pide . After many trials and errors, we perfected those recipes too.

Our friends insisted that we should charge them and the idea of SD Bakers came to life. We started with our small circle of friends in February 2020 and has been baking since then alternating between sourdough bread, challah, simit, pide and crackers. Our motto is to use only sourdough as yeast and to buy organic flour, and the best ingredients that we would feed our kids.

We knew we were going to incorporate BTF fundraising into this venture eventually. Unprecedented Covid outbreak led us to allocate part of our revenue to BTF for the Laptops4Kids project. Like other circles, San Diego has limited options to raise funds during the pandemic and we have quickly realized that it would not be sustainable to continuously ask for donations during these hard times.
Crawl It
By: Zahra Ali
Tags: Empowerment, Motivation, Poetry On Medium, Poetry, Mental Health

Pulled

by desires

poison habits

to stay

with the old

version of me

but I refuse

to settle for mediocrity

Because I can strike history

Capable of the extraordinary

I re-read that word’s affirmation story

to crawl in my mindset

Till sunset

Dose high on wisdom’s from EdMylett

I don’t know about you

but I am not letting any noise

rub their limiting belief

on what I can or not

I am here

To smash the old me

and invite the best version

I will move forward

If I can’t walk

I will CRAWL it!
Are You a Perfectionist?
By: Jeanine Mouchawar
Tags: Empowerment, Life Coach, Vulnerability, Energy, Confidence

How to quiet our inner critic and tap into our greatness.

Perfectionists spend endless hours researching the ultimate school for their child, creating the ideal family holiday, or finding that elusive gift.

At work, they are so consumed with self-doubt about their performance, an upcoming project, or an important meeting that they feel paralyzed.

They may never be satisfied with their appearance, the tidiness of their house, or their achievements.

Living a life of perfection is exhausting. Sometimes when I write my weekly blog, I struggle to find a balance between what is “good enough” and what “could be better.” I often spend too much time trying to make my writing flawless. I find myself stuck in the wasteland of perfectionism.

When we are overwhelmed with our need to make things perfect or obsess about what is wrong, we block our creativity and intuition from flourishing. It’s the fear of making a mistake that keeps us from moving forward.

There may be a powerful voice inside your head filling you with self-doubt and telling you you’re not good enough or you are not worthy. It’s your inner critic exuding pressure to try to keep you safe from embarrassment, humiliation, and the fear of being judged.

Dr. Paul Hewitt, one of the most respected research psychologists said, “The need to be or appear to be perfect is a defensive position and serves, in a costly and ineffective manner, the purpose of attempting to solve problems of not fitting, not belonging, not being accepted or mattering to others, and problems of feeling, at the core, not good enough, flawed, defective, fragile, and unworthy.”

We often lose sight of what’s really important: connecting with our loved ones, stepping into our authenticity, and sharing our unique gifts. Here are 3 things you can do to get unstuck:

Identify it. Bring awareness to that voice inside your head that is trying to subvert your gifts. Observe it with curiosity and grace. Validate it. Accept that this is a part of you that is trying to keep you safe from embarrassment. But it does not represent all of you. Regain your power. Thank it for keeping you safe from humiliation and let go of its control over you. You don’t need it anymore.

Each week I challenge myself to get out of my head and into my heart-to quiet that inner critic and find the courage to publish my blog. I lean into vulnerability and tap into confidence, knowing that being a life coach is what brings meaning to this chapter of my life.

Let’s all disempower our inner critic and tap into our greatness.

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”

-Maya Angelou