All posts by Alin Vartic

Pay it forward – let’s revive this project!

I suggest to continue the project ” Pay it forward” . I can’t find a better project for the International Day of all children.

Let’s  post here our good deeds and the list of people who are participating or are touched by them.

For those who don’t know what we mean , please, see this post and this one.

I remind you that:

In 2000, Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novel “Pay It Forward” was published and adapted into a film of the same name, distributed by Warner Bros.  In Ryan Hyde’s book and movie, “Pay it Forward” is described as an obligation to do three good deeds for others in response to a good deed that one receives. Such good deeds should accomplish things that the other person cannot accomplish on their own. In this way, the practice of helping one another can spread geometrically through society, at a ratio of three to one, creating a social movement with an impact of making the world a better place.

The Pay it Forward Movement was founded in the USA helping start a ripple effect of kindness acts around the world. The president of the foundation, Charley Johnson, had an idea for encouraging kindness acts by having a Pay it Forward Bracelet that could be worn as a reminder. Since then, over a million Pay it Forward bracelets have been distributed in over 100 countries sparking acts of kindness.

In 2007, International Pay it Forward Day was founded in Australia . It has now spread to 70 countries including Romania. It is estimated that it has inspired over 5 million acts of kindness and has featured on ABC, NBC, Fox 5, Fox 8 and Global News in Canada.

Conclusion: “Regardless of how big the problems of the world may seem, each person can make a difference simply by taking the time to show love, appreciation and kindness to the people around them.”

Ideas of what others did/ we can do:

  • Write and illustrate a class picture book for children at the local hospital/ Save Children Charity for example
  • Be friendly to someone you would normally ignore
  • Help someone with homework or classwork
  • Friendship hand….trace the shape of child’s hand, write his or her name. Each member of the class then writes one complimentary word about the person until it is full. Cut out hand and display.
  • Peer tutoring e.g. grade7 students help grade 6 or5 with Maths problems, so on , or with reading
  • Do chores at home to help family members
  • Write cards to cheer up people e.g. teacher, friends,parents, grandparents, etc
  • recycling  bottles and cans.
  • In a school in Australia , all students created special  Pay it Forward Cards. Then students pulled a name out of a hat and they became the recipient of one of their good deeds. The other 2 good deeds could be completed at home, school, or in extra-curricular activities.
  • In a school in US, the students organized a school and community wide recycling program to help pay for an important surgery for a 3 year old girl named Hayley Brang. The class raised $9000 to help her and other children in need.
  • In another US Middle School , students prepared lunches which were sold to the staff and teachers at school. They created place mats with positive character quotes and decorated the cafeteria in a “restaurant style”.  All the profits were donated to charities. They wrote stories and letters which they shared with students who were coming to the school next year.
  • Other students (US) came up with an idea to help children less fortunate. They made “Birthday Boxes” for children living in local foster homes. Frequently, these children get left out on important days like birthdays. The birthday boxes were made out of shoe boxes, filled with such things as cakes, napkins, paper plates, decorations, balloons and gift cards, etc. Every child knows how much fun it is to have a birthday party.
  • Source 

 

Can you participate in the Global Shift for a positive change initiated by thousands of young people all over the world? Watch this inspirational video:

What your Legacy will be?

For now:

Propun ca pentru aceasta saptamana sa facem urmatoarele:

  1. Sa cream bratari pt toti membrii acestei redactii ( primii participanti in proiect si apoi pt toti cei care se vor adauga)
  2. sa cream postere pt a populariza ideea in toate clasele
  3. sa scriem pe toate paharele de plastic ale elevilor din scoala citate despre compasiune, empatie, bunatate , etc ( plus numele elevului care a scris si a celui pentru care se scrie)

Va rog sa veniti cu idei pentru saptamana urmatoare!

Istoria sarbatorii Pastelui

Pastele este cea mai importanta sarbatoare crestina a anului, pentru prima data fiind sarbatorit in jurul anului 1400 inainte de Hristos.

Desi multi sarbatoresc si astazi Pastele, pentru multi el nu mai are nimic de a face cu Dumnezeu, este doar un prilej de mancare si bautura.

Sarbatoarea Pastelui poate fi asociata cu primavara. Retrezirea naturii la viata simbolizeaza noua viata pe care crestinii au castigat-o prin crucificarea si Invierea lui Iisus. Pastele crestin este similar cu doua traditii antice: una evreiasca si alta pagana. Ambele traditii sarbatoresc Invierea, trezirea la viata.

Pastele crestin deriva din Pastele evreiesc, numit Pesach, cuvantul de origine al cuvantului Pasti.

Pentru prima data, Pastele a fost sarbatorit in jurul anului 1400 inainte de Hristos. In aceasta data, evreii au parasit Egiptul cu ajutorul lui Dumnezeu. Scriptura in cartea Exod (Iesirea) din Vechiul Testament ne ofera instructiunile date de Dumnezeu pentrusarbatorirea Pastilor in timpul lui Moise. Evreii din antichitate isi aminteau de faptul ca Dumnezeu i-a salvat din robia in care se aflau in Egipt.

Cu ocazia iesirii din Egipt, cand au sarbatorit pentru prima data Pastele, toti evreii trebuiau sa ia un miel si sa il sacrifice. Apoi, cu sangele mielului erau unse ramele de lemn ale usilor de la casele in care locuiau acestia. 

In ceea ce priveste crestinii, Dumnezeu a reinnoit legamantul facut cu israelitii, de data aceasta nu printr-un om, (Moise) ci prin Fiul Sau, Iisus Mesia. Legamantul cel nou nu mai este un legamant facut doar cu evreii, ci cu toate popoarele, care vor sa primeasca iertarea pacatelor prin jertfa lui Iisus Hristos. Legamantul cel vechi purta sigiliul sangelui unui miel care trebuia sacrificat de Pasti dupa instructiunile date de Dumnezeu.

La Cina cea de Taina, in noaptea cand a fost tradat, inainte de a fi prins si arestat, Domnul Iisus a instituit sarbatoarea Pastelui nou testamental, dupa porunca ce I-a fost data de Dumnezeu.

De Pasti se sarbatoreste Invierea lui Iisus Hristos, fiul lui Dumnezeu. Duminica – a treia zi dupa Scripturi- femeile purtatoare de mir au gasit mormantul gol. Mormantul era gol pentru ca Hristos Inviase.

More info here