“We are ill-treated and work like slaves.”
“[We are treated worse than] horse cow goat pig dog. (sic)”
“We suffer torturement, beat and rude remark (sic). Nearly no payment.”
These are the hand-written pleas of workers in Chinese factories, tucked away into a purse bought from Walmart, a shopping bag from Saks and a box of Halloween decorations from K-Mart.
Read MoreAs I learned the hard way, there’s far more to pre-departure preparation than just getting vaccinated against typhoid and yellow fever. I also needed to be inoculated with a good dose of reality so that I could start out my service with healthy boundaries and realistic expectations.
The truth is that international volunteers are bound for more than adventure and warm, fuzzy feelings.
Read MoreOur limited definition of activism is problematic. It keeps some people out of engaging in important work because they don’t feel qualified enough—while keeping others imprisoned by it, demanding perfection and martyrdom of themselves and veering dangerously toward burnout and compassion fatigue.
Is there a place for celebrities and stay-at-home parents and business leaders and amateurs in the justice movement?
Read MoreThe United States still spends about $2 million in detaining immigrants each year. Discrimination is rampant. Political policies are inauspicious. And with the legal and language barriers, social isolation and employment challenges that immigrants often face, many are also at risk of exploitation and human trafficking.
Read MoreA haven for pedophiles and porn users, the cybersex industry in the Philippines allows anonymous viewers to pay as little as $5 or $10 for a live-streamed “show” featuring a child—sometimes as young as 2 or 3 years old—who is then sexually abused according to the client’s specifications.
What’s even harder to digest is that many of these cybersex businesses are operated by families. Children are being victimized in their own home—sometimes by a parent or a sibling.
Read MoreAbout 7,500 km fill the distance between Vancouver, BC and St. John’s, Newfoundland. Four friends from Alberta traveled that distance last summer … by bike. And it wasn’t for fame or glory, or a lost bet, but to raise awareness and funds for human trafficking interventions in Canada through Defend Dignity.
Read MoreIn a way, caring for ourselves has never been more accessible. These days, you don’t have to go too far to find a yoga studio or an adult coloring book to de-stress. Self-help books are a multi-billion dollar industry in the U.S. alone. Mental health conversations are being de-stigmatized through a surge of awareness campaigns.
And yet, self-care has never been harder. We’re surrounded by distractions. Our chirping phones remind us there’s always somewhere else we should be, someone else we should be prioritizing. Wi-Fi and smartphones make it hard to get away from work—especially if measure our success by how busy we are.
Read MoreThe sun embellishes the top half of valley with light, warming your back. The splashes of light illuminate the purple and yellow wildflowers beside your feet, the glaciers that frost the mountains and hold up the sky, and the towering rockfaces adorned in every shade of red, grey, and brown: coffee, caramel, and crimson with long bands of mahogany and cocoa, streaks of silver and slate … and suddenly, you’re more distracted by the beauty than the apprehension.
Read MoreIf we’re only standing against something, we’ll never be for the things that matter, the things that actually address the root of the problem. The real change happens when we stand for good – for things like building peaceful and functional communities. Or addressing the deeper problems behind violence, like abuse or trauma, community breakdown, and mental health issues. Or restructuring our expectations of masculinity that otherwise normalizes aggression, reinforces violence, and represses healthy emotional expression.
Read MoreHere, in our state of immobilization, in the wake of grief, in fear of responsibility, we are numb. We wonder what our world has come to. We ask ourselves: Where is justice? Where is sanity? Where is God?
We are not responsible for the world’s suffering—we are only responsible for our own choices and actions. But we can no longer hide from the ways our judgments and choices contribute to the world’s suffering.
Read MoreNone scheduled.
Langenburg, Saskatchewan:
Keynote speaker at Student Leadership Conference, Langenburg Central School
September 19, 2018
Regina, Saskatchewan:
Women's Autobiography, Life Writing and Empowerment Class at the University of Regina
November 30, 2017
Seattle, Washington:
Seattle Pacific University
October 16, 2017
McPherson, Kansas:
Central Christian School
October 4, 2017
Caronport, Saskatchewan:
Briercrest College + Seminary
September 16, 2017
Regina, Saskatchewan:
Christ Lutheran Church
January 22, 2017
Birmingham, Alabama:
Jefferson State Community College
October 3-5, 2016
Columbus, Ohio:
Veritas Short North
May 4, 2016
Lexington, Kentucky:
Cairn Coffee Shop + Cornerstone Christian Church
April 30 + May 1, 2016
Swift Current, Saskatchewan:
Ignite Conference
April 1-3, 2016
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