New Year Resolutions for a Global Citizen

To follow on from my New Years Resolution list from last week as I have been hearing others and adding a couple more to my list.

 To add to last week’s list…

• I will do three continuous days of Ramadan (Islamic month of fasting where nothing can pass your lips during daylight hours – including water! Muslims do it for 28 days!)
• Each and every Monday will be sugar-free (fruit and natural yogurt okay)
• I will live vegan for lent just to see what it is like for 40 days – bring on the soy!
• My vegetable of the year last year was the pumpkin after eating it everyday during Live Below the Line and thinking about my vegetable of the year already… corn?

From the setting of these resolutions it gives me a chance to put more than just resolutions that are fun and exciting for the first week of the New Year, and think about what resolutions and changes can make a difference as a global citizen.

The below list are my very opinionated judgemental left-wing dogmatic ideas that I usually keep to myself and certainly don’t feature in my work with the Global Poverty Project as people don’t like being told what NOT to do and receive a moral bashing…

These are things I try to live up to in my own life and maybe there is an idea or two for others to take on as a NY Resolution that may lead to having a think and possibly habitual change…

Ignore / enjoy / challenge / debate / extend the list and keen for feedback and develop this concept of a ‘Global Citizen’ further.

A GLOBAL CITIZEN DOES THIS…

• Has a strong…
  • Social justice
    • Youth development
    • Community development
    • Gender equality
    • Human rights
    • Leadership
  • Environmental justice
    • Sustainability
    • Transport (walking, cycling & other non-polluting forms)
    • Waste management
    • Water consumption
    • Electricity use
• Trade justice
  • Fair-trade
  • Ethical purchases
  • Local production
  • Working conditions of the people making those goods for you

 

• Volunteers
• Knows about the Millennium Development Goals and what they try to accomplish
• Are aware of the positive qualities of life in developing countries
• Gives aid, charity and donations to suitable projects and causes – that they have researched and taken ownership of so it is inclusive not a guilt off-set
• Knows about responsible consumerism, tourism, environmentalism, gender roles
• Thinks about their consumption
  • and the unnecessary over-consumerism of developed nations today
• Has an awareness of Indigenous culture, perspectives and way of life
  • Also have compassion for the problems they face and in their society
    • Are they caught in between cultures?
    • Are we racist because they don’t fit into OUR culture?
    • Would we be any different if we were in their position?
    • Think about these seriously before casting our judgements…
• Actively protests or lobbies for positive change in our world → locally and globally
• Thinks about some or all of these things from time to time
• Engages in discussion about these things

A good place to engage with these ideas is of course the Global Poverty Project website with far less left-wing ideas and offers a bunch of ways to follow your own passions and interests and take on small actions that can have an impact especially when combined with many others – the old: small actions X lots of people = big change! http://www.globalpovertyproject.com

And to tackle all those greedy capitalists who trash the environment to make profit at the expense of people…  ‘How do you stop those who stop at nothing?’

ANSWER: You don’t stop

My fantastic counter-part in Ethiopia and my neighbour's daughter - all global citizens smile eh!