Skip to main content

Earth Day 2019: Join the World’s Largest Environmental Movement

How Can You Participate in Earth Day?

Do you love the world we live in? So do we! Join us in participating in Earth Day 2019. This year’s theme is ‘Protect Our Species’ where the goal is to educate the world on how human activity is causing a greater risk for millions of our plant and wildlife species that currently exist.

Earth Day Network, the global organizers of Earth Day, is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement with more than 75,000 partners in nearly 192 countries worldwide. Since Earth Day’s beginning on April 22, 1970, many environmental laws including Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental milestones have come into action. Now more than one billion people participate in different activities around the world to help benefit planet Earth.

Up with People has long been a friend of the environment, and our young ambassadors of cross-cultural understanding sing songs carrying this theme with pride. In 1992, Up with People was invited to perform at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development’s Earth Summit in Brazil. While there, we debuted the original Up with People song We’ve Got The Power. Our current production closes the first half with a rock anthem called Home, which addresses our responsibility to this island Earth, our shared home, and all of those who are our neighbors. Being responsible human beings, we believe it is our duty as stewards of this planet to do all we can to protect our air, trees, water, land, and all creatures great and small.

“The environment is important to me because if we don’t strive to protect it, we have no home,” said Anna, a first semester cast member in Up with People from Massachusetts. “Healthy ecosystems provide us with resources and materials we need to survive, and it’s up to us to reduce pollution and start to foster and strengthen those ecosystems.”

What Can You Do To Be An Active Participant on Earth Day?

Join the world in Earth Hour

This year, millions of people and official landmarks such as Big Ben in London, Egypt’s Great Pyramids, and the Empire State Building in New York City, participated by going dark. The hour took place on March 30 from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM local time where people shut off all of their lights to be a part of a worldwide blackout in order to help decrease our carbon footprint. Mark your calendars for March 30, 2020 so you can participate too. Supporters can also sign a pledge and share on their social media pages using the hashtag #Connect2Earth.

Ride Your Bike to Work

We realize this might be easier for some than others, but why not try an alternative transportation method to and from work? If you can’t ride a bike, try carpooling or using public transportation to help decrease the amount of cars on the road.

Switch Your Printed Bills to E-Bills

Many companies provide people the opportunity to switch from receiving their bills and notifications from print in the mail to an email notification or through mobile applications. Making the switch can help decrease the amount of trees that are cut down, reduce landfill waste and help curb the release of greenhouse gases.

Fix Your Leaky Faucets

If your faucet constantly leaks and drips, it equals out to about five gallons of wasted water in just one day and more than 2,000 gallons of water every year. Fixing these types of leaks throughout your house is not only beneficial to decreasing the consumption of water, it also provides more water to those who are in need.

Put Together a Community Activity

One of the most important lessons we try to instill on our cast members in Up with People is to bring community service back home to their local communities after the tour is over. From starting a fundraiser to creating a community garden, there are so many opportunities out there that can collectively get your entire neighborhood involved.

Ditch the Plastic

Do you drink out of water bottles regularly? Switch to using an eco-friendly water bottle that you can reuse. Find yourself drinking out of plastic straws? Plastic straws are made primarily out of polypropylene which is a material that most recycling companies won’t accept because it gets stuck within the machines. Try switching to reusable metal straws instead.

What will you do this year to help protect our species?

To learn more about Earth Day, visit www.earthday.org.

‘We’ve got the power, we’ve got the power
In every heart, in every land
We’ve got the power, we’ve got the power,
We hold tomorrow in our hands’

We’ve Got the Power © Up with People

7 Tips to Fundraise Your Travels Abroad

Whether you want to join a study abroad program or take a semester off and travel during college, affordability and financial responsibilities can seem a bit daunting. Don’t let this get you down! There are tons of options and resources available to you that can help you afford your dream of experiencing the world in a new and exciting way.

Not sure where to start? Here are 7 ideas to help you fundraise your travels abroad.

Create a website or start an online funding campaign.

With the boom of peer fundraising websites like GoFundMe or Fund and Seek, there are plenty of opportunities for you to virtually reach your financial goals. Talk to your friends and family on social media and spread awareness about your current fundraiser. Start a Facebook page specifically for your fundraising site and push your page through email or in flyers around your community.

Utilize your relationships.

It’s all about who you know, right? Through your connections, try seeking out sponsorships whether through specific individuals or a company. Identify one or several companies and contact them directly to see if they would be willing to partially or fully sponsor you. Consider local businesses before large conglomerates as you’ll find yourself having a much easier time connecting with the decision-maker.

Write well targeted letters and emails.

Not everyone you know is on Facebook or Instagram. Maybe it’s just about writing a letter or an email to your friends and family members asking for their support. Share with them the reason  you want to travel and get them on board with your goals. They’ll have your back when you need it most!

Have a garage sale.

Selling what you already have is a great way to make extra cash to fund your travels and it can help alleviate some of that extra clutter you won’t be needing during your time abroad. You can sell your belongings at a community garage sale or have one of your own. It doesn’t take much. Create a few flyers, promote the event on community websites or forums and you’ll be well on your way. You never know what hidden gems you have stored away in closets or shoved in the back of your garage.

Apply for scholarships and grants.

There’s a scholarship for that? You bet! Up with People has scholarships and grants available for potential cast members wanting to travel abroad, as do many international volunteer and study abroad programs. Check in with your institution or program’s financial aid department to see what options they have available for you.

Host a fundraising dinner, brunch, or local event.

Whether you’re a music buff and want to put on a show or love to cook and think a cultural dinner would be a good fit, there are tons of different events you could host that will help you meet your fundraising goals. You can request specific donation amounts, or allow guests to “leave what they wish” in a collection station at your event.

Get a second job.

So maybe this isn’t the most fun out of all the options, but it certainly is a viable source of income. If a second job is an option for you, make these paychecks go directly to your travel fund. Can’t fit a second job into your schedule? Search on Craigslist or local community sites for odds-and-ends gigs that can help add to your fundraising goals.

There are tons of ways for you to make your travel dreams a reality. It’s all about staying positive and getting creative. Looking for more ideas? Our in depth fundraising guide is available for you to download absolutely free! It’s filled with financial planning steps, budgeting tips, sponsorship information, and event planning guides to help make your goal absolutely attainable.

Download Your Free Fundraising Resource Guide Here!

Have some more ideas to add to the list? Share your tips in the comments below!

 

“Don’t keep it to yourself,
Give it away to somebody else,
It’ll make their day.”

Don’t Keep It To Yourself © Up with People

World Health Day 2019: What Is It and How Can You Get Involved?

Join the World Health Organization this year on April 7, 2019

in celebrating World Health Day.

Every year on April 7, the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrates World Health Day as a way to promote awareness and advocacy towards different health related issues. WHO has diligently worked for over 50 years to shed light on themes such as mental health, climate change, maternal and child care. The hope is to turn people’s attention towards these concerns throughout the world that goes beyond a singular day of recognition.

Up with People believes in developing our youth to become positive agents of change. In doing so, we want to continue educating and spreading awareness on topics that affect not only our local communities, but the entire world. With World Health Day 2019 approaching, we thought it would be a great idea to discuss the importance of acknowledging this day every year as a way to promote issues that concern each and every one of us.

World Health Day originally began at the First Health Assembly in 1948 and is now a day we celebrate internationally led by more than 7,000 people from more than 150 countries.

This year, WHO is focusing their campaign on universal health coverage (UHC) as a way to bring worldwide attention to one of the key factors in the UN Member States’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UHC’s primary focus is to ensure that all people have access to quality health services without the fear of financial difficulties. This initiative includes a wide scope of services a person would need throughout their life including health promotion, prevent, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care. In order for this to be successful, WHO is striving to create a strong primary health care system.

World Health Day 2019 is celebrated after the “World Conference on Primary Health Care” of 2018 and before the the United Nations General Assembly will have their meeting on UHC to be held in New York in September, 2019. While these may seem like big tasks for major global players, there is still so much that can be done by individuals on a smaller, more localized scale.

Key Facts About UHC from WHO:

  • 50% of the world’s population remains without full coverage of essential health services.
  • About 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty (living on $1.90 or less per day) because they are needing to pay for health care.
  • Over 800 million people (which is about 12% of the world’s total population) spends at least 10% of their household budget on health care.

What can you do to participate in World Health Day 2019?

  1. Start educating yourself, and in turn, educate others.
  2. Make noise! Communicate your needs, opinions, and expectations to local policy-makers, politicians, and other representatives.
  3. Share health service needs on social media accounts.
  4. Share stories as affected community members and patients with the media or other important local figures.
  5. Organize activities such as concerts, marches, interviews, and discussions to provide people in your community to interact with their representatives on the topic of UHC.

 

Celebrating International World Water Day on March 22 Around the World

Every year on March 22nd, the world comes together to recognize International World Water Day to create awareness and advocate for Sustainable Development Goal 6: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.”

In 1993, The United Nations General Assembly designated the 22nd of March as the very first World Water Day. The day was originally created to help tackle the water crisis around the world, especially for marginalized groups of people facing discrimination, or continue to be overlooked when it comes to having access to clean water.

This year’s theme for the international day of recognition is ‘Leaving no one behind.” Water.org’s statistics on the current water crisis state that 844 million people are living without access to safe water and 2.3 billion people are living without access to improved sanitation.

This year, you can also do something to help increase awareness of the current crisis as well as make an impact within your local community. Here are some ways r people are participating in International World Water Day this year.

Spend a Day with Limited Access to Water

It’s easier said than done. See what it’s like to live a day e without access to proper water by limiting the access for yourself. Living in someone else’s shoes can help bring a better understanding of the difficulties many people  in undeveloped countries experience throughout their daily lives.

If you don’t want to go to such an extreme, try conserving water and being more aware throughout the day of the extra water you use. Make sure to shut off the water while brushing your teeth, take shorter showers, and always check for leaks. A fun game for you and your children could be to create a list of ways to conserve water every day in your own home!

Educate Yourself and Others That It’s Not Just About The Faucet

Just because we only see water come out of our own faucet doesn’t mean that’s the only way that we can conserve a little H20. Simple things like saving your leftovers can help conserve water that is used during the creation of food as well.

Fun Fact: Did you know that grains and vegetables require less water than animal products? Why not try going vegetarian for a week? Share this information with your friends and family on social media to spread the word and help educate others as well as yourself.

Connect Yourself with Companies That Are Sharing In their Sustainable Responsibilities

Large companies like Stella Artois and Levis have developed ways to reduce the consumption of water used in the creation of their products. Levis initiative called Water<Less has enabled them to reduce the amount of water they use and has now saved more than 1 billion gallons of water. Stella Artois has a limited edition chalice you can purchase which will provide 5 years of clean water to a person in the developing world.

As a nonprofit that educates and empowers our youth globally, Up with People fights hard to create a more sustainable world to improve the future for all people. Spread the message of International World Water Day by sharing this post or by making one of your own. You can also find an event near you by visiting the International World Water Day website.

Watch this video to learn more about the water crisis in our world today.

 

The air is hazy from a sky that’s raining brown

No water to drink.

We play the same blame game it’s a shame

That those who live on a dollar a day

Would give it all for what I wash down my sink.

Home © Up with People

Up with People Alumni – Where Are They Now? Interview with Ultan Courtney

Up with People alumnus Ultan Courtney has worked diligently for over a decade to achieve his dream of working as a motion graphics artist in broadcast television and feature films. We are grateful to know that Up with People was a part of his journey during his time off to travel and grow as an individual. From the hills of Ireland to the Oscar-winning silver screen, learn more about Ultan and how his experience traveling in Up with People impacted his career in this month’s “Where Are They Now?”

Where are you originally from?

I’m from Dublin in Ireland.

When did you travel in Up with People (UWP)? What was your role?

I travelled with UWP in the first half of 2008 and my main role was as a speaker on stage, reciting slam poetry for the show.

What is your current position now? What does that entail?

I work as a motion graphics artist for broadcast television and feature films.

I design and animate graphics for investigative journalism, create content graphics and rebrand television shows, and I occasionally work in Feature Film. Specifically, I worked on Sony’s “Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse” where I animated user interface designs and in-screen graphics for the 3D sets, environments and for CG characters to interact with. This was a dream come true and took about 12 years to work towards.

Backstory:

Over 5 Years ago, in 2013 I was very fortunate to win a scholarship to study 3D, Visual Effects and Animation at Vancouver Film School. Going back to school prompted a fundamental change in my career after having worked for 8 years in broadcast and graduating from a Visual Communication Degree in Ireland. It was a long road! I have always been trying to amalgamate the two worlds of design and film into one career and I finally have.

How did traveling with Up with People prepare you for this position?

Well, the visual effects industry is actually extremely international. Traveling with UWP opened up my knowledge of Mexico, Thailand and the United States. It deepened my comfort level and appreciation of working in multicultural environments. It also helped to introduce me to international teamwork dynamics and group communication skills with a common aspiration in mind.

How did Up with People impact your life both personally and professionally?

Personally, Up With People was very beneficial because it rounded my character to accommodate a greater view of the world. That’s an important experience to travel and learn to integrate the values of others. It’s a lot of responsibility representing your country while living with a host family, but massive social skills are learned adapting to life in new places over and over again.

What advice would you give our youth in pursuing their passion/career?

Find people online who do what you love, or possess an aspect of the type of responsibility you want to have in your life. Then learn what daily habits they employed to get to where they are. Read their books, (or books they recommend), watch their Youtube interviews, do online courses, and show up to conferences and ask them questions. This will provide you with a road map to success and embed you in the culture of the industry you want to enter. Many jobs in my field are increasingly insecure and the best professionals are motivated, independent, life-long learners who see the world as a worthy challenge of their skills – and never a tragic grind against the odds! That perspective shift is essential to ultimately finding a purposeful working environment.

The hardest jobs I have ever had were immediately after university/college because in that unique situation, you are often starting your career from scratch. Nobody prepares you for that reality! You need to recognize that a brand new and rewarding learning path must commence and be directed by you from that moment onwards. Learning does not end at 3rd level education – that’s just the doorway!

Did you always know that this is what you wanted to do?

Originally I wanted to do psychology, and I do occasionally yearn for “the other road,” like all people. I certainly do integrate it into my life whenever I can! But you have to pick your battle, and I am happy I chose an artistic discipline. I think university solidified for me that design, photography, visual effects and cinematography were always going to factor together for me in some way, shape or form. Motion graphics simply offered a distinctly flexible medium to create work that weaved between those worlds laterally with a heavy dollop of technical training. I especially enjoy the level of authorship and creative freedom this field offers me in addition to the massive reach of the audience who ultimately see it.

What was a favorite moment while traveling in Up with People?

In 2008, there was a mini mentorship program set up in UWP called “Greater Than Yourself”**. It was the most disarming thing in the world to have a staff member recognize that you were especially worth their attention to see how much better you could improve and refocus your life. I wished it went on longer, but I was very grateful to have been selected by a remarkable person named Scott Enebo, the Assistant Cast Manager at the time.

**The “Greater Than Yourself” Up with People projects are featured in Steve Farber’s book: Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership. Steve Farber is a former Up with People Board Member.

What would you tell someone who was considering traveling in Up with People?

I think if you need time away from a rut to regroup your focus and be given responsibility and travel with the purpose of helping people, than Up with People is a great idea. I recommend getting sponsorship, scholarships, and grants as it is also an expensive commitment.

What are the top 3 things you learned during your experience in Up with People?

  1. I hope I learned to be more diplomatic! UWP focuses you to speak with the world watching, especially when you are surrounded with participants from so many different countries.
  2. I became a lot more aware of my shortcomings and my strengths. It’s good to learn your limits so you know where to set your efforts to grow next.
  3. I definitely learned to be physically less self conscious, dancing and moving and performing in the streets. That was empowering!

How do you keep hope alive?

I think you have to choose to see it around you. Hope is real but it also requires focus and energy to recognize it and then maintain it. Luckily it’s contagious!

Work by Ultan Courtney – Peni (Kimiko Glen), Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage) in Sony Pictures Animation’s SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.

 

Power with a sister a brother

is stronger than power over each other.

Power With © Up with People

Gala 2019 Remarks from Up with People’s President and CEO, Dale Penny

The Up with People 2019 Gala was an absolute success. From people’s participation in the paddle raise to an outstanding performance by the Up with People cast, the night was one that we will all remember. Up with People’s President and CEO, Dale Penny, kicked off the gala by sharing his remarks with the audience for those that attended as well as those watching from home on our global live stream.

Remarks from Up with People President and CEO, Dale Penny:

“I’m aware that we have two audiences here tonight, those who have been involved deeply in the Up with People program and know a lot about it, and those who are here as guests and know little about our programs. So let me take a brief moment to say a word about Up with People.

The short story is that Up with People is an organization founded during the 1960’s, another time of great global division – a  time when most people were defining themselves by who and what they were against. At a summer youth conference, the founding question to the students was, “We know what you are against. What are you for?” Their answer was a world with empathy and inclusion and dignity and respect for all. And the way they chose to address the divisive issues of the day was through music, and celebration, and optimism for the future.

Since then over 22,000 young people have travelled in the casts of Up with People, with more choosing to share this experience every semester.

And today we are continuing to evolve,  serving more and younger youth to increase our community impact. In addition to the traveling cast program for young adults that you’ll see this evening, we have two rapidly growing youth programs. Up with People Jr., a day camp for kids from 8 to 12, and Camp Up with People for teens 13 to 17. The impact of all of our programs goes far beyond the participants. It touches their families, the host families they stay with, and the communities they serve. Soon, we plan to offer programs to up to 15,000 youth and young adults in 100 cities worldwide each year. It’s an exciting and important time for Up with People to extend our reach.

So, what is it about Up with People that binds us together? I look at this room and think about the broader Up with People community of alumni, host families, sponsors, supporters across the 137 nations we represent and the 73 countries Up with People casts have visited and I think, “What in the world do these people share?”

It’s not that we share a single race, we clearly don’t, or one faith, or a nationality, or political affiliation. It’s not our age or our gender or sexual orientation or what we think about some pretty fundamental social issues.  

No, I believe what draws us together is an idea that goes back to that summer conference. That what we share is greater than what divides us and we can overcome our differences to build a common future together.

I know that sounds too simplistic, too naïve, too Pollyanna-ish, but it is at the very core of Up with People and I think it is why we are all here tonight. It’s not that we are oblivious to the ugliness, the fear, the incivility and divisions in our world. It is simply that we have made the choice to be optimistic and hopeful rather than give in to despair.

And the good news is we’re not alone. In TIME magazine couple of weeks ago a number of international leaders wrote on why they are optimistic about the future. Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro wrote,

Optimism is radical. It is the hard choice…the brave choice. These days, the safest and “sophisticated” way to appear intelligent is to be skeptical and cynical…But every day we all become the balance of our choices – choices between love and fear, belief or despair. Optimism is our need to declare what needs to be in the face of what is. Optimism is not uncool; it is rebellious and daring and vital.”

Rebellious, daring and vital. Those are adjectives rarely used about Up with People. But from the very beginning 53 years ago the cast members of Up with People have had the audacity, the gall, the daring to face the cynics and “…declare what needs to be in the face of what is” and then to turn that hopeful declaration into action.

And they do that not just during their time in the program. They continue to be that community of positive change agents throughout their lives in their communities and professions. And many of those are in the room tonight.

That is what we are celebrating tonight and that is why your being here and your support is so essential to keeping this organization thriving and enabling young people to raise their rebellious, daring and vital voices and declare a world that needs to be, and can be if we keep up the fight.

Thank you!”

“It begins with us, will you stand with us?
The moment is here and now
It begins with us, it won’t end with us!
The moment is moving on

It Begins With Us © Up with People

Giving Thanks Around The World

Coming together to give thanks for good friends, family and food are not exclusive to the Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States and Canada. Giving thanks around the world takes on many forms. Check out these amazing festivals that commemorate a great harvest every year!

South India: Pongal, the Harvest Festival

Pongal is a four day celebration that takes place every January. This festival marks the beginning of the end of the winter season in India. The second day is considered the most important part of the festival and is the day dedicated to worshipping the sun god. Locals toss their old clothes into a fire, give each other oil massages and then sport new clothes to celebrate. Food plays a key role in the celebrations and special dishes like sarkkarai pongal (a sweet rice dish) are prepared.

Pongal (Photo courtesy of The Indian Telegraph)

Erntedankfest: Germany

Erntedankfest, the “Thanksgiving Day” in Germany, is a predominantly religious celebration that takes place on the first Sunday in October. Just like Thanksgiving in the United States, Erntedankfest is centered on giving thanks for the year’s harvest. During many church services throughout the day, giant woven baskets filled with fruits, grains, and vegetables are carried to the church, blessed, and then distributed to the poor. In the evening comes the feast. The traditional foods are very similar to American Thanksgiving dishes. One unique part of the banquet is mohnstriezel, which is a kind of sweet bread sprinkled with poppy seeds.

A traditionally decorated trailer during an Erntedank parade

Barbados: Crop Over

The traditional harvest festival in Barbados is called Crop Over and features climbing a greased pole, feasting, drinking competitions and a calypso music competition where people dance and sing. The celebration lasts from June to August and has become Barbados’ largest national festival. If you get the chance to celebrate Crop Over don’t miss the traditional dish of Macaroni Pie and Fried Flying Fish or the delicious delicacy of Pudding n’ Souse!

Macaroni Pie and Fried Flying Fish

United Kingdom: Harvest Festival

This festival is rooted in the traditions of Saxon farmers cutting the first sheaf of corn and offering it to please the fertility gods to give them an abundant harvest. The Saxons believed that the Spirit of the Corn resided in the first cut of corn and in order to protect the harvest they would make dolls made of corn with braided plaits and put them in the rafters of the barn. Today these corn dolls are still made each year to celebrate Harvest Festival. Traditionally a huge feast is served to celebrate the successful harvest. To give thanks, children typically bring gifts of fruit and vegetables to churches and schools so that they can help to feed the less fortunate.

Photo Courtesy of The Telegraph UK

Israel: Sukkot

Sukkot, commonly translated as the Feast of Tabernacles, is a biblical holiday celebrated between late September and late October. The festival originally was considered a thanksgiving for the fruit harvest. During this celebration Jewish people reflect on how the Israelites felt during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the exodus from slavery in Egypt, as referenced in the Bible. Sukkot is celebrated by, first of all, building a sukkah. Sukkah are hut-like structures that the Jews lived in during the 40 years of travel through the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. As a temporary dwelling, the sukkah also represents the fact that all existence is fragile, and therefore the Sukkot celebration is a time to give thanks for our homes and our bodies.

Sukkah booths where Jewish families eat their meals

China: August Moon Festival

During China’s August Moon Festival millions of Mooncakes (flaky, round, semi-sweet pastries) are made and given as gifts during the celebration. This 1,000-year-old festival is often thought of as “Chinese Thanksgiving” because of its spirit of gratitude and abundant food. The tradition is meant to give thanks for the bountiful summer harvest and pay respects to the myth of the immortal goddess, Chang O, who lives in the moon.

Mooncake

We are many, we are one,

Brothers and sisters wherever you’re from.

We all dance to a different drum.

We are many, but we are one.”

We Are Many, We Are One © Up with People

LinkedIn Says Companies Seeking Employees With Soft Skills

According to LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner the biggest skills gap isn’t what you might think. During the age of coding boot camps and a growing number of ways for technology to remove human interaction from the equation, it turns out the biggest skills gap has nothing to do with technology.

In a recent article Jeff Weiner, who heads the world’s largest professional-networking site LinkedIn, explained, “the biggest skills gap in the United States is soft skills.”

What most employers want, Weiner says, are written communication, oral communication, team-building, and leadership skills. These skills are increasingly hard to find in a world where people are glued to their phones. It turns out that real life communication skills just so happen to be the building blocks of a good company.

“As powerful as AI will ultimately become and is becoming, we’re still a ways away from computers being able to replicate and replace human interaction and human touch,” Weiner said at a Wired forum on the future of work. “So there’s a wonderful incentive for people to develop these skills because those jobs going to be more stable for a longer period of time.”

In other words, we’ve all been told that robots are coming to take our jobs but surprisingly the jobs that are the safest from automation are those that require social and interpersonal communication skills.

Enter the gap year. In a world where learning how to have a conversation is valued (see soft skills) more and more young people are seeking the development of these in-demand skills. Up with People (the original gap year) has known the value of soft skills for a long time.

The core of Up with People’s global education program is based on a robust curriculum that not only enriches the tour experience, but brings key lessons to life through exploration, formal study, and action. Delivered in an experiential learning format, cast members leave their tour with a deeper commitment to lifelong learning, with the tools and abilities to navigate the complexities of today’s interconnected world. A core pillar of Up with People’s curriculum is to strengthen individual communication skills, including personal communication and public speaking and interviewing, develop facilitation and presentation techniques that will help them excel in the companies of tomorrow.

According to Fast Company, another job sector that will not suffer from the “robot apocalypse” will be creatives. Not only do these people tend to have strong “soft skills” but this job category qualifies as well within the “safe zone” which includes artists, singers and musicians.

Until artificial intelligence and robots can replicate productive conversations, those looking for job security in the future may want to consider investing in the development of these often overlooked soft skills.

“We are the faces of today

We are the voices of tomorrow

This is our time this is our place

We show the way others may follow”

Maybe I © Up with People

 

Making The Most Of Winter – Daylight Saving Time

The days are shortening and winter’s chill is taking hold in many places of the world. Winter is coming and with it the time has just changed for many. The main purpose of Daylight Saving Time is to make better use of daylight. We change our clocks during the summer and winter months to move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Countries have different change dates. According to many sources, DST saves energy too.

Most areas in North America and Europe, and some areas in the Middle East, observe daylight saving time, while most areas of Africa and Asia do not. In South America, most countries in the north of the continent near the equator do not observe DST, while Paraguay and southern parts of Brazil do.

For those of you whose days inevitably will be spent inside because of cold weather we offer some helpful tips to make the most of this winter.

The Great Indoors

  • Cozy up in front of a roaring fire
  • Try out new board games (bonus points if they are popular in countries other than your own. Matador for example, which is popular in Denmark!)
  • Shop post-holiday sales (online, in your PJs)
  • Take a long bubble bath
  • Watch an interesting documentary with someone you love

 

Get Outside

  • Yes even though it’s cold! Much like exercise, getting enough natural light during the winter is important in order to prevent seasonal affective disorder, and reduce its symptoms.
  • Strap on a pair of snowshoes and explore the less crowded hikes you love during the summer
  • Ski!
  • Ice skate
  • Enjoy a hot drink at a outdoor winter market

Go See An Up with People Show!

  • Right now Up with People is on the road and could be coming to a city near you! At the time of this writing they are traveling through Sweden. If you need a jolt of energy and a fun night out check out the world tour schedule here.

 

Plan, Refresh, Get Ready for the New Year

  • While New Year’s Resolutions may seem a bit cliché they can be extremely helpful. Take stock of your life, the past year and while you’re stuck inside plan your priorities for the year to come. Goal setting can be extremely helpful and there’s no better time than when the light fades.

 

Take An Off Season Vacation

 

Catch Up On Reading

  • When was the last time you read a good book? Winter is the perfect time to challenge yourself to read more. Watching hours of TV can sometimes make people feel like vegetables. Turning off the TV and reading a book has been shown to actually stimulate the brain and fill you with new ideas, energizing your mind through the winter months!

 

Do Something Kind

  • The lack of daylight can be a damper on our moods. Make a point to get out of the house and do something nice for a stranger or even a friend. Anything can instantly make you feel better!

“Yesterday was once tomorrow
Right now happens in-between
Get on board this time machine”
Time Machine © Up with People

It’s Up to Us


Post from Up with People President & CEO Dale Penny

Enough! It is time for action to build respect, civility, trust…and perhaps to find some common ground and unity. None of us should be proud of the way much of our society has become divided, disrespectful and even fearful of those “others” who may look, worship, believe, live or simply vote differently. Our social fabric seems to be stretched to the point of shredding and recent tragedies leave us grasping for answers. 

Sadly, too many of those on whom we should depend for leadership are not helping find those answers. It is up to us, the people of all political parties, ethnic groups, faiths and backgrounds to take positive action to reduce the climate of disrespect, refuse to accept dehumanizing and hateful language and bring us together as a society.

Let’s face it, that won’t be easy. Most of us hold our beliefs and opinions for legitimate reasons based on our experiences. For the good of our society, however, we must not allow ourselves to see those whose opinions or beliefs differ from our own to be seen as the enemy. Having opposing views does not give you, me or anyone the right to insult, belittle or commit hateful acts against those with whom we disagree. 

Most of our home countries are increasingly diverse places. That will not change. With historically high numbers of transient populations many of our nations will continue to become more multi-cultural with each generation. The reality is that the future will not be built only by those who are like “us” or with whom we always agree. Our future will only be built by learning to accept, listen, learn, share with and find common ground with those “others.”  

What can we do? Let’s start by expecting greater respect and civility from ourselves, each other and our leaders and by taking action to change the political and social climate. I’m not talking about a simplistic “just sing Kumbaya and we’ll all be friends” solution. It will take making commitments to do the hard work of building understanding, empathy and trust. Let me propose a few steps to start with:

  • Accept that others have as much right to their opinion as we do.
  • Respect the values, beliefs, lifestyle and opinions of others as much as we expect them to respect ours.
  • Assume goodwill on their part until they prove otherwise.
  • Assume that they have come to their point of view partially through rational reasoning and partially through irrational emotion…exactly the combination which has led us to our viewpoint.
  • Start by listening to understand their side. Be open to the idea that their opinions may be valid.
  • State our opinions without demeaning the other side personally.
  • Focus on those areas of agreement rather than looking for what divides us.
  • When we find ourselves being dragged into the mud, stop, take a deep breath and start fresh at the top.

 

This is not, of course, a magic solution, and by practicing these basic concepts we may or may not reach agreement. But both sides can walk away feeling respected and valued as fellow members of the human family.  Does this seem “doable”? If not, then we are destined to continue on the path of tribalism, fear, ugliness and division. But if it does, then let’s try it.

The upcoming holiday season gives us an opportunity with our families and friends with whom we may or may not agree. Just start with intentionally practicing civil and respectful discussions with those we love. Maybe, just maybe, we can all have more joyous and less stressful holidays and we can start the new year feeling a little bit better about ourselves, each other, our social framework and our future together. Who knows how it might spread and what good might come from it? It is up to us!

“It begins with us, will you stand with us?
The moment is here and now
It begins with us, it won’t end with us!
The moment is moving on.”
It Begins With Us© Up with People