By Jack Huang, China – December 2011

Along with China’s rise as a major economic world power has come something highly unexpected –an increase in zhiyauanzhe, or volunteerism. While zhiyuanzhe dates back to Chairman Mao, the former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who hoped to “teach good to people” through government controlled endeavors, volunteerism in China today is largely driven by university students – students who have learned that as the rich have gotten richer, the poor have been left behind. Taking the country’s future in their hands, a rising number of young people are working to educate China’s poorest rural population.

Twenty year old Ken Chan is one such student who understands that through education comes opportunities. Chan, himself, might not have gone to university were it not for his junior high school teacher who refused to give up hope in him when nearly everyone else had.

Traveling throughout China in the late 1990s Chan saw many young people from Hong Kong volunteering as teachers in remote rural areas of China where few, if any, educational resources existed. More teachers were desperately needed in these makeshift schools which lacked libraries, art materials, and internet.   .

Chan dedicated himself to making a difference. He founded Lighthouse, a non profit organization that connected remote rural areas of China with university students activating a peer-to-peer educational program providing learning opportunities for all concerned. Along with his friend Sijie Yin, a graduate from Lingnan College, Chan trained teacher volunteers and placed them in schools throughout Guangzhou province.

But despite the media attention Lighthouse received for this charitable work, the founders quit. Lighthouse seemed doomed to extinction leaving only a few university student volunteers shouldering the responsibilities of keeping the organization going.

Twenty year old Ning Gan was one of those students who didn’t want Lighthouse to fail. Her passion to make a difference in positively affecting the lives of more than 30 million people living in and around the city of Guangzhou caused her to think of ways to further Lighthouse’s achievements.

With only a few dollars left in the till, Ning, without any experience in running an NGO, said she experienced some pretty challenging days. She reached out to friends who had graduated from university asking them to donate a portion of their salaries to help those served by Lighthouse.

Passion with an infusion of funding gave Lighthouse a new beginning. Today, more than 6000 students in rural China have benefited from the Lighthouse program and more than 2000 student volunteers who teach children from primary school to high school have acquired over 300,000 accumulated teaching hours.,

Ning now has a board of directors who help her develop a network of experienced teachers in top urban schools who donate their time to teach.  Through the peer-to-peer education the Lighthouse continues to open the eyes of volunteer teachers to the needs of those who are amongst China’s poorest citizens while they provide an educational need.

Committed to extending its reach, Lighthouse is developing strategies to augment their program to reach other rural areas outside Guangzhou province. Ning has also created outreach campaigns that have attracted new partners such as CITI bank, FedEx, Allianz, etc.

Celebrating their 10th anniversary Ning and her friends are moving forward with other plans that will further close gap in the educational system China. But despite its success, the organization still needs more resources. Should you wish to support the organization, you can contact Ning at goldbell303030@126.com. The official website of Lighthouse is: http://www.lighthouse.org.cn (Chinese version).

By Julia Lescova, California –  August 2011

It wasn’t easy growing up penniless.  My father left home when I was only two leaving my mother, brother and I to fend for ourselves. My mother had dedicated her life to my father. After the divorce she wanted to throw herself under a train – even after all of the drinking, the horrible signs of his unfaithfulness and the waiting for him as he would go missing for weeks.  After the divorce we had nothing.

To this day I don’t understand how my father could have abandoned us. How can any man abandon his wife and kids leaving them to starve and just disappear?  Sadly this is very common in Eastern Europe.

Maybe men from Latvia, which is where I am from, feel they need to escape.  Life was certainly very difficult for everyone after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  There was a lot of unemployment and not enough money to help support struggling families.

But for single parent households like ours, life was particularly difficult. We lived in a one room apartment in the city of Daugavpils.  Our apartment was so small two people couldn’t pass at the same time. We never had much to eat – mostly bread, butter and tea.  Sometimes we had oats or potatoes.  On good days we had milk and eggs and tomatoes.  It’s no wonder I’m a very bad cook – I was never around a lot of ingredients or spices.

My mom, who had been a chemistry and biology teacher, couldn’t pay the bills on her teaching salary and so we collected a lot of government debts – debts to pay for our apartment, food, utilities, etc.   With two kids to support my mother worked other jobs just so we could survive.

Sometimes she would leave us for weeks and travel abroad buying shoes, cosmetics, perfumes and other goods from Belorussian companies to sell in the marketplace in Latvia.  To pay off our debts, she worked for free cleaning the children hospital. The more she worked for the state, the more our debts were paid off.

New clothes were out of the question. I owned only one pair of jeans.  Mean kids would sometimes say, “winter and summer, the same color” – meaning I always wore the same pair of jeans and the same sweater or blouse.

I remember being sick a lot – mostly when I was around 12-14 years old. My mom used to cry because she couldn’t stop me from getting a cough and flu. She prayed to God all the time. That’s what kept her going – her beliefs and prayers. We used to pray together.

My told me that God had planned the best future for me – that I would be very lucky.  She believed in me and wanted me to have a better life than she had.  God would make sure of it – looking after me and protecting me.  Prayers made me happier.  I didn’t worry about anything.  I knew it was all going to be alright.  I felt safe.

Maybe it was because I was a loner in school that I became a reader.  I think I was the only student who read all of the required summer books.  I worked hard in school and got recognition from my teachers. I took dance lessons at school and ended up dancing professionally for seven years.  I loved dance competitions –winning first or second place. This recognition helped me build confidence in myself.

My mom worked hard so I could develop talents like playing the piano – and it all paid off.  At the age of 15 I joined a modeling academy and shortly thereafter I was noticed by Latvia’s leading modeling agency.

I was invited to go to Milan, the fashion capital of the world, at age 16 to start a modeling career.  I started traveling around the world.  At 16,  I hadn’t even seen the Baltic Sea for which Latvia is famous but by the age of 21, I had been to Milan, London, Athens, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, and Istanbul.

I modeled for Pierre Cardin, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, Bvlgari, Valentino, Loewe, Giambattista Valli, La Perla and Armani and graced the pages of top fashion magazines. I won “Best model of the world” in 2006.  A Turkish soap opera, “Two Strangers” had me on four episodes.  In addition to speaking Russian and Latvian I learned to speak Italian, Turkish and English on my travels.

I live in America now – another dream come true thanks to my mother and the strong role model she was for me as a young girl. Hard to believe that my brother and I were basically thrown into the world and had to make it by ourselves.

Would things have been different if I had a father?  It’s hard to say.  In some ways I believe my father’s absence contributed to my drive and passion to pursue a career.  But I also understand how important it is to have the love of both parents – kids miss a lot in life if they’ve lost one or both parents. Parents are our first guides, supporters, and providers of security and confidence.

Maybe I was luckier then other kids in the world who grow up without one or both parents.  Somehow I was able to get out of deep hole. Kids are vulnerable, weak and innocent victims of hardships. But I’ve learned that if you work hard for things you think you deserve you will get them even if there is no one by your side.  When you realize that there is nothing to lose, risk can’t scare you.

By Ashley Inman, Florida – August 2011

            A chilling story of a couple travelling through Mexico from Central America to the United States ends in death. Kidnapped by thugs, the couple is blindfolded, bound, gagged and taken to an unidentified building where they are separated. Through the wall, the husband hears his wife cry out in pain. When the screaming stops, he is let into the room. There he sees his wife’s body on a table, her torso carved open – her kidneys and heart missing.

            Such is the story that Antonio Medina recounts to the on line Al Jazeera last May. But it is a story that could be told anywhere in the world – a story about unsuspecting people falling victim to a growing lucrative business: the sale of organs.

            Sometimes it’s a story of choice. This April, a Chinese teenager, unbeknownst to his parents, sold his kidney for around 20,000 yuan ($3,000 USD) so he could buy the new iPad 2.  But more often the sale of organs is a story involving illegal trafficking.

            In fact, a growing number of illegitimate medical organizations exploiting the growing demand for organs.  In the US alone, the organ-transplant list grows every 10 minutes, with 100,000 people in need of life-saving transplants. Needs are not often which has given rise to a black-market that wheedles money out of needy recipients: $100,000 for a kidney, $270,000 for bone marrow, $400,000 for a lung – dark incentives for pernicious middlemen.
            Often, indigent persons are persuaded to go under the knife for as little as $1,000 for their kidneys. Sometimes people are killed in makeshift surgeries for their organs.

            But it is the poor who are most often affected – describing such procedures as ideal ways to provide income for their families. Sometimes these organ donors are not made aware of the health consequences of their sacrifice. Naïve, uneducated and uninformed about the long-term repercussions of the procedure they sign up for they are further victimized by incision wounds that never heal or become infected.  In an ironic twist of fate, sometimes it is the donors, themselves, who end up needing the very organ they donated. 

            Some people argue that the lack of cadaveric or deceased donations has given rise to this organ transplant black market. But “expressed consent” donor policies instituted in many countries is often at odds with native cultures which believe that bodies must be intact upon burial in order to pass on to the next life. Sometimes donors are ostracized from their cultures for mutilating their bodies.

            Nonetheless, approximately 18 people die daily from want of an organ transplant. Even more die from organ trafficking. The horrors must end: nations must instigate what is known as “presumed consent” laws on cadaveric donations. This means that a deceased individual is presumed to have donated his organs to the state, unless the individual or his/her family has used an opt-out alternative.

            Furthermore, the institution of transplantation infrastructure in hospitals to promote more deceased donation must be initiated, along with providing monetary or health benefit incentives to cadaveric donors’ families, in order to persuade them to allow cadaveric donation.

               The international community must protect the exploited live donors in poverty-stricken areas from this growing black-market trade by instituting desperately-needed grassroots programs to educate people about the dangers of organ transplant, in order to make them more aware of the non-benefits of selling their body parts. Vacationers and travelers must be vigilant about their own security; as organ trafficking is a transnational crime, security efforts may not be coordinated between countries, leaving travelers to fend for themselves. 

             But above all, it is ultimately you, the individual, who can help alleviate this tragic problem.  Organ trafficking is a growing crime only because of the huge demand for organs. If we petition our government, advocate for presumed consent policies, the United States could become a trailblazer in ending long donor wait lists. Only in so doing can we stop the horrific victimization of the poor, the uneducated and the innocent traveler who is robbed of their organs in the most deadly fashion.

By Nicholas P. Roberts – New York – July 2011

              It is difficult to think of a democratic state that has not been created from war. History shows this to be true: from ancient Greece, to America, to Germany and Japan, democracy was forged on the battlefield.

             Even the fledgling democratic movement taking root in Egypt, while not the result of an armed conflict between two states, is controlled entirely by the military – contrary to the central democratic pillar of civilian oversight of the military and control of the state.

           This is why Tunis matters.

             Tunis is more likely to become a democracy before any other state in the Middle East. But you would never know it from the media coverage or the rhetoric of our government. For this reason alone, it should be at the top of U.S. strategic interests.

            Yet this news of Tunisia and its march toward democracy remains uncovered by Western news sources, which favor the larger, once more strategically important Egypt. But history also tells us that following a significant revolutionary movement, such as this “Arab Spring,” there should be a strategic reassessment of global geo-politics.

             That reassessment should place assisting Tunisia in achieving its democratic ideals in as short a time as possible at the top of the list. One stable democracy in the short term will do more for long-term U.S. interests in the region than waiting for democracy in Egypt or Iraq, which is likely to take far longer and come at much greater cost.

             Egypt has long marked the cornerstone of U.S. security interests in the region, and for good reason. Mubarak was a stable, relatively pro-Western and pro-Israeli partner in the fight against the “War on Terror.” But the facts on the ground in Egypt – military control of the state, pervasive poverty and urban sprawl that make ripe the situation for religious extremists – all indicate that it is not likely to be America’s Middle Eastern city upon a hill anytime soon.

              Not so for Tunisia. The country enjoys an alliance with the United States that dates back to the days of the Barbary Pirates and has the most cosmopolitan, secular, and pro-Western population of any Arabic country that also has deep ties to European countries, a promising sign for trade and the opening of markets.

             The elements are all there, says Tarek Cheniti, a consultant in Tunis to the Democratic Governance Program within the U.N. Development Program. “The military has not been involved in politics for at least the past half century. The country boasts a large, educated middle class with a well-developed political culture and willingness to defend democratic values. Moreover, the political sphere does not feature a single hegemonic force, but a multiplicity of parties that are trying to forge a centrist identity for themselves in order to win the support of the majority,” Cheniti said.

             Cheniti, who was educated at the London School of Economics and Oxford University, argues that Tunisians and others must remain patient as a strong multiparty system takes shape during the next decade – just as it did in America.

              The people are within reach. Journalists are holding the interimgovernment accountable for democratic reform. Bloggers and social media activists are ensuring that the public is aware of all that is taking place. The military is not threatening to take the country or exert leverage over politicians. Expatriate professionals are returning to help build a strong civil society. Western journalists, academics, and politicians are being invited to the country not only to oversee elections, but to assist in rebuilding its long neglected civil society.

             This, in contrast to the recent demonstration in Tahrir Square by tens of thousands of Islamists calling for an Egyptian state rooted in Islamic law, cheered on by street vendors selling portraits of Osama bin Laden. Or the recent announcement by the Egyptian military that foreign observers will not be allowed to monitor Egyptian elections.

              This is not to say that America should meddle in the affairs of Tunis. A Tunisian democracy will be created in the image of Tunis, not of Washington; the post-Iraq foreign-policy landscape dictates that America cannot shape the world in its own image. It would be wise to look to the story of post-WWII Japan and how the Japanese balanced nationalism with modernization. They were able to maintain their culture and history while also seeking the guidance of the U.S. in building a democracy.

              As Americans, we must not forget how greatly we struggled in creating our own democracy. The road ahead in Tunis is sure to be rocky. But, by staunchly supporting the Tunisian interim-government and people in achieving their goal of a democracy – even if not an ideal entity for some time – the United States will do more for its interests in the region than playing a waiting game with Egypt.

              A successful democracy in Tunis will require significant amounts of foreign investment and the people are thirsty for cultural exchange programs, public works investment projects, and secular education reform. By shifting our strategic focus towards this, while also maintaining our security interests in the region, the U.S. might have a chance at repairing its largely broken image among the Arab people.

              A democracy in Tunis could serve as an oil-spot of hope and reform for the region. The “Arab Spring,” afterall, grew entirely from the streets of Tunis, when the example of one young man – a fruit vendor – reminded the world that people have a right to shape their future.

              Now imagine what the effect on the region will be when Tunisia – free from military control and violence – declares itself the first Arab democracy.

By Jack Huang, China – July 2011

            In Guangzhou (China) a little-known theater group, the Kapok Troupe is making a name for itself taking theater to a new level. A forerunner in the novel art of applied theater, Kapok centers its performances around audience participation – encouraging those in attendance to share their reactions and personal experiences to the issues being presented.

            Given the fact that China is not traditionally a country where personal feelings are freely expressed and theater is not typically used to encourage community intervention, it’s no surprise that the Troupe has attracted a lot of attention. Not only have people traveled for hours to attend the shows, but media is taking note of the group’s mission. An editorial in Guangzhou Daily expressed surprise and delight, “To be a volunteer can be so cool!” Nonetheless, the government isn’t entirely pleased with the kind of discussions that are spawned at some of the performances.

            Founded in 2005 in southern China, Kapok uses drama to advance reform. “The idea came out of blue,’ said Datou, one of the founders. “Most of us didn’t even have a background in theater. We had taken a workshop on Forum theater [1] which was the first of its kind in applied drama. We got quite excited as the experience was unique.”

            The group decided to focus on the plights of the migrant worker community –former farmers who migrated into cities looking for more lucrative work but once there, discovered they were excluded from educational, medical and social welfare afforded to others. Indeed, these farmers quickly realized they were treated no better than undocumented workers in their own country.

           Acting out issues that confront these migrants discussions of equal rights and legal practice emerge.  These farmers soon realize they are not alone in their plight and feel empowered by the information disseminated. Members of the audience can stop the performance at any time to suggest an alternative action or even come up to the stage to participate to make a point.

            But because migrants are not highly regarded by local governments, the police have also expressed their opinions of Kapok’s theater as a source of instability. Upon many occasion they have interrupted these gatherings calling them illegal meetings. Sometimes, they dismiss migrant workers’ temporary living permits and send them back to their farms hoping to teach a lesson in being “responsible personnel.” These reactions, however, have done nothing but reaffirm the power this drama has as an art form.

             Over the next year, The Kapok theater will travel between Guangzhou and Shenzhen working with various NGOs that serve migrant workers. These organizations support the benefits derived from the Troupe’s efforts to inform migrants of their basic rights while illustrating ways for these former farmers to stay out of trouble.

            Recently, the Troupe incorporated another tool to their theater arsenal.  Called playback theater, it’s psycho drama which more directly addresses intervenes into the community settings. “Playback theater is more improvisational,” said Datou. “It was a necessity as we all have full-time jobs which left limited time to prepare and rehearse.”

            Maintaining a natural amateur style has helped the group. With the success of this drama and the arrival of three new members, the Troupe has experienced a kind of revival. Furthermore, other troupes have modeled their mission from Kapok and have cropped up not only in Guangzhou but also in Beijing, Shanghai and Yunan.

            Dedicated to promoting applied theater in China, the Kapok Troupe hosted its second and third annual Chinese People’s Theater Symposium, raising their visibility in China. “We would love our troupe to become famous for its professionalism and artistic achievement,” Datou said. “We would love the troupe to offer more seminars, symposiums, workshops and resources to promote the development of People’s Theater in China.”

            As an agenda-based, educational theater, the Troupe faces problems in meeting an annual budget. Support from NGOs, such as Oxfam, has all but dried up due to the financial crisis. Without financial support they can’t afford a full-time “cast” which costs as much as $10,000 a year. “It is our biggest obstacle” said Datou.

            Nonetheless, they have not lost hope. Public fund raising along with the establishment of a closer connection with Yanyu, a Hong Kong-based Playback Theater Troupe has helped create greater visibility.

            But the Kapok Troupe needs your help. You can write Datou: flyingelephant82@163.com; blog (Chinese):http://blog.sina.com.cn/gzkapok 

For video archives see http://www.56.com/h89/uv.videolist.php?user=kittyggg) – the goal is to enable the Troupe to bring more workshops to China and to the community so that more people can learn about the applied theater and enjoy the freedom of expression. Further, the applied theater practitioners in China will be able to physically gather each year and contribute to a beneficial community.

By Ashley Inman, Florida – June – 2011

Young professionals, fresh out of school, venture starry-eyed into the political realm, hoping to change America and the world. Looking for jobs and hoping to make a positive impact, many find themselves sorely disappointed.

Often what it takes to get ahead is an unethical dilemma and many young people are quickly learning that a growing number  institutions we rely upon operate amidst corruption – leaving job seekers with two choices -fighting the corruption-riddled institutions or gaining a job and financial success getting sucked into the corruption.

While corruption has been around as long as industry and government, today its insidious self-serving ways have not only become more prevalent, but sadly a manner of life.  Why? Perhaps it’s because we live in an increasingly-globalized and decreasingly-transparent world.

Yet we can no longer continue to turn a blind eye to corruption. If we do, we will not only struggle to meet our goals of development as a society, as investments and funds intended for projects such as overcoming the financial crisis or eliminating poverty are diverted, but those in control of such projects will continue to reap the benefits of corruption as the rest of society bears the burden of a deepening financial crisis and decreasingly-transparent government.

Corruption is the ultimate hindrance to development. It redirects investments to political institutions, promotes a lack of transparency, and threatens human security.  With its immense political, socioeconomic, and humanitarian consequences, corruption can be said to be the root of many issues in the world today – including poverty, gender disparity, and famine. At the very least, it’s an obstacle in addressing these issues.

Regrettably, corruption is not just an abstract issue, or even one that does not affect Americans. Corruption plagues our political spheres. Funds meant to improve the lives of Americans are often diverted, the social security that keeps families afloat, the insurance that helps a mother pay her daughter’s medical bills are too often severely hurt by those who siphon away from that expected check. In fact, the most conservative estimate lists the US as spending over $50 million in corrupt money.

Causes of corruption are widespread and varied but typically derive from a vacuum of governmental transparency and accountability. Lack of governmental transparency is then cultivated by the privatization of politics, whereby lobbyists and private interest groups incentivize officials to participate.

When these incentives remain veiled from the public, the tendency of administrators to make decisions in an ethical manner is diminished. The lack of accountability, or enforced action to punish these corrupt officials, further embeds corruption into the fabric of the society.

The lack of enforcement is frequently due to the problem itself. Bribes are a huge component of corruption, and those in charge of eradicating and punishing corruption are often corrupt officials themselves.

Now, this begs the question: if corruption is such a huge obstacle to development, why has no action been taken to address it? The answer is that it has – namely, the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC.) Unfortunately, the UNCAC has proved ineffective largely because of a failure of national implementation.

If rule of international law fails, then what can be done?

Local and non-governmental initiatives must step up to the plate and help establish educational programs, centered on the legal consequences of corruption and the humanitarian and economic obstacles to development it imposes.

Lobbyists should push for a zero-tolerance policy against corruption, stipulating specific laws to address it, while striving to establish legal protection mechanisms and witness protection programs for whistleblowers.

And you, the individual? The single, most important weapon to the elimination of corruption lies within the silent majority.  Individuals have a voice, the power to spread the word. You have the power to write and petition local officials to join the fight against corruption in your own county, state, country, and across the globe. If we, the individuals, can synergize our efforts, young professionals pursuing careers following graduations will truly be able to effecy the change the envision for America and the world.

By Jack Huang, China – May 2011

On April 2, one of China’s most renowned artists was arrested at the Beijing International Airport.  Ai Weiwei, a prominent partner and contributor to the Beijing Olympic Stadium and a very visible social activist was taken into government custody even before he checked in for his flight to Taiwan.

Many believe Ai was arrested because he refused to accept a governmental post in the Chinese People’s Political Consultancy Conference (thought to be a propaganda agency for Beijing’s dictators).  This snub sent shock waves through the government and led to Ai being tortured for his apparent defiance.

When it became clear that torture didn’t mollify Ai, the government tried to quiet his voice by other means.  They ransacked his studio in Shanghai and took three of his employees and a volunteer captive.  To date, no one knows the whereabouts of Ai or his staff or what has happened to them.

Proof of any wrongdoing Ai may have committed has not been produced. Moreover, government has ignored Chinese law that mandates that if evidence is not produced within seven days those taken into custody must be released.

Instead, government issued a blanket statement that Ai committed an “economic crime” of tax evasion. Charges against him, as reported in English by the Xinhua News Agency, are believed to be fabricated so that the international community won’t question government’s motives.

The news story however, was retracted shortly after publication when it became known that the company named in the complaint actually belonged to Ai’s wife and it had a clean record with documentation to support its clearance.

Undaunted, officials remain determined to destroy Ai.  Their latest accusation includes the West which they claim is using the renowned artist to further a plot against the government. An opinion piece in The Global Times written under a pseudonym and widely believed to be written by someone close to Chinese Communist Party suggested that these actions are nothing more than a throw-back to colonial times and the “[attempt] of capitalist countries to install the instrument onto the backbone of the Chinese country and control us.”

In an effort to broaden their case against Ai, Chinese officials have gotten leaders in Hong Kong and Singapore to publish the same derogatory editorial in both the Wen Hui Po, the pro-Beijing newspaper in Hong Kong and The Sing Tao Daily in Singapore.  This kind of orchestrated vilification seems an eerie reminder of tactics employed during the Cultural Revolution.

But times have changed since then and government’s strategy has backfired.  The public understands that government is up to its old nasty tricks of drumming up false charges.

In a complaint to the Beijing municipal public safety bureau on April 15^th, Ai’s family and friends claimed the government wrongfully kidnapped an innocent citizen. There’s been no response from either the Chinese Department of Police or the People’s Procuratorate of Beijing city since.

Rumors that Ai will be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison are spreading throughout the country.  People believe Ai will be the next famous prisoner of consciousness  - imprisoned for ostensibly “subverting the state.” It is thought that after a year or two of torture, government might release Ai, then a beaten man, without drawing too much attention.

But rather than provoking fear, people are angry.  Many are questioning the government’s motives and a legal system that apparently can excuse the son of a powerful government official of killing someone in a car accident while enabling officials to arrest an innocent person without due cause.

Public figures like 28 year old Han Han are working hard to create awareness about government corruption and this kind of insidious activity – arguing that government is nothing more than a declining and rotting bureaucracy. Indeed, movements like Han’s are growing and many groups are taking action – like Ai Xiaoming, a feminist leader in China who recently stated that anyone could become the next Ai Weiwei, an innocent victim of government.

I believe that if government continues to meet dissent with gunpowder then let Ai WeiWei be the Sidi Bouzid of Tunisia in China.  Let his imprisonment on false charges galvanize a revolution of freedom and independence. Only a free and independent China will remove the shackles of authoritarian rule and contribute to a better world.

]]> http://www.voicesoftomorrow.org/world/asia/arrest-of-chinese-artist-provokes-dissent/feed/ 0 http://www.voicesoftomorrow.org/us/gambling-with-egypts-future/ http://www.voicesoftomorrow.org/us/gambling-with-egypts-future/#comments Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:23:40 +0000 Editor http://www.voicesoftomorrow.org/?p=2715

            By Nicholas P. Roberts, New York, February 2011

             A cornerstone of Obama’s foreign policy has been outreach to the Muslim world, especially in an effort to put radical Islamists on the ideological defensive. What better way to achieve this than to staunchly place America behind the organic democratic revolution sweeping through Egypt – the leader of the Arab world?

            Obama has taken a gamble in regards to the state of affairs in Egypt. Granted, stability must be maintained in the region – but not at the risk of alienating an entire generation of freedom loving, pro-Western young Egyptians that are spearheading the revolution. As Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times quoted one Egyptian as saying, “We don’t hate the American people. They are pioneers. We want to be like them. Is that a crime?”

            Much to the dismay of the Egyptian people, the U.S. is obsessed with the notion that democracy in Egypt will give voice to Islamists. It will. And it should.

            No voice can be muted in a healthy democracy. Groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood should be a functioning part of Egyptian democracy. They should, and will, be given the opportunity to participate in government – and to fail. Apparently, the Obama administration has yet to realize that the Egyptian people will reject Islamist ideology if not because of Islamists’ inexperience in political administration, then because of the Egyptians’ complete refusal of oppression and barbarism.

            Obama must think long-term: How to foster a broad-spectrum, democratic rejection of Islamist ideology? There is no better way than allowing Islamists full political participation only to watch their archaic ways – at odds with liberal democracy – founder.

            The Egyptian people want America’s recognition, support, friendship, perhaps even guidance in the days ahead. Yet, with each passing hour that the U.S. fails to demonstrably stand behind them and join in an alliance for democracy, it gambles with the possibility of permanently alienating an entire generation of freedom loving people, of turning them away from the cause of democracy and into the cause of the Islamists.

            Granted, the U.S. might have to prop up Mubarak’s reign until he can part ways in a stable, orderly transition of power in order to minimize negative repercussions throughout the region. Yet, the Obama administration can do this while still placing America alongside the people and their desires for democracy. The hard truth is that the people will not cease in their demonstrations until they achieve what they are fighting for. After all, how stable is a regime that kills its own unarmed citizens?

            The U.S. should join in a united front of nations that stand behind the Egyptian people and grant them strong support for their cause. It should be made clear that despite probable roadblocks, the U.S. will not abandon them but, rather, will support them on their journey toward democracy.

            International visitor programs and educational exchange programs, especially those which are geared towards understanding Western democracy, should take the forefront of a new paradigm of cultural engagement between the U.S. and a free Egypt. The truth will prevail as people across the Arab world watch the new Egypt grow from just a glimmer of hope in the hearts of its brave citizens to a beacon of freedom and liberty.

            Democracy and Islamism do not, and will not, mix. A misguided paranoia of an Islamo-fascist political takeover is precluding the Obama administration from recognizing that its greatest chance of ensuring a secular, free Egypt is slipping away with each hour that it fails to express solidarity with the men and women in Tahrir Square. The scary part is, the Islamists already know this.

By Usama Ather, Pakistan – January 2010

            It’s been 63 years since Pakistan became an independent state and yet the country is still floundering.  Why?  There has been a lack of investment in the country’s future.  Specifically, there has been a lack of focus on what students need in order to contribute to the world in the 21^st century.  The education sector represents a mere 2.3% of GDP.

Clearly this poses a real issue.  If left unchanged, Pakistan will be left behind.  The country will not be recognized or respected as a world leader and worst of all, the dreams of generations to come will go unanswered.

            Perhaps it’s because Pakistan’s educational system is still entrenched in an antiquated colonial approach that the curriculum and educational policies remain outdated. Success in school in Pakistan is based solely on how much a student has memorized. There’s no hands-on experiential teaching, critical analysis or independent thinking – often considered to be the building blocks of innovation. 

            Further, entrenched disparities exist that prevent all Pakistani students from excelling and competing with their peers around the world. Currently, only 22% of all Pakistani girls complete primary school education as compared to 47% of all boys. Female literacy is only 45%.

            Regional disparity also exists, often defining who succeeds and who doesn’t. Young people who attend public-private schools in Punjab, for example, are far more likely to be successful than their peers living in Baluchistan. In Punjab, students have better technology and are taught by better teachers.

            This is not the case in poorer areas of the country like Baluchistan where there is an alarming dropout rate at the secondary school level.  Teachers – considered to be the spine of educational system – are very often not qualified to do anything else. 

            As such, it’s no surprise that a mere 19% of students actually go on to higher levels of education.  Those who drop out never develop skills needed for employment.  These young people fall through the cracks and are more vulnerable to engaging in adverse activities.

            This must change. Pakistan needs to adopt new ideas so Pakistani students will become responsible citizens and leaders in the world.

            Government must work to develop wise leadership which comes from opening minds up to opportunities and by paving the way for personal achievement. Investing in education in this way will also help create jobs and enable young people to be more marketable and competitive with their peers around the world.   

            C.S Lewis once said, “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.”  When minds are open innovation follows.  By offering students the means to develop skills that will be important to the 21st century global community the country will prosper.

            The government must create these means by reducing disparities wherever they exist.  Public schools must be raised to the same standards as those at private schools. The curriculum must be modernized so that a culture of novelty and creativity can be nurtured.  Politicians must recognize this importance so that educational reform will encourage greater support from the voters.

By Laura Pacifici, Pennsylvania – January 2011

            When speaking about the United States’ global competitiveness, politicians across the political spectrum lament about U.S. students’ dismal performances on standardized tests in comparison to those of students from other countries. Just recently, the Programme for International Student Assessment evaluated standardized test performances of 15 year-old students from the U.S. and 33 other peer nations. U.S. students ranked 14^th in reading, 17^th in science, and 25^th in math.

            Even more startling is another set of numbers that describes U.S. students’ poor performance – attendance rates. Literally thousands of students throughout the United States are absent from school each day without a valid excuse. These students, known as truants, are often habitually late and/or absent – missing not just one day but upwards of 10 or even 20 days. 

            Although no national figures exist, the San Francisco Examiner reported that during 2008 through 2009, 6,000 out of the district’s 56,000 students were considered “chronically truant” having missed 20 plus days of school.

            Aside from posing a problem for school officials interested in increasing American students’ test scores, the bigger problem is that today’s truants often become tomorrow’s dropouts.  The American Bar Association reported that truant students – typically the lowest performers on standardized tests – are more likely than non-truant students to drop out of school as early as age 16.

            Even more troubling is the reality that today’s truants and dropouts are more apt to become tomorrow’s criminals. A U.S. Department of Education study revealed that in 1996 nearly 71 percent of Miami teens (ages 13 to 16) charged with criminal offenses in Miami were truant. The same study found that in Minneapolis, there was a 68 percent drop in daytime crime after police started to issue citations to students who were truant.

            Statistics like these have prompted jurisdictions across the United States to begin tackling truancy through the criminal justice system – framing the issue not as a social problem but as a criminal issue.

            Then candidate Kamala Harris made this a pivotal campaign issue when she ran for Attorney General of California in the 2010 mid-term elections in California touting a bill that she co-authored with State Senator Mark Leno (San Francisco) criminalizing truancy. California’s Chronic Truancy Reduction bill, which was enacted in September (2010) actually punishes parents of continuously truant children. In particular, it mandates that parents of children in kindergarten to eighth grade be charged with a misdemeanor if their children miss more than 10 percent of the school year without legitimate excuses. Further, parents could be fined upwards of $2,000 and, in the most extreme cases, could also be sentenced to up to one year in jail.

            But slapping parents with a misdemeanor is intended to be a last resort. Before a parent is sent through the criminal justice system, local school districts must provide parents with family services to help them deal with the child’s truancy.

            But the question remains whether a punitive approach to truancy is the right one.  Does this law merely avoid having to deal with underlying social causes of truancy?  If parents of a six-year-old don’t have a nine-to-five job and they are dependent upon the child’s siblings, relatives, or friends to make sure their child goes to school, then where does the blame lie if the child doesn’t get to school?             

            Teresa Drenick, a deputy district attorney in one California county, explained to an Oakland Tribune reporter last August that parents oftentimes end up in truancy court because “their life issues [are] so overwhelming that getting their child to school becomes a very low priority.” The reporter also asserted that many parents have “physical or mental health problems, move from home to home, and rely on public transit to get their child to school.”

            In treating truancy as a criminal justice issue rather than as a wider social problem with underlying cultural, economic, and political causes, this bill, opponents argue, unduly punishes the already punished. An article in The San Francisco Examiner pointed out that San Francisco’s schools received less funding recently for “attendance liaisons” who work with truant students in schools where truancy rates are highest.

             Despite the economically challenging times in which we live, we cannot afford to handle truancy incorrectly, not only because truancy often leads to criminal activity but also because America needs to increase students’ performance in school so that America will be more economically competitive in the world.

            The California truancy law is a necessary first step aimed at curbing this problem head-on. At the same time, tackling the underlying social causes of truancy requires a broader political, economic, and social agenda and an actual commitment to do so.  Increasing American students’ standing in the world starts at the local level. Jurisdictions enacting laws such as the one in California must make sure there is sufficient funding for positions for “attendance liaisons” who will target underlying causes of truancy so that students can be helped responsibly. We cannot expect higher test scores if we turn a blind eye to the real and harmful effects of truancy on test score averages and the general well-being of communities across the nation.