Saturday, September 26, 2009

Power and how it pertains to leadership


My feelings in regards to power and how it pertains to leadership is a positive one. Naturally people fear those in higher societal positions. I personally feel that if people use power for reasons deemed right, it can be utilized to recruit people to work towards a desirable common goal. Power can be used negatively as well, but with the right intensions and the right type of people; I personally believe that power can be a positive thing.

Youth violence has really been a problem in my community and this issue has taken the lives of several of our young people. Somali on Somali crime is something common within the Somali community. Somalia is in a state of anarchy due to conflict between feuding tribes. Many families have fled from that country of war and terror to seek refuge in the west. For quite a while the Somali community here lived in peace and harmony and people had hopes to someday rebuild their country along the lines of unity. A new form violence in terms of youth was ignited here. Somali youth violence based on tribal lines slowly started to appear. Crimes due to gangs based on Qabeel (tribes) became frequent in number. Now, youth are being killed one by one and it seems like the situation in Somalia is being duplicated here. If we don’t take a stand and stop this situation while its still in its earlier stages than we will be facing a catastrophe. This issue has existed for quite some time now but people have ignored it, and as sad as it is for me to say this, it took 9 young men to lose their lives before the community decided that they would react to the problem. Even now, although it looks as though the topic of discussion seems to be youth violence there still seems to exist a division that is getting in the way of people coming together to work for the common good of saving today’s youth. A division that has still carried over from the divisions that started back home.

I am saddened, for I don’t see the need for this division. If everyone wants to save the youth and help them as they say, then why can’t everyone join efforts to combat this issue? I feel that although people say they want to help the youth, the number of individuals who are sincere about really helping the youth is far less than those who come out claiming that they are working for the betterment of the community. A lot of people talk about the wrongdoings of the youth, problems they are creating, and things of such sort but they never talk about solutions. The idea that they could help those people never seems to cross their mind. Talk is what a lot of elders and older youth seems to do, but I believe that talk without action is useless.

What this does is dishearten those who are sincerely working to better the situations. Individuals who want to see the youth get the resources and opportunity to make something of themselves. It breaks my heart to see people claiming to work towards helping the youth, when in reality they are fulfilling their own personal agendas. As a result the young people who need the help, don’t know whom to trust, because it is not like you can tell apart those who are sincere about it and those who aren’t.

The director of the youth program at the Coyle Center has used his power as a director to go out to different colleges to recruit and remind college students about the need for young people to be active in the community. A lot of times what happens is that there are a lot of people who want to do something positive, but because for some reasons just stop at the idea, and never really go out there to implement their thoughts and ideas into practice. So it’s nice for such a person as the youth director of the Coyle Center to remind others about the need for volunteers to help foster and educate tomorrow’s leaders. It is our responsibility as college students, those that have reached somewhere in life and know the problems to help those that are still in the process. The problem is that when people reach at a place where they are proud of themselves they chose to forget everyone else. They focus on themselves and that seems like something that isn’t fair. It is the duty of those young college students to mentor and help those younger ones so that they don’t lose their way.

I myself tutor at the Coyle center. I have decided to tutor there because; I feel that the presence of young college students can make a statement to those who come to the neighborhood to cause trouble. When young college students come to the neighborhood they are able to become role models for the youth whom they tutor. In a neighborhood such as Cedar Riverside it’s not everyday that people invest in the neighborhood. What breaks my heart is that there is a large number of youth from pre-school to high school who calls Cedar Riverside a home. If the city and the college students aren’t giving back then who do they leave these kids to? That as well as a personal passion of helping others is what brings me back to the neighborhood to leave my trace while helping the youth with their academics.

Every time I get time I talk with my friends about joining the cause of empowering our youth. A lot of them want to get involved but because of fear, they are stopped in their tracks and find themselves discussing the problem rather then working to find a solution.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Somali Class @ the University of Minnesota..


Tuesday September 8th, 2009 @ approximately 4:40pm history was made at the University of Minnesota. Somali Class was launched to give Somali speaking students an opportunity to brush up on their skills and strengthen it. For people such as myself, I was excited about the chance to enroll in a class at the University level to retain my motherland.

I was born in Somalia, but spent 14 years of my life here in this great state of Minnesota. During this time, I am saddened to announce that my Somali skills have taken a step towards the worse. I'm not proud to admit that I am unable to speak fluently in the language that makes me who I am as a person, and that is one of the stronger reasons that pushed me to sacrifice enrolling in this course that would require for me to attend classes everyday of the week. I saw more benefits, and realized that with strengthening my oral communications in my motherland, I will be able to do more for my own people. It's not the same when you talk to people in Somali compared to when you speak to them in English. People identify more with you when you speak to them in their mother tongue.

I am extremely happy that the University of Minnesota has taken a step towards the right direction, in giving Somali language an opportunity to cater to Somali and non-Somali speakers as all other languages offered here at the U of M. The class is taught by Saciid Salax who is known in the community as a teacher, poet, and playwright, he brings with him many years of experience in the education field, and a desire to teach the Somali language to all those who are interested.

Today I can proudly say that the University of Minnesota is working with the Somali community and has paved the way to retain the existence of our beloved language.

Dream lives on !!



I realized that every community has their set of problems. The only difference is that when your part of one, the problems are more clear to you. I now understand that my beloved Somali community isn't alone. That means the somali people are not alone in their struggle with tribes and youth violence. The only difference is that we as a community must connect with other communities who too have dealt with these issues. Then only can we find a solution that works. Its not a matter of organizing workshops and programs just then, but its really about establishing long lasting relationships that will link communities together. With this new found connection, can we sit down and get to the root of the problem. A plus is the fact that we other's who've experienced it and could possibly shed light on the situation, and allowing us to avoid potential falls.

I call to the youth of the Somali community where ever they might be, to be connected to their communities. I call to the youth and the educated leaders to not distance themselves from the community. We as a community must address the underlying issues that are cause our youth to turn to violence, our sisters to abort their unborn children and our elders to still sit at starbucks and discuss tribes.

We ( you) are the future of our beloved country. Yes currently the country might not be at its best to compete with the one's we are living in, but nevertheless its the place of our birth. It should be in us all to work towards bettering somalia.

Somalia lives in my veins
Somalia is the air I breath
Somalia is what gives meaning to my life
Somalia is what fuels my energy to withstand all obstacles I've come across thus far

I will not and cannot stop until I see a vibrant somali community working together solely for the purpose of bettering the community. Let us put aside anything that has ever divided us, and work together for a better tomorrow.

Cedar Riverside Plaza

Cedar Riverside Plaza
"Little Mogdisho"