Want it? Ask for it

My close friend blurted to me not to long ago, "You dont get what you don't ask for."

To be completely honest this blew my mind. Perhaps because of my conditioning as a woman or as a woman conditioned by a very conservative grandmother, I always assumed that my actions and gestures would decipher my needs and wants. In turn, this would somehow translate into all channels of communication and my needs would be fulfilled. Utopian I know.

I look back and I remember this sort of charades. For example, I recall boy girl interaction as; if boy hits you this means he likes you. If girl likes boy, she would ignore him.  What was commmunicated did not match what was wanted. This sort of attitude carried  over to other sectors and stages of my life. Always masking what I truly wanted with something else, never being clear with myself or others. Had I truly grasped this simple principle, perhaps some scenarios would have played out differently.

However, what matters is what I do with this valuable principle now. Certainly I can apply it to everyday life. I need an explaniation, I ask for it. No more hoping that magically I will understand an issue thats perplexing. More importantly, I will ask myself what I want for my future. How do you (Jess) want people to remember you as? How will I develop me?

Perhaps this is something that I face alone, but it feels better to vocalize what I want, because than it will be put out into the universe, leaving me no choice but to find a way to get it.

Community in Crisis

In 2008, The Latin American Research, Education and Development (LARED) of OISE/UT, had a call for submissions about a problem effecting latino youth. Being of Colombian background this topic was close to my heart; 4 out of every 10 Latino youths drop out from Toronto public schools. Something is wrong with this picture. I submitted by opinion piece, it got chosen and is now published in a book called, Four in Ten: Spanish-Speaking Youth and School Drop out in Toronto. To read all other articles published click here.

This is what I had to say...

The diversity one can encounter exploring the city of Toronto is an enlightening privilege.The degree of multiculturalism is unique and rarely found elsewhere than in Torontoniansocial dynamics. It is a composition of multiple backgrounds and communities joined together to form a mosaic of colourful cultures that give life to this grand city. Throughout the year various cultural demonstrations take place; exhibiting their heritage, art, cuisine,beliefs, ancestry and overall expressing their story as a community.

These communities, who now find a home in Toronto, take a stand integrating themselvesinto their new society in an effective manner: socially, politically and economically but still preserving and maintaining a unity amongst its members. Unfortunately, the Latin American Community in Toronto fails to provide a strong, organized and influential presence in this mosaic. Our community lacks a strong foundation and unity which is imperative for not only survival but for evolution, growth and the opportunity to make a positive impact upon theminds of our future generations. This missing element instigates division amongst our own kind, debilitating the community as a whole.

A study led by Robert Brown et al. for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) that was published in 2006 reveals that approximately 20% of students who enter grade 9 do not complete their schooling. Furthermore, 40% of Spanish speaking students drop out and remain without a high school diploma. The doubling in numbers amongst Latina/o youth cannot be ignored and certainly cannot be viewed as coincidental. Instead it should be taken as an indication that the problem does not lie within the youth, but rather in the community as a whole.

The drop out rate almost twice the average among Latina/o students is a direct
sign of lack of strength, unity, and structure within the Latino community in Toronto. The deficiency of unity amongst Latinas/os has impaired the educational advancement of this rapidly growing community. The main debilitating factor is that, as a community, we focus on marking the differences between our diverse nationalities; Mexicans vs. Colombians, Peruvians vs. Salvadorians, Ecuadorians vs. Bolivians, etc, and ignore the problem our youth face currently. It is imperative that we eradicate these nationalistic notions which rather than unifying and building our community within the Canadian mosaic, instead promote division within our own community. Our presence cannot be blurred or tainted, for as a community we have much to offer.

The continuation of weakened ties among community members, will simply fortify the
already existing stereotypes of Latinos. North American portrayal of Latinas/os is disturbing and heart breaking, the endless representation as gardeners, maids, pool boys, drug dealers and gangsters needs to be overcome. This cannot continue to be the image that we abide by in our newfound home. Failing to contest these social constructs indicates passively that we validate them as our identity, which in turn will augment the drop out rates of Latino youths.The message delivered to Latino/a youth by this passivity is the toleration, acceptance and promotion of mediocrity, conformity and failure.

The high dropout rate among Latina/o students is a community crisis that has overtaken and contributed to the unacceptable number of Latino high school dropouts. Our younger generation admires the wrong models of Latinas/os, and as a community we are responsible for changing this. Perhaps providing an immediate counter for all the misconceived and erroneous representations of Latinos worldwide is a vast task to undertake, but locally it is urgent that we stand up and make an impact.

The fragile state of the Latino community in Toronto is taking a toll on future development. Resources, role models, programs, motivation, mentorship program, guidelines and cultural pride are pivotal for the growth, productivity and increasing accomplishment of Latina/o youth. The logic behind strengthening a community in crisis is the trickle down effect it will have. As a united people it will embed within each individual the necessity to build upon a community identity, which calls for a strong and stimulated mind, so that it in turn the individual can contribute to the whole.

Ultimately, this will make a positive impact among the mosaic of cultures that exist in Canada. A stimulated and creative mind can only be achieved through education and the unified community will be the model that will provide resources and nurture this
development. Youths in turn, will have access to an identity that can be adapted and utilized to advance as individuals. The ties between all Latinas/os, from every nationality must be notably strong, incapacitating the entrance of division, negativity and conformity. In the end advancing together as one while marking our presence in the city of Toronto will minimize the severity of our young people’s current state of educational failure.

Fear Anyone?

I lay in bed, forcing myself to sleep but I am failing miserably. I have an early class tomorrow and all I can think about is how am I ever going to create a personal brand? Needless to say, I am overwhlemed.

I am a Public Relations post grad student at Humber. And for our Social and Digital Media class this is one of our projects. Develop a Personal Brand, a persona with presence and potential influence in your niche of choice. Don't get me wrong, I love this concept but the more I analyze the task at hand, the more I start to toss and turn; I even get a little nauseated. I dont think I speak for myself, but Social Media, as valuable as it is (no plans of contesting that), can be a tad overwhelming. I attribute this fear to the magnitude of it all. I mean, were not talkig about developing a profile and space to share with your friends (aka Facebook), but a space that can transcend the comfortable realm of what I call my life/world and enter into the limitless digital world. There are a couple of factors that hit the "OMG" status.

First, how to set myself apart? Second, how to say something that people will be interested in and actually read? Third and most importantly, how to withstand and create a mark? a digital footprint if you will. In the attempt to digest it all, the notion is: create, obtain and maintain. I dont know why this seems so overwhelming, perhaps I stand solo (I hope not, and if I'm not, let me know!) but I am not going to shy away. One could say I am going to do this because if not I would fail Michael Cayley's class, not good. But in reality, I am going to do this because this is the age of social media and it belongs to my generation.

Jack Trout in his best selling book, "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind", tackles the idea of the how to position a brand beyond the traditional forms of marketing; "an organized system for finding a window in the mind. It is based on the concept that communication can only take place at the right time and under the right circumstances" (p. 19 of 2001 paperback edition).
http://bit.ly/ILlAi

While reading this quote (I intend on reading the entire book), I felt a sense of relief. I felt as though I saw a speck of light in the midst of this daunting mission. Communication at the right time and under tthe right circumstances is simply now. A time where I surround myself with fellow peers that posses the same fears and hopes and all under the same strive to learn and develop. It is our time to explore and certainly make plenty of mistakes, but we are in it together. I believe it is natural to have fears, and this is one, but it is part of my natural composition to be able to confront them.