7 Billion: It's all about sex

by Rosemari

Yesterday I went to National Geographic's headquarters in Washington, D.C. to attend "7 Billion People: Unleashing the Power of Women and Girls." In partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), National Geographic, the U.S. State Department, the International Women's Health Coalition, the Aspen Institute, and other organizations, the event consisted of a few diplomatic introductions followed by a lively panel, discussing how to address our rapidly growing global population, which is estimated to hit seven billion some time around Halloween.

Here's an amazing video that captures the challenges we face as we reach this benchmark.



The panel focused on the importance of women and girls equality and empowerment and access to health, education, and decision making.  Fundamental topics included prenatal care, safe child birth, the ability to be integrated into a community while menstruating, and family planning.  


I was thrilled to hear panelist Alexandra Garita, Program Officer at International Women’s Health Coalition, reframe the conversation. "The word that no one is mentioning is sex," Garita stated, advocating that investing in young people means educating them about comprehensive sex education, "young people need to know what that is."


We have a lot of work to do.  We need to shift the paradigm that "issues" regarding population, women, and girls as issues, instead, regarding sex, gender, and sexuality.  And I am so glad that Garita repeatedly brought comprehensive sex education to the center of this important conversation.


More information is available at 7 Billion Actions.

Blogger Debut: Shelsea

by Shelsea

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shelsea Ochoa and for the past two years I have been traveling around the world, doing hundreds of hours of community service, staying with over 100 host families, and performing a show for tens of thousands of people. 

Today I am in Boulder, CO, to educate students and work with refugees, in a few months I will be in Mexico cleaning slums, teaching kids, and eating quesadillas for breakfast with my host family. Come fall, I will be in Manila, the Philippines, trying to order food from a cart in broken Tagalog. What I do is called Up With People.

Source

Up With People is a global education program that brings the world together through service and music. We take 100 international young people on a tour around the world, stay with host families, do community service, and perform a show that supports the service work we do. We also educate our participants on global citizenship, communication, and leadership. I am the Education Manager for Up With People.

As the world spins around me, a 24-year-old San Diego girl, I have gone through ups and downs, hopelessness and triumph, and as all of my security blankets fall away, I find myself at the core of who I really am. In a world of constant change, the only thing that is constant in my life has been me. And now, my dear friends and readers, it’s you, too.

Transporting the cast

More often than not, my life is not as glamorous as it seems. I spend a lot of time moving the cast of 100 people from one location to another (a group of 100 people can be slower than molasses), organizing who will go on what community service crew, in rehearsal for our show, and lots and lots of time on buses. Still, I appreciate the uniqueness of the Up With People experience, and I am learning so much every day. Through Notes from the Ombligo, I hope to keep the outside world up-to-date and to share tiny morsels of wisdom that I picked up on the road and under the lights.

Who is Jo Calderone?

Photo Souce

by Alisha

I'm sure you've heard of Lady Gaga, you know, that crazy lady who's always wearing a poker face and calling people on the telephone? The real question is, have you heard of Jo Calderone? My guess is probably not... 


At the 2011 Video Music Awards (VMA's), Lady Gaga put on more than just her poker face, she performed a different gender. It's not uncommon these days for celebs to have alter egos, Beyonce is also known as Sasha Fierce, and you might refer to Katy Perry as Kathy Beth Terry. They're widely accepted because these women are still playing by the social norms of femininity, but Gaga's no longer doing that. 


Lady Gaga is known for breaking boundaries, she's previously dressed in raw meat, as well as an outfit inspired by condoms. What's different about this one, is that it is NOT obscure. This time, she's a Drag King (here's a link to a great book about Drag Kings if you want more info on the subject).

People perform gender differently all the time. By giving her approval to things outside the norm that people will actually do, (because lets be honest, no one will show up to school in an egg-like-coffin contraption) it gives power to minorities, and the American culture is afraid of that. In a society upheld by patriarchal values, anything attainable and outside norm is "degrading" (just ask Fox News!). So let's hear it for Jo Calderone for stepping up for something he believes in, because while he may be "performing" for just one night, there are thousands in the LGBT community who do it for a lifetime...