Children Who Care

About two weeks ago my son (13) shared with me his response to Markus Zusak’s, The Book Thief, I was both moved and inspired by the way he articulated what it means to have the courage to stand up for, speak out against, and take action to help other human beings, even when it is at great personal risk.

I share this because daily we are bombarded with negative messaging about our youth, yet there are countless children who care to make a difference and have the ability to articulate it. They need to be brought to the forefront, recognized, encouraged, and mentored.

The other reason I share this is because when we are working to effect change there are moments that can leave one feeling as if the work will never be done and candidly it won’t be…

“True courage and humanity is shown when people work even when they are hurting. Any person can show courage and humanity when times are good. Fighting to the death for something you believe in shows courage, humanity, selflessness, and honor. Courage: to work and not give up, Humanity: to know what is right and wrong, Selflessness: to give your life for another’s, and Honor: to know what you are doing is actually worth fighting for. While some fought and died, they died fighting for what they believed in and should always be remembered as a strong person.” –Kodiak Waldal, Response to The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, (An Excerpt)

Safe World for Women Signature Campaign

16 YEARS AGO The UN adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women which recognizes:

‘The urgent need for the universal application to women of the rights and principles with regard to equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human beings’

Yet today around the world violence against women occurs every second of every day.
It comes in the form of:

Domestic Violence, Rape including marital rape, sexual abuse, battering, dowry-related violence, female genital mutilation / circumcision, trafficking, forced prostitution, sexual harassment. Torture, psychological, physical and sexual violence perpetrated by the State

Safe World for Women is working to gather signatures from men and women who believe that it is time to demand a change.

Please Join me by endorsing The Safe World for Women Campaign and Demand that governments act NOW to:

• Pass and enforce laws addressing all forms of violence against women and girls.
• Ensure an effective range of support is available for victims and survivors.
• Undertake research to find out the scale of violence against women and girls.
• In conflict situations, put in place special policies to address sexual violence
• Explain to the public the reason for the 16 year delay in acting on the 1993 resolution.

The Target for the campaign is to gather 1 million individual endorsements
That’s: – 2,500 per day by 8th March 2011

PLEASE ADD YOUR SIGNATURE NOW:

http://www.asafeworldforwomen.org/endorsement/sw_endorseform.html

Age 19

In honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month 2010

Upon My Devotion

Upon my devotion
you spread your anger
with the world
I now suffer

You thought you were safe
or perhaps you thought
I wouldn’t stop kidding myself

Memories well up
your ice-green eyes bulging
your once soft hands
twisting
shoving
pinning my body…my mind

Close to three years fear bound me to you
Fear of being alone, fearing of losing
all I have invested in “US”

Close to three years I was the butt
of your anger
-my instinct was first to protect you-
I believed in your promises

My belief has deteriorated
and an even greater fear
has pulled me away

Losing sight of myself
I always put you first

I leave you yes
but that is a far less sacrifice
then leaving myself
I am not capable of being
responsible for you and me both

This time…
I choose me
Forever

-Elin Stebbins-age 19

Beyond Survival

Curiosity leads me to the on line Dictionary a few clicks of the mouse, taps of the keys and ‘voila!’ there I have it in black and white: SURVIVE, the definition.

sur•vive (sər-vīv’) http://dictionary.reference.com/
v. sur•vived, sur•viv•ing, sur•vives

v. intr.

1. To remain alive or in existence.
2. To carry on despite hardships or trauma; persevere: families that were surviving in tents after the flood.
3. To remain functional or usable: I dropped the radio, but it survived.

v. tr.

1. To live longer than; outlive: She survived her husband by five years.
2. To live, persist, or remain usable through: plants that can survive frosts; a clock that survived a fall.
3. To cope with (a trauma or setback); persevere after: survived child abuse.

All these definitions apply to me I think and clearly I am not alone.

Yet I feel troubled, I feel troubled because there are millions of victims beyond my reach. People who are suffering at the hands of someone that claims to love them. A human being, a perpetrator; one who has the ability to kiss a mouth, trace the lines of a body, share utter intimacy with another and then verbally abuse and physically beat the ever living daylights out of all that they proclaim to cherish.

A victims’ self-esteem is wrestled and pummeled until they no longer even recognize their own reflection.

It is not enough for me to have survived; the world needs my story and all of the stories, silence only perpetuates victimization. With a little luck our voices will join with the wind and get beneath the wings of those victims who have not yet realized a way out.

Learn about teen dating violence, talk to your children. Learn about domestic violence talk to your friends. Know the signs be part of the solution. Create awareness and break the silence.