Walk The Walk

“Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk.”

“Actions speak louder than Words”

These two phrases are as common as the changing leaves in autumn—and the sure denial we all live in when we attempt to remain stagnant in the beauty of fall, wishing the winter freeze would never creep in. We’ve heard them before, and with most things we deem familiar, their impact is often lost when we hear them.

Today, right in this very moment, I want you to stop and think about the two phrases; how they complement and challenge each other, and how they bring to life the ideals of people living out beautiful sentiments like a fairytale ending of ‘happily ever after.’

When I think of these phrases, I am reminded of how Christ followers are called to live a life like Jesus. It’s the impossible task, made accessible through grace. It’s something we cannot do, but are commissioned to strive to do in our actions of love and mercy, forgiveness and joy, passion and justice, and extending our undeserved grace to others. When you walk the walk, and allow your actions to speak louder than words, you are showcasing what is really in your heart— the hope being all those beautiful, Christ-like characteristics.

This year, I have decided to ‘walk the walk’, literally.

I have decided to take a cause I am passionate about, and not just write about it on my blog, or talk about it to people whose caring meter reads at every point from genuine interest to genuine indifference, but to stand up with a group of like-minded individuals and do something publicly to show where my heart truly lies—yearning to seek justice for the oppressed and see the captives be set free!

An organization I’ve come to know and love over the past year or so is the A21 campaign. Along with organizations I’ve been involved with like Not For Sale, the A21 campaign is working to end modern-day slavery. Their 4-P model address the core issues needed to end slavery today:

Prevention – Preventing human trafficking through awareness and education.

Protection – Protecting victims of human trafficking through restoration programs.

Prosecution – Pursuing justice by prosecuting human traffickers.

Partnership – Partnering with people just like you and me to fight for freedom together.

The goal of the A21 campaign is to abolish injustice in the 21^st century.

I believe in this goal.

I will not be a slactivist and merely browse their website and follow them on Instagram.

I will take part in the Walk ForFreedom.

On October 17^th, individuals passionate about ending modern-day slavery will join together to shed light on the 27 million men, women and children who are still in bondage. When we join forces in one single day, we not only catch the attention of our cities, but we combine our efforts to have a global impact.

Something as simple as walking together with a unified message can help change the world. The Walk For Freedom will have people literally ‘walking the walk’ and allowing their actions to speak louder than words. It’s such a simple task—join together and walk to raise awareness, educate those around us, and hopefully create more activists in the process. I’m so looking forward to participating in something with a simple message that can impact our entire global community—and participating right here in the world where I currently call ‘home’, Winnipeg.

To really get you thinking about this, I want to share with you a quote a friend shared with me. A very dear friend of mine recently attended a Propel Women conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The quote from founder Christine Caine was simple... she shared a fact.

“There are 27 million slaves in the world today.
There are over 2 billion Christians.”

Perhaps ‘walking the walk’ and ‘letting our actions speak louder than words’ is something we really need in internalize and recognize what it looks like to know we can directly impact the life of one of those people held captive today. Not even half of us need to do something—but we should all do more than is expected of us to truly try to live a life like Jesus.

I challenge you, take part in the Walk for Freedom, or even donate to my fundraising page. My goal is to raise $500 dollars. Donate what you can-- $2, $5, $50, $100. Regardless of your choice to donate or not, pray. Pray for those held in bondage to be set free, pray for those doing the capturing to change their ways and realize what they are doing is wrong, pray for the johns in your local city, pray for those who don’t see any other option, just pray for God to work in incredible ways.

While following a Joyce Meyer reading plan on the bible app on my phone, I remember reading one devotion, which I still think about this day. I read it on June 4^th, 2012. Here is what it read:

One morning I was having my quiet time along with God, and I said to the Lord, “God, how can You stand seeing all the pain, starving children, human trafficking, genocide, injustice, degradation, poverty, in the world and not do something?”I didn’t say it as a complaint or because I was questioning His integrity, and I don’t even know that I was really expecting to get an answer, but I just asked Him.Immediately His answer came back: “I work through people. I’m waiting for My people to arise and do something”

It’s time.

It’s time for us a group of passionate individuals to arise and do something. To walk the walk and take action instead of being the slactivists we are more commonly known to be. It takes effort, commitment, and truly believing in something to take action for the world to see. Be someone who stands for what is right. Be someone who is answering the call of God to be one of His people working towards something positive in the world.

Slactivism

Slactivism.

Well, there’s a word you don’t hear every day.

Maybe it’s a word you’ve never heard before.

If you’re actively part of any movement for seeing justice win out, you may have a bad taste in your mouth after reading the word. Regardless, it’s time to have a chat about what it is, the good vs the bad, and how to drop the ‘sl’ from slactivist and become what the world needs more of—passionate activists.

I didn’t know what slactivism was until I did a stint with Not For Sale. It was one of those generic buzzwords (along with ‘innovation’ and phrases like ‘out of the weeds’) which came up in numerous conversations—more so in my realm as I was working with the grass roots initiatives of NFS. While it was thrown around from time to time without real explanation, it was easy to piece together what it meant—an easy representation of caring about something without really having to do anything at all.

Here is an official definition of slactivism from the Oxford dictionary:

Actions performed via the internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement. Eg: signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social media website.

Now, here’s a hilarious definition of slactivism, with a great example from Urban Dictionary:

The act of participating in obviously pointless activities as an expedient alternative to actually expending effort to fix a problem. Eg: signing an email petition to stop rampant crime is slacktivism. Want to really make your community safer? Get off your ass and start a neighborhood watch!

As we can see, especially from the Urban Dictionary example, slactivism isn’t really viewed highly. It comes across as what it sounds like; you’re being a slacker. You sort of care about an issue, but not enough to do something that requires more work than the minimal required to show you care.

Let’s cut to the chase…

The reason I am choosing to speak on this topic is that recently, many people (myself included), put a red X on our hand to show we are standing in solidarity with, and hoping to bring awareness to, the over 27 million individuals in slavery today. There are more people in slavery today than at any other point in history… and today we have documents to say slavery has been abolished! To be especially clear, I am not speaking badly about the End It Movement. I took part in this campaign. I put a red X on my hand, took a photograph, and posted it to Instagram to spread awareness. But, like with most campaigns, awareness amazing but it is not enough. A conversation must begin and actions must be taken. It’s time we take awareness to the next level.

From my Instagram
@LoveInspiresChange

On February 27th my Instagram feed was flooded with individuals making a stand, putting that red X on their hand for a flashy photograph that shows they care. And while posting the picture to social media isn’t inherently bad, it’s what happens after which provokes questions as to why people do it in the first place. Have you ever, after posting a flashy statement or picture to social media, done anything to actively pursue being involved in trying to end slavery? Have you researched where your clothes come from? Have you looked to see if the chocolate you purchased is from a company who uses child and forced labour in their supply chains? Have you donated any money to an organization fighting sex trafficking or started reading the many books available on the topic? Have you prayed for the captives to be set free and for God to reveal to you what you should do next to help? For every like your Instagram photo received, you should have been doing something real to help end injustice.

So, what’s good about Slactivism? I think a campaign created with enough simplicity for the average individual to put in minimal effort while still being part of a movement is wonderful. Slactivism means the average Joe and Jane can engage with an awareness campaign, and feel like part of a larger group of individuals rallying together with one common goal, and that's pretty great. Imagine if every single person who has ever Tweeted about a cause, Instagramed an image of themselves supporting an organization with the use of a hashtag, or shared a pre-fabricated status on Facebook, influenced someone else to do the same. We would have a wildfire of awareness spreading, and the seeds of education being scattered across the world. We would suddenly see awareness soar about so many justice issues—enough issues that each individual could find what spoke to them so loudly they would want to become involved! Well, that’s the hope, after all—that awareness being raised inspires activists.

In this sense we can see how slactivism can have an impact. Awareness is a great first step to really seeing justice win out.

Since we’ve highlighted the positive, it’s important for us to take a look at why slactivism isn’t ideal. It’s almost self-explanatory—slactivism does not mean someone will actually start making a difference. Just because I posted a picture on Instagram, doesn’t mean I actually have to do anything else. Life can go on as normal. The ego boost from the ‘likes’ and the perception of being someone who ‘cares’ my Instagram followers see, could easily be enough to make me pursue nothing more than the selfish interest of posting the picture. No conversations actually sparked, no education shared, no further moments where I reflect on what it means to really try to end slavery. Let’s be honest, and this may come across pretty harsh, what do you think those currently caught up in sex trafficking think about you putting an X on your hand and posting a photo on Instagram? Will they see help from that one single thing you did? This is where slactivism finds it problem. It’s awareness, not effective action to end the injustice.

Pin this graphic, share it on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram and share how to make a difference!

So what do we do now? We have all taken part in slactivism, and many of us have probably already been an activist for something we are passionate about without even realizing it. How can we ensure we are living life as an activist, not a slactivist, in how we approach new issues being brought to our attention?

Awareness is Step 1.

Education is Step 2.

Activism is Step 3.

Slactivism goes hand in hand with Step 1, Awareness. But it’s a three-step process that is designed to continue once you make it to Step 1. You have to move through Steps 2 and 3 to see a real change and impact the world.

This is why I want to challenge you, the average Joe and Jane out there who commonly take part in the basics of slactivism we can all easily become involved in, to take away the ‘sl’ and pursue the next steps to becoming an activist.

- What is the most recent campaign you mentioned on social media? This is your "Step 1: Awareness"

For myself, it was how that ridiculous #TheDress hashtag and ‘controversy’ took over the world. To change this from something meaningless to meaningful, The Salvation Army in South Africa has made a campaign addressing violence against women. They took a woman covered in bruises and cuts and put her in the gold and white version of the dress with the tag line ‘why is it so hard to see black and blue?’.

- Research! Find out statistics about the cause and how it pertains to you (geographical location, statistics specific to your area, etc). This is your "Step 2: Education"

From here, if you find yourself passionate about the cause, it's time to move forward!

- Get involved! Take part in a campaign, donate money, sign up to volunteer, do whatever it takes to ensure you are becoming involved in ending the injustice! This is your "Step 3: Activism"

I’m not picking on awareness campaigns—if people didn't became aware of what was happening around the world, they wouldn't have the incredible opportunity to become educated and stand up to injustice! I want to bring light to how awareness is not enough. Following through is imperative to seeing justice win out. Don’t be a slactivist—do something! You can, and you will, be amazed at how big of an impact you can have on seeing injustice come to an end.

iPhone? Ethics in Electronics

Generic mirror selfie with my new iPhone 5c

Almost as bad as jean shopping and swimsuit shopping, shopping for a new cell phone can be quite the daunting experience.

They’re expensive, they tend to always break (perhaps from dropping them one too many times without a fancy case), they don’t do water well (unless a really fancy case exists around it), and yet they are so necessary to the life I lead. Currently my phone provides me with the resources to check my class schedule and see where all my classes are, find out when the bus is coming so I can get to Toronto and back to Hamilton, I can read the Bible, snap fun photos, edit them, then post them to share with friends and family as a little peek into my life since a majority of them live at least 2,000 kilometers away.

While the pros definitely outweigh the cons of owning a cellular device—especially one of the ‘smart phone’ variety, the idea of buying a new one always comes with the added thought of ‘how can I purchase one of these things ethically?’

A while back I had found online the FairPhone. My heart leaped for joy when I discovered there was an ethically sourced phone actually available for the world to use! Unfortunately, the phone is currently only available in Europe and doesn’t ship to Canada. Even if it did, the capabilities are slightly less, as it wasn’t designed for use here.

Does this make me sad?

Of course! The opportunity to buy a phone created by using conflict-free minerals from the DRC that support families, factories that support safe conditions, a company who gives fair wages and worker representation, who finds smart ways to use, reuse and recycle phones… This is a company who lives out the ideals I so desperately want to be part of my every day life—that we need to make informed decisions about the products we purchase so we can part of bringing people up and not dragging them down.

Let’s be honest, I bought an iPhone. The 5c, to be exact. I got an epic deal (free, thanks Rogers) and it is compatible with my MacBook Pro, my husbands phone (yay for FaceTime, since we both travel somewhat often and not always together) and good ol’ iMessenger. In terms of usefulness, the iPhone wins in my books. So here I am, sitting at my laptop while my iPhone 5c sits beside me notifying me of a recent text message while I long for it to the FairPhone (with all the capabilities of my iPhone that make it so darn convenient). I can’t help but think of all the people in the massive lineups just last week who, without a second thought, purchased the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus. People don’t even flinch when it comes to dropping large sums of cash to purchase the latest phones and other tech products—especially those from the world’s beloved Apple.

But what if people did consider what they were supporting with their money before they spent it? According to the Canadian Apple store, the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus range in price from $749 to $1079. As shockingly large these numbers are to me (the idea of paying even $129 for an iPhone 5s was too much for me to handle), I know there are enough people in the world who look at those prices and don’t even flinch or think about if that’s where their money should be going. But the question is, what if they did? What if they did take a moment, and before swiping their credit card they thought, ‘who actually makes this thing?’

I was the most pumped, as someone who knows there isn’t a lot of information out there on ethics on the electronics world, to find that my treasured Free2Work has recently released an Electronics Industry Trends 2014 report. What I love about these reports is, if you take the time to actually read through them, you are presented with so much information on slavery in the different parts of makeup of electronics from mining the minerals to putting together the final pieces in factories. Information like this had previously been unknown to most people and now, the information is readily available at the click of mouse.

Click the image to enlarge!

As a society whose basic functions are interwoven with the electronics we can’t imagine being parted from, it is important and vital to our ever-deepening relationship with them to be educated on how they are produced. The worlds cherished Apple has an overall score of B+ and does not provide a living wage to those who make their products. Society will pay $749 for a phone whose makers don’t even make a living wage. If that statement doesn’t make you question the phone sitting beside you or the phone you are reading this on, perhaps read it again and really think about what that looks like. Do you think the individuals working in the Foxconn Factory in China realize it would take over 3 months of their salary* to purchase the least expensive version of the latest released phone? While I’m not trying to bash Apple (honestly, their B+ grade is one of the better ones by an electronics company, comparatively), for myself, it’s hard to set these facts aside, especially when I was looking for a new phone to purchase.

I want to continually live a lifestyle where I practice what I preach. When people question me about what I own, I want to be able to stand up for my decision in the company I have chosen to support. Knowing options like the FairPhone exist is exciting based on my expectancy that if one company can do it and is doing it, others will follow suit. What we need now is for individuals like you and I to say to Apple 'we care and want an option, like the Fair Phone, to purchase with our hard earned dollars!' It’s not just Apple we need to approach, so many other companies are doing worse than Apple and to them we need to say the same thing. If one company is doing it, they all can. Perhaps I’ll find the $749 worth it for a phone that is ethically produced and save my money to purchase a phone I can use with confidence knowing the impact of the product is positive and not destructive to all those involved.

My challenge to you: Take just 5 minutes of your time and take a look at Free2Works Electronics Industry Trends report and see where the company of your mobile phone and computer sit.  Share this information with someone and start a conversation on how you can use your purchasing power to change the way companies produce their products.

* $238 monthly salary found here.

Back to School

Original image by the talented Meagan. We like to style
things and she likes to take pictures.

While I have no need to prove to my dad I’m not a fool, and I really really don’t intend on getting in any fights, I am most definitely heading back to school!

My “back to school” journey really began a couple years ago…

During my stint with Not For Sale I had really become sold on the idea of Open Source Activism—the idea of using your own skill set and talents to create positive world change. Everyone is good at something, and normally everyone is good at quite a few things. The goal is to take those things you are good at, and use them for good. Using your talents for good could be anything from playing music with a positive message, making crafts you sell for fundraising purposes, sewing clothes or knitting warm scarves and mitts to give to shelters, cooking meals for families with new babies, the list really does go on and on…

While with NFS I had a few ideas on how I wanted to pursue and implement in my life the ideals of open source activism. One idea was to become a career counselor— when survivors of human trafficking would be going through their rehabilitation programs, I would be there to provide career assistance. This would be everything from assessing their current skill sets and passions to working on interview skills, interview outfit shopping and bringing confidence to the forefront. It was an awesome idea and combined my love for helping others succeed and flourish with my passion of ending human trafficking. While it was a great idea, and while I’m sure I would have enjoyed it immensely, there was another passion I knew I needed to feed.

My "I'm going to school" announcement on Instagram.
Follow me: @LoveInspiresChange

I had (and still have) this growing love for baking. It’s amazing the joy that comes from creating something delicious, attractive and shareable. Baking had been a past time and hobby for me for quite a while—especially once moving to Winkler, Manitoba. After being creative on my own time with baking basics and ambitious decorating adventures, I thought it was time to perhaps take this passion to a new level and pursue it as a career. You see, open source activism can really accommodate any skill or passion you have. For myself, baking is going to be how I positively influence and change the world.

Upon the decision of my wonderful husband and I to move to Ontario was also the decision that I was going to actively pursue baking as a career. I was leaving broadcasting behind trading the microphone for the spatula. My goal was to work in the field for one year. If during that year I liked it as much as I thought I would, I would plan to attend school at the year mark to really learn about what I was doing!

We are now entering August of 2014 with my first job in a bakery having started in September of 2013. Needless to say, I still love it. Ontario does this awesome Apprenticeship program. You spend four months of the year receiving in school training and the rest of the year working in a bakery that sponsors you and ensures you are putting your newly gained skills from school to use in a professional setting. It’s a great way to get the best of both worlds—school and work.

My "For the Love of Cake" board on Pinterest. Just the first few pins...
slightly cake obsessed. Follow me: Pinterest.com/aeleas

September 2^nd is my first day of school and I don’t know if I could be more excited. It’s been seven years since I graduated from college and I am looking forward to the challenges I will face, the knowledge I will gain, the frustrations I am sure I will face and overcoming those frustrations to be able to do things I could only image doing after pinning flawless images on Pinterest for the past few years. The Baker-Patissier Apprenticeship program at George Brown College in Toronto is about to receive a student who is not only excited to learn, but who is eager to apply and partner those learned skills with her dreams to be a force of positive change. Piping bag in hand, I can change the world.

How can you take your passions and use them to create positive world change?