Item 1: Myself

My roommate advised that I use this picture a friend took of me because I am smiling, showing how happy of a person I am; the Big-E is in the background which not only shows how much I love fairs, but also that I have a fun personality.

One of my best friends told me to pick this picture I had taken of myself because it shows that I am a happy person and the fact that I am looking down, shows how shy I can be sometimes.

Item 2: The Big-E

Sophomores Christina Hanafin (Early Childhood Education) and Kayla Schmidt (History Major)

Singer-Songwriter Hunter Hayes

Item 3: Campus Life

Taylor Channell (Sophomore, Psychology Major) studying diligently. 

Sophomores and Communications Majors Zach Johnson, Paul Falcone, and Cody Peck hanging out in Stanley Park, a popular place for students.

Item 4: Personality and Character Portraits

Allyson Canale (High School Sophomore) is my younger sister and is fearless when it comes to anything and takes any obstacle head-on.

Selena Perotti (Sophomore, Social Work Major) is one of my best friends and can always be seen with a smile on her face.

Item 5: Stanley Park Beauty

Invisible Children

An organization that I thought used great social web technology to get their message out there is Invisible Children. They have a Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin page, Google+ page, and a blog. One reason I chose to write about Invisible Children is because I remember being a senior in high school and having my psychology teacher putting on the YouTube video that really kick started the Kony 2012 movement. Before that day, I had never heard of Invisible Children or even who Kony was. It was such an eye opener to not only me and my classmates, but to people across the nation that these horrific things were actually going on in the world. Just some back information on Joseph Kony, he is the leader of an army who call themselves the ''Lord's Resistance Army" and they have been ruthlessly kidnapping, murdering, and displacing civilians in East and central Africa since 1987.

Invisible Children

Invisible Children found out about Kony's doings in 2003 when they met Jacob and Jolly; two people who feared for their lives and envisioned a brighter future. After this encounter, Invisible Children was formed in 2004 in order to do whatever they could to stop Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army. Invisible children uses social media to their advantage extremely well; they create films to document what the LRA is doing and educates new audience members on the subject, they use musicians and artists to introduce audiences to the cause, they have a national tour that brings the films they create to Ugandan schools, community centers, and places of worship, and have national and international events (such as the Fourth Estate Leadership Summit and Move:DC). Invisible Children also has a LRA Crisis Tracker that "broadcasts in real time the attacks" done by the LRA, early warning radio networks, put up fliers that include photos and messages from former LRA members advising current members to return home safely along with instructions, and give broadcasts urging the current members of the LRA to return home and leave Kony's vicious army.
Invisible Children's work doesn't just stop at raising awareness and having dance parties; they work on rehabilitating children and people who have been directly affected by the LRA, invest in education and economic recovery programs, gives Uganda communities with access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation, teaches adults to become literate, helps villages to manage their finances, renovates schools, and gives scholarships to Ugandan students. (All of the above information can be found on the Invisible Children's model.)

Hope, Shannon, and another friend at the Move:DC campaign

The second reason that I chose to research and write about Invisible Children is because one of my closest friends here at WSU has been promoting them since the day I met her. My friend Hope's best friend Shannon took a year off from college to intern at Invisible Children and since then has made a huge difference and influenced many other people to take part in the fight to stop Kony. Last fall, Hope met Shannon and several of their other friends in our nation's capital to take part in the Move: DC campaign where thousands of people marched to Washington, DC and rallied; they showed world leaders that they "haven't forgotten about their promises" to stop Kony.

Thousands of people showed up including celebrity activists who spoke and educated everybody on not only Kony and how to raise awareness, but how to make the world a better place. At the end of the day, there was a dance party complete with "lasers, smoke, DJs, celebrities, neon lights, and glow sticks". Move:DC brought together people from all over the world to join together for a cause and make a difference in the world.

Shannon and Hope

Hope also traveled to San Diego this summer with friends and took part in the Fourth Estate Leadership Summit. The Fourth Estate Summit is a "global justice conference...people from all over the world come to San Diego, Calif. to discuss the millennial generation's role in global justice with each other and experts in fields like business, journalism, film, and international justice." Hope's weekend in California was jammed packed with speakers, dancing, and, of course, inspiration. To find out more about the Fourth Estate Leadership Summit and what Hope experienced, visit them here. Invisible Children has been working hard since it's start in 2004 but because of social web technology, they have been able to get their message out on international levels. Without YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media websites, it would be a lot difficult to get the word out about Kony and we may not be as close as we are today in finding him.

If you want to get involved with Invisible Children or donate, please do so and help us find Kony.


Sincerely yours,

Amanda

To Write Love on Her Arms

 To Write Love On Her Arms is a non-profit organization that raises awareness and gives hope to those struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury, and suicidal thoughts. The organization is connected to treatment centers, books, online sites, support groups and encourages people to have conversations within their community about these subjects and not have them continue to be considered "taboo" subjects.

TWLOHA

Majority of the work that TWLOHA does is to give people who are struggling the help they need. In order for them to get the word out, TWLOHA attends music festivals, such as Warped Tour and uses social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, and even MySpace. Much of their exposure comes from musicians and bands that wear their merchandise while either on stage or in photographs. To name just a few celebrities and bands that have endorsed TWLOHA are Miley Cyrus, Joaquin Phoenix, Christina Perri, Boys Like Girls, OneRepublic, Paramore, Switchfoot, Amy Lee, Mat Kearney, and so many more. Some of the organization's campaigns include, "Love is the Movement", "Rescue is Possible", "Hope is real, Help is real", "Stop the Bleeding", and they are also very supportive of the LGBT community and promoted the "It Gets Better" campaign.

Actress and Activist Sophia Bush

I completely support it and everything they do for our community. I also think that they use social web technology extremely well to get their message across. They share their vision on so many social media sites, it's impossible to ignore them. If a company wants to get the word out, they should make use of the resources that they have. Majority of people today have access to a computer and it is free of charge to create a Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, and MySpace. In order for a company or organization to become known, they need to get the word out. What better way to get the word out about something in this day and age than to start online? TWLOHA started out as a small blog with some T-shirts for sale on MySpace and has since been able to travel all around the country and the world giving lectures about getting rid of stereotypes concerning mental health issues at campuses, conferences, events, and programs. If you feel inspired, take a look at their amazing work on their homepage and feel free to buy some of their merchandise, donate, and get involved today.

Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams

Love Is The Movement

Always remember, "you were created to love and be loved." - Jamie Tworkowski (TWLOHA founder)

Sincerely yours,

Amanda

About Me

Hi, I'm Amanda! I'm a sophomore at Westfield State University and am a Communications major. This is my first blog and I'm really excited about it (but also nervous, so bear with me!). I'm a pretty laid-back person I would say; I am content with doing just about anything. I'm a Sour Patch Kids addict and am always up for a cup of coffee. I'm come from a huge Brazilian family so I normally cannot control the volume of my voice and am always listening to music. From the moment I wake up in the morning until my head hits the pillow at night, music is playing. I'm a lyrics person so I'm the girl that has the CD insert out within five minutes of buying it, pouring over it and interpreting them. I play tennis but enjoy playing other sports. I watch the World Cup every year with my family, enjoy photography, reading my daily horoscope, and autumn afternoons. Pretty things and clever words amuse me, as do animal videos. One Tree Hill is my absolute favorite television show; I've watched the complete series at least four times and always learn something new from it. I'm an Aquarius so I am social, friendly, and love my freedom. If you're curious about anything else, leave a comment and ask away!

Sincerely yours,

Amanda

Inspiration

Growing up with parents who were teenagers during the eighties, I have grown up listening to the music styling of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Queen, Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna, Def Leppard, Metallica, and so forth. Some of my earliest memories are of my dad and I riding around in his blue Jeep blasting Lynyrd Skynyrd and singing my little four-year-old heart out to “Simple Man”. I have always been passionate about music. Not necessarily playing an instrument, but listening to music and discovering different types of genres. My room back home is filled with CDs ranging from Taylor Swift to Nirvana.

         

Lastfm.com Images

           There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not on the web searching for new and different kinds of music. It’s almost like an obsession; I know that I will not be able to experience every kind of genre and every artist but I can’t help it. Last year I took an English class about the 1960s and began to research Janis Joplin and Jimmy Hendrix, people I have heard about but never gave their music a chance. I listened to so much Janis Joplin this summer, I’m sure my parents were about to kick me out. I constantly am telling my parents that I was born in the wrong era, how I should have grown up in the sixties with Janis, Jimmy, The Beatles, and should have gone to Woodstock, or how I should have been the one living out my teenage years during the eighties. Heck, I listen to more of the music from that time than my parents and my parents actually lived through it! The reason I created this blog is so that I can post about new artists or bands I discover, share what I'm currently listening to, or to post whatever I feel like posting that day. It is my blog, after all! :)

Sincerely yours,

Amanda