Community Service: Giving Back to the Community By Volunteering :: Contribution to My Community

â€Å"The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.† ― Barack Obama It all started when I was in high-school. I volunteered at Helping Hands, Meals on Wheels, and Habitat for Humanity. These volunteering experiences opened my eyes to the needs of my community and the many opportunities for community service. After high-school, I started volunteering with a variety of organizations. I was involved in projects and activities relating to peace, human rights, environment and HIV/AIDS. It was a great pleasure for me to contribute to the development of my community through volunteering. The impact I was making on my community was visible. I encountered numerous obstacles while volunteering because many people don't value volunteer work. In my community, many people consider volunteering as waste of time. They cannot conceive of the fact that someone would work without receiving compensation. My friends and family advised me on several occasions to stop volunteering. I felt extremely discouraged at one point but I could not stop because I loved doing it. Volunteering was the top priority of my life. I decided to ignore their advice and concentrate on my work. One day, a group of young people came to me and said they had something to say. I was very surprised. They said they were all grateful for the changes I brought into their lives. I was so happy to hear such a statement - it aroused a great joy in my heart. This experience has helped me to understand that when one focuses on what others think, it may be difficult to have a meaningful impact upon the lives of others. There are three elements that permitted me to succeed in life through volunteering: passion, determination and patience. One cannot succeed in life overnight. We have to work hard to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Cultural Oppression Essay

Both African Americans and Asian Americans have suffered racial discrimination, slavery, persecution, difficulty in receiving citizenship even though their children were born in the United States and challenges in demonstrating their cultural identity. They experienced difficulty in classifying themselves as purely American because of their outward appearance. Moreover, they always tend to feel insulted that white Americans will always judge them by stereotypes, not by what they really are. African Americans have suffered dual consciousness in the United States, always struggling to receive social and economic equality, both as a Negro and an American. Although political equality has been granted to African Americans, they still suffered inequality in terms of achieving social and economic wealth. The effects of cultural oppression on African Americans have put them at high probability of suffering continued hindrances to achieve societal empowerment and affirmation. However, the richness of African cultures that place importance on collective lifestyle has helped African Americans to be accepted in the United States. Asian Americans were pressured to learn how they could assimilate themselves into different cultural society in the country. The cultural oppression suffered by Asian Americans has helped them to establish their own community in order for them to become self-sufficient. The impact of the Eastern philosophies, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, on Asian culture has helped families to become paternally oriented and hierarchical. The notable reason why some Asians have the tendency to avoid debate and discussion or to appear indecisive is because of these philosophies that teach them principles of harmony, balance and peace. This Asian culture has provided them to act in a positive way and to learn the importance of having self-knowledge about how others behave towards them. Reference Information on Specific Cultural Groups. Retrieved April 17, 2009, from http://education. byu. edu/diversity/culture. html.

Preventing Terrorism Through Providing Nuclear Security

Preventing Terrorism through Providing Nuclear Security The Department of Homeland Security was initiated as a result of the worst terrorist attack in United States history, September 11th, 2001, with the purpose of providing protection for the American people from a wide variety of terrorist threats. On March 24th and 25th, 2014, President Barack Obama along with 52 other world leaders travelled to The Hague, Netherlands for the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit. While there the President stated in the U.S. National Progress Report, â€Å"Nuclear terrorism represents the most immediate and extreme threat to global security, requiring a strong and enduring commitment to domestic and worldwide action.† (Department of Homeland Security 1, 2014,†¦show more content†¦Nuclear Forensics and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office Nuclear forensics is one of the two key elements of nuclear security. Nuclear forensics is the analysis of seized contraband nuclear or radioactive material and any corresponding material in order to provide evidence that will assist in identifying the source of the nuclear or radioactive material and determine its point of origin (International Atomic Energy Agency, 2006). Nuclear forensics also covers the use of the information gathered by the original analysis to determine the routes of transit and any corresponding equipment. The process of nuclear forensics and evidence gathered can ultimately to be instrumental in the prosecution of all those responsible (International Atomic Energy Agency, 2006). Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is the primary entity for nuclear detection in America. Detection is another of the key elements the Department of Homeland Security focuses on improving constantly, through the use of its Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, in order to continue to strive towards fending off terrorist attacks, and providing protection for the American people as well as assist in the international effort to enhance global nuclear security (Department of Homeland Security 2, 2016). The DNDO’s mission is to, â€Å"Prevent nuclear terrorism by continuously improving capabilities to deter, detect, respond to, and attribute attacks, in coordination with domestic and