Making the Invisible, Visible

• What is the issue or challenge you are addressing? Explain.

In humanities, we are studying the human rights and how some people's rights are being abused. As a class, we have decided to study about domestic workers, people who work as maids or workers domestic-ly. There are about 2100,000 Indonesian domestic workers. These people are woman and children, who are in economic- ly unstable conditions and has to look for jobs in order to support their family. They come to Malaysia looking for jobs that they could be offered with to support their family. But however, when the domestic looks for jobs and gets employed, their passports are taken away by their employers to prevent them from escaping. They can't even get the help they need and are to be worked night and day without almost no rest and lack of sleeping time. They are often not paid fairly and sometimes, they don't get paid at all. They are beaten up and both sexually and verbally abused by their employers.

• Why is this important to you and your community and who does it impact? Explain.

I was surprised to see how the regulations and laws that the Malaysian government has set up. The government barely helps the domestic workers. Although the government have indeed ratified the ILO Convention 182 on the Prohibition of the Worst Forms of child labour, they rarely has done any enforcements of law for domestic workers and the laws have stayed weak. Also, when the domestic workers first arrive in country has to pay large amount of recruitment that is ridiculously high. The workers have to loan some more money and pay for this which causes them to have their working fees to be gone for about 5- 6 months. These events made to think of how to help them both economic-ly and physically.

• What kinds of surprises have you encountered in your research?

I was both shocked and surprised that domestic workers have too little rights. While I was researching for the facts and events that were occurred between the workers and other people, I found it really oppressing that how some domestic workers have their passports taken away when they are employed by their employers making it so that they can't return home if their employers are abusing them. While watching the video about the abused domestic worker, Sasa, I was so shocked and was full of anger. I was so enraged about how people can be so merciless to abuse the workers. The abuse were almost painful as torture. Although this people are getting abused and are in serious trouble, the Malaysian Government isn't doing anything much to help the workers.

• How does learning about this issue make you feel and why?

I think learning this unit and this human rights conflicts will affect me in the future in many ways. Without knowing these facts and being unaware of how some people are being abused, I won't be able to help them. I could have been a bystander like any others who are unaware of this. In future, I can make a batter choice in how to treat domestic workers and know what they have gone through.
 I can also be a helper who helps these kinds of people. I want to help them. When I grow up, I will use small part of resources to help the workers. I will also use the educations I receive now to raise the awareness and to educate others of how some people are being treated.

Malala, The Girl Who Fought for Girls’ Rights for Education

Whoever are reading this, you are in a lucky circumstances where you can learn and receive the education that are important to your life. There are about 70 million children who doesn’t get education. In fact, there are about 170 million children who does not attend to school and have proper education and about 70% of these children are girls. In Pakistan, 50% of the people above 15 are illiterate and only 34% of the woman aren’t. Although the educations are highly needed for the children and the girls in Pakistan, the Taliban has banned the rights for the girls to have education many school have been forced to close down. luckily, there is a family who knows how important it is for the girls to get education. It is Malala’s family who has also been forced to close shut down the school. At the age of 11, Malala finds out how important it is for her and girls to get education and their rights for it. Malala has fought for her ambition by giving speeches, and going against and being an upstander towards the taliban.

Malala is an one ambitious girl who later on wants to be a doctor. She fights for the rights of the educations and her future. She tries to persuade others to go fight for their rights instead of being intimidated. Although she is just like any girl of her age, scared and terrified, she sees her ambitions and think optimistically about her future she thinks if everyone helps, her and pakistans’ future will be bright. “Today, the Illylic valley of peace is burning.” “Why is our future is targeted?” (The New York Times) Malala has courageously spoke up towards the ruthless Talibans. She knew how important the education is and have stood against the wills of Talibans trying to stop the girls from educations and closing the schools down. She knew girls did deserved for education and told people about it. “In the world, the girls are going to school freely. And there is no fear, but in swat, we are very afraid of the Talibans” (Youtube.) She tried to make a spark, trying to set fire in people and burn the Talibans off. By this young lady’s speech, people around the world doesn’t matter where they were from, have been inspired. They felt what Malala was feeling and trying to do for her country. “She has become a symbol of Western culture in the area; she was openly propagating it,”Mr. Ehsan  (The New York Times) Malala is trying to have her and swat’s voice out of the noise of the guns and sound of destructions. People started to see Malala as a symbol for hope and a strong will

Malala, by fighting for her dream and her future, is being a model to other kids in the same situation. Many girls in Pakistan think that their dreams will never come true but Malala is unlike them and is encouraging others by demonstrating how to fight back and look for a brighter future. “As turbaned fighters swept through her town in northwestern Pakistan in 2009, the tiny schoolgirl spoke out about her passion for education — she wanted to become a doctor, she said — and became a symbol of defiance against Taliban subjugation.”(The New York Times). Malala, unlike other girls at her age, even though she was forcefully stopped to go to school, knows that education is essential for her future and and her present. Therefore, she never lets go of her dream despite her environment. Although her living conditions didn’t allow her to study or read, she didn’t give up. She wants to achieve her goals to be a doctor and show the world and other girls that when you try and fight for your dream and the right idea, you can always achieve your dream. Malala alone couldn’t have fought the fight. Her father, who stopped to teach, was a big supporter. “I want to be a doctor. It is my own dream. but, my father told me that you have
to become politician.” (Youtube.) Her father wants Malala to do something greater. He wants his daughter to be a politician. Malala disagrees and still wants to be doctor. She wants to save people when she grows up. But she realizes that becoming a politician and fighting for the people and people’s rights, she could save more lives. So she chooses to be a politician afterwards. Her father sees more potential in his daughter, so he encourages and pushes his daughter forward. Both Malala and her father see the need and right for girls to get educated. They fight for their country, home, and education. They are convincing other girls and people that they all have the right to education and potential to reach their dreams.

“She knew her voice was important, so she spoke up for the rights of children. Even adults didn’t have a vision like hers.”(The New York Times) She knows that her voice can be heard. She knows speaking out for help is working. Knowing how the other girls are feeling, she is trying to stand up for them. She has became a target for the Taliban “On Tuesday, masked Taliban gunmen answered Ms. Yousafzai’s courage with bullets”(The New York Times) The Talibans thought of the girls as a house worker or a low lifed people and spending their time studying was a waste of time. Some people might have disagreed to them but, no one had powers to stop them. Taliban is a strong group of terrorists who has almost nothing to fear but, shooting Malala was a sign that they saw Malala as a threat. The Talibans thought that they had to get rid of Malala. They were afraid of the outcome that Malala might bring to them. Malala wasn’t trying to make others fight  for Pakistan, she was just saying what was right and what should happen. To talibans, it was an act of ‘promoting secularism’ Malala was never promoting secularism but Talibans targeted her for promoting it. Secularism means political or social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship. Malala was never making it related to religion she was just fighting for education. All other girls were too afraid to speak up and fight for what was right and Malala was the only courageous girl who was fighting risking her life. She knows she will get hurt but she is more worried to achieve her goal her goal that one day, people over the world knows what is going on in Taliban and help. As a summary, Malala has risked her life to give girls and herself education they deserved.

A courageous girl in Swat valley, had been a spark that caused others to be motivated. Although she was seen as a promoter of secularism, she was fighting for what was right and believing one day she would get an education she deserved and persuade the Pakistan people and the Talibans’ view of girls of how girls are should be. Malala also never gave up her dreams. She when the schools were to shut down, continued studying. “I will get my education at school or in my room, or anywhere I can get it from” (Youtube.) Malala wasn’t afraid of the risks that she had to take when she stood up against the Taliban. She knew she would get hurt and she did. Although she had been shot by two taliban members, she have made a big step towards a girls’ rights for education,

Megan Turner
period:1/8
10/17/2012          

Disabled? No, Gifted

Chaeli Mycroft has helped over 3000 disabled children annually in Africa. Chaeli thought creatively and positively in order to give herself and the children hope. She, thought of a way to support the children’s rights and how she could help them. Chaeli came up with an idea of making an organization called Chaeli Campaign where she would collect money to support the rights of the children. She was born with a disease called Cerebral Palsy  which makes Chaeli have limitation at using her leg and arms, she made a campaign called Chaeli Campaign and collected money to buy electric wheelchair but after getting the wheelchair, she ended up making a campaign called Chaeli Campaign which supported the rights and the acceptance of disabled children with her left over money. She has defended and stood up for children because she was one of them. Chaeli fights for the rights of children with disabilities because she knows how it feels to be disabled and not have the independence all people deserve. Chaeli helps children with disabilities by giving them more individuality and hope.

Chaeli Mycroft knows how it feels like to have more limitations than others. She might look different but what really different is her thoughts. Chaeli has overcome her disabilities mentally. She doesn’t see the limitations in herself. Many other people, if they looked at Chaeli, they wouldn’t think she can help others when she can barely help herself. Chaeli thinks differently, she instead of thinking her situation as tragedy, she thought more brightly and gave herself hope “If we see the light in each other, I believe we would live in a much brighter world.” she has worked for brighter world where all children have rights they deserve. One of Chaeli Organization’s programme is inclusive educations where the organization would run an Early, Children, Developments  inclusion programme in disadvantaged communities as well as support children with disabilities in mainstream schools. By giving educations to the undeveloped country and teach the children basic educations, the children would have more chance of getting a job or to problem solve. She has powers to convince other people to help her throughout the problems. Als   o one of the ways she fought for the rights and the independency of children were by giving the disabled a physical therapy service where children would be able to use their body more efficiently.  “Benefits hundreds of children in several communities around Cape Town where we offer our regular physiotherapy, speech and occupational therapy sessions.” by giving children physical therapy, the children would have more independency which means they have more freedoms and chance to follow their dreams and ambitions. By giving both education and physical Therapy, children will have more individuality where they will be recognized as a symbol of hope instead of useless people.

Chaeli has not only helped the disabled physically, she has also helped them mentally by giving them hope. “ It is our privilege to engage with people, to share positive experiences and to invite community members to focus on the ABILITY and POTENTIAL of our children with disabilities.” Chaeli thinks creatively and tries her best to use the organization efficiently and stay on the main goal of the organization. She has helped over 3000 children annually with equipment, physical therapy and by defending the rights and acceptance of disabled children. “Chaeli inspires other children to start projects and for that she has developed an ambassadors program.”  In the campaign, there is a program called Vocation & Rehabilitation programme: this is one of the programme where Chaeli would give opportunity to learn skills and practise them in a work situation for the young adults. This programme is in a form of a coffee shop and craft workshops. By putting young adults in a situation where they would learn to problem solve and have more confidence in their own life and stepping forward to work and be able to communicate more efficiently to other people. Chaeli by doing this programme is not only letting the young adults learn that they can also work and be able to step forward into the world instead of hiding and let the children have more confidence in themselves. One of the other way the organization gives hope to children is that they have a programme called African Odyssey where they would provide wheelchairs and support the establishment of their own charity organisation. Chaeli not only has helped disables, but she had persuaded others and showed how you don’t have to be normal and wealthy to help others. 16 families had taken Chaeli’s thoughts as an example and decided to do the same thing. By helping others, she has encouraged them to help others which will work as like a domino. Chaeli started the push and people who thought the same way will push the next generation and so on. Chaeli not only helped people economically and physically but most importantly gave people a hope.

Chaeli even if she is physically challenged, she saw her disability as a chance and a way to give others a hope. She has both physically and mentally gave hope to children in Africa. Chaeli is a motivational person who has a gift of helping others. She is continuingly helping children. Instead of thinking of disabled  as an useless people, you should respect and help them. As Chaeli Mycroft has shown us, disabled people are also valuable.

Old Photo Album

I am from the nature.

Surrounded by mountains rivers and ocean.

I am from the silent and cozy side of the

busy loud country.

Listening to the lullaby from the grass bugs.

And from the China where the cultures tickle 

your senses and 4 seasons taking over you.

I am from the forward. Forward from rugby

From kick butts and to on top of the chair of victory. 

Smashing my foes away who are in my way. 

Too late for mercy.

I am from the bed where my brother woke me up with his sticky fingers and complains.

 My uncle bringing me some toys. 

My toys creepy crawlies which tickle me and make me life. 

My toys, origami papers. Which makes my imaginations come to reality.

Uncle Kwon’s candies and sweets make me follow him. 

All the soft and nice wishes made.

 Sweet as candies and sour as plumbs. 

And a question “ why is it?” flying in my head.

 Everything cool and nice through the eyes of curiosity.

I am from the old photo album that are in my bookshelves.

 Old and rusty  changed throughout the warp of the time.

I am who I choose to be.

My Name

My real name is Chan Young Jeon 전찬영. A name that refers to color blue. Whenever I think of my name, I think of number 2. Number 2 is a number matching my name because my name has two letters. Also C and 2 looks alike. Whenever I think of C I imagine color yellow I think this is because vitamin C is yellow, but however I hate color yellow I just don’t like color yellow. Most of the times I am number two I am always number two in science, art, math, and etc. But I pretty like my name most of the times. Sometimes I wish I could have named myself because most of the teachers and my friends mispronounce my name. So, I changed my name to C-Y which is really easy to pronounce. Sometimes I can make jokes out of it. Such as “You C-Y I am C-Y?” or “You C-Y?”.

When I was young my parents were going to name me Ba Da which meant ocean. I think this is why I like sea lives, ocean and color light blue. My parents were going to name me Ba Da because they wanted me to understand others and respect but name Ba Da was for girls so they didn’t name me it. Name CY also makes me special because none of my friends have a name that is only 2 letters and they don’t have a name they can make a joke out of.

Now days I don’t care what the people say about my name. I don’t care if they mispronounce my name because I know my name is C-Y and no matter what people say about my name I am C-Y. I also don’t care if people make jokes out of my name. But I expect people to respect my name and try to pronounce my name correct. My name is C-Y Chan Young Jeon and I am proud of my name.

Me and 3 Object