Provincial Banquet Presentation

Well it has come and gone, my presentation at the Alberta Girl Guides Provincial Banquet and overall I think it went quite well. I have never been too nervous about doing presentations, but I was for this one because the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta was attending and commenting on my presentation afterwards. I was lucky enough to sit to the right of His Honour at the dinner and he was very kind to me and was interested in my experiences at the Forum as well as what I am studying in school, other activities I do etc. I was very honoured to have the opportunity to speak to him and spread my message to the Guiding members at the event as well as the special guests. The dinner was good and as we got to dessert I was starting to get a little bit nervous, what if I forgot a page of my speech? what if my computer doesn't work? what if I sneeze? All of these questions were running through my head as they often do before I give a speech or presentation, but I just opened my mouth and began speaking. All was well for the first little bit but I felt like I was out of breath, stuttering, and looked like a nervous wreck. The sound of the video wasn't the greatest and I hope that everyone was able to hear it. I don't think that I went over my time limit so that was good and I think overall the presentation went quite smoothly. My funny parts were funny outside of my head and I didn't sound like the teacher in Charlie Brown. When I finished everyone clapped and I felt incredibly special when His Honour stood up and pulled my chair out for me before I sat down.
After the evening had finished I was quite surprised that so many people came to talk to me about my presentation and tell me that I did a good job. Apparently I made some people cry! I was not expecting that at all, I thought I sounded like a mess but I guess I was composed. The moment that effected me the most was when our provincial commissioner showed me a piece of paper that she wrote on while I was speaking that said "Future Chief Commissioner." The Chief Commissioner is the head of Girl Guides of Canada so I was very touched by this idea. I know that I will probably end up as some sort of commissioner when I am older, but I don't know if I would be able to do something that huge! I suppose only time will tell, but I feel very blessed that people are listening to message from the Forum and beyond and I am even more confident that I can make a difference.

I have a few exciting events happening this week that I will blog about later so check back soon!
Thanks for listening,
Shannon 

YouTube

Hello Everyone!
I have started a YouTube channel for more visuals of what I am working on after the Forum. Take a look!
Thanks,
Shannon

Thoughts on the Election (Round Two)

*This is the second time I have written this*

I am sitting in my living room right now watching the Leader's Debate for the federal election that is happening at the beginning of May. I find it very interesting to hear what they have to say based on questions sent in by Canadians from across the country. One of the topics was how Canada can redeem itself on the global stage. I find this topic very interesting especially listening to the different responses from the different political parties. I'm sorry but a bunch of men in suits should not (and in my opinion do not) make up what the world thinks about Canada. It is the people and the communities and the families that make a country what it is, not the government. I hope that I am not alone in thinking that the government is not the only thing that can make change in Canada. I believe that I have the power to make a difference in my community and I know Girl Guides and other members of society that can make a change in their community and then- BAM the entire country has changed. This is how change can happen and this is how change should happen, not just through governments or politics.

 

I know I sound a bit rant-y but I think it is important to show that I care about what will happen in my country and I have the responsibility as a Canadian citizen to make my voice heard. There are people all over the world that are fighting and dying for their right to vote so we as Canadians need to use our right, our responsibility to shape what our government looks like and what they choose to do. It doesn't matter who you vote for or why you vote for a specific party just make your voice heard and vote on May 2nd.

Alberta Girls' Parliament

     I did not update last week because I was at a very exciting event called Alberta Girls' Parliament. This year was the fortieth session and it was a lot of fun. I am always really interested to see the passion and the excitement in the young women who come to AGP and it is incredible to see how much they learn and grow in five short days.
     We had guest speakers from the University of Alberta Debate society who taught the girls about public speaking and forming arguments. They also played some games about improvisation and speaking. We also had two Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (MLAs) from opposing parties the Conservatives and the NDP. Hearing about the provincial government from two different sides was very interesting because it gave the girls something to think about. The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Donald Ethel, came to prorogue parliament and then spoke to the girls about how important an event like AGP is.
     The debates were very interesting this year because the girls debated difficult topics like making Alberta's organ donation program an opt out system, having mandated sexual health classes for students Kindergarten to Grade Twelve, and requiring all livestock to be raised free range and chemical free. These topics are pretty tricky but generally the girls did a great job and the people who watched were very impressed.
     The trip to the Legislature is always an interesting event because I have been there so many times and I feel like I know a lot about the history, the symbols, the architecture, and the artwork, but I learn something every time! We got to sit in on question period which was neat because there are a lot of things going on in our government right now. Overall it was a great experience.
     I don't want to bore you with the details but it was a good event that really encouraged female empowerment and using your voice to say something you think needs to be said. I hope that the girls learned a lot and will continue to use their voices when they feel that they need to be heard.

Support for Japan

I know this post is a bit delayed, but I had to think really hard about how I was going to phrase this post. At the Forum I made connections with people all over the world and watching the earthquake, tsunami, and now the possible nuclear meltdown in Japan on my television has been terrifying. When I first heard about it the first thing I thought of was my friends in Japan and I was hoping and praying that they were safe with their families and friends. I couldn't remember where in Japan they lived so I was constantly checking Facebook seeing if they had posted anything about their experiences. Thankfully they are all okay, but the whole experience was hard, I can't even imagine what it would be like to live there. I have since realized that I have a personal connection with pretty much anything that will happen in the world and I am still not sure if that is a good or bad thing. On the one hand I think my "North American apathy" will be diminished and I will think about the personal stories occurring in things like natural disasters and human conflict, but on the other hand I am worried that every little thing will cause a great amount of distress in my life, which I do not need. Maybe I am being completely irrational and selfish by thinking these things, but it does cause a lot of worry for me.I hope that this disaster will be different than all the others, people will try and act above themselves and work towards a better world, not just forget in a week or two, once the news coverage slows down and something else happens.  I am still praying for all of the people in Japan who are affected by the disasters there and I hope that there isn't a nuclear meltdown. Overall I am so thankful that I live where I do because we can never have a tsunami and an earthquake is pretty unlikely, but I hope that the Earth will calm down soon, I don't want it to get any worse.

Thanks for listening to my babble,
Shannon

Happy International Women's Day!

Hello Everyone,
I just wanted to do a quick little post on the 100 anniversary of International Women's Day. I am so proud of how far women have come in the past hundred years. It is crazy to think that 100 years ago women could not vote, own property, or were even considered people! I wonder what the women of that time like the Famous Five would think of what women are doing today. I hope they are proud and I hope that in another hundred years there will be gender equality and women will be empowered to fight for what they believe in and stand up for themselves and their right to choose their own futures!
Take care,
Shannon

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do."
-Helen Keller

I am still alive!

Hello Everyone,
I realize that it has been more than a few weeks, but I cannot believe that I have missed so many blog posts... I will try to make it up this time- I promise. Not a whole lot has happened on the front because I have been super busy with school. I sort of justify my decisions to focus on school instead of my projects because A) I am not paying tuition to work on the MDGs, B) I will have all summer to focus on my projects for next year, and C) by getting my education to become a teacher I am getting the skills and knowledge I will need to help others, particularly children, to work on their own goals to change things. In my social studies curriculum class we talk a lot about what it means to be a global citizen and I think the title is something that cannot be easily explained. When I think about the characteristics of a global citizen I often think about people who are worldly, compassionate, driven, and selfless. Someone who can look beyond themselves to see the rest of the world's needs, before their own. This kind of person seems like a superhero or a saint, but I think that the identity of a "global citizen" can be attained by anyone who has the desire to make a difference in the world and the drive to take action. That is my goal, to become a global citizen. I don't know about how I will judge when I have reached this goal, but it is a goal none the less. Wish me luck!
Until next time,
Shannon