What this is all about?

Grameen means "rural" or "village" in Bangla, so literally this translates to 'Stories from the Village.' I travelled to Bangladesh in 2010 and did an Internship with the Grameen Bank and was amazed by the people there especially in its rural villages. The 'desh' and its people are an inspiration and will always have a special place in my heart.

Since then, I continually see how important villages are, be it in rural Bangladesh, or in urban core neighbourhoods in Canada. A strong village is what brings people together and welcomes newcomers and supports those in need. Villages are what I fight for and this blog is how I do it.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Yes You Can!

It does not matter what others say, the truth is yes you can!

I am going to keep this short and sweet, because you have better and more important things to do than listen to other people telling you what to do. If you have read the title and these first three sentences then you have read enough, the rest is just me explaining myself.

I went to the City Symposium today and that was a slap in the face to re-awaken me. It reminded me of all the things that Graham Smith had been telling me the last two years in his classes. Enough with the pessimism, enough with the fighting between each other. Lets be optimistic, lets work together, lets help each other out.

I know I am just some idealistic kid who is ranting on his blog, but someone somewhere might read this and actually be motivated to do it. So if I give just a tiny push to get them on their way then I will be happy.

In light of some of the battles I heard about today at the Symposium mine seem like minor disturbances however my point still stands. I have fought through different organisations where we were told no we can't and why would you even suggest that. I work in a neighbourhood which has been told that no they can't. But at the end of the day we did get what wanted in a different way, but we got it. And good things are going on where I work.

Its all about the attitude you have. Have an open mind, be innovative, the more we share, the more we have. You can do it!

Cheers,
Mike