At this moment my EQ is: "How do officials/leaders use their power to benefit the underprivileged youth in the Los Angeles area?".
Background:
I chose this EQ because I find importance in the belief that the youth is the "future of tomorrow". It started when I found inspiration through figures like Dr. Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, the Dali Lama, Jane Goodall, Cesar Chavez, Simon Wiesenthal, Angela Davis, Mother Teresa, etc. for wanting a greater change in their world, and they did just that. The ability to change the circumstance of the disadvantaged. I saw these people and pondered how I could possibly dedicate my life to the human race. In other words I thought, "With this one life I have, How could I contribute to the benefit of the world?". I believed a good way to do this would be by becoming a humanitarian and volunteering with Peace Corps in third world countries. This idea changed when I had a senior presentation of a student that went to the Philippines to do surgeries that weren't available to the locals. Throughout his presentation there was one sentence that stuck out to me. He said, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life". He gave emphasis on how trying to help people that have limited resources is truly hurting them because they rely on the assistance rather than trying to learn themselves. This brought me to want to help the children of these underprivileged countries because they are the play makers. They know how their culture works and what their society needs, not the foreigner. I won't live there ; They will. The only thing I can do is to give those kids the first step to make the changes for their country to progress. This should not be limited to a western way of what we think is best but the techniques of the east as well. To accomplish this, there is the gift of education. This is what I wanted to do my senior project on but I was unable to find the help or resources to do so. I was given the idea from my father that in order to do big things you must start small. Like those who are an "overnight success" there is usually years of hard work that are hidden under the surface. I sought to find the places where we lack as a society (there are too many to count). I chose to focus on the social gap or "poverty cycle" a.k.a. the Urban Paradox. I live on the border line of Pomona and La Verne. Two completely different cities. La Verne: clean, low crime rate, safe communities, good schools, family environment, regular and upper middle class, quiet. Only a mile away lies Pomona: the streets aren't in the best condition, crime rate has lowered but not as safe as La Verne, schools could be better, low and middle class. I was contemplating how is it possible that La Verne could prosper but as soon as you pass the city limits into Pomona, it's a completely different world? This is sort of the underlying base to my Senior Project. To find out were our country is failing its citizens. Where does the problem begin and How can we prevent this from happening all together?
I chose this EQ because I find myself wanting to move toward the root/core of the problem and how to stop it with a plan that lasts. There have been many ways different organizations have tried to help. For instance the government offers welfare and subsidies but is this really hurting the communities in need? Are those on welfare truly appreciating the help? or are they becoming comfortable with the bare minimum and not giving effort to attempt to be better and strive for more? Are the taxes we pay, (which are high enough as it is) going to a lost cause? All these questions fall under my EQ and I hope by the end of the year to find answers to, if not all, most of them.
