SIGN NOW:
ZERO tolerance for
child marriage in
Burkina Faso.
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Dear Tracy,
"If you don't go to join your husband, I will kill you." This is what Maria's* father told her when she resisted a forced marriage to a 70-year-old man with five other wives. She was only 13 years old. This has to stop. Send a message to Burkina Faso's Justice and Human Rights Minister, urging the government to protect girls and young women from forced marriages. More than half of all girls are married before they turn 18. Some are as young as 11. Maria escaped her forced marriage by walking for three straight days to seek refuge at a shelter for young girls. Several shelters, many run by nuns and volunteers, have been attacked for taking these girls in. The situation for Burkinabe girls is so dire that Amnesty International has identified these forced marriages as a priority human rights case in our 2015 Write for Rights campaign. Shine a light for young girls and women in Burkina Faso. Join thousands of Amnesty activists around the world by signing our petition today and make a difference for girls like Maria. Forced and early marriage is actually banned by Burkina Faso's constitution and international law, but the law is not enforced across Burkina Faso. The violations of these girls' human rights are serious and have far-reaching consequences for them. Once married, many are denied an education and cook, clean, fetch water and work in the fields, from dawn to dusk. Most have their first child before the age of 20 and lack information and meaningful choices about pregnancy and birth control. Join forces with us today to help end child marriage in Burkina Faso. Thank you for speaking out against the human rights abuses experienced by girls like Maria. Together, our actions make a difference. In solidarity, Tarah Demant Senior Director, Identity and Discrimination Amnesty International USA |
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Stand up for young girls in Burkina Faso
Tracy, this 13-year old was forced to marry: Act now
This 13-year old was forced to marry: Act now
Dear Tracy,
Maria* was 13 years old when her father forced her to marry a 70-year old man - a common practice in Burkina Faso. Her father threatened her saying, "If you don't go to join your husband, I will kill you."
After being married off, Maria spent three days with her husband's five other wives before she fled. She walked 105 miles over three days to get to a shelter.
When her father learned that she had fled, he threatened to attack the priest who helped her escape if she didn't return home.
When she did return, she was beaten by her father and sent back to live with her husband. She again fled the house on foot and sought refuge at the nearest police station.
Please help Amnesty advocate on behalf of girls like Maria who have suffered the injustice of child marriage. We must stop this practice. Donate now and your contribution will be matched dollar for dollar for a short time.
When I was 13, I was an optimistic teenager looking forward to high school and dreaming of what I would be when I grew up.
In Burkina Faso, many girls don't get the opportunity to dream like that. Thousands of girls there are facing the same fate as Maria. They are often married as early as 11 years old, so their parents can benefit from the dowry.
Once married, the girls are expected to do the large majority of household chores such as cleaning, hauling water and cooking as well as working on the farm.
The police reprimanded Maria's father. But she remains at risk.
Help us protect Maria and make child marriage history. Please donate to support our efforts to help girls in Burkina Faso and in other countries where they need our voice.
Sincerely,Tarah Demant
Senior Director, Identity & Discrimination Unit
Amnesty International USA
December 10th is International Human Rights Day
Waleed Abu al-Khair, Saudi Arabian human rights activist and lawyer for blogger, Raif Badawi, is in prison for his work.
Will you help us make sure everyone knows December 10th is
International Human Rights Day?
International Human Rights Day?
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Dear Tracy,
Your right to freedom of speech, equal treatment, and freedom from torture and a whole range of violations were enshrined on December 10th, 1948, when almost every nation signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Tomorrow, on International Human Rights Day, we’re celebrating our rights and speaking out on some of the most pressing issues – globally and here in Canada – where we believe public action can make a difference.
Here’s how you can get involved and spread the word:
Write a letter on your own or at an event
Big and small "write-a-thons" are taking place in 80 countries around the world. Here in Canada, 1,500 public and private Write for Rights events are happening in schools, living rooms, cafes and places of worship from coast to coast to coast!
For each action, you can send a message to a government official and directly, in solidarity, to the individual or community at risk. The basics:
>> Sign up to be a part of Write for Rights
>> Find events near you
>> See our tips for writing and organizing
Your right to freedom of speech, equal treatment, and freedom from torture and a whole range of violations were enshrined on December 10th, 1948, when almost every nation signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Tomorrow, on International Human Rights Day, we’re celebrating our rights and speaking out on some of the most pressing issues – globally and here in Canada – where we believe public action can make a difference.
Here’s how you can get involved and spread the word:
Write a letter on your own or at an event
Big and small "write-a-thons" are taking place in 80 countries around the world. Here in Canada, 1,500 public and private Write for Rights events are happening in schools, living rooms, cafes and places of worship from coast to coast to coast!
For each action, you can send a message to a government official and directly, in solidarity, to the individual or community at risk. The basics:
>> Sign up to be a part of Write for Rights
>> Find events near you
>> See our tips for writing and organizing
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| >> See all letter-writing actions and petitions |
Take a minute to sign and share our 3 priority e-actions
1. Welcome refugees
Canadians have opened their hearts and communities to sponsor Syrians who are seeking escape from the worst refugee crisis since WWII. Canada needs a long-term plan to welcome refugees from Syria and other crisis spots in the world.
2. Protect the Peace: Halt Site C
The rights and livelihoods of Indigenous people are at risk as British Columbia pursues plans to flood the Peace River Valley.
3. Free Waleed
One million people have signed Amnesty’s petitions to protect blogger Raif Badawi from flogging in Saudi Arabia. Now his lawyer is in jail and needs our help.
Prefer to send a letter? All of our e-actions have letter-writing options and vice versa!
1. Welcome refugees
Canadians have opened their hearts and communities to sponsor Syrians who are seeking escape from the worst refugee crisis since WWII. Canada needs a long-term plan to welcome refugees from Syria and other crisis spots in the world.
2. Protect the Peace: Halt Site C
The rights and livelihoods of Indigenous people are at risk as British Columbia pursues plans to flood the Peace River Valley.
3. Free Waleed
One million people have signed Amnesty’s petitions to protect blogger Raif Badawi from flogging in Saudi Arabia. Now his lawyer is in jail and needs our help.
Prefer to send a letter? All of our e-actions have letter-writing options and vice versa!
 | |
| >> See how you can promote all our cases on social media |
Spread the word
#Write4Rights
>> Share our video "Write like someone's life depends on it" to inform your friends about International Human Rights Day.
>> Use our Facebook & Twitter “twibbon”: Add a special "Write for Rights" wrap to your profile pic.
>> Join our Twitter Party! Help get #WriteforRights noticed tomorrow evening from 7-8pm EST.
Thank you for helping us celebrate International Human Rights Day tomorrow by taking action and spreading the word. Join us through the day on Facebook and Twitter, as we update activities from across Canada and around the world!
#Write4Rights
>> Share our video "Write like someone's life depends on it" to inform your friends about International Human Rights Day.
>> Use our Facebook & Twitter “twibbon”: Add a special "Write for Rights" wrap to your profile pic.
>> Join our Twitter Party! Help get #WriteforRights noticed tomorrow evening from 7-8pm EST.
Thank you for helping us celebrate International Human Rights Day tomorrow by taking action and spreading the word. Join us through the day on Facebook and Twitter, as we update activities from across Canada and around the world!
Facebook
Twitter
Alex Neve
Secretary General
Amnesty International Canada
P.S. Our actions are already making a difference. We just spoke with the partner of Yecenia Armenta, a detained torture survivor in Mexico, who said that Yecenia has already received a few dozen letters and has read every one of them. And Albert Woodfox, who has spent four decades in solitary confinement in the USA, said: "I am thrilled to have received 2,000 letters already. Please pass on my thanks and gratitude to AI and to all those who have written to me. Their letters make all the difference."
Monday, December 7, 2015
"Invest to get the best from your people"/ "Do I have to reimburse my maternity leave ‘top-up’?"
Oct. 25 "Invest to get the best from your people": I cut out this article by Harvey Schachter in the Globe and Mail on Oct. 5, 2015:
Many factors have been promoted over the years as critical to managerial effectiveness. But when leadership consultants Mike Figliuolo and Victor Prince began to search for a framework less dependent on the personal characteristics of leaders, they came up with a system that excited them. They found a way to link the “leadership capital” invested by a manager in his or her team members, with the output of those employees.
Often we don’t spend much time thinking about that first item, how much time and effort to invest in team members. It just happens, on the run. Or, if we ponder it, we are inclined to fairness, trying to spend equal time with each, avoiding favouritism.
But Mr. Figliuolo and Mr. Prince figured there was a smarter approach, when linked to each team member’s output. And they defined output reasonably precisely, into five categories:
- Quantity of result: This can be hard to discern for knowledge workers, but there is an expected output and managers have a reasonable sense of whether it is high or low.
- Quality of results: Are the individual’s customer service calls, reports, or other output high quality or not?
- Timeliness of results: Is the person quick, meeting deadlines, or a procrastinator who often blows past important time lines?
- Morale building: To what extent does the individual improve morale on their team? Are they disruptive, irritating others and bringing the mood of the team down, or are they a positive, collaborative presence, lifting others?
- Relationship: To what extent do they improve relationships with stakeholders and colleagues outside their immediate team? Are they pleasant to work with, improving your brand with outsiders?
Somebody may, for example, be superb at the first three factors, providing excellent results in a timely way. But they walk over other people as they accomplish that. Evaluate each employee on each factor, assigning two points if you rate the person as strong, one for medium and zero for low. That 10-point scale gives a sense of everyone’s output.
Now add in how much time you spend with everyone and the framework comes alive, as sketched in their book Lead Inside the Box:
- High-cost producers: These individuals garner strong results but also require a large investment of your leadership capital. You like those results but need to be wary of the investment.
- Detractors: These people have low results but still require a large investment by you in training, developing and monitoring. That’s a big problem.
- Passengers: These folks don’t require a lot of your time and effort. But they also don’t produce much. They are just along for the ride.
- Exemplars: These people are golden, with high output but not much time and effort required on your part.
“It’s so obvious when managers look at this. They see their people clearly. They know where each person fits,” Mr. Figliuolo said in an interview. Leaders can also use it to figure out whether to invest more or less time in an individual. Although the input and output factors initially yield four categories, the consultants further subdivide those into two behavioural styles for each grouping.
High-cost producers are split into steamrollers, who gain top results but upset a lot of people, and squeaky wheels, who are always in your office demanding attention. Help the steamrollers understand their good results should come without so much commotion and aggravation for others. Meanwhile, wean the squeaky wheels from dependence on you.
Detractors can be defined by the root cause of their performance issues: Square pegs don’t have the skills to do the job, so you must develop them better, while slackers have the skills but don’t get much done, so need to be motivated and held accountable.
The two types of passengers are stowaways, who like to fly under the radar and expend the bare minimum of effort required to keep their paycheques, and joy riders, who are energetic but usually about things they want to do, which may not correspond to your priorities. Spend more time holding the stowaways accountable and invest more in keeping the joy riders focused.
The golden exemplars include rising stars, who want their performance to provide a stepping stone to larger roles and responsibilities, and domain masters, who are happy delivering strong results without needing much input from their boss. You need to promote the rising stars in two ways, not just providing them greater roles and higher titles but also promoting them to others, making sure their contribution is widely recognized, so other opportunities will arise for them within your firm and they don’t leave. Make sure the domain masters are properly rewarded for their contribution, not ignored, and eliminate roadblocks they experience.
The hardest thing in using the model, Mr. Figliuolo says, is shifting our own behaviour as managers. In particular, the model requires us to spend more time on poorer performers, which goes contrary to preference: We like to spend time with top performers. But he says the model shows the impact a leader can have on an employee’s performance and thus illuminates how to invest our leadership capital, guiding us to be more thoughtful and rigorous.
"Do I have to reimburse my maternity leave ‘top-up’?": I cut out this article by in the Globe and Mail on Oct. 5, 2015:
THE QUESTION
My employer pays a “top-up” to me during maternity leave – an amount over and above what I’m receiving from employment insurance. However, my employer has a clause stating that, if I do not stay with the organization for a set period of time following my leave, I am responsible for reimbursing the top-up. I never signed an agreement stating I would follow this policy, but my employer is stating that it is mandatory. Am I bound to pay this back?
THE FIRST ANSWER
Daniel Lublin Employment lawyer, Whitten & Lublin, Toronto
This situation should arise only if you voluntarily leave the company within a set period of time after you return from leave (usually three to six months) and it’s something you consented to.
The company has to show that you specifically agreed to this requirement and, without a signed contract, that will be difficult to do.
It’s possible for the company to argue that you were made aware of its policy and implicitly agreed to take the money knowing that if you resigned you would have to pay it back. But this is the type of agreement I would expect to be put into writing and without such a document, it will be hard for your employer to enforce.
THE SECOND ANSWER
Billy Anderson Founder, The Courage Crusade
In addition to the legal realities of this issue, there is the non-legal impact on your integrity and reputation.
You want to feel good about your decisions and you don’t want to hurt your long-term career opportunities.
Even if you do have a right to refute what they’re saying, what impact will that have on your job? Will it taint existing relationships if you put up a fuss?
How important is this job to your long-term career? Will you need this reference, or can you afford to leave on less-than-perfect conditions if need be?
It sounds as if you’re already considering not coming back for very long. Does that mean you have existing doubts about this job?
Financially, how important to you is the top-up? Would you be willing to forgo it in order to maintain the freedom to decide whether or not to return and for how long?
Do you have a strong ally in the company (preferably senior) from whom you could get advice? Very often we try to come up with answers on our own, but the best solution usually comes from a discussion.
In the end, the right decision will depend on your values. For example: Do you value freedom more than loyalty? Try to define your top five values and see how they align with the struggle you’re now facing.
"Using the web to weave a network"/ "Employers, remember my name!"
Oct. 12 "Using the web to weave a network": I cut out this article by Lauren Marinigh (Talent Egg) in the Metro on Sept. 17, 2014.
Social media is a tool that can unlock a world of potential.
With just the click of a mouse and 140 characters, you can instantly connect with professionals, recruiters and prospective mentors.
If you’re new to your field, you may not be sure how to approach social media for professional use. These tips can help you successfully network on social media.
Seek out connections
Start by seeking out connections that are of interest to you.
A good place to begin is by using the search bar on your chosen social media platform.
Search things such as the industry you’re in, companies that you’d like to work for and their employees, and thought leaders within your industry.
Remember, people are not usually open to connecting with strangers on networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
Start off with a platform like Twitter that allows you to follow and connect in a casual and less-direct fashion.
Once you’ve got a sense of which new connections are professional leads, you can reach out to them and explore connecting on more formal platforms, like LinkedIn.
Have a plan
There are a lot of conversations (and a lot of people) on social media, so it’s easy to feel intimidated.
The easiest way to get ahead online is to set aside some time to create a plan for your digital networking.
Are you hoping to land your first job after graduation? Trying to build experience in a new industry? Looking to build a professional network?
Setting an overall objective for your online engagement will help you identify the opportunities that match your interests — and help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Focus on relationship-building
Although you may plan to use social media as a tool to land a job, focus on building relationships first.
Jumping straight to discussing your career goals or professional plans will likely alienate your new connection — after all, you’re a stranger.
Start out by interacting with your new connections, commenting on their posts or activity and contributing to their discussions.
This is a much more effective way to build a good relationship and make a good impression with someone than just jumping the gun.
Share relevant content
If you follow professionals within your industry and you want them to follow you back, you need to show them that you’re contributing to relevant conversations and that you’re committed to your area of focus.
Keeping your profile up-to-date and consistently posting regular and useful content will help build your reputation in the online world.
These activities are a great way to build a portfolio and practice professional self-representation — as well as helping you shape your short- and long-term goals.
"Employers, remember my name!": I cut out this article by Lauren Marinigh (Talent Egg) in the Metro on Sept. 24, 2014. Here's the article:
A personal brand is an invaluable tool that can help you throughout your career — particularly when you’re trying to land a first job or move between industries.
Personal branding can be crucial in helping sell yourself to potential employers and stand out from the crowd. Luckily, getting started on developing your brand is easier than it might sound.
Create a theme or image for yourself
Choose a theme that will be carried throughout both your online and offline presence. This theme may include a series of colours, fonts, and images that will be used across all platforms.
Consistency is key for branding: Use the same colours on your resumé and cover letter as on your Twitter profile and personal website. When you move from document to portfolio to resumé, or to Twitter and LinkedIn, everything should reflect a consistent visual message.
Build your online presence
Having an online presence is crucial for any modern job-seeker, and absolutely vital when it comes to presenting your personal brand.
While you’ll need to use and present your personal brand in your offline life and in the workplace, having your brand online is an excellent way to put yourself out there — and it may lead someone to contact you to offer a top job opportunity or networking connection.
As you build your presence online, be sure to be actively involved in the online community. Don’t just create profiles — follow, like and join, too.
Generate content
A great way to develop and fine-tune your personal brand is to produce content that reflects your areas of expertise. This content may appear on your blog, your social networks or shared directly with others in your industry. You can even identify promising conversations that focus on your chosen area and offer your content there — building new connections in the process.
Generating unique content and contributing to ongoing discussions will help build your image.
Build yourself offline
Your offline professional activities play a big part in introducing specific people to your personal brand (and directing them to your online presence, as well). Networking and building an image for yourself offline are key steps to building your brand. Create branded business cards, and attend conferences, classes, workshops, and other events to give you an opportunity to network.
Firefighter gets a new face transplant/ Syrian refugee hands out free food
Nov. 17 Firefighter gets a new face transplant: This is a heart-warming story on Yahoo:
NEW YORK, N.Y. - A volunteer firefighter badly burned in a 2001 blaze has received the most extensive face transplant ever, covering his skull and much of his neck, a New York hospital announced Monday.
The surgery took place in August at the NYU Langone Medical Center. The patient, 41-year-old Patrick Hardison, is still undergoing physical therapy at the hospital but plans to return home to Senatobia, Mississippi, in time for Thanksgiving.
The surgery has paved the way for him to regain normal vision, and in an interview last week he said that will let him accomplish a major goal: "I'll start driving again."
LIFEisaGIFT • 43 minutes ago:
A walking miracle. There is a reason why you are alive my friend. Tell your story and share with the world what the power of hope and faith can do for a person. You see, many people go through life, unappreciative of the things that they have around them. They let little things in life bother them, without realizing just how lucky they really are. Lucky to be alive and healthy. You sir have an amazing story and truly have the ability to get through to people.Charlie Sheen: He recently came out and told the public he has HIV. When I saw the headline on Yahoo, I was sad and felt sorry for him:That took some guts. On Tuesday morning, Charlie Sheen sat down with Matt Lauer on the Today show to open up about a shocking secret. “I am, in fact, HIV positive,” he confessed right out the gate.The resident Hollywood bad boy looked healthy and relieved as he spoke about his diagnosis four years ago and what led him to make the announcement now.“I have to put a stop to this barrage of attacks and sub-truths and very harmful and mercurial stories that are about me that threaten the health of so many others,” he said. “[It] couldn’t be farther from the truth.”Sheen, now 50, described a horrible series of headaches that led him to a series of tests and, ultimately, the diagnosis. “I thought I had a brain tumor. I thought it was over,” he said. “It’s a hard three letters to absorb. It’s a turning point in one’s life.”Sheen, who was once one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, also confessed that he’s been paying people to keep his secret, and the “shakedowns” have been adding up, now “enough to bring it into the millions,” he said. “What people forget is that’s money that they’re taking from my children. I’ve got five kids and a granddaughter, you know?”My opinion: I was never really a fan of his because I don't like sitcoms and didn't watch Two and a Half Men. I did like him in Scary Movie 3. That was a light and fun movie. He will shine a spotlight on HIV and I hope people get tested and practice safe sex.Woman wants to find Tom who helped her:A 27-year-old student who was travelling from Redhill in Surrey, England to London Victoria is trying to find the man who took care of her while she fell ill on a train.He then left her a note:Eleanor,I hope by the time you read this you are feeling better. You had a seizure on the train and I took you off. You didn’t hit your head but I may have hurt your leg as I walked on it before realizing you were on the floor having a fit! Sorry!I’m also sorry I can’t stay with you now - but here is a coffee to perk you up later and £10 to make sure you get a taxi home.Sorry I don’t have anymore money so I hope you don’t live far away. I’ve contacted people from your phone and medical help is on its way and you’re with train staff.Wishing you all the best and a quick recovery.Love Tom.My opinion: Aww... how sweet.Nov. 23: I want to add that it's good that Tom was there. One time when I was in the Office Assistant program last year, a young woman collapsed in the middle of the class. Fortunately there were 30 of us there. One called 911 immediately and an ambulance came within 10 min.She did come to after a few min.Toddler survives after a week alone:15-month-old girl in Tennessee is on the mend after surviving up to a week trapped in her crib with no food or water, People reports. Brier Ineichen was staying with her grandmother Annette while her mother, Tracy, was in jail. But when Annette didn’t show up for visitation hours, Tracy asked her boyfriend, Anthony Waldo, to check on the little girl, WBIR reports.According to WVLT, Waldo didn’t get an answer at Annette’s house on Saturday but could see Brier inside. “Brier was in her crib, and she stood up, heard my voice, and kind of reached out to me,” Waldo says. “I told Tracy, ‘I see Brier,’ and she said, 'Break that door down.’”My opinion: The kid is fine so that's good.Nov. 25 Father and son interview: It was a heartwarming interview. I read about it in the news, but it was really good to see it:A father and son have the most precious conversation during an interview by french media at the scene of the Bataclan attacks. I saw that it hadn't been subtitl...ed in english yet, so I made a quick edit to show the rest of the world how freakin awesome some of our citizens are. They're my heros. I feel better too now! #paris #bataclan #parisattacks
UPDATE: Full segment has been posted with subtitles by LPJImages and interview are a courtesy of Le Petit Journal . Thank you so much to the LPJ team for this interview and a very touching segment yesterday! Also, thank you for letting this video be accessed by all and not putting it down. Thank you to Angel Le (father) and Brandon (son) for brightening up our day. heart emoticonSyrian refugee hands out free food: That's sweet.Kindness goes a long way, and the efforts of one Syrian man ‘paying it forward’ while taking asylum in Germany has the internet abuzz with his compassion and generosity.This kind soul set up a table with rice, bread, and what appears to be a stew, ready to give to passerby, accompanying a sign which read, “Give Something Back To German People.”Jean:Yes we are to help others, that is what is wrong with people, some are selfish, and think about themselves first., Yes that is what Jesus the Saviour said, but, this kind act should be from all, even if they are not Christian. And if some think it is propaganda, perhaps they should open their eyes,, heart, and help.others. Remember there are bad seeds in every ethnic race, religion, and gender, so do not judge, until we look upon yourselves and clean your self up. This world we live in needs people who will help, pray, and not bash, kill, or ridicule So Make a difference.in your life and others :)Dec. 3 Image Jewelers: I was reading the Edmonton Journal and I saw this ad that this store is closing down:"Want to hang out with Clooney or Shaq?": I cut out this article by Mesfin Fekadu in the Edmonton Journal on Dec. 1, 2015. It's about celebrities and charity:Or walk down the red carpet with Meryl Streep? Perhaps visiting the Game of Thrones set or taking a 'contouring masterclass' with Kim Kardashian are more your thing?Well, all of the above are possible thanks to U2 front-man Bono.The rock star is launching an all-star fundraising campaign featuring "once-in-a-lifetime experiences" which can be won after donating at least €11 to his RED organisation, which raises funds to fight AIDS.The campaign kicks off today and coincides with World AIDS Day.Bono isn't just the face for the movement: he has agreed to go on a bike ride with one donor - a year after he was seriously injured in a bike accident in New York's Central Park that forced him into surgery."I'm not sure that was as funny to my band as it was to me," Bono said."But I think we're going to have fun and yeah, we'll go visit the scene of the crime."Talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel is dedicating his Tuesday late-night show to the campaign.Other "experiences" include learning the art of contouring with Kim Kardashian or attending a university of Texas football game with Matthew McConaughey,You could win a portrait painting by James Franco, or a one-day "wellness break" with Snoop Dogg in Colorado.Meanwhile, Ryan Seacrest has said he will let someone announce the No. 1 song on his radio show."When you see how much work Bono does personally to fight AIDS, it's almost embarrassing, it's the least we can do or anyone can do to help," Jimmy Kimmel said.The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match every dollar raised up to $20 million (€18.9m)."It's a big day, World AID Days," Bono said. "It's crucial this year. This is the most crucial year. We can feel people going, 'Oh yeah, that AIDS thing is done now,' and we're like, 'No! It's not!'"Woman honors man for paying her groceries: Here's an excerpt:A Canadian woman is honouring a man she only met once because he died a day after paying for her groceries in a California grocery store.Jamie-Lynne Knighten said she was struggling with her five-month-old son at a grocery store north of San Diego when she tried to use her credit card. But it kept getting declined — there was a hold on it.It was her Canadian credit card — she had just returned from visiting her family in Barrie, Ont. — and the only one the 28-year-old mother had on her as she forgot her other credit and debit cards at home.That's when 29-year-old Matthew Jackson stepped up and offered to pay.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Let’s Celebrate National Child Day!
Today, November 20, is National Child Day! This official day celebrates the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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| Today, November 20, is National Child Day! This official day celebrates the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This international agreement sets out standards and principles that help children and youth thrive. Today we recognize the importance of the Convention for children in Canada and worldwide. Bring Your MP to School Day UNICEF Canada celebrates National Child Day with “Bring your MP to School Day”, an opportunity for Members of Parliament and their youngest constituents to engage in a meaningful discussion and learn from each other. Even though children don’t vote in elections, they have the right to be heard and to voice their opinions, and this civic engagement opportunity allows them to do just that. This year we asked students to envision a nation where all children truly belong, and to tell us what it looks like. Their ideas will help MPs understand what children want Canada to be and to make decisions informed by the youngest citizens. Canada is a big country. Together, we can ensure that no child is too far to be heard.  Learn More About National Child Day:
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