Global Citizens

Global Citizens

               In my opinion, a global citizen is someone who fights for what they believe. I am a global citizen. In this blog I will write about what I have done to be a global citizen and what I will do in the future to continue being one. Besides that, I will also talk more about what being a global citizen really means.

           Hi, my name is Anuja and I am in grade 8. So far in my life I haven't done any major things that make me a global citizen but I have done small things here and there that I fell good about. Some helpful things I do in my household are folding my clothes, helping mow the lawn, watering the flowers, washing dishes, cleaning the house and fixing my bed. Some bigger contributions that I have done are volunteering (at many occasions).



A global citizen can be anyone. Even you.

               I understand that I have only skimmed the surface of being a global citizen. That's why I want to do more helping when I grow up. Mowing lawns for free (or at a small price) and volunteering at the library (helping sort and shelf books) would be some goals I hope to reach in the (near) future. A very big goal in life I hope to reach would be to design/create (or help design/create) a very eco-friendly car (but that's after I reach  my other goal of being an automotive engineer).

                                                                                   

                    This documentary about an electric car(Tesla Model S) inspired me to design a             
                                                                           eco- friendly vehicle.

              Being a global citizen is an important thing. There are people in the world that just do what they want without thinking of the negative effects of it. So why can't you be the one to oppose what these people do. Think about famous global citizens like Martin Luther King Jr (believed in equal rights between everyone), Terry Fox (ran to raise money to help find a cure for cancer), David Suzuki (famous environmentalist) and Craig Keilburger (founder of free the children). They fought for they believed and stood up for it. You too should think about all the other global issues in the world such as animal abuse, poverty, world peace, bullying, deforestation and global warming and fight for it. Think of all the organizations in the world that stand up for these problems and make a change.                              



             So overall, what I am trying to say is that being a global citizen is a good thing. You should be proud to fight for what you believe. So the only question left is if you believe in yourself and want to make a difference in the world. It doesn't matter how big of a change you make. Remember even the smallest change can make a big difference.

              



This is a helpful website that talks all about global citizens :



http://www.globalcitizen.org/Content/Content.aspx?id=e7a1bf8c-f2b9-44bf-95f8-5f5ac4c21aec

3 ways to change the world

        

     Currently, there are a lot of problems in the world, but luckily we are here to stop these. And when I say stop , I don't mean raising millions of dollars to stop poverty in 3rd world countries. I mean doing something small in your neighbourhood that benefits someone.

          So, the first way to change the world is by donating clothes, food or other things that you don't need. If you don't have clothes that you don't fir you anymore, don't throw it out. Donate it. Think of all the other people in your community or in other countries than can use it. For example : Remember the time when the earthquake hit Haiti and all those people left homeless and without food or clothing? Donating all those food, clothes, blood and SHOES really helped them pull through the tough times. So therefore donating even a tiny piece of clothing can make a big difference in someone's life. Making donations is an easy way to help out.

 

          Another way you can change the world is to plant trees in your neighbourhood. Trees are being cut at an unprecedented rate. But the big problem isn't that the trees are being cut, it's that they aren't being replaced. Planting trees are an easy and helpful thing that we can do. It helps even out the number of the trees being cut and it does a lot of positive things to our neighbourhood. They provide privacy, shade, give oxygen, clean/purify the air and they add beauty to our surrounding. It might not be useful now if you plant a sapling, but in the future someone might find it useful. "Someone's sitting in the shade because someone planted a tree a long time ago" - Warren Buffet

AmazON           AmazOFF

Not only is planting trees helpful but it's also fun to do

          My last and final way to change the world is to conserve water and energy (electricity) when you can. Only 10% of the world is freshwater. Us here in Canada use 20 % of it. The same applies to energy. Canada consumes about 550 billion kwh (kilo watt hours) annually. An average North American house consumes about 10,600 kwh per year. Each kwh is worth 8-9 cents. We should save more energy. We are lucky to be living in a 1st world country with all these luxuries. We need to save all these resources because there is only so much of it left.

Every drop of water counts

          Here are some easy tips you can follow to save water and energy in your home.

·  Turn off lights, TV's and other appliances when not needed

·  Wash laundry on cold water

·  Take short showers instead of showers

·  Replace incandescent with energy efficient bulbs. They are 4 times efficient and last 8 hours longer

·  Use appliances during off peak hours.

          So overall, you don't need to be a millionaire to make a difference. Just do small things and eventually they will make a big impact.

Famous Global Citizens

             Being a global citizen is something to be proud of. You fight for what you believe and stand up for it. You may make a small change or you might end up making a big positive impact on some people. There are many major and minor problems in the modern world. Some are animal abuse ,war , poverty, natural disasters, drugs, global warming, deforestation, diseases, rights, freedom and much more. That's why we have global citizens to prevent and possibly exterminate these problems from the face of the Earth. Three famous global citizens are Terry Fox, Martin Luther King and Craig Keilburger. The following paragraphs will explain more about these global heroes.

               Terry Fox was a very brave person. Our world was lucky to have him, When Terry was 18, he was diagnosed with bone cancer and was later forced to have his right leg amputated 15 cm. Terry was determined to fight for his and other peoples cancer. He was determined to help find a cure for this terrible disease to the best of his ability. Terry decided to run a marathon. To practice he ran over 5000 miles over a period of 18 months and finally the day arrived. On April 1980 Terry started his run at St. Johns Newfoundland. He was determined to run across Canada. He ran about 45km a day. However. On September of the same year, he was forced to stop after running 5373 km (over a course of 143 days) at Thunder Bay, Ontario. The reason for his sudden stop id because cancer had appeared in his lungs. A little over an year and 2 months after he started the marathon, Terry passed away at the age of 22. But his run didn't go to waste. That year people raised a lot of money to go towards the cancer society. Even today, annually we have the Terry Fox, Marathon Of Hope to honour and remember Terry's memory. To date, over $600 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name through the annual Terry Fox Run. We all hope that one day, cancer will come to and end. (http://www.terryfox.org/TerryFox/Terry_Fox.html)

               Martin Luther King(Jr) was a very different man from Terry Fox. He didn't have cancer and he fought for something different. He was devoted to bring peace and equal rights to everyone. He gave  many speeches and traveled many miles to give them. His most famous speech was the one he delivered  on august 1963. It was called "I have a dream". He talked about how he wished to see black and white people getting together and working as one. He inspired many people that wish to stand up for equal rights. (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html)

              Finally we arrive at Craig Keilburger. He is a Canadian activist that fights for the rights of children. He and his brother founded the Free the Children and Me to We society. Craig travelled to many third world countries and made videos about what kind of lives children in those countries have to live through. He had given many speeches about child labour and rights and he continues to fight for it. He is making a big impact on children rights and will do it until he is satisfied.

          These are just 3 of the many global citizens that follow what they believe. You should too take a stand and fight for what you believe.