Final Post

The Heaven Shop:

I think that this book was perfect for a Global Issues class. It focused on the right points, and told the story of a girl, who even though was doomed, changed her fate.

Paper Bag Game:

I think our strategy will be good. We will each do one thing, and pass it down the line.

About this course:

After working so hard to get this amazing course in the wheel, Mrs P has accomplished changing the way lots of kids live. The next wheel won't be the same.

Think About It...

Global Issues Portfolio Reflection

3rd World Farmer Reflection

Third World Farmer is a game that puts you in the place of a family in Africa, in the downwards cycle of poverty that may or may not, by what you chose, lead to total bankcrupcy. To turn the poverty cycle upwards for you, being the player, you would have had to take one of the possible routes for your family out, such as training in agriculture (farming) or sending one of your kids off to school, although it would cost lots and take a long time.

At first, while playing the game, my strategy was simply luck. After a few minutes of starting the game, I realized maybe that wasn’t such a great idea... So I changed my strategy. I decided to plant crops. Though, maybe I shouldn’t have planted all the same crop. So third time I hoped lucky, (even though I decided against depending on luck,) I planted different types of crops. Some peanuts, wheat, some of everything! Although adopting this new strategy, I still didn’t do well in the game so I will have to try a fourth one next time I play the game.

An immediate decision, like whether or not they have enough food to eat or water to drink. When this happens, they are thinking more about how to survive and not about the development of their country and not about the Millennium Development Goals at all, so nothing we are trying to do for them is moving forward.

As I mentioned before, short term decisions are negative because the country around them cannot develop and move forward to living better. This is another way you can get caught in the poverty cycle and are trapped until they receive well needed help or go bankcrupt

If all you did was take short term decisions then everyday when you woke up, and you had just had enough to eat the day before, then all you think about that day is having enough to eat again, and the next day, and so on...

Although almost impossible to get out of, there are a few ways to remove yourself from the cycle of using short term decisions. One of the major ways is to education. If you send one of your children off to school, if you can manage the money, then if they finish school they will go to get a well-paid job and make enough money so your family doesn’t have to work as hard.

A long term decision is a decision that you make when you are doing fine,when you have food to eat, water to drink and a roof over your head, and they usually aid your development. Because they help you to develop, and once you develop you are in a better state of living, long term decisions benefit anyone well.This type of decision also increases your standard of living because after a while it supplies you with the amount of money needed to live.
From playing Third World Farmer, I learned that we live a very privileged life compared to many others and while they struggle to live everyday we don’t at all.

Third World Farmer helped me:
Live ethically
Socially and ethically responsible citizens actively care for and respect themselves, others, and the environment.
I think this SLR applies the most because when we learn about this we then need to care for others and understand what kind of situation they are in and how we can help.

As well as connecting to a SLR, it also stands out as connecting to one of the MDG’s:
To get rid of extreme hunger and poverty.
I think this applied because of the situations we faced in the game- the same kind you would face if you were dying of poverty.

“35 million people in the U.S. are hungry or don't know where their next meal is coming from, and 13 million of them are children. If another country were doing this to our children, we'd be at war.”
-- Jeff Bridges

http://givehope2children.org/
http://www.betterworld.net/quotes/children-quotes.htm

After weeks of preparing.... PEACE DAY!

Today, finally, it was Peace Day. After our planning in class and dividing of the jobs, it was what we had been waiting for. Peace Day!

Our Global Issues class sold cookies, collected artwork, had computers to make commitment, and my job, face-painted. People enjoy having their faces painted. Any middle school kid loves the chance to have color all over themselves. So they were really happy and were ready to go promote Peace Day to other people.

While I was working my face painting, I noticed that it was okay to do not just peace signs or hearts, like a friend pointed out to me that you could do a heart with a peace sign in it! During lunch when I was in the Peace Day celebration area, I saw lots of people. (Could have been more... next year!) To do with the rest of the atmosphere, there was talking, there was a smell of cookies, there was a feel of happiness.

Peace!

Where Is The Love? Peace Day Assembly Blog

When we started our Where is the Love dance, thats when I felt we started appealing to the audience. Some people knew it because people from our classes had taught them, but a lot of people, after Tim and I taught them, learned it, started to enjoy themselves. It brought our our audience together. Together to create peace? I hope.

Without our assembly, no one would have realized what peace day was or when it is. IT'S TOMORROW! And I think that apart from going around the school screaming (we do give it our best...) or just freezing in the canteen, the assembly that people couldn't miss or just push away and they surely could not tell us to be quiet. So we expressed ourselves. We got up on that stage and performed for peace. Danced for peace. And later screamed for peace.

I think that of all the stuff we did and will do tomorrow, the assembly wasn't the one that across to people the most. But it certainly engaged people. People participated. So in a physical way, it got people engaged. People were talking about peace day= our aim. So we accomplished our aim.

We weren't planning on world peace. Not even in the whole of Malaysia. But we covered ISKL, and we are one step closer.

Peace Day- Give a Piece

Peace.

interjection, verb, peaced, peac·ing.

–noun
a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, esp. in personal relations

Peace. What does it mean to you? To me, it means getting along. It means calm over the world. It means no innocent people dying everyday. This is why peace day is so important. Its one day. Global Ceasefire- NO bullets or bombs. Think. After one day, comes one week. After one week comes a month. A year. A decade. Forever. Wouldn't that be great?

“My experience of conflict is that those who are involved in it long for even a day of peace. To have a day of cessation (complete stop) of violence, that to me is an idea whose time has come.” Mary Robinson, then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, from a filmed meeting with Jeremy Gilley

Why is peace so important? One word. Effects. Because it effects people. Sure, if war, and fighting didn't touch anyone, didn't cost anyone anything, (not only in money), didn't make kids scared, didn't KILL people. If no one was effected by violence, it wouldn't be important. But it is. People are dying. As you read this. As well as badly effecting, this peace day effects people in a nice way as well. The UN can bring aid in. In Afghanistan, the Taliban puts down their guns for a day. Last year, just in Afghanistan, there were 1.4 million injections made. See what a difference that can make! Now over a million people can't get that disease. Babies that will grow up healthy. They can also go visit children affected by violence.

They can help fix some of the costs of war. Children Soldiers, Kids without homes or families, uneducated children. Some of these are hidden costs of war. As well as many well-known costs of war, like kids without families, there are unknown, or hidden costs of war. What you don't see on the news. Because who is going to want to buy a tank if the public knows the person driving it is a child? You see that grown man with a gun? Well there is a kid holding the same gun right in front of him! This is a monstrosity. Yes, its a big word, but it describes it well. These people are ALL effected. All people effected, they can help during peace day.

Adding to this, since we are so lucky, WE need to work to help. WE are lucky. WE were all born into great families where we had enough food to eat, and we weren't worried about getting shot on the way to school. WE still aren't. THEY are. THEY are worried about going to school. WE don't like school. Do you see anything wrong with this picture? I hope so.

So many people are trying to help.

1. Jeremy Gilley (Obviously)
2. Me
3. Famous People.

Should famous people really be allowed to help? I think so, as long as they aren't proclaiming it to the whole world. As long as its not in a 'I am so caring and beautiful' way but in a down to earth way. But you know, maybe its a key to development! If they make it huge on national TV, then more people will say, 'Oh they like it I should too!' or 'If she/he supports it I better!' But what else have they done for development so far? They have educated. They made a resource to use for your class. And again, this is where they need your help. Can you put a be that 4th person?

“It is the peoples of this world who can create peace.” Ahmad Fawzi
Help today. Peace Day 2010 on September 21st. Be there.

http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/welcome~ For Quotes

http://kkmull.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/38/hungary-peace-rally-peacep045-ga/~ Picture

Global Issues??? And I care... why?

What's Global Issues?

Global Issues are problems in the world that require solving. That we can help to solve. Why should you care? Because these problems YOU can help fix. Without everyone, we won't fix them.

Kids can help too. Have you ever thought that just because you are a kid you couldn't do anything? Think again. Yes, some of the biggest most important things were done by adults, but kids did their fair share. I used to think this. Until I came to ISKL and discovered I could help. Since then, I have done several Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraisers and tried to help. Now, that I am in a Global Issues class, I intend to help more than ever.

Everyone has a talent, so why not use yours to help the world you live in? Or some of the kids that you share this planet with? I try to use mine. I can perform quite well, so I try to make people aware of the situation we are in. If you have a talent, why not use it? If you are not afraid to speak in public, speak to your school! If you are good at sports, then organize a donation game! If you care, then help! We can use your help. Everyone can use your help.