I was privileged this week to be invited to the British Red Cross Humanitarian Citizen Awards at the House of Commons. I was nominated and then short listed for the prize which was really humbling. I had never been to the House of Commons so to just get the chance to go inside was enough of an exciting prospect for me but then to be awarded as runner up was completely overwhelming.

This got me thinking about the word ‘humanitarian’ - the dictionary definition of the word is:

“someone devoted to the promotion of human welfare and to social reforms”

To me when I always thought about the word humanitarian I always associated it with people who went out to clear landmines in war torn countries, people who went and helped in orphanages in poverty stricken countries or people who helped people suffering from major medical problems. Not once did I ever think that humanitarian could be a word to describe somebody like myself from a rural county who helped young people in the community and helped people across the country pursue their talents.

I really enjoyed the British Red Cross Humanitarian Citizen Awards because of the positivity of the event. So many times in the press young people are used for negative news so the more events like this that highlight young people doing amazing things the better. At the event there were so many humbling stories of the difference young people are making in this country and the power that an individual has to make change.

I just hope this event has got people thinking that they can be a humanitarian in their own communities as well as in the wider world. So I would just like to use this time to encourage you to do something to help others and be a humanitarian. As a population of young people we need to put more importance of lives we can change and difference we can make over the money we can make.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

This issue has reared its head in the press again this week and has sparked much conversation and debate. The argument put forward this week is that more should be done to deter parents from lying to get their child in to the school of their choice and there should be a bigger crackdown on those parents that have done this.

Now if you ask many parents they will say that they want thee best for their children and I think you have to commend parents that put their children first and do anything they can to give their children the best upbringing possible but the question is where do you draw the line?

If you as a parent are willing to cheat and lie to get your child in to the school of your choosing what message does that send to your children. As parents we have to be examples to our children. There are other problems associated with cheating to get in to schools like if other children find out that you cheated to get your child in they may pick on your child or you yourself may have problems with other parents at the school.

Schools can be a bit of a postcode lottery at times which I don’t think is fair but cheating is not the answer. If you happen to have a house in the radius of a good school your lucky but then what can happen is that wealthier families can afford to buy and move in to houses near these schools to get their children in which isn’t cheating but unfair on low income families who can’t do that.

I think more needs to be done to improve failing or underperforming schools as this is the only way we will avoid this situation. At the moment it seems more is being done on the prevention side but not the cure. It is only when we work on the cure that we will improve education for young people which is the real issue here.

What are your thoughts on cheating to get a school place? We would love to know and you can share your thoughts by going to:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=789

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

In life there are many setback and obstacles put in our path. Some we can control or see coming, some we can’t. In life there will be so many opportunities and times where you think you can’t go any further and feel like giving up on your quest to fulfilling your dream. Well this week I’m here to encourage you to just keep on moving.

When we get a knock back sometimes it becomes hard to see what we should do next as we may have pinned our hopes on getting that job, that scholarship getting on that course etc. And because we pinned all our hopes on that one thing we didn’t stop to think, “What if I don’t get it?” “What am I going to do next?”

With every success or failure it is important to keep on moving. Failures and successes shouldn’t deter you from the path towards achieving your dream. If you experience a failure its up to you to pick yourself up and look at how you can keep moving. Keep on moving could be a case of finding a different course or a different source of funding and keep on moving can be simply putting in more time working on your talent. Every day is precious and the longer we are stopped for the harder it is going to become to achieve your dream.

Keeping on moving won’t guarantee you success but it will put yourself in a position to grab opportunities that are out there. If you keep on moving it will show prospective employers, agents etc. that you are committed to your dream and that you don’t let any setbacks get in your way.

By committing to keep on moving you may find better opportunities out there than the one you just missed out on. You will also be more aware of all the opportunities that are out there so it will help you make better decisions on what paths to follow.

So if you have just received a knock back remember it isn’t the end of the world, dust yourself off and keep on moving by going out there and finding new opportunities. Never stop!

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

Marielle Brown 10/9/09 
Health Module 1204 
 
  In our health class, we learn a variety of facts about our health. One week in our health class, our teachers decided to have us go to a farmers market in Union Square. Our teachers wanted us to learn what foods at the market were organic, if they were sold only at the market or in stores, and what foods contributed to our health in a positive way. We had to ask several questions about the products, and what they can do for our health. 
 
  Our class then ventured off to the farmers market, ready to interview the owners of the various shops we were going to stop at. My group and I stopped at a few shops, some being a pretzel stand, a cheese stand, and a stand that sells organic fruit drinks. We then asked them a few questions, and learned more about the products they were selling to the public. We then took the questions and answers we got from the shops, and were required in our class to make a pamphlet of the shops we went to, and which food they were selling that would only help our health. 
 
  I learned from the farmers market that you can be healthy and find foods accommodating to your diet. It was good that our teachers wanted us to interview shop owners, that way we could find out the true facts about their products. We learned about where the cheese comes from, how the organic fruit drinks have no sugar but taste delicious, how many calories they are, how healthy it is for you, where we could find them, how it is made, and how much it costs. Overall, I learned what to eat and what not to eat, and where to find foods that are delicious, but healthy. 

 

Stand Up.

"A powerful earthquake struck western Indonesia on Wednesday, triggering landslides and trapping thousands under collapsed buildings,including two hospitals..."
news.yahoo.com

"Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands made homeless after successive earthquakes of 7.6 and 6.6 magnitudes struck near the coastal city of Padang within 48 days of each other this week."
www.planusa.org

This was about two weeks ago. Now I ask you, as these thousands of people have been made homeless by actions they have no control over and we have been made rich through events we have no control over, shouldn't we help them? Who are we to hog the riches of the world? What makes us so special? Are we so selfish that we cannot donate money to help these of our own kind? Are we so ignorant that we believe our money is better spent at the movie theaters? Or the fancy restaurants? How about our flat screens and speakers? According to us, these are worth more than that of a child's life...That's sick. So pathetically sick...
We stand by as thousands begin to starve and suffer...we ignore them. We play by the rules of "if I can't see it, it doesn't exist". It's disgusting. Please, spare at least some of your "Oh so mighty entertainment" for a week and help these people who are so unfortunately troubled by things they have no control over. You have control over your money, use it the way it should be used, please.

Stand Up.

Here are some links for relief programs helping out with the earthquakes.
www.planusa.org

http://www.worldvision.org/

secure.unicefusa.org







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