about
i my me mine.
write about yourself. :)
hi my name is Rochelle and this is my blog. ;) "If you can imagine,you can create it. If you dream it, you can become it" -William Aurthur Ward
warm winters
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Monday, September 19, 2011
B E A P A R T O F T H E A C T I O N: REFLECTION MASS COMM. NEPEAN. @ 3:12 PM      
Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote to “be the change you want see in the world” has played a huge part in my character and humanitarianism towards social issues affecting our generation. About 2 years ago, I created Living A Dream, my first blog of insight into a world of social media and inspiration. I later created another blog called Warm Winters. These blogs have been the gateway to not only media of interest, but of daily experiences that I feel carry a powerful message. I am very connected to many types of mediums and a popular form of media you will notice in my entries is photography. Over time, I would like my blogs to become greatly known. My goal is for others to see my blogs as empowering, entertaining and intriguing. I want to evoke effortless beauty and creativity in my art that can touch people’s lives. In previous posts, I have written about my experience facing human realities. During my Grade 12 year at Fletchers Meadow Secondary School, my classmates and I were presented with an extraordinary opportunity from our Drama Instructor. We would explore the art of journalism in the Ossington and Queen area of Downtown Toronto; where the largest mental health hospital in Ontario was being built. The main objective for the assignment was to create a story evoking the rising social issues and human conditions of our society through any medium. My desire to become a broadcast journalist made me very excited to begin the assignment. It was a great opportunity to develop my skills in creative media to powerfully investigate human nature; it was a mind- blowing start. When October 29, 2010 finally arrived, I started my exploration with a point and shoot Canon camera and Photography as my artistic medium. I will always remember that day; I was able to create something open and unforgettable. The school bus stopped in front of the construction area where the mental health building was being built. As we continued walking down Queen street, I recall seeing a long line of men and women standing outside a closed building in the cold weather. Once I read the sign I realized these people were waiting for their first meal of the day at the St. Clair Soup Kitchen. Seeing those impatient and tired faces made me sympathize for their situation as one man yelled, “Come on!” with great frustration. I began to think of the food easily given to me and how I would act if it didn’t? Although, there were many people I encountered on the streets of Toronto there was one young man that stood out to me. He didn’t look deeply homeless, but he seemed to have been affected by poverty in some way. He was quite different then what I expected to see and he opened my eyes. A sign stood before him that read, ‘Street Poetry. My Poems are free but donations are appreciated. God bless. Namaste.’ He had a welcoming smile and he gladly shared his work with us. His poetry was moving and interesting; it spoke about change and the tenacity to see a society grow and restore itself with peace. As he spoke words of inspiration, the smile he wore never left his face. My friends and I gave him a donation and shortly after we witnessed him use the same money to buy something to eat. This young man didn’t live an ideal life, but used his poetry to spread hope and insight for a better world. It made me wonder if there were more people like this man who maintained a positive outlook despite the circumstances. It’s terrible to see people abandon their hope at a time when it’s most needed. But rest assured, I learned that if you offer a little kindness you could change the life of someone in need. Since then, I have realized how comfortable our society has become with relying on others to start change instead of doing so themselves. Each of us can be become a leader and John Legend proves in his song If Your Out There, that I “searched for a leader and the leader was me.” I have come to the understanding that what has held us back as a society is our misconceptions about serious issues without seeing the truth behind it. There were many social issues I witnessed on Ossington and Queen that day and to be able to completely understand these realities I had to face them in person. I had to ask myself, what do I think about homelessness? In doing so, I was able to understand where these preconceived notions were coming from. Many people will have different ideas based on what they have learned and how they were raised. Though, people may assume those in poverty have chosen that lifestyle, it isn’t the case for everyone. People are often given no choice because of disabilities, job loss and unstable family homes (more pertaining to teen homeliness); everyone has his or her own story. Having an opened mind helps to better understand others and as time progresses, I hope the number of active supporters for social issues will increase. Growing up, the news has always fascinated me with its combination of media and social awareness. I am a visionary and being more aware of my surroundings has made me a better person; one who is knowledgeable, determined and inspired. Following our trip to Toronto, I began to think about organizations that I admired and was greatly passionate about. I chose Breast Cancer/ Cancer Research and the Sick Kids Foundation. I am always hearing about people around the world and the family members of my friends whose lives have been threatened by sever illnesses. It fuels my desire to see a solution found so young children and adults can live and maintain the healthy lifestyle they need. Observing human nature has reveled the impact we have on this earth and the conditions in which we live in nowadays. Every time I watch the news, I feel more informed and powerful. I am able to ask myself, who am I? What do I stand for? My goal is to continue transforming into a better leader so I can impact the life of one person at a time. Since that day, October 29, 2010, I will always be reminded that one man’s smile can be another man’s blessing. |
write about yourself. :) hi my name is Rochelle and this is my blog. ;) "If you can imagine,you can create it. If you dream it, you can become it" -William Aurthur Ward |