INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Media recognition and support that highlights achievements, problems or unjust treatment for any group can be a useful method of empowering a group or social class. This is because it raises wide public awareness which creates support and leads to the people feeling somewhat heard. Most people seek to know they exist and are being listened to, and doing so will validate them. If possible, get the group on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. Call the local news, get in the paper, advertise, and just spread the word. Have them be a part of it, too. Form a brainstorming committee where they can take action into their own hands, not just follow your creative commands on how to reach out to the public. This is another useful way of empowering a group. Being in a group, fighting for a united cause, makes people stronger and more active in controlling their lives. It provides people with a solidarity, the lack of which had left them feeling dis-empowered previously. Think of just about any group that is fighting against another group, whether it's something abysmal like racism or something scheduled and planned, like political elections. In the most pressured of times, people band together and create upward movement and get things done. A pressure group can force about this motivation. Let them know they have the right to have more say in things that affect their lives, their happiness, or even their rights as citizens. Whether it's a small issue within the group that they're not happy about or an issue in our global village, encourage them to speak up. If they don't speak up, nothing will get done. For example, certain European governments do this very well by allowing people to vote in referendums on issues such as "whether to stay in the EU." This makes the people feel that they are autonomous upon themselves and so, empowered. Use this as an example and make it work on a smaller level. You can have elections, voting sessions, meetings, and even informal sounding board sessions. When it comes to empowering people, you have to make sure that the people being empowered feel comfortable and are paying attention. Nothing good will come of the lesson if he or she isn't paying attention or feels uncomfortable and therefore doesn't get everything you say. Your demeanor will be a large part of this. If you, yourself, aren't empowered and don't set forth a good, commanding example, you won't be able to help them find their inner source of empowerment. Be confident in your own skills and they may be able to be more confident in theirs. Learn and teach at every moment possible and always ask for feedback rather than just sticking with your say. Open your mind to new alternatives that the group presents you. Encourage them to step up if you see the possibility for them to grow. Work with them, not above them. Believe the words you say, too. If you're telling them they're capable of anything, mean it. If you don't, they'll see through it and discredit your opinion. If you're honest, upstanding, confident, and have their best interests at heart, they will want to rise to your expectations.

SUMMARY: Give a voice to the group through the media. Create a pressure group. Encourage the group to use their voice. Get them paying attention. Lastly, be your own lighthouse and you will bring light for others.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Most areas host fairs, festivals, carnivals, or other fun events during the summer. Check your city's calendar online, or ask other people in the area whether they've heard of events. Check the websites or advertisements for nearby venues, including concert locations, theaters, and sports stadiums. Look at your town's or region's tourism website or brochures advertising events and find out what attracts people traveling from other locations. There might be anything from museums to merry go rounds lurking in your town, or in areas a short drive away. Spend a couple days with friends or family at a campsite, or camp in your backyard. Gather friends around a campfire or barbecue to tell scary stories and make s'mores. . Find a geocaching site online, and look up locations near you to see if anyone has hidden secret rewards. You can search for these caches or hide your own wither with a GPS unit or by finding the coordinates on a map. If weather, transportation, or a lack of events prevents you from leaving the house, take a fake vacation. Invite a couple friends for a sleepover and decorate your room like a palace, jungle, hotel, or anything you like. Go shopping for unusual foods and "souvenirs" to share with your guests. If the weather is rainy, dress up in swimsuits and sunglasses and lounge around indoors pretending you're visiting a location with a proper summer. If your current friends are out of town or busy, look through your old yearbooks, phone contacts, or emails and reconnect with people you used to know. Any of the activities above can be more fun with friends, or you can simply spend an afternoon catching up with each other or reminiscing. It could be anything, a house made out of cardboard or a simple 3D puzzle. This would help you think logically and help you to keep up your resilience.

SUMMARY: Hit up local events. Act like a tourist in your own town. Go camping. Go geocaching Invent an indoors vacation. Get in touch with old friends. Try to build something.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The pine flooring should be completely clean of all dust, dirt, and small rocks. Depending on the size of your flooring, run a damp mop or a rag over the surface of the floor. Make sure to clean in the corners of the room and remove dust from any nooks or crannies. If your floor has just been installed, it won't be covered in outside dirt. Instead, you'll need to mop off leftover sawdust from the installation process. Your pine flooring will have many nails driven into each of the wooden planks. Use one corner of the putty knife to scoop a fingernail-sized dollop of putty out of the jar. Apply the putty into the countersunk nail hole, and use the flat edge of the putty knife to smooth the hole flush with the flooring. The filled holes will level the floor and provide a uniform stained finish. You can purchase both a putty knife and the hardening putty at a local hardware store. If the store offers different colors of hardening putty, select the color that most closely matches your floor. Wait until the putty is fully dry before you begin to sand and finish the flooring. Gently press on the filled countersunk nail holes to make sure that the putty is firm. Whether your flooring is freshly installed or has been in place for years, it's bound to have minor scuffs, marks, and scratches on it. Clear these unwanted marks by sanding the entire floor. Sand on your hands and knees using broad, straight strokes. Sand along the lines of the wood grain. Coarse 120-grit sandpaper will remove unwanted marks without adding scratches to the pine wood. If you're sanding a large area of flooring and prefer not to sand on your hands and knees, you can rent a sanding machine from a local hardware store. To protect your lungs from the sawdust produced by sanding, wear a bandana or protective face mask over your mouth. After you've sanded the floor, it will be covered with tiny pieces of wood dust. Remove these by dampening your mop and running it over the floor. Alternately, you could dampen a clean, lint-free rag and use it to clean up the floor.

SUMMARY:
Clean all dust and debris from the floor. Fill countersunk nail holes with hardening putty. Give the putty 3 or 4 hours to dry. Sand the pine flooring with 120-grit sandpaper. Clean the floor with a damp rag or mop after sanding.