VOF Week 3: (Staying inspired, as a blogger and blogger advocate)



Blogging, like a lot of my life, is a privilege. I have a computer at work, at school, and at home, where I also have a strong internet connection. Since I started my blog Communication for Development I started searching for voices from Global South, and most bloggers I read are from Silicon Valley and New York. I ran into Global Voices and was so grateful there was a group working helping bloggers around the world. Their bloggers have shared breaking news during civil unrest in Kenya and Madagascar, as well as energized youth in Colombia to feel ownership to and take pride in their communities. I wish there were more groups like Rising Voices that took the time to invest in others and mentor them to tell their stories. TakingITglobal is a great global platform for young people, but the focus is more on activities than really taking people through the steps on how to tell their stories.



This is what keeps me motivated to blog:



  • I read a lot, from blogs, to magazines to newspapers, and all these ideas mix in my head.
  • I go to a lot of conferences and panels where I hear what is going on in the world and I always take notes, I like to blog about what I have seen and heard myself, not just react to other things online
  • I get google alerts of topics that interest me, and I am on a lot of email lists
  • I take it easy on myself, blogging when I feel inspired, often on Saturday evening while watching TV, even though that is the worst time for posting things online


I post my blogs to my facebook, and comment on others, and the feedback is motivating

  • I talk about blogging with other people, even though most of them don't relate


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  • Sometimes I find a picture that says more than I ever could, and I post that to break things up.


  • There are not many barriers to blogging for me, and I try to be an advocate for breaking down these barriers for others. Next week, I am going to Kenya where I am leading a youth summit. From the beginning of our planning, we built a youth media team into the conference structure. This team has already started posted to our conference blog Peace Summit 2009
    It didn't take much more money or work to integrate a blog into our overall program, and it energizes and documents it with integrity because it is youth-led. When I get back from the conference, I will tell everyone about what happened and show them the blog, hopefully inspiring them to build youth media and blogging into their future programs.



    Word count: 453

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