I recently chatted with two women I met at a local event. At a quick glance, the women appeared no different than me – no marks, bruises, or cuts – just two women who were enjoying an outing on a beautiful summer day.

The recent honour killings in the region of Peel has left the community perplexed. How could a person possibly kill one of his family members in order to maintain family honour? The very thought of it would be shocking for most Canadians, but it is a very real, and serious problem we face.

The 2010 G-20 Summit in Toronto was supposed to be an event cherished by most Toronto locals, yet it will be remembered for the wrong reasons. Sights of burning police cars, shattered windows, clouds of smoke rising from the impressive Toronto skyline and armed rioters dressed in black, is what will first come to mind when it comes to recalling the world summit.

I love my grandparents. I don’t know about you, but they mean the world to me. My grandparents are living in another country with my uncle. I call my grandparents every week, sometimes even twice or thrice in a week. I love listening to them talk. If you listen closely, there is so much you can learn.

On February 21, 2010, I attended an event hosted by the Association of Parent Support Groups in Ontario Inc. (APSGO), which featured Rick Osborne, a former gang member. During the presentation, Rick told audiences his entire life story. (http://www.truthforteens.com/)

As a sixteen year old student, I often think about how screwed up this world is; we are facing countless wars, unstoppable genocides, extreme poverty, uncontrollable climate change, increasing debt, and no value on human life. You might yawn and believe that those are problems outside your reach, but each of those issues hits home – hits Peel region. I do not believe that one person can change the world, but I believe when we are thinking internationally, we should be acting locally.

I’m really angry about what happened to Gary Wry! A 42 year old Brampton man was doing what most good citizens would do – break up a fight between two kids. And what did he get for his effort… swarmed and beaten by 30 to 40 other kids who were spectators at this grand event!!!

On Tuesday, May 5th a connect2ENDviolence Conversation was hosted for representatives of key stakeholder groups in Peel. The 45 people who participated in the session are passionate, committed and informed professionals that have worked hard on the issue of violence and violence prevention in Peel.

An unfortunate incident, taking place in 2007, still haunts me today.

Something happened while I was at the mall this weekend. While walking by a group of teenagers, I heard one a teenage boy call to the girl he was standing across from, “Come here bitch”. I’m thinking this guy is going to do something to her, but instead he grabs her wrists, pulls her towards him and then kisses her!