AMLO #YoSoy132

Six years ago we saw Mexico mobilize in support of presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), the challenger to the PAN candidate, Felipe Calderon. Thousands of people were blocked from voting or they experienced voting problems at the poll stations across Mexico.  Some poll stations even claimed to have lost ballots or kept people away with bureaucratic long lines. All these stories were considered rumors, but still the public mobilized behind their beloved candidate AMLO and asked for change.

I was fortunate enough to be in El Zocalo in Mexico City for the AMLO mobilization and witnessed first hand the passion that Mexico had been missing since the 1980s. AMLO vowed to run again and the people supported him. Fast forward to 2012 and only one thing changed. This time we recorded the corruption and the fraud on video, then posted it on Facebook and tweeted about it as it happened at the polls. Even as the Federal Elections Commission in Mexico announced this as one of the most successful electoral campaigns, Twitter and Facebook told a much different story.

All day, we watched as people posted pictures of long voting lines at poll stations, videos of PRI-istas paying voters for their vote, and polling stations advising people that they were in the wrong location. Friends posted of students being arrested for recording the corruption and asked for help by sharing the content on all social media platforms.  Mexican citizens are turning to social media platforms to denounce the alleged fraud and the 14 million youth of the #YoSoy132 movement are leading the way.  Social media is now playing a critical role in organizing an entire nation and providing a voice that they never had before.

Polling Station in Mexico

Through #YoSoy132, the people of Mexico are losing their fear of retaliation against them by the government or drug cartels. They are speaking out and standing up for a better Mexico and for their future. They are fighting the electoral college and asking for change, and they are doing so on Twitter, Facebook and through their blogs.

Now we wait to see what the next step will be for #YoSoy132. Politicians believed Mexico’s youth to be apathetic and non-political, but they youth have responded with a tremendous voice and are ready to effect change, by whatever means necessary. Just as social media played a critical role in Egypt, it will play a critical role in Mexico as Enrique Pena Nieto takes power. It’s almost ironic to state it as the “taking” of power, but that is exactly what he tried to do. Only this time, we are tweeting the “taking” and letting everyone know about this fraud.

Stay tuned, because this is about to get interesting.

@NBCLatino Goes Social: Congrats to @RealAdrianC and the Entire NBC Latino Group « Franky Benítez.

We get very excited when our dear friends have great news to share and in the case of Adrian Carrasquillo (@RealAdrianC on Twitter), today marks a time to celebrate a very cool accomplishment for him and @NBCLatino. They are going social, and we wish them all the best! We asked Adrian to share his thoughts about the essence of NBC Latino. Here they are:

“I’m happy to announce that we’ve launched the NBC Latino social media presence on Facebook and Twitter. Social is one of the pillars of our vision. We come nowhere near our mission unless we have the pulse of our community. But we wanted to do it right. Now that we’ve worked to hone our editorial voice we feel we are ready to launch social.

We want to appeal to Hispanics who feel that there has been something missing from Latino news. Our hope is that by immersing ourselves in the community and elevating what we all see as the Latino news conversation, we will better reflect the nuance, richness and depth of the U.S. Latino experience.

I subscribe to the theory that the most precious resource on the Internet is the time and attention of readers. You can’t survive in 2012 by expecting people to type in the URL to your website. Since 25 percent of all online trips in the U.S. end up on Facebook and Twitter and have become the online town square, I want us to tap into the vast Hispanic online community and present content that is fun, fresh, inspired and smart on the platforms where they already are.

I’ve come to know, respect and admire a lot of people in the Latino space in the last year and a half — from influencers and bloggers to amazing people furthering Hispanic initiatives through the social community. We want to continue to tell important stories and I want everyone who comes across our content to feel ownership of it. We want to represent them and we want them to keep us honest.

So I invite anyone to email me at adrian.carrasquillo@nbcuni.com or tweet to me @RealAdrianC if they have any questions, comments or concerns. Thanks to everyone who is joining us on this journey. I can speak for everyone at NBC Latino when I say that we’re honored to be in the position to make it with you.”

In October of last year, the Huffington Post introduced us to a courageous young transgendered girl who wanted to join the Girl Scouts of Colorado but was first refused admission because she had “boy parts.” In December, the Girl Scouts of Colorado admitted that they had made a mistake and the person who refused her admission was not aware of their policy. Since then, the Girl Scouts of Colorado released a statement through the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), noting, “Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and we accept all girls in Kindergarten through 12th grade as members,” the Girls Scouts said in a statement. “If a child identifies as a girl and the child’s family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout.”

Now, a young girl by the name of Taylor from Ventura, California is attempting to create a national boycott of Girl Scout cookies because of the Colorado’s organization’s decision to admit the transgendered 7 year old.

The girl, appears in a YouTube video in which she claims her organization is using proceeds from sales of the popular cookies to “[promote] the desires of a small handful of people.” I am not going to post the video on this site because I don’t want to bring more attention to her video.

In her video, Taylor states: “Right now, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A…is not being honest with us girls, its troops, its leaders, its parents or the American public,” Taylor, appears to have been a girl scout for eight years. “Girl Scouts describes itself as an all-girl experience. With that label, families trust that the girls will be in an environment that is not only nurturing and sensitive to girls’ needs, but also safe for girls.”

She continues to say, “I am asking you to take action with me and boycott Girl Scout Cookies.” The video ends with a tagline for the Honest Girl Scouts site, which describes itself as a group “concerned with the alarming choices GSUSA has been making,” and “advocating for a change back to simply building girls of good character.”

Here is where you can help. Initially, the transgendered child was going to sell cookies for the Colorado chapter, but a statement from Girl Scouts of Colorado has said that the child is no longer interested in being a Girl Scout, and that we cannot buy directly because she was no longer an active member.  However, the Girl Scouts have reinforced their inclusivity statement and we can do the following to support them:

• Donate directly and let them know it is in support of their inclusivity (and according to GSUSA, you can even ear mark it for LGBTQ initiatives within the Girl Scouts)
• Download the cookie app and find your local scouts to get cookies! (Yes there’s an app for that!)
• Buy cookies from your local scouts and eat them!
• Buy cookies from your local scouts and donate them to organizations that support LGBTQ youth (and/or adults), so that way the Girl Scouts get money and credit, and local organizations get the benefit of the cookies!
• If you can’t afford to buy them you can always write them a letter or email them and thank them for their support of transgendered children!
• Thank them for their inclusivity on Facebook and Twitter.

Original story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/26/bobby-montoya-girl-scouts_n_1033308.html
Troops disbanding: http://gothamist.com/2011/12/22/christian_girl_scout_troops_horrifi.php

She sits behind a desk and waits for questions to be asked.  She is the real person behind “In Case You Are Curious,”  a text-chat program run by Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. Continue Reading

Our lovely friend Catarina Rivera is working on an amazing project. Continue Reading

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I came across this lovely organization through twitter. I really love their mission and the way want to support anyone who wants to follow their passion and their bliss. How can you not love a project whose mission is to start a movement that spreads love by letting people use their natural talents to give to the world. They want to transform the world through giving and being love.  Genius and beautiful!

Here is a little of who they are and where they are going. Be a part of the movement, because I know I plan to join. Social bueno indeed.

What is Love Infinitely about:

The original idea was to have it be a non-profit, supported by a business.  But it has become so much more.  It is becoming a collaborative of compassionate people who are creating change in the world by giving of themselves.  Like I say, using their natural talents.

Here’s a breakdown of who they are and where they are headed:

The Non-Profit

The Love Infinitely Project will be a foundation that will help fund volunteerism on a global scale in several different ways.  The main purpose is to send out individuals, either alone or in a group, to do volunteer work.  They get to choose where they go and what they will be doing.  Of course, if they have a desire to help and are unsure about where to go or what to do, we will be able to help.  The foundation will work like a scholarship where people will apply and interview.  Once chosen, we will pay for the majority of their trip and help organize the details such as accommodations and meals.  There’s a lot more to this, but we’ll leave it at that for now.

Another purpose of the non-profit will be to have the Emergency Response Fund & Team.  Ready to send a group of people at the drop of hat in case of disaster.  Hurricanes, oil spills, earthquakes, etc.,  We will be there to clean up and help where needed.

Other fun parts of the non-profit include an annual trip of the entire LIP Team and a large group of volunteers who will go tackle a BIG project.  The first one is already in the works.  Laos, 2012!  There are elephants involved…  Come with us!  There will also be an annual Arts Camp Tour where people will nominate 3 schools in different parts of the world.  We will take a team of artists (of all types) and hold a week long arts camp in each school.  The tour will be different every time, taking a unique arts experience to schools that otherwise would have never gotten the opportunity.

Of course there will be fundraisers, a yearly Gala honoring the year’s volunteers, concerts and more fun events that will raise awareness and raise funds.

The Company

The Love Infinitely Shop has been up and running since April 1st and is slowly growing into it’s own entity.  My dream is to have artists and designers from all over, contribute their own unique merchandise with a message to the shop.  The shop will be moving from Etsy to the official Love Infinitely website in the near future.  Of course, there will be a special section of  Love Infinitely merchandise where 100% of the proceeds will go to the non-profit.  The purpose of the business is to help fund/run the organization so that the money raised for the non-profit will go directly to sending people out.  I know that this idea will grow and expand to become much more than just a shop.

The Collaborative

Their blog will be a place where people can share their lives, passions and ideas.  Volunteers will be able to share their pictures and stories, friends can contribute ideas on how to get active in their communities (and beyond), showcase causes to get involved with, a place we can all share what our journey is like on the path to changing the world, we can support each other, celebrate victories and most importantly, where everyone can inspire others to go out and do the same.  We will inevitably inspire each other.

Come get involved.

Write to them about causes you are passionate about, share your stories, send in your videos, inspirational artwork, nominate a ‘Girl Who Is Changing the World’…

Be a part of the Love Infinitely Project:

loveinfinitelyproject@gmail.com