Our Second Teaser Reposted
https://vimeo.com/127483825 One of the biggest challenges in the making of Beyond Strength was the need to look at poverty in a new way… We were forced to alter our own perceptions of what it meant to live on the streets, what it meant to have nothing and what it meant to fight for your right to have a better life. The idea of choosing to live this way was indeed foreign to many of us who worked on the film and it took the exceptionally blunt and bold sharing of one young man to wake us up to the idea that all things in life are in fact a choice. He was not gentle, nor was he kind in
Our First Teaser Reposted
https://vimeo.com/119343074 In 2009, we stumbled upon a remarkable group of young children living in a place that at first glance was filled with poverty and suffering… Yet as days passed and more time was spent getting to know them and their stories, we realized that what they truly represented was a bold and beautiful vision of hope. One young man shared his tale and in the moment of hearing our lives were irrevocably altered… Our hearts were torn open, and although his life’s story was heartbreaking, it also inspired in us a hunger for change and a powerful awareness of the power
Be Actively Com-passionate
I had the most interesting conversation tonight with some truly remarkable women… A group of women who for the moment don’t know each other very well, in fact some may never meet in person yet they share a common bond. They all have a desire to love and support the women they meet along the road of life and they do it in a truly passionate way. What was interesting about tonight’s conversation was the question that was posed at the beginning that brought forth a whirlwind of insight and wisdom. “What does compassion mean to you?” I took a moment to reflect on it and I re
Two Letters – One Word – Infinite Value…
3 June 2011 Perhaps one of the most challenging things about visiting a foreign land is not melding into the culture but rather understanding the language. Often the two, culture and language, are interconnected and if one does not understand the meaning behind the use of the words chosen by the people to use in their daily life, it is difficult to understand the importance of those words to the culture of the people. Thankfully the Filipino people are extremely welcoming and kind, generous with their time, patient in their teaching, joyful in their mannerisms and above all proud o
Giving Birth to Strength…
27 May 2011 As a mother I remember well the long wait from the time we discovered that we were expecting to that magical day when our angel decided it was time to come into the world. There was so much anticipation surrounding the birth; excitement mingled with fear then added to by every other emotion in between, that when ‘D’ day (I guess I should say ‘B’ day) finally came it was hard to know exactly what I was feeling. From the day we decided to take on the task of producing this film the emotions have been as varied as those experienced while awaiting the birth of my own dau
Teach Them Not to Fish But Rather to LOVE Fishing…
18 February 2011 I think the most powerfully inspiring thing about what I do as both a writer and a producer is having the opportunity to meet the people who are the true heart and soul of our worldwide movement for change. Out there playing, working and co-creating are hundreds, if not thousands of individuals who have answered a calling to work in the field of empowering young hearts and minds so they may find within themselves the strength they need to be the change we wish to see in the world. As old systems are examined by us and are being seen to not be working for the betterment
Keeping a Promise
8 October 2010 During my stay in the Philippines I was blessed to be welcomed by the community of a dear friend. It was during a festival to honor one of the Catholic Saints and it was a weekend to celebrate life and the living of it. Out in the provinces in the small towns these celebrations are a community affair. Families open their doors to strangers and everybody visits from house to house. There is music, singing, dancing, a strong sense of fellowship and everywhere there is food. Being an outsider I was asked if I would be willing to walk through the town and speak wi
His Story…
27 September 2010 His Story, That’s what we gathered last night to hear. His story, That’s why we sat huddled around a computer for hours. His story... There were four of us; all different ages, different backgrounds, different beliefs. Two women; both of them mothers, one Canadian, one Filipina. Two young men; neither of them fathers, one German, one Filipino. It was a mix of new friends and old in a quiet room at the top of the stairs and for three hours, where we had been and where we were going did not matter. We had joined together for a short time in the
We had a dream… The Truth about STRENGTH
1 September 2010 I had a dream... I was lost and wandering in a world where poverty and oppression was accepted; a world where hungry children were ignored, where the small body of a sleeping child on the street was simply stepped over. Yet in the corner of this dream that should have been a nightmare a little light called hope was shining. Through the crack of a door I could hear the sounds of laughter and joy. I followed the sounds and as I approached, the door opened to a world filled with music and hope... I am an author, the pen it is my friend, my comfort and in times
The Dream of STRENGTH…
27 August 2010 I could live a thousand lifetimes and never get back the feeling I first got when walking into SOTH. I am sure many of you are at the point now where you are asking yourself two key questions. First how did it start and where is it going to end. The first is answered easily enough; it started with an impromptu trip to the Philippines to begin work on a novel. When I arrived, I thought that thanks to the information I had been given by a friend, that I had a pretty clear idea of what to expect. I have never been so wrong. What I found in a world that on the surface