Monthly Archives: April 2013

Passion — 2 Comments
23
Apr 13

Penn State Citizen of the Week: Olivia Pecora

 

“In my opinion someone can be a good citizen in many different ways…” -Olivia Pecora

BINGO. Our citizen of the week managed to describe the entire point of these blogs in her first response. YES, good citizens can come in a variety of forms. There is no perfect formula for good citizenship, but as Olivia will explain further, it is the motivation and willingness to try to be a good citizen that sets “good citizens “apart:

“..the most important characteristic that makes someone a good citizen is their willingness to aid others in any capacity without expecting anything in return. These actions are for the good of the general population and the actions can range from something as small as picking up trash in a park to something as involved as creating a documentary to raise awareness about a cause”.

Fitting her own definition of citizenship, there is not one thing that simply makes her a “good citizen”. Instead, it is a combination of her daily actions, dedicated involvement and world ambitions that help to shape her into an inspiring young woman.

35030_4064575191000_1458677270_n_(1)

Olivia Pecora (pictured above), freshman in the Schreyer Honors College, has her dedication to better community by fully immersing herself in her first year on campus. She describes her activities,

“I am involved involved with Triota which is the women’s studies honors society. I was a moraler for THON 2013. I am a dedicated and deeply involved member of the special interest org Springfield.”

But that is not it…

“Finally, I am starting my own club on campus called One Team International as a club we will host advocacy events and fundraisers to raise awareness about girls’ rights and using sports as a means to empower girls (especially in developing countries). With the money that we raise we will donate it to a program in India that supports girls joining sports teams! An example of a fundraiser event might be getting a group of people together to cheer at a women’s field hockey game or as a fundraiser we could have a field day! The goal of this club is to harness the enthusiasm that Penn State students have for sports and use it to enact positive social change.”

Olivia knows who she wants to help, and has found a creative way to do so. Her club creates an environment that welcomes a wide audience to participate in global change. (I encourage anyone interested to join; I know I will be an involved member). Not surprisingly considering Olivia’s passions when asked if she could change one thing in this world what would it be, she responded,

“…it would be the status of women in society. With gender equality I believe that as a global community will be more productive, safer, happier, and healthier. Even though education is a human right millions of girs are denied this basic right forcing them to remain in an inferior position to men. I would start by ensuring that each individual has equal access to education because I am a strong believer in the idea that education is the key in creating and maintaining equality.”

So cheers to yet another incredible human who will without a doubt make a positive impact in this world. Remember, it is the everyday citizens who dedicate themselves to making a difference, who end up doing exactly that. You have the power to make a difference. Look at the people around you. Feel inspired and then go out there, and use your passions for good.

As always, continue being kind.

CI / Passion / RCL / Uncategorized — 1 Comment
10
Apr 13

Penn State Citizen of the Week: Eric Stoltz

Have you ever heard of plumpy-nut?

Plumpy'nut-1

It might save the world from malnutrition, and our Penn State Citizen of the Week, Eric Stoltz is leading the cause.

12148_10200280597800720_1810623081_n

Sophomore Eric Stoltz (pictured above) is  president of the Food for Thought here at Penn State, and is well deserving of the title Citizen of the week. He was nominated on account of his global citizenship and incredible dedication towards ensuring basic needs for all human beings. His civic personality is illustrated when he shares his goals for Food for Thought,

“Our mission is to serve children around the world who are denied basic needs such as food, nutrition, education. We also work to empower persons of all ages to become active in their local and global communities”

One way they accomplish this is by gaining funds to send plumpy-nut to children in need. Plumpy-nut  is a peanut-based paste and has all the nutrients a child would need. Better yet,  it is only a dollar.

Eric has led multiple fundraisers this year to ensure that these young mouths get fed. Most recently, he and his fellow club members hosted a Food for Thought date auction. Althought he admitted he did not auction himself off (maybe next year), but  he did instead host and entertain the crowd playing his guitar. They managed to raised $1000.69 after auctioning off only 12 people (including the new UPUA president and multiple volleyball and basketball players). Overall the fundraiser was  an incredible success.

Looking forward they are currently planning a walk for plumpy-nut so be on the look out (I know I will be there). Also they will be hosting another Hunger Banquet next year; A hunger banquet randomly splits participants into income groups based on world percentages. Each income level receives a corresponding meal– filling and nutritious or sparse and simple. When the meal is done people people are called to share their thoughts and take action. It simulates what people are dealing with daily.

When asking Eric how he defines a “good citizen” he described,

” It is someone who is passionate. It doesn’t have to be one cause, but they have to have something who drives them to better the community. A good citizen has a drive to help or inspire others.”

I think Eric fully captures his own essence of good citizenship with a clear drive and passion to do good. Curious to understand who Eric looks up to for guidance, I asked him who his role model was,

“My sister, Elizabeth Stoltz, is my role model. She has always done such good, ALWAYS driven, and she is always trying to improve herself. She has molded me into the person I am today.”

After talking with Eric further I found out that his sister actually created the Food for Thought non-profit. Maybe good citizenship is in the blood?

I left Eric with a final question, “If you had the power to change one thing in this world, what would it be?” Eric responded geniunely,

” I wish people could respect other’s opinions and live happily together. Basically I want people to live life how they want. You know, Kumbaya”

Kumbaya everyone and continue being kind.

 

CI / Passion / RCL / Uncategorized — 2 Comments
10
Apr 13

Advocacy: a step towards change

Advocacy is an initiative for change. It can be the first step or the final push. It is a  a way of convincing others to care but also a means of giving people a voice to those who can’t stand up for themselves.  For this reason, when we got this “advocacy project”, I know I wanted to give a voice to some fraction of the silenced women around the world.

For our advocacy project, our goal was to break down gender norms in order to promote women empowerment and gender equality. Our first step to doing this was making people aware of the United Nations Girl Up Campaign, and asking fellow peers “How do you Girl Up?”. The term girl up is a play off the conventional phrase “man up”. By reversing it, we are asking people to question gender norms and also to question what the base of empowerment is. We had everyone who came write how they girl up on a post it and place it a big board.  We were also asking people if they wanted to donate on account of their own empowerment and as a result empower other young girls around the world. It only costs $13 to pay for a girl’s school supplies for the year. We ended up gaining over $200: more than 15 girls will have what she needs to go to school.

Although I have happy with the turn out, I think a big part of advocacy is sustainability. Advocacy requires dedication and the goals involved should be long term. For this reason Olivia Pecora and I with about 8 others so far are in the midst of creating an empowerment club for women internationally. The club will focus on empowerment, fundraising, and advocacy for women and girls’ rights through physical activity and sports. We are going to team up with a girl’s program in Delhi, India, which I will hopefully get a chance to visit this summer. This club will be officially starting next fall but we actually have our first meeting tonight if anyone is interested. The tentative name is “One Team International”. In this light, I hope my definition of advocacy shines through: it is continuous initiative to create a change for the better.

CI / Uncategorized — 8 Comments
09
Apr 13

The Red Brigade: Young Vigilantes

In previous posts, I think I have fully established that India is prevailingly a dangerous place for women. There is a overarching misogynistic culture which is further tainted with police corruption, and slow moving politics. The slow moving intiative towards women’s rights can be discouraging at times, but today I would like to introduce a story of empowerment and hope: The Red Brigade.

Young women from the Red Brigade

Fed up with living in fear, these young women, victims of sexual abuse,  are fighting back, ready to fight the battle that others have ignored.  For example recently, within the Madiyav slum, a male tormentor was doing exactly what his name entails and making suggestive comments with sexual phrases towards these women. Fed up with the assault, not simply from him but from the entire country, the women responded lifting him in the air and then proceeding to beat him. Although they did not do any more than this, they hoped they got their full message across.

All of the members have a story of their abuse: I will share one-story from a Guardian article (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/06/red-brigade-india-sex-abuse) to epitomize the fury from within these young women:

Every time she went out, the man in the neighboring house threw stones at her to try to scare her into jumping up. “He wanted to see my body,” she says. “I told him: ‘What are you doing? You are shameless, don’t you have a mother and sister in your house?’ But he replied that his mother is for his father, his sister is for her husband and that I was for him.” She told Vishwakarma, and the man received a visit from the Red Brigade and another from the police. She has had no trouble from him since.

The Red Brigade’s goal is to fight for equality and condemn anyone who acts inappropriately towards women. They dress in Red–hence their name–and Black; red to signify danger and black to signify protest. They want their outfits to be intimidating because they have a reason to fight. As one brigade member explained, “it is in the minds of men that girls are objects and it has been like that always”.

Combining this realization but their relentless attitude, it seems that that “always” may not last forever. The young women will hopefully be the role models for the next generation and not stop until justice is served.

536974_10200231382488360_1120289977_n

WIP — 5 Comments
04
Apr 13

Advocacy Project Update

IMG_2304We will be selling tickets for the Schreyer Formal in the Atherton lobby from 6 to 8 tomorrow! All students are welcome to come. When you buy a ticket, come tell us what empowers you and how you “girl up” and donate to the United Nations Girl Up Campaign.

 

CI / PLA / RCL / Uncategorized — 3 Comments
03
Apr 13

Penn State Citizen of the Week: Jacqueline Patterson

529690_4490986628679_823222479_n

Freshman Honors Student, Jacqueline Patterson (right) is our featured Citizen of the Week. She was nominated on account of her overall  spirit for life, and dedication towards achieving sustainable agriculture. Just recently she has been working with the  New Leaf Company to start up a project called Crop Mobs, a grassroots movement to reconnect with land and with the community.  Jackie explains more on the initiative,

“Farmers would reach out for help on a certain day or with a certain schedule, and community members (especially students!) would volunteer to help out on the farm. With the time we give to the farmers, we gain so much in return- essential skills for healthy lifestyle, knowledge of the environment and sustainability, a sense of belonging to the community, and pride in our work and the tangible fruits of our labor. It’s kind of like a flash mob, only a bazillion times more enjoyable- you get to learn about food, work with food, and eat food while having fun with friends! We are in the start up phase, but student support is in much need here too!”

I personally know I am going to make sure I am a part of a Crop Mob. How about you? Overall, I think this intiative is inspiring and ties in well with the idea of citizenship and community. Following this, I asked Jackie about what she defines as a “good citizen”

“Someone  who lives life with curiosity, integrity, and passion! With curiosity, you never settle for just the way things are. With integrity, you strive for excellence for all. With passion, you power your dreams and the dreams of those around you. These are the ingredients for a better community and for a better tomorrow (although today’s pretty great too!).”

I think her vibrant personality and enthusiasm comes out in this response. Jackie is the prime example of the citizen she describes; she has a passion for sustainable agriculture and is not settling until she makes an impact. But as you can see she appreciates her life daily explaining that although she is fighting for a better tomorrow, she remembers that “today’s pretty great too!”

In tandem with her Crop Mob work, Jackie is involved in Penn State’s  Real Food Challenge which is a partnership between students, farmers, community members, university officials, and food services to get more local, sustainable food into university dining halls. This is an initiative driven by students who are passionate about not only the food we input into our bodies, but also the impact the University outputs on the world.  Jackie describes, “The Real Food Challenge really needs the support of students, because dining services will only be swayed with a large demand for good, wholesome food”.

I have to say it is hard to capture all of Jackie’s vibrancy in a single blog post so I encourage you all to try and meet her, but hopefully these closing responses will give you all some insight. When asked “if you had the power to change one thing in this world, what would it be?”, Jackie responded candidly,

“The social acceptability of breaking out into dance and song in the middle of a busy sidewalk”

So.. citizenship lesson of the day: if you see a girl dancing on college ave, ask her if her name is Jackie. But in all seriousness, Jackie draws no lines between service and fun which is a good lesson for us all. She is constantly striving towards transforming what she loves into something that can improve the world.

She is starting today with the Penn State community, but I have no doubts that she will end up making a dramatic influence. She is a model citizen and a great reminder that if you sustain your curiousity, integrity and passion, you will inevitably make  a positive impact.

I will leave you with this, a quote from Jackie’s role model Stever Profontaine, “to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” Jackie always gives her all and I hope after reading this today, you all remember to as well.

And as always,

continue being kind.

Skip to toolbar