Use Your Voice

I know that this post is a little late in the game, as a lot of people have been talking about this since last week, but I wanted to share this later so that some of the buzz had worn off. Hopefully it will give you a good reminder of the greater issues that are out there, and maybe give you some ideas of what you can do in support of all the people that have no voice.

I have always known how fortunate I am to live in Canada where I have the freedom to do anything that my heart could dream of, but I never realised how fortunate I am until I watched the video -- you can watch it below -- from Invisible Children. I pictured my own son being abducted, given a gun, and forced to kill and mutilate other people. While I realise that this issue of children being turned into soldiers in Uganda is no longer as great as it once was, this is still going on in other countries. There was a time, before my son, that I would have been touched and then kind of forgot about it all, but this video really hit me; it was hard for me to watch.

Of course, like any story, there are two sides. Many people are bringing up the issues of Invisible Children's finances or the fact they are going about everything the wrong way. To me, this video is about awareness. I personally had no idea who Joseph Kony was until I watched this video, and, with how viral this video has gone, it is clear how under the radar this still is for a lot of people. If you want to check out Invisible Children's side of the story, you can find it here.

If you don't want to support Invisible Children, then don't, but I urge you to do some research to find out other groups that you can give your support to -- even if it is something like giving a loan to a woman so that she can start a business and make money to support her family through Kiva, sponsoring a child through World Vision so they can become educated and get proper nutrition and water, or donating to Doctor's without Borders so they can provide quality medical care to those who would otherwise not have it.

For me, this is all about helping the children and their families. As I sit here, looking at my son, I am thinking of what a wonderful life he will have. First of all, he is a Canadian citizen; secondly, we are able to take care of all his wants and needs; lastly, he will grow up knowing that he has a voice, and will be able to speak out and support anything that his little heart desires. These are things that all the children of the world deserve.

If anything, all of this Invisible Children stuff -- including the financials, and other information -- has used the platform of social media like never before. They used their voice. How will you use yours?

Please note that this video contains some graphic content. 

I recommend viewer discretion and parental viewing 

prior to letting children watch the video.

KONY 2012
from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.