Girl Rising and My Firm, Unyielding Stance on Girl's Education

Hi World Wide Web!

I'm feeling pretty positive right now because according to my blog's pageviews, I have two readers as of yesterday!  Welcome friends to my dumb blog!  (My boyfriend swears it wasn't him, and I couldn't be more happy.  Readers make the World Wide Web seem a little less overwhelming.)

I have the incredible privilege of attending an amazing all-girls private school in a rather affluent area.  Because I have always placed a high value on education personally, and dream of being a teacher one day, I recognize how incredibly blessed and lucky I am to attend a school that provides such superior opportunities and resources for each girl who attends the school.  In addition to valuing education, I am also a strong feminist who understands that one of the quickest ways to equality in society is equal educational opportunities.

These intrinsic values hold probably explained why I burst into tears during the very first scene of Girl Rising.  The organization of the same name, Girl Rising, is "a global campaign for girl's education" with a mission of "changing the way the world values the girl."  The documentary follows the stories of nine girls in developing nations around the world as they strive to complete their education.  The harrowing obstacles and challenges they face are unreal: earthquakes and other natural disasters, sexual abuse, child marriage, and general discrimination against women are all barriers that prevent them from success. However, each of the girls in the film uses her education and determination to break down these barriers, paving the way for girls all over the world and teaching us, the viewers, how to do the same. I highly recommend watching this extremely moving, powerful, and informative documentary. (PS. it's on Netflix.)

As I said before, I truly believe that education can open doorways that are locked and boarded up. When you have the ability to think critically, use practical skills, and carry information about the world's workings with you, it becomes much easier to get involved and make informed (and therefore, better) decisions and choices that can improve the quality of your life as a whole.

When you educate a boy, you educate one person. When you educate a girl, you educate a family and a nation. 

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Facts and Statistics Worth Noting (curtesy of Girl Rising): 

66 million girls worldwide are not in school. That is 33 million less girls than boys. 

A girl with an extra year of education can make up to 20% more as an adult. 

If India enrolled just 1% more girls in secondary education, their GDP would rise by $5.5 billion. 

Indigo Child: My Raury Crazy Experience at The Roots Picnic

Hello again World Wide Web!

I like to tell myself I have millions of avid blog followers; however, the only person who reads my posts are my boyfriend - who reads them only due to pressure from me.  (Hi bae!)

Yesterday, I attended a one day music festival in Philadelphia called The Roots Picnic.  Run by the famous Philly band The Roots, each year they handpick up-and-coming artists to perform live at Festival Pier, on the river.  

Here was this year's lineup: 

From the Roots Picnic official website

With big hip-hop names like The Weeknd and A$AP Rocky, I was expecting to be blown away by some of the larger, more popular sets later in the day.  However, I found myself being most impressed by two underdogs: Bishop Nehru and Raury.  This is mainly a post about Raury, but I have to say, for as young as Bishop Nehru clearly was, he had the whole crowd dancing and getting into his set.  He had a great stage presence for a beginner and could definitely rap.

My boyfriend loves Raury and reminded me three times on the way to the show that there was no way we could miss his 3:45 set.  I knew only one song, "God's Whispers", so I didn't really know what to expect.  Since he was playing at a smaller side stage, we got there a little early in order to get good seats, and ended up being up against the barricade in the front row.

Raury at the Roots Picnic | pc: me

In short, Raury killed it.  Even though he was having sound difficulties as the band was clearly turned up much higher than the vocals, he put on an amazing show even with a short set time.  His sound was unlike any I had heard before; his signature style of a combination of rock, folk, and hip-hop blended together seamlessly.  The supporting band and singers were also incredibly talented, but Raury's stage presence, signature hat, and wild dance moves stole the show.

Guess what readers?  (Yes, all you readers reading this right now!  All one million three hundred thousand two hundred and one of you!  I know I have a large following on this rinky-dink blog so listen up!)  You can download Raury's album Indigo Child online for free by going here.  Connect, play the game, and then click download.  You can also watch his documentary that explains what he means when he says 'indigo'.  If you are new to his music, check out "God's Whispers" and "Cigarette Song" - basic fundamentals for budding fans.

I'm really grateful I had the chance to see Raury live in concert not only because I've really loved being introduced to his fantastic music, but also because I love what he stands for.  His message is mobilization of the youth to do what they want to do now.  At 18 years old, he has successfully fulfilled his dream of entering the music scene, playing several large festivals including Firefly this June.  Just as he followed his dream with reckless abandon and no backup plan, he believes that if more youth were like that, there could be a real revolution within cities and towns that could eventually transform the nation.  For an 18 year old, his passion, talent, and incredible worldview are a testament to his exemplary character and determination.  I can't wait to see what Raury does next.

We are the truth.  We are forever.  We are the youth. We are together.

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

Hello World Wide Web and to all the nonexistent people reading this post.

Today I watched a very powerful documentary called Montage of Heck that chronicled the life and eventual demise of Kurt Cobain.

The thing that really struck me was how predestined it all seemed.  Even with the cheery videos of Kurt as a toddler, laughing and giggling and playing games, he grew up to be such a sad man that viewed disaster as being inescapable.  Kurt seemed to feel everything a little too intensely, taking criticism and praise as being a personal attack on not only his band Nirvana but also on the quality of his person.  His utter fear of being humiliated or disliked caused him to be under such an intense amount of pressure, that slowly but surely rose to a boil and eventually led to his suicide.

Even though I knew Kurt Cobain's story prior to watching the film, I felt a glimmer of hope while watching the footage of Kurt and his baby daughter, Frances.  The intense love he felt for her was so apparent not only in the way he held and played with her, but also in his writings.  It seemed like Frances was the harbinger of sobriety and normalcy, a sign of a possibly positive outcome to the mess that had been Cobain's life.  He quit drugs for a short while and even began to appear better, taking more care in his appearance and looking generally healthier.

However, it didn't take too long for the pressure to reach him once again.

I found this film incredibly depressing because even with the immense love Kurt held for his daughter, his music, and his wife, nothing could stop his crash.  It was as if something inside him couldn't handle this world, and therefore there was nothing anyone could have done to change his fate.  Even though he had once been a giggly baby boy himself, he ended his own life in a pit of utter despair.  If only someone or something could have helped him.

This documentary scared me.  It made our destinies seem random; even with millions of people who love you, sometimes you can never truly be happy.  Even if you were a happy child, you can be inherently unhappy and spend the rest of your life constantly anxious and upset.  You could have everything you ever dreamed of, and still remain so utterly depressed that you would take your own life.  I can't think of anything that terrifies me more.

"I don't have the passion anymore, and so remember, it's better to burn out than to fade away." - Kurt Cobain's suicide note

Welcoming the World Wide Web

Hello World Wide Web, it's me!

Who's me?

An average 17-year-old girl with a lot of opinions and thoughts that until now, have only found an outlet through passionate discussions with friends.  I'm growing up in a place where so many adults and kids alike are disingenuous; it's hard to stay grounded in your beliefs and feelings when the people around you mimic each other's empty words and mannerisms.

I'm not here to rant or rave, yelling about things I dislike to the empty, cold vastness of the Internet.  I know the world needs a lot less angry people and that positivity is the best medicine for that.  I'll do my best to share my thoughts in a positive, productive way and if anyone reads this and decides to further discuss the topics I write about, I hope they do so in the same way.

Here are some of the many things I like and enjoy sharing and talking about:

1. I like photography and film!  Here are some photographs I took this week.

I like flowers and all things beautiful; after all, beauty often comes in unexpected places.

2. I like music, and especially live music.  I spend a lot of time (and money) attending and looking for upcoming concerts with my favorite bands.

This is me waiting for the lead singer of Walk the Moon to come outside after his show to meet him for the second time!

3.  I am a strong proponent and advocate for social change in our society in order to combat many of the problems the members of our global community face each day, including poverty, lack of education, discrimination, and violence.  I like to remain informed on these issues in order to be a positive contributor to advocacy for radical social change.

I took this picture on a trip to visit the homeless in my city.

4.  This list could keep going.  And going.  And going.  I like a lot of things, and I couldn't possibly ever make an exclusive list.  Film, photography, social justice, music, sailing, fashion, art, and education are all intrinsic interests and passions of mine that I will explore through this blog.  

To be honest, I'm not sure where this blog will go.  But by writing this first jumbled, rambling post, I've taken the first step.  Hope you (if you are even out there) enjoy reading.  Welcome to the calamity that is my life.  

Until next time,

Catie