Oriana’s Inductive New Media PR Weblog

Here we go, my first post…   

I’ve been thinking about this one a lot. I mean telling stories and involving bigger issues about my country??? Sounds hard if not impossible. Suddenly I remembered that in my Mass Research class there is this way of studying “x” phenomena called the “inductive” way, where you start out with little things to get to the bigger issue. So if human behavior can be studied using this method, why not apply it to my blog? That’s how I decided to do this. Because I get the chance to tell my stories and still address issues that I care about. “Prosaic-me” came from this idea of simplicity but relevance. And the term of “inductive PR” really came to be because people like you and me want to see the big picture but sometimes we don’t understand how we are part of it. Inductive PR is the perfect way to get people involved in something bigger but still recognize them as important individuals. Lets see how it turns out.    

         Unfortunately spring break is over… that short but much needed break is over. I’m getting ready to go to the airport: double-checking that I have tickets, money, ID and passport. While driving to the airport my grandma tells me over the phone-as she usually tells everyone traveling outside Colombia- “remember to be eating something at all times, so they won’t think you are suspicious” I’ve always assumed that by “they” she means immigration… But what I never quite got was the “suspicious” part. Seriously, suspicious of what? Not being hungry at 6 am when I’m boarding because is too early and I’ll probably throw-up anything I eat, or suspicious of not wanting to stuff my mouth all the time for an entire trip that lasts 12 hours? (talk about gluttony). Anyways, for the first time her comment got me thinking -besides I have a 8 hour flight so what else I’m I going to do?-  Why are we so afraid when traveling outside Colombia? or exactly what is it that we are afraid of? Truth be told, there is nothing to be worried about when you have nothing to hide. Its all because of what and how international news show Colombia. I’m not saying the news are inaccurate, but they certainly focus on just one part of the whole, the negative part.    

       Colombians are not all about violence, terrorism or drugs… That is a small part, and unfortunately a very notorious one. But I have never let that little part of the news affect me. That is because I know there is a lot that I can do to change that.  I know it sounds weird, but instead of just complaining or eating for 12 hours in a row to proof that I’m not “suspicious” of i don’t know what. I decided that if I want something to change I better take part in making that change happen. If  I want to change the image of how my country -Colombia-  is being portrayed outside, then I have to do something to make that happen.     

              I discovered some interesting sites while surfing the web that helped me be a participant in the struggle against the negative issues surrounding Colombia. For instance http://www.visionmundial.org.co is a branch of world Vision International that focuses on helping children finish their high school education as well as fighting against underage labor. I understand that at this point you are not sure of what you would like to do, but you still want to be part of making things different? then I recommend first visiting: http://www.colombianosenelexterior just to get some info and background about what are some of the problems and what can be done to help. Then, if you feel like being more active and want to participate but you are not sure what sites to visit, I say you visit Shakira’s organization at: www.fundacionpiesdescalzos.com to help Colombian children get an education and a better quality of life. In Shakira’s page you can donate money online, sponsor a child or buy the Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt she designed (were the money collected is donated to her organization). But if you feel like helping with an issue that is more directly related with the negative news I mentioned above, there is the Unicef Colombia site at http://www.unicef.org.co where you can get information on how to contribute to the fight against antipersonnel land-mines in Colombia. Also fighting the same issue there is http://fundacionmisangre.org an organization led by Colombian singer Juanes that raises funds to support programs that help the victims of anti-personnel land-mines.   

       Now you have a wide array of subjects from which to choose from to ensure that things can actually be different. I hope that by now you have found something interesting that you want to contribute with. If not, I invite you to explore the web. I would also love to help you find something, so please feel free to contact me. I am sure that the next time you are traveling to a foreign country with a Colombian passport there will be no need to show you are not suspicious, because as cliché as this might sound, your face will show a smile of satisfaction and your eyes will show how confident you are about being part of making change happen.