YDEV EVENT #1

For my first YDEV Event this semester I decided to go watch one of the Gender & Women's Studies films since I have never had the experience of viewing one. I was honestly expecting this movie to be shown in a different room in the library and very surprised that it was in the basement of the library down a weird corridor, in a back space that felt like Harry Potters cupboard under the stairs. Mind you when you first walk into the space, it is initially a space for the advisers for the department and you have to go even further into the depths of the Chamber of Secrets to find the tiny viewing room in the back corner.

Once I situated myself into the room I found it very awkward. There was only one other person in the room whom was there before me and being in such a small space we were only about 4 feet from each other and I dared not to engage myself in conversation with this other person since she seemed to be doing things on her laptop and preparing to take notes on the video. Then, 12:30 came and a person just simply came in and turned on the movie. No welcome, explanation of the movie, nada we just hopped right into it.

The actual movie itself was not what I was expecting. When I initially looked to see what the movie was about, it described the movie as a story about three Latina immigrant workers and their story of immigration and their struggles working in garment sweatshops in Los Angeles. Well, it honestly was more about the lawsuit between Forever 21 and the garment workers. We really didn't get to explore what life was like for these people before the entered the United States and what their life is like now living in the United States. We got to hear about how they illegally entered the United States and willingly ripped themselves apart from their families for what seemed to be just as much as a struggle for them compared to living and working in the countries they were originally from. I think that their promise of a "better life" and the "American Dream" became their false sense of reality once they immigrated here and realized that the United States is not all what it seems to be and what people believe it is due to Manifest Destiny. Overall I don't think it was a bad video, but I do which that there was some room for discussion among peers and the facilitators of the showing about the document.

As for this event relating to youth, I think that there were a few good messages from this movie. I think that this movie showed to keep fighting no matter how small your voice is, perseverance is key, and it also shows what the harsh reality of what immigration can be for some people and really allows people to appreciate what they have or don't have.

"The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness."

I honestly never knew about The Center for Resilience. I found it really interesting to see that there is an organization out there that helps not just young people but all people manage stress and life obstacles while promoting adversity in both individuals and society. Check here if you want to see the APA road to resilience to get a good understanding of resiliency.

When doing this and exploring this organization I decided to watch the videos recommended and first tired to get an understand of what they do through their videos. Although I did have a hard time figuring out exactly what is was they do through the videos, I understood that they were some type of behavior management support system, they work with young people in all age groups, and not only teachers but other administrative staff fully supported the programs.



After I was done watching the videos I went and explored the website. Some of the key things I looked at were their mission to understand what their goals and vision are, their "About Us" page and also their donation page. I found it awesome that the kids themselves ran workshops themselves after the community asked for these type of services. I also really liked their donation page because it didnt really overload you with pleas for donations or list tons of reason why you should donate and I think thats really important to keep it simple.

Lastly I found it really interesting that they had separate pages for in their community and and workplace. I think its great that they started as just K-12 and quickly expanded to working with the community and private workplaces. I think it goes to show how good the work they do really is. I would be very interested in having a workshop with this organization.

Who's Election is it Anyways?

Welcome to the modern election year in America. Its a year consisted of either the first female president or the first non congressman to ever be elected. Me personally, I absolutely hate politics. I firmly believe that just because we have the "right" or "privilege" to vote doesn't necessarily mean that our vote means anything. The people who run for offices and get elected are clearly in positions of power, have tons of money, and a personal agenda in which they use the platform to accomplish it. Our world is vastly larger, more complex, and filled with even more secrets than compared to when this country was first created. Basically what I am saying is sure we can vote, but our vote is more than likely more controlled than you think. In this election, I am not going to vote. I do not like either candidate and honestly wish that I could vote in Obama for a third term instead of the persons running for office this year, but then that would lead a person to potentially wish to never leave the office and always maintain that position of power. I feel very uninformed about the potential candidates for this election and feel that the topics and issues that go along with this election do not show a strong candidate.

My three questions that I have about this election are:

Why are the candidates who have potentially have criminal or evasive circumstances be allowed to run for office?

How come the government has not released more information about the candidates?

How can I make sure that if I vote that my vote makes the maximum impact?


Heres some food for thought but of course it is what the Media put out there.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/01/kept-me-out-jail-top-doj-official-involved-in-clinton-probe-represented-her-campaign-chairman.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/01/trump-pence-vow-to-repeal-and-replace-obamacare-as-enrollment-begins.html

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/politics/trump-taxes-loophole.html?ref=politics

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/us/politics/donald-trump-speech-obamacare.html?ref=politics