Pink shirt Day by Ana Kirmani

  Statistics say 1 in every 5 kids in Canada is bullied. This could be at school, workplace, and now even online. As technology is evolving this number will continue to grow as people are being connected vastly and much faster than ever before. To bring awareness to this issue try to use the acronym THINK, whenever posting something online. THINK stands for (True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary & Kind), remember to always think twice before posting or commenting something negative online. Ability Online strives to bring awareness to this issue as well with the Pink Shirt day on February 27th. The campaign helps bring awareness and funds programs to help build a child’s self-esteem.

     You might be wondering why is the pink shirt so important? What does it symbolize? Well, a short back story to this was an idea created by 2 students in Nova Scotia who took a stand against bullying. A student in their high school was bullied for wearing a pink shirt, so the two boys when out and bought pink shirts to wear. In honour of that event, we now take pride in the pink shirt and wear it during pink shirt day, to raise awareness for those who have been bullied as well as mental health awareness. 

      This year Ability online will be hosting a bake sale for pink shirt day at the University of Guelph Humber, near the plant wall on the first floor. Please help us stop bullying and raise awareness by sporting the pink shirt! We are supported by Motion (formerly Motion Specialties) who are working with us for the pink shirt campaign. 

     Join us on Wednesday, February 27th between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to help put a stop bullying with the pink shirt day. Stop by our bake sale at the University of Guelph Humber connected to the Humber North campus and show your support.

Setting Goals Part 2: By Ana Kirmani

2019 Goals Discussion in the Ability Online Young Adult Chatroom

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for participating in the goal setting segment with Jacob Madeiros last Monday in the young adult chat room. We shared many goals and gave each other encouraging advice to accomplish them. An important step is creating and sharing goals with others to brainstorm and hold each other accountable for progress towards the endeavour. As discussed in the chat the key to setting a goal is to start out small, this allows one to stay motivated and not procrastinate as there is not as much pressure put on getting the task done. Another tip is to stick to one goal, instead of overwhelming yourself with a couple it is best to tackle a task one at a time to ensure progression and that the task has been completed to the best of your ability. 

Now, to touch upon some of the goals that were shared on Monday night’s chat.  Some of the recurring goals discussed on the chat were; procrastination, eating healthy, Saving money, motivation, Fitness and Planning. Though these were just a few it shows that many of us really want to improve and overcome some of our struggles and weaknesses. This is completely normal and actually very relevant to many people in current society. To start off with the goals discussed the following being procrastination and motivation seemingly go hand in hand. Though this is open to discussion there is a link with procrastination and how it contributes to that because of a lack of motivation. When someone is not motivated in a situation or even when it comes to a goal, it will usually lead to procrastination because of the lack or dread that you associate with that task. So in order to beat procrastination is to stay motivated, if you need help or inspiration check out the Motivation tag in the Young Adult forum for more help.

Two other goals that intertwine are health and fitness, I noticed that many members wanted to go to the gym more or even start eating healthier. Which is a great goal for both your mind and health. Eating healthy is a good start, you will find an increase in your energy, mood, and overall tasks you are trying to accomplish. Though fitness ties into it as well, you can be eating a healthy diet but will still need some form of physical activity to burn off necessary calories and unhealthy fats. Which ultimately leads to a happier you!

Another goal that was recurring between members, was saving money whether for travelling or just increasing your savings account. This is very relevant for many of us, as the holidays have drained most of our bank accounts and we are searching for that warm travel destination during the coldest of months. Savings will always help whether it is a rainy day or not. 

Lastly, one of my favourite hobbies was also mentioned during the chat which was planning. Many members expressed that they enjoy using their planners/agendas and scheduling their time wisely. As I am an avid planner and love to learn my agenda into a scrapbook, I completely get the satisfaction when it comes to checking tasks of your daily to-do lists. Actually writing things down and keeping track of certain tasks will stay in your mind even if you don't look at your agenda that certain day. The task has already entered your subconscious, so when the day arrives you will find yourself wanting to complete it or doing the task already. Thank you to the members who participated for the goal setting segment and a special thanks to Jacob Madeiros for hosting the chat!