Kassidy Brown

On the Ground With Pencils of Promise (Video)

2011-08-18T16:18:07-04:00

By now, many of you have probably heard of Pencils of Promise and it's dynamic founder, Adam Braun. Due to Adam's charisma and inspiring story, he's been asked to speak at some of the most influential conferences and forums this year. PoP now has had several successful campaigns in America like Schools4All and this summer's Leadership Institute, which are both apart of what PoP calls their "49%" -- the half of their mission that focuses on empowering this generation to take action. Not to mention the love and support of one of the most famous celebrities in the world, Justin Bieber.

This summer, Journey of Action had the privilege of being the first film crew to capture the other 51% of PoP's mission: build schools in the developing world. PoP has raised more than $2 million and broken ground on more than 40 schools in Laos, Nicaragua and Guatemala. We joined Adam in Panajachel, Guatemala, where PoP just completed the construction of their first school, broke ground on another school, and signed a contract for their third.

On our first day in Panajachel, we went on an adventure with Adam to find Joel, one of the people who inspired Adam to create PoP, and to eventually come back and build schools in Guatemala. While backpacking through Central America 4 years ago Adam met Joel, whose one request of Adam was to teach him English so he could then be able to teach his children and the rest of his village.

Empowering locals so they can continue educating future generations is one of PoP's core values. We went with PoP's on the ground team, who are all Millennials: Noah Marwil, Latin American Director, 28 years old, and PoP Fellows Appy Patankar, 23 years old, and Marina Yalon, 24 years old, to witness how PoP works with local communities. Their goal is to first serve the communities who need it most, but getting to those communities isn't always easy, they are usually in very remote places. PoP's on the ground team often has to take motorbikes and walk long distances in order to find these villages. In order to consistently and objectively assess a site, PoP uses rubric scoring in the areas of need, sustainability, cost efficiency, impact and local commitment. Once they decide on a location, they meet with the Education Ministry to approve building plans and confirm the assignment of a trained teacher. After sites are government cleared, community planning begins. PoP works with local contractors and meets with the village to set a budget. The village forms a 'Promise Committee' of eight individuals, four men and four women. This committee signs a contract agreeing to oversee the support and maintenance of their school through each phase of the process, from clearing the land and supplying the labor to encouraging attendance and supporting the teacher. As part of the local buy-in, each village contributes 10-20% of the total construction cost in the form of labor and local materials. They dedicate their time and their goods to the creation of their school, ensuring that it is not a handout, but rather a standing source of local pride. The remaining materials are sought out locally, injecting money into the local economy and creating minimal environmental impact throughout the building process.

Though this process takes a lot of time and hard work, it is what makes PoP sustainable. PoP's goal is to build 100 schools by the end of 2012, and after having an intimate look into the workings of PoP, we have no doubt they will be successful.

See Pencils of Promise's work on the ground for yourself:

Redefining the Role of America's Sweetheart

2011-01-03T14:09:55-05:00

Journey of Action was in Los Angeles in November to attend the launch party of Young Artists for Peace and Justice. Inspired by her experiences in Haiti before and after the earthquake, actress Olivia Wilde created YAPJ with friend and fellow YAPJ enthusiast Barbara Burchfield to mobilize America's Generation Y to empower youth in the developing world through education.

As members of this generation are changing the traditional systems of business, non-profits, and education, Olivia Wilde is a part of this generation's actresses who are redefining what it means to be America's sweetheart.

Wilde is the co-executive director of Artists for Peace and Justice and sits on the foundation board of the ACLU Southern California. Wilde's activism goes beyond making PSA videos. She is not just a spokeswoman for the organizations she supports; she volunteers in the field and is passionate and knowledgeable about the causes she promotes.

Like her fellow Millennial celebrity activists, Rosario Dawson and Amber Heard, Wilde is not afraid of alienating herself from certain audiences. They choose diverse acting roles, instead of typical romantic comedy roles, and their activism is just as important to them as their latest film. They would rather speak out and stay true to their beliefs than pretend not to have them.

Dawson co-founded the non-partisan organization Voto Latino in 2004, which seeks to maximize American Latino youth civic involvement by generating voter turnout and increasing political involvement. She supports numerous other organizations, like the Lower East Side Girls Club.

Heard, a rising star who has appeared in the films Pineapple Express and Zombieland and will soon be featured as the female lead opposite Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary, recently came out as a lesbian. Most young stars who are just starting to break through in Hollywood would be fearful of coming out, but not Heard. As she told AfterEllen.com:

I hate the idea of a label just as much as anyone else but I'm with who I'm with, I love who I love and I'm if not a better actress than I was yesterday and my personal life should have no effect on that. I think that the injustice of people staying in the closet is more than I can bear with a clear conscience and I couldn't sleep at night if I was a part of that problem, if I was part of the lies.

Besides speaking out for equality, she works with the United Nation's Girl Up campaign and Amnesty International.

As media continues to become decentralized, celebrities now have the ability to influence and share information as traditional media outlets. Wilde, Dawson, and Heard are conscious of this power. They all use their personal websites and Twitter accounts to spread awareness and inspire their fans to get involved and discover their own passions.

In a culture that is obsessed with celebrities and their shortcomings, Wilde, Dawson, and Heard are setting the bar high for fellow and future actresses who desire to become this generation's role models.

Below is our webisode from the launch party of Young Artists for Peace and Justice. Keep an eye out for YAPJ this spring, as they are teaming up with the Global Poverty Project's Hugh Evans and Bobby Bailey to hit up 100 college campuses in 100 days with 1.4 Billion Reason, a presentation that will change everything you think you know about charity, the poor, and an individual's role in the globalized world.

It's Time for Global Citizenship Education (VIDEO)

2010-12-15T14:41:03-05:00

The mission of Journey of Action is to inspire the youth to become active citizens. Apart of being an active citizen is being a global citizen. There are many ways one can become educated, but the most obvious one is schooling. We believe the purpose of education is to prepare students to become socially responsible global citizens. The need for global citizenship education is now more than ever necessary as we live in an interconnected global world that is increasing integrated. The context in which education now occurs has been re-shaped by globalization and technology. Educational systems need to recognize their transformative power, and their ability to become responsive to contemporary global changes. Students should be educated to understand the connections between their local actions and experiences and what is happening in the rest of the world. For the first time, we have a plan of action and the tools that will allow us to join forces to create a better world.

For the reasons listed above, we highlighted Global Citizen Corps while in Portland, Oregon. Global Citizen Corps is a program of Mercy Corps, which is a year long program that works with 500 youth leaders. The leaders of GCC are apart of an international movement of youth who connect globally and act locally During the span of the year, leaders work with Mercy Corps to get the training, knowledge, resources and tools to raise awareness and organize effective local actions that make a global impact. Leaders mobilize their schools and communities around a series of Global Action Days, which connect to international campaigns.

Leaders gain skills in four areas: action planning, leadership development, multi-media and global issues. With this training, leaders have the knowledge and skills to organize powerful actions that address the problems such as global health, hunger, climate change and lack of access to education. Their motto is awareness plus action equals impact.

Programs like Global Citizen Corps deserve praise and need to be integrated into our school systems, because if we want American students to be able to compete in the global market place, they need to be globally aware. As America continues to evolve its education system, we must also evolve our understanding of the necessary skills to succeed in the 21st century.

As Goes the Arctic, So Goes the Planet

2010-12-08T16:38:34-05:00

We began the Timberland Journey of Action tour in Juneau. We went to Alaska to highlight the issue of ocean conservation. The people we interviewed in Alaska understand the relationship between people and nature. We met with a scientist from the non-profit Oceana, which is the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation, a 27 year old fisherwoman, who sustainably fishes and lives a life of self-suffiency, and the Co-Founder of the Alaskan Brewing Company, who is committed to exercising environmental stewardship in every aspect of her business. The company aims to have a zero-net negative effect upon the environment by reclaiming and reusing at least as much waste and emissions as they produce.

What happens in the Arctic affects everyone. As Chris Krenz from Oceana says in our video, as goes the artic, so goes the planet. The Arctic is at the most dramatic of crossroads. 386,000 square miles of Arctic sea ice have melted away over the past 30 years. Scientist predict in 2030 the North Pole will be ice-free in the summer.

The pressures of climate change and industrialization create a bottleneck for survival in the Arctic Ocean. The more pressure we put on the Arctic, from industrial fishing, to shipping and pollution, and most importantly oil and gas development, the narrower the bottleneck becomes. If we reduce or remove those pressures, we can widen the possibility for survival.

While the Arctic may be hovering on the edge of disaster, it also presents us with the unique opportunity to use the lessons we have learned about ecosystem management and ocean conservation. We can decide today to protect rather than recklessly exploit one of the planet's last frontiers and chart a new course for how we live on the Earth.

Belmont Fires Coach for Being Gay: Alumni, Students, and Faculty Protest

2010-12-07T10:37:19-05:00

On Tuesday November 30th, 2010, Lisa Howe, Belmontʼs Womenʼs Soccer Coach was fired for being gay. Athletic Director Mike Strickland gave Howe a choice to resign or be terminated because she came out as a lesbian to her team.

Howe has kept her sexuality private during her six successful seasons at Belmont, but felt it was time to be honest with her team, because her partner of 8 years, is pregnant and due in May.

Strickland told team captain Sari Lin that Howe violated a university policy pertaining to individual sexuality.

"He basically told me we have a donʼt ask donʼt tell policy and when Lisa told us about the pregnancy, it violated that. He said you can hide your sexuality, but you canʼt hide a baby," Lin said.

As a Belmont Womenʼs Soccer player alum, I can no longer say Iʼm proud to have graduated from Belmont. During my time at Belmont, I learned more from Lisa than from all of my professors combined.

As her bio states on Belmontʼs official Athleticʼs website, "The program has not only soared on the field but continues to excel in the classroom under Howeʼs leadership." More than 30 players have earned Atlantic Sun All-Academic honors. Howeʼs teams have posted a 52-48-16 record."

All of my fellow soccer student-athlete graduates feel just as strongly. We have united with the current players against Howe's firing.

"The team is shocked and angered by our coachʼs firing," stated current Senior forward Erica Carter.

We are not alone. Since Howe's firing, alumni, students, and faculty have joined the women's soccer team in their protest. Two protest have already taken place, and there are more planned.

"I think this is really important for us to show our support as a community and to show that not all of Belmont feels the way they their trustees do," sated Belmont senior Becca Stone to the Belmont Vision at Sunday's protest. "For us, firing Coach Howe because of her sexuality was not the Christian thing to do."

Currently a resolution is circulating for faculty signatures which, if it is approved by the Faculty Senate, would call on the administration to address issues in the university's hiring policy with respect to sexual orientation.

The Athletic Department and President of the university, Bob Fisher, were not prepared for the backlash they have received. Local Newspapers, The Tennessean, Nashville Scene, and The City Paper, have all released stories. National outlets, such as, The Advocate, and others have picked up on the story as well.

President Fisher has declined to comment, saying it was an athletics matter and questions should be directed to the athletics department. The Athletics Department has changed their official statement twice, neither one addmitting they fired Howe.

Recently, Belmont has spent millions of dollars on new buildings, pushed for a growing dominance in its academic music programs, boasts of new schools of pharmacy and law. It is currently Ranked in the Top 5 in the Regional Universities South category and named for the third year as one of the top "Schools to Watch" by U.S. News & World Report.

Though the school is expanding, it is apparent the minds of the executive decision makers have not. It is even more apparent, that they are completely disconnected from the values and opinions of the faculty and student body population.

As Guy Farmer, a 2009 Belmont graduate, expressed to the Tennessean on Sunday, "We want the university not just to apologize to the coach, not just to the gay and lesbian community in Nashville and the United States. We want an international apology to the gay world because this is 2010 and we all find this unacceptable."

So, the real question is, President Fisher, are you going to listen to your faculty and students, or are you going to continue to promote discrimination, and see all the amazing achievements you have brought to the university become unglued, because our soccer coach, the most successful Belmont Women's soccer coach, has decided to have a baby with her a long time partner?

UN Summit Week

2010-10-07T19:44:11-04:00

From September 20-24, world leaders came together at the UN Millennium Development Goals Summit to identify solutions to the biggest problems facing our planet. Journey of Action teamed up with Oxfam to cover the UN Summit as well as Clinton Global Initiative and the Mashable Social Good Summit. It was an unbelievable experience that we will never forget and an incredible way to kick start your journey. We interviewed world leaders, corporate executives, and young inspiring social activist.

In case you are not aware, the Millennium Development Goals (the MDG's) were set in 2000 and adopted by all 192 UN member-states. The MDGs set out the goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving maternal mortality, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability, and creating a global partnership for development...all by 2015.

Though there has been progress over the past 10 years, with some countries moving faster than others, the final deadline of 2015 is now looming, and we have a long way to go. 1.3 billion people, about a fifth of the world's population live on less than $1 a day. Of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty around the world, 70% are women. Women work 2/3 of the world's working hours, produce over half of the world's food, yet earn only 10% of the world's income and own less than 1% of the world's property. 72 million children remain 'out of school' worldwide. 1 billion people are hungry right now. Annual childhood deaths now stand at 8.8 million.

These stats should not intimidate you, but rather inspire you, because though these numbers are high, we have the means and solutions to dramatically reduce these numbers in five years. In the words of Ted Turner, "the MDGs are the world's to do list, of urgent priorities, this means you and I are apart of the solution, so I'm a suggesting a to-do item for your list today, do something today to advance one of the eight MDGs, it is easy and it is within our reach, we can all do something to make the world a better place."

We know the causes of poverty and we know why it is perpetual. We have the solutions, it is just a matter of acting. Our world leaders can make changes to end extreme poverty, they have renewed their promises to do so, but we have to hold them accountable. We must demand that our governments follow through with their promises.

It is no longer a choice. As Ban Ki-moon expressed in his speech, "in the past, we have seen that when the spotlights are switched off, world attention quickly moves on to other issues. With only five years left, we cannot let that happen. Between now and 2015, we must make sure that promises made become promises kept. The consequences of doing otherwise are profound: death, illness and despair, needless suffering, lost opportunities for millions upon millions of people."

Fortunately, there are many exceptional individuals, non-profit organizations, and even for-profit organizations, acting to end extreme poverty. I'm most inspired by young social activists, like Tanvi Girota, Petra Nemcova, Jody Lightfoot and Jade Frencham.

Girota, at only 19 years old, has created a non-profit "Becoming I," a new youth-led organization to create a platform for young people to come together and make a positive difference in society. It supports projects in India in the fields of education, women's empowerment, and life skills development, among other issues. Nemcova founded Happy Hearts Foundation, which builds sustainable schools in post natural disaster areas. In a short amount of time, HHF has positively impacted 31,000 students and 331,000 community members. Lightfoot and Frencham are both apart of The Oaktree Foundation from Australia, which is completely operated by young people under the age of 26. Oaktree has launched numerous successful initiatives. They have 55,000 members, have spoken directly to well over 500,000 individuals about extreme poverty, and achieved an incredible media reach of over 100 million.

No matter who you are, where you are from, or how busy you are, you can do something to help. Find a cause you care about, get educated on the issue, spread awareness, and take action, so in 2015, we don't live in a world in which extreme poverty and hunger still rule the day, where children continue to die too early and too many women die in childbirth, a world in which HIV/AIDS still ravages too many populations and in which environmental sustainability, universal education and gender equality remain out of reach.