1. Everything is a social issue. The severity of the issue may differ, but anything that involves human beings immediately becomes a social issue. Communication is needed in every single field. And usually, the lack of communication is synonymous to lack of understanding. This realization was a breakthrough for me because I was skeptical to using art as an approach to solve issues. How will art solve the war on resources? How will art solve global warming, the food security issue? Aren’t we being a little too naive and optimistic?
2. You can’t be told what to think and feel. People know how to avoid mistakes; there are entire books on how to live your life. You can be influenced and inspired by other people, but realizations still need to come on their own. You need to make your own mistakes, take detours and eventually reach self-empowerment. The concept of a self is very much a process. And the journey of the self is the rewarding part to me, more than anything else.
3. Social innovation comes from diversity – professional problem solving occurs by integration. This makes sense to me in terms of genetics. Natural selection occurs due to disturbances in the environment and competition between species. Due to this, species are forced to adapt new traits to be able to survive. Similarly, we have an idea pool, as opposed to a gene pool. Ideas from various sources, various backgrounds leads to diversity. If all the people in the health sciences attempt to solve a pragmatic problem, they will probably eventually reach a pragmatic solution. However, the solution is pragmatic, and not sustainable – it is limiting and will probably effect others in the community in various ways. How are new innovations supposed to come if they’re all from the same train of thought?
4. Simple shapes can be rich, in terms of body language. This relates to a concept emphasized in the workshop – the connection between the mind and body. Or rather, in our current society, the lack of. We use our heads and minds to think.We begin to believe that our bodies only exist as a tool for movement, and isn’t part of our identity. We exercise it and feed it healthy just so that it appears to fit the modern standards – but forget that they are very much our identity.
5. Labeling validates things, giving something a word to define it changes how it is perceived. This applies to many things – stereotypes, sexuality, identity, community, relationships. But the point is, we need to remember which words are used when, where, how, the context, the tone. We need to not forget the power they hold.

Today is special.  Special for two reasons:

1.  Yes, you guessed it.  Our conversation and workshop with Ms. Judith Marcuse is only hours away. We are jazzed.  I’m not even going to ask because I KNOW you are too!  (Not that you need a reminder, but just in case: 5:30-8:00PM at the Global Lounge)

2. We are ecstatic, elated, (insert another adjective in e), to introduce to you a new member of our team – Ahrthyh Arumugam.  Watch this space for more by Ahrthyh – she is taking the lead on ensuring our blog gets some regular lovin.

1) What is it that gets you up every morning?

Sunlight. Unfortunately that’s not the best way to wake up here in Vancouver, so I tend to oversleep.  Another one, the excitement of facing a brand new day with so much stuff to be happy about!

2) What food best represents you and why?
Tough question, Tarini. I would say Rasmalai. It’s an Indian dessert. It’s homemade cheese known as chenna, served with its special syrup. The cheese is made by preserving fresh milk (by heating), which causes it to have a very rich flavour and soft texture. The syrup is made from milk, slightly sweetened and laced with cardamom. It makes me experience bliss!

Why it represents me? My life mantra, is to stay genuine. To be authentic, to be me. I am grateful and proud of my origin and upbringing. This strikes a chord with the making of chenna. Chenna is so good because unlike any other cheeses which are acidified, it’s made using traditional recipe which results in its rich flavour that delights the taste buds. By staying original, you contribute to the beauty of the world.

3) Tell us about someone who has truly inspired you. What is he/she like? What is it about them that inspire you?
Dr. Sunera Thobani, because of her perseverance and modesty. She is a strong woman; I know this because I was under her supervision in 2011 while working in RAGA. Obstacles avoid her. She takes them down one by one, in her own ways. By being patient with everything else and herself. She is also very intelligent, always comes up with new ideas to connect academia and the community. Additionally, she is a very modest person. Despite her achievements in the feminism world and an amazing personality, she is so humble. Never dominant, always down to earth. Kudos to her.

4) If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
Self awareness and/ or individual empowerment.  This is actually why I’m so excited about the Passion Project – it gives me hope that it’s possible.

5) If you were to be given a free ticket to any place in the world, where would you choose to go?
Santorini, Greece. Can I choose one more? Please? Ok, nevermind.
P.S.: Galapagos Island

______________________________________________________________________________________

Welcome Ahrthyh! We are so excited to have you on board!

This is a question we’re excited to be delving into by presenting a conversation and workshop with Judith Marcuse:

Judith Marcuse is one of Canada’s senior artist/producers with a career that spans over 40 years of professional work as a dancer, choreographer, director, producer, teacher, writer and lecturer in Canada and abroad. She has created over 100 original works for live performance by dance, theatre and opera companies; many projects for film and television; and has produced seven large-scale arts festivals. Her repertory contemporary dance company toured nationally and internationally for more than 15 years, while also creating innovative community and youth programs.

A pioneer in the field of arts for social change, her work is internationally-recognized. The youth-centred, issue-based ICE, FIRE and EARTH projects, each five years long, included workshops, live touring and film productions, and extensive community outreach work. In 2006, Judith Marcuse produced EARTH: The World Urban Festival during the U.N.’s World Urban Forum, hosting performances and exhibitions of socially-engaged artists from around the world and audiences of some 20,000 people.

Marcuse teaches and presents in university and other settings in Canada and abroad. She has received many honours, including Canada’s two major choreographic awards, the Chalmers and the Clifford E. Lee, and an honourary doctorate from Simon Fraser University.

Event details:

Wednesday, January 25th from 5:30-8:00PM at the UBC Global Lounge.

Space is limited so place register by joining the Facebook event page here.

Dinner will be provided.

You do NOT want to miss this opportunity! So, get on that registration and holla if you have any questions – passionproj@gmail.com

We hope to see you there!

The problem with the mentality of letting other people do the caring is that people don’t realize the power they have on other people. Just by talking about something – you’ve already seeded them with that one idea. (Yes, I’m using the movie Inception to convey my point.) And if you’ve just told one person – you’ve already done something more powerful than doing nothing.

Some important causes that could be improved simply by making a fuss about it. So here I am, asking for a fuss, demanding that this cause be talked about. Even if its in passing, on the bus, while you get coffee.

The 5 in 1 campaign by UBC’s Mental Health Awareness Club says that 1 in every five people will suffer from a mental illness. Fact is, if you’re reading this, you’re part of some community. You’re possibly part of many communities – no matter how big or small they may be. You have to be, if you’re a person who can communicate with other people – you’re already part of the community of the world. It’s a default state of being. So how many people do you know? How many people do you care about? How many people can you influence – by implanting an idea, or changing their perspective?

The point of this day is to openly communicate about being aware of suicide, of it being the most devastating symptom of mental health. The point of this day, to me personally, is to communicate and alleviate the stigma of mental health. You don’t get the same reaction If one dies from a heart attack and if one dies from a mental illness. This shouldn’t be the case.  So – think about the stigma.

Ask people how they’re doing, ask if they’re okay. You don’t really know what a person is ever feeling. This is what the main point of this day is about – communicate that your community cares, that help is available.

But also think about spreading the word and sharing causes you care about.

But really, no matter what – think.

For more information:  http://thrive.ubc.ca/suicide-awareness-day/ and http://ubcmhac.sites.olt.ubc.ca/?page_id=986

-R

But the highlight of this year’s conference was undoubtedly, having Sarah Kay embrace the stage.  I’m not sure about you, but I was completely wrapped up in every articulation of creative genius.  What’s more, I was incredibly moved by the sincerity and humility that her very presence conveyed – particularly a beautiful thing to witness given the many accolades of success she has to her name.  My favourite piece was, “Hands”:

“Some people read palms to tell you your future, but I read hands to tell your past.”

I remembered then, my mother’s hands.  They tell the story of a resilient woman; a woman of tenacity and selflessness.  Her hands are rough from years of doing precisely what many mother’s do – everything.  I can only hope that one day, I am even half the woman she is.

And so, while being inspired in many respects, I left the SLC with one desire, one commitment: to better use my hands that I may give more generously of my time to those who need it or seek it, and give more generously of the skills I have acquired up to now in service to those around me.

Indeed, our hands will tell a story.  Let us work from here, from now, to create it.

T

Wow.  It has been a while.  We hope you enjoyed the holiday season and launched into 2012 rejuvenated and ready to conquer.  We have a number of exciting things lined up for this year and hope for your continued enthusiasm and support in our journey to awaken and celebrate passion while reaching out to those around us with it.

In just a few days (January 14th to be precise!), E and I will be presenting a workshop at the Student Leadership Conference called “Start:Making Ideas Happen“, which will take place after lunch during the ‘Concurrent Session 2′ workshops.  We’ll be using our experiences with the Passion Project – touching on what it is that got us started, where we are at now, and what we have learned along the way – in the hopes of enabling participants to breakthrough fears and limitations in the name of simply STARTING.  Indeed, it is often this first step, enveloped with uncertainty and imperfection, that proves to be the most daunting.  It can however, be incredibly exciting and rewarding…and obviously important!

It’s going to be FUN. We promise.  If you’ve been to any of our events, you know we’re fans of art, music, creativity, and all things colorful.  This workshop will be nothing different and we’d definitely like to have you with us!

That’s all for now!

T

You’re in that slump, that final push before the end of the year. You deserve a break. Treat yourself to a night of passion. Treat yourself to our 4th Passion Project!

What: Passion- Pass it On (a night of music and slam poetry and hot chocolate)

When: Thursday December 1st 6:30-8:30pm

Where: The Boulevard Cafe at UBC

If you like facebook, you can check us out for more info and to see all the beautiful people performing: http://www.facebook.com/events/257882200927989/

STOKED.

See you there in your Christmas finest,

E

So, without further ado, what IS happening in Thailand?

Every year, Thailand experiences some flooding due to the heavy monsoon season. However, this year has been identified as one of the worst and most expensive floods the country has faced. With a the flood effecting 60 of Thailand’s 77 provinces, a death toll of 533 (as of Friday Nov. 10) and a 4 billion USD loss of revenue – it can easily be said that the country will take a significant amount of time to recuperate from all the losses.

But, this happens all the time, and we know about it, and we sympathize, and then we move on. For example, the Southeast Asian Tsunami in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Haiti Earthquake in 2010 – and these are just natural disasters. There is so much else going on – violence, hate crimes, racism, politics, activism, poverty, literacy, environmental issues. I couldn’t possibly list all the good(s) and bad(s) happening right now.

Truth is, we read about these things in the newspaper, and we never think that they could happen to us. I sometimes feel like we live in an utter state of denial; a bubble – the kind of bubble that suggests that these kinds of tragedies only happen to other people, and oh, thank God we don’t know anyone from there. Perhaps this isn’t a completely horrible state of mind.  If we were affected by every single calamity that happened, we’d broken people. We are affected by what is personal to us, and this realization was a hard one for me to acknowledge.

Even when the flood was only 10 km. away from home, my friends and family stated that there would be no way the floods would reach us. Within a few days, we were all proven wrong. On October 21st 2011, everyone in my neighborhood was forced to evacuate. The proper precaution and preparations were never taken, items weren’t moved, because even then, we never thought we would be affected.  Some important and sentimental pictures and documents were stored on higher levels in buildings, but it was all taken lightly. If people knew what they did now, more effort would have been made in an attempt to save some of those items.

At first, it was only a few inches. Gardens that had been tended and cared for over the years were slowly dispersing. Our shoes, tennis rackets, balls, and toys were soon seen floating alongside those of our neighbors.

Then it was a meter of water. Sand bags that had been carefully placed around the house could not hold much longer. Water gushed into the house. The dining table that I’d eaten on every day was submerged. Luckily, it was a sturdy wooden table; it managed to stand. The carpet that my parents had picked out, with care and consideration was completely submerged under the dark water. The elaborate patterns on it were completely covered; you wouldn’t even know it had existed. The kitchen, in which I had sneaked into at 3 AM on more than one bored night, was unrecognizable. The shelf with tea, the cupboard with sugar, the noodles drawer, the spice rack – it was all submerged. The forks, spoons and cutlery were probably floating because no one had stored them away. Who would have thought the flood would get this unpleasant?

Even being upset was a luxury. The most important thing was that friends and family were all alive and safe. Everything lost was material and replaceable; my house was still standing. The same couldn’t be said for many. They would have to rebuild their lives from scratch, try their best to replace everything they lost. I can’t even imagine what it must be for the 533 families who lost someone dear to them. I can only acknowledge their immense loss and sympathize.

I guess, the saying “life happens” has only become further concretized. You move on. But I’m allowing myself some time to be affected and dismayed. Material objects can be replaced but that’s not the point. They might even still be there, existing, in the same place, but destroyed and unusable. That is the point – it won’t be the same. New furniture will still do what the old ones did, but I didn’t stay up watching TV or stressing about school on the new couch. Sure, the new plates might even be shinier and prettier than the old ones, but they weren’t the ones used when my grandparents visited, or the ones used when I finally learnt to cook.

Being a sentimental person, material objects do hold significance. They were used or experienced at a certain time in my life; they were present in the moments and experiences felt. It’s the house I grew up in, and it won’t be the same, for a long time, anyway. It’ll take a few months to clear the water, then a few more to completely clean it and ensure it’s a clean living environment. With temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius, high humidity, nutrients and water everywhere, it is the ideal breeding ground for bacteria and other unknown critters. I guess I’m glad that some other living organisms are making memories and enjoying my home!

And that’s all you can really do, right? Make it humorous to lighten the situation. Console yourself with words. Life happens, shit happens, you move on. You have to – there’s really no other choice. You smile, you learn things, you experience things, and you realize and actually understand broad statements of life that people told you but you never understood entirely…until now. You grow as a person. And you continue reading the news, hoping that it doesn’t affect you in any way.

In solidarity,

Ritika

Why are these conversations so important to us at the Passion Proj?

Well, it brings us back to our central belief that passion is a privilege just as it is a responsibility.  We want to use our gifts to connect with those around us.  So, as we eagerly set the stage for passionate slam poets and musicians, we’re also going to be connecting this to promoting literacy and mentorship through creative expression at an elementary school in Vancouver’s Eastside – Queen Alexandra.

Queen Alex was nearly shut down a little while ago, but thanks to the persistence of the community, it was kept open and redefined as a Fine Arts school.  Our work with this inner city school will be an opportunity to get back into crayons and creativity while learning lessons in humility and simplicity.

SO. If YOU are a slam poet, pianist, singer, musician…artist of any sort, with an interest in connecting your passion to the community, we want to hear from you.  The event will be in December (details coming soon!) but the community placement will be hosted over Reading Week in February.

Don’t miss out – give us a shout at passionproj@gmail.com if this takes your fancy!

T