Apologies for the cheesey title, but sometimes I sit here for like 10 minutes trying to think of a witty title, and I rarely can. So, there you have it.
I was getting pretty sick of my regular workout tunes, so I downloaded a few new songs before my run today. One of them - I'm saddened to say - is Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus. I realize that is one of the most embarassing combinations of words that I could possibly type here, but there it is. If you've never heard this song, I cannot stress enough how important it is to try your hardest to not ever hear it. Because you may run the risk of liking it, and then all your dignity will be gone. It is lyrically probably the worst song ever written, but it's a great workout song and, for my purposes, that trumps personal shame. Some other great new running songs: any of the Glee cast recordings (specifically Bust the Windows) and a Jay-Z remix of the 80s song Forever Young (the song from Napoleon Dynamite). So, all of this to say - I have weird taste in music and I really enjoyed my run today. If anyone has any good workout song suggestions, I'd love to hear them! As you can probably tell, I enjoy mainstream teeny-bopper pop and dance remixes, so keep that in mind.
Anyway, on to much more important things! I should probably not even write about my running because listening to people talk about their workouts is right up there with listening to people talk about their dreams. So, sorry! I'm trying to win readers, not lose them. Focus!
Feel free to skim past those recaps from now on...
Today's post is dedicated to a great organization I was introduced to by my friend Hayley called Just One Person. It's a much-needed organization, so if you're interested in learning more, you can either go to the website (http://www.just1person.org/), or let me know if you'd like to communicate via email with Hayley. She would be happy to share information or answer questions. Hayley is extremely passionate and smart, and I was blessed to get to know her as we navigated our lives/internships in Kenya. During our time in Kenya, we would have really serious discussions about politics or economics one minute, and the next be laughing about something ridiculous. The sense of humor was necessary when we were traveling around and staying in a hotel room with a red lightbulb. In all seriousness (the red light thing is serious, too), she is very passionate about reaching out to girls who don't receive the education or opportunities that they deserve, and JOP is a cause that really seeks to fix that. She is a fantastic person and friend and I am inspired by her passion. Here she is, in her own words, to describe her experience with JOP:
"I became involved with Just One Person (JOP) rather serendipitously. It happened in the winter of 2008 while assisting in the facilitation of a focus group and a participating community member made a brief plug at the end of the session for an organization based in San Francisco that does sustainable development work internationally. As it turned out, this woman and I both completed an internship through this organization in the same location in Kenya approximately one year apart. She (Annette Russ) and I stayed in touch and she later asked me to join the Board of Directors of JOP.
While living in Kenya, Annette and I each witnessed numerous issues impacting the community that stretched beyond the framework of our internship focus, hers being microfinance and mine being environmental. To address this, Annette formed JOP soon after her return from Kenya with the focal point of ensuring young girls graduate from high school and cover topics not included in their regular studies, such as sexual/reproductive health and how to choose the right partner. Studies prove educating women is the first step to taking a family out of poverty. As poverty is the cause of or significant agent in perpetuating the myriad issues facing individuals and communities, Annette knew women and education needed to be the target issues of JOP.
I didn’t want my experience in Kenya to end the moment I left and wished I’d had the chance to work on more than one issue during my internship, so meeting Annette and joining JOP’s board were the perfect anecdotes. I’ve been serving on the board for close to seven months and it’s been an amazing opportunity. The girls in JOP’s program in western Kenya are excited by the opportunities they now have and appreciate having a setting in which to discuss traditionally taboo subjects with their peers. JOP has been wildly successful and each school JOP has partnered with has welcomed the program with open arms. "
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Don't be ashamed of Miley! And though I have not yet done the work-out-to-Glee thing, I am definitely going to try now :)
ReplyDeleteJOP sounds very cool and much-needed; I'm looking forward to learning more about your time in Kenya and the very important issues that surround the region.