This is old, but its new to me! A great reminder of the importance of digital story telling. Sometimes how we present information is just as important as the information we are presenting. Around the world the innocence of a child’s future and the universal language of love hold greater priority than almost anything else on this planet. I hope we are doing our part to not only take care of their futures, but our own. Enjoy the Seattle sunshine. -AmbassadorNique
future
#Inspiration Mass Incarceration in the US (Video)
This was pretty awesome! In short… THESE are the types of videos that I would like to create. It is hard to argue facts. If we can figure out how to turn PhD publications into 3 minute videos like this, I believe we could see changes in social justice policies and society very quickly. Long publications are still needed, but what good is knowledge if the people who need it most do not have access to it, or cannot understand it? Along with these videos, I would also like to find ways to allow undeserved individuals (both in and out of the criminal justice system) to tell their own stories. One day closer.
Busy Bee (Written By AmbassadorNique)
Wheels up! D and I are on our way to sunshine and Palm trees for the next 3 days. Although this isn’t exactly a vacation hopefully we get an opportunity to slow down a bit. I also hope to change the run and gun ways of our trips and slow down and bit to enjoy the moments being away from the norm.
As I take off I can’t help but notice how the Jhene Aiko’ lyrics stick out to me even more as she sings “there’s no better place than here, no better time than now”, simple yes, but such a true reflection of this moment.
Since my acceptance into the information school life has been moving rather quickly. Meetings, forms, people and places.
I am doing my best to balance the same things I’ve been focused on for the past year and a half. A healthy lifestyle, education, and financial responsibility.
I’ve met some awesome people thus far and it’s amazing how the universe puts you in contact with such great people who then point you in the direction of more great people. As my vision continues to form the number of people who have invested their time into me also grows. Mentors have become close friends and help me sharpen my
tools.
Do it yourself projects have become a new way to a save money. A photography backdrop made of PVC pipes.
An 8×4 foot dry erase white board that only cost me $13!
Time!!
One thing we cannot buy nor get back… We must take advantage. I personally would like to be better with my time. I’ve honestly gotten comfortable being 10 minutes late or prioritizing wrapping up last minute projects or chores before heading out. I do not want the reputation of the person who is always late to everything. I want to be a better estimator of time and error on the side of being early. I also would like to take 1 hour a night for me! At 10pm every night i want to spend 10 minutes meditating, 30 minutes reading and the rest writing, relaxing or whatever else I decide.
Until next time!
AmbassadorNique
T.O.D.A.Y. – March 26 (Written By AmbassadorNique)
As I continue down this road towards graduate school many scary truths must be confronted through different avenues of self reflection, conversation and personal growth.’Tis is life I suppose.
Today wasn’t as typical as most days, getting up about an hour earlier to make it to a rescheduled barber appointment where I would start my morning with a fresh haircut and good conversation. My barber who I hadn’t seen in about a month told me congrats on my acceptance to graduate school and we proceeded to talk about life, family, sports, and world events. Watching ESPN’s First Take after a debate about excessive celebration, Skip and Stephen tackled and rarely agreed on the issue the NFL Washington Redskins’ refusal to change the teams name. My barber noted, this year in the NFL an N bomb will warrant a 15 yard penalty, yet a team name will not be changed even though legitimate organizations, tribes and American’s have cried foul. I guess money does change everything. Bad for business maybe?
This made me think more about the narratives of Native American’s here in their own land and how the story is told. What happens when we water down cultures and minimize them to the point where we can say we visited a handful of them, left gifts and opened up a foundation so any harm done should be forgiven similar to what Daniel Snyder is currently in the process of doing. Nevertheless my cut was finished, and it was time for work.
A short talk with a co-worker on future plans about work and graduate school led me to understand that I am seeking employment that will assist my growth technologically and mentally. After this discussion I was on my way to lunch with a recently admitted PhD candidate to talk about funding… So I thought.
I’d heard many great things about this woman and was eager to meet her. Although my initial question about how to fund my graduate degree wasn’t directly answered this woman turned my world upside down, picked me apart, broke my down, and picked me up only to put me back together again. It felt like a conversation with my older brother or father poking at all of the holes in my thinking only to remind me of all the work I still needed to do, and the questions left to be answered. She agreed we’d continue to meet, which I am grateful for. While I had been somewhat mentally deflated I still felt I truly enjoyed the conversation. Furthermore I am up for the challenge and can’t wait to show and prove.
After work I met with one of my mentors and a good friend to listen to Teju Cole speak about the American re-release of his book “Everyday Is For The Thief”. His talk was inspiring and left many new thoughts. For example his assertion that the evolution of art as grown-up’s being to intersect all of our passions into one gave my mind a stir. Of speaking honestly about Nigeria he broke down how the country was built on the corruption that served outside entities and so when the locals were finally independent the same traits had trickled all the way down to gate attendants. America was not an exception, too often our savior complex along with two branches of our government being owned by corporations and lobbyist assured that we were just as corrupt he noted. Two things that will stick with me are the need for American’s to understand that we are equal’s to anyone and everyone with whom we deliver aid or assistance too. As human beings we must always remember this. Teju’s quote that he was “tired of being a grateful African” were words to live by. We must speak truth loud and clear if we ever expect change.
Overall today was a long but life is good.
LIFE HACK “Creating Positive Change” (Day One)
1. Write down 3 gratitude’s each day
I am thankful to have such a wonderful support system. My family, friends and social circles and networks. Without these people I am not sure I would be able to have the number of opportunities I have been afforded. I work hard to make this community even stronger. It is this community that I will need to achieve my goals. I have no doubt that even though achieving these goals will take up a lot of time, these people will understand.
I am thankful for my resources. Although they could always be better and I work hard to continue to improve them, I know that my resources will allow me to achieve my short term goals.
Lastly, I am thankful for independent financial stability. Although more money would be nice, I am thankful that I am able to sustain a moderately comfortable lifestyle that allows me to travel, support my artistic side, and spend time with my family and friends. I have worked hard in the last year to do better financially in hopes of scaling down my life and being a lot less wasteful. So far so good.
2. Journal about 1 positive experience you’ve had over the last 24 hours
A positive experience in the last 24 hours for me was being able to spend time with my girlfriend before she left for work today. We were able to do some shopping, eat lunch and spend time discussing our communication, our graduate school applications and what obstetrical. She definitely push’s me to be a greater human being and for this I am grateful.
3. Exercise: No
4. Meditate: Not yet, but I hope to later
5. Write one positive email praising or thanking someone in your social support network: Not today
Photo Voice (Innovative Idea’s)
Yesterday two co-workers told me about a cool innovative idea they thought I would be interested in. The project was called Photo Voice and essentially the idea was using technology and camera’s to engage youth in creating, building, and reflecting on community. After a quick google search I found out that Seattles urbanIMPACT was responsible for this project. http://www.urbanimpactseattle.org
Here are the steps of their program:
STEP 1: We ask students to explore 2 questions:
What do they like about their comunity?
What do they dislike about their community?
STEP 2: Students brainstorm over the buildings, people, and objects around their neighborhood and see what emotions they experience from them.
STEP 3: Students are given a disposal camera and take pictures of their neighborhood.
STEP 4: Students choose three photos and with the help of mentors, write an essay expressing their views about the community.
STEP 5: Essays will be compiled and given to civic leaders as the voice and vision of today’s generation.
STEP 6: Photos will be displayed at a gallery and pictures can be purchased with proceeds supporting next year’s Photo Voice.
I would definitely love to do this project sometime in the coming year. I would like to gather the resources, reach out to the right people to make this happen.
-Domonique Meeks
AmbassadorNique Productions
“Nothing easy is ever memorable” (Written By AmbassadorNique)
Happy Monday everyone! What an eventful weekend filled with some test preparation, spending time having meaningful conversations with some college mentors and buddies, and of course the SUPERBOWL! What a game, right? I’ll leave it at that, great performances, an unexplained power outage, some decent and very awkward commercials, (I’m still a bit angry at the dodge “god created farmers” commercial). Nevertheless it was a fun game to watch.
Quick updates on my goals. My commitment to the gym is still going strong. It might be time to kick it up a notch and turn up! Also going well is my soda boycott and vow to cook. I haven’t been doing so well on implementing more fruits and veggies and just okay on the whole eating a salad everyday thing. My budgeting and money management is going well with a few minor surprises here and there. Nevertheless my three goals to stay healthy, stay educated and practice good money management are progressing.
“Ultimately it was about letting all of you have that space to delve deeper into your souls and learn what is it that makes you tick and hopefully awaken some social responsibility. That is what the college experience is truly about.”
This is a quote from a conversation via text messaging I was having with one of my mentors from college. These thoughts stood out to me in my quest to move forward and continue my education. I am so thankful to have had the chance to get this out of my college experience. Since graduating I am able to speak to individuals and find out quickly who did and did not have this opportunity. There’s nothing wrong with still not understanding the social dynamics that make up our society, however it is unfortunate to see college educated individuals say and believe very stereotypical and socially ignorant comments. To me its not about always being politically correct as much as it is facts verse opinion. That is why I love the quote, “Misinformation is a weapon of mass distruction.”
From my experience I received an understanding of the importance of standing up for justice, speaking up for one’s self, demanding equality, and collaboration. These are things that seem easy but in the face of adversity in a setting where you may be close to the bottom of the totem pole, speaking out can be difficult. I am thankful to have been armed with knowledge, confidence and experiences to fall back on for guidance whenever I seem to get lost. In time I gained the confidence to speak up to discrimination, even if it was being done by people around me, co-workers, family, or my own friends. More importantly I’ve learned to check my own prejudice and accept and change my own ignorance. I am far from perfect and nobody will ever be. I am a work in progress, and a student of life.
While it is important to be able to take care of ourselves financially to me it is more important that we feed our minds. We learn as much as we can, network, speak and share with others, travel, taste and experience what this world has to offer.
“Nothing easy is ever memorable”
My goal is to climb Mt. Fuji this August and it will not be easy. I was told “nothing easy is ever memorable.” This was another quote from my conversation this weekend. After hearing it I thought to myself, that was very simple, however; it made so much since. Those few words in a way, puts everything in perspective. Staying disciplined about my finances, my health, and my education are not easy tasks to commit too. Nevertheless I know for sure that the reward will be the greater than the sacrifice.
Ambassador Thoughts… (Written By AmbassadorNique)
Life… How time heals all wounds and changes past grudges into old forgotten memories. The beauty of the sunrise is that tomorrow brings gifts that we may or may not appreciate. Many say that you should not dwell in the past and always look forward. On some instances I agree, however… Sometimes in revisiting the past you find old gems once forgotten that bring meaning to the present. Beauty in the moments and small things that made you who you are today. These things make you appreciate the ones you love that much more. The realization of the bigger picture. The realization that our thoughts, our morals and our values were once seeds planted and watered that grew into life. Yes there will always be struggle, there will always be obstacles, but no struggle is forever and as long as we continue to wake up any wound can be healed and any relationship can be patched. Mistakes are made and tempers flare, but in these moments understanding is most important. Always dig deeper than surface level and see an image larger than what is presented. Reality is much bigger than the perception of an outsider. Do what you can to share moments and spend time with the people you love. Dedication and commitment will always be important, but the commitment and dedication one has to his or her family must take top priority. Life is good. Week 2 of work is finished… Pay Day is tomorrow… and today is the birthday of a woman I love dearly. Let me Learn… Let me grow… Let me continue to make mistakes.. Let me continue to stay focused.
Ambassador
AmbassadorNique 