Promoting Wellness and Resilience Essay Example for Free

Promoting Wellness and Resilience Essay This paper deals with promoting wellness and resilience for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). First, a model of wellness and resiliency is presented. Then, recommended intervention activities that promote resilience and wellness are discussed. Lastly, prevention and education activities are proposed. Wellness and Resiliency Model Studies on wellness and resilience models among individuals with IDD appear non-existent and very few have been written about counseling methodology. Most focus on a cognitive-behavioral approach to psychotherapy (CBT). Therefore, a paradigm must be created that combines CBT and an evidence-based model of wellness. Myers, Sweeney, and Witmer (2000) define wellness as â€Å"a way of life oriented toward optimal health and well-being, in which body, mind, and spirit are integrated by the individual to live life more fully within the human and natural community. Ideally, it is the optimum state of health and well-being that each individual is capable of achieving† (p. 252). â€Å"Resilience refers to positive adaptation, or the ability to maintain or regain mental health, despite experiencing adversity† (Herrman, Stewart, Diaz-Granados, Berger, Jackson, Yuan, 2011, p. 259). Myers and Sweeney (2005) created a model of wellness called The Indivisible Self which is based on Adlerian principles. This model delineates five areas of wellness: physical, essential, social, coping, and creative. Physical well-being is further divided into two areas: exercise and nutrition. Essential wellness is broken down into four components: spirituality, self-care, gender identity, and cultural identity. Social felicity is divided into two parts: friendship and love. Coping is divided into four aspects: realistic beliefs, stress management, self-worth, and leisure. Creative fitness is broken down into five elements: thinking, emotion, control, positive humor, and work (Myers and Sweeney, 2005). Recommended Intervention Activities That Promote Resilience and Wellness As  the IDD population tends to be of lower socioeconomic status (as adults), placed in residential facilities, and highly medicated, physical health is a vital component of overall wellness. Physical fitness can be maintained through exercise programs. A community-based program described by Lante, Walkley, Gamble, and Vassos (2011) provided health and psychosocial benefits to participants. In the area of essential wellness , spirituality plays an important part in the lives of most. IDD individuals should be allowed to attend worship services or participate in other activities cultivating the spiritual nature. Watts (2011) proposes utilization of Special Religious Education for People with a Developmental Disability (SPRED), defined as â€Å"†¦symbolic catechesis where formal instruction is supplemented or completely replaced by visual, aural, sensory, and physical stimuli (p. 237). In the area of self-care, individuals can be taught tasks to their fullest level of independence. Gender identity can be explored through modified sex-education curriculums exemplified by The Facts of Lifeand More by Walker-Hirsch (lesliewalker-hirsch.com, 2014). Social well-being is a necessary component of wellness among those with IDD. Friendship and love are very possible and should be encouraged. Community groups, such as The Gathering Place and Pathfinders, provide a venue and activities for the population (welcometowesley.com, 2014; gracenc.org, 2014). Dating sites such as Special Bridge provide access for individuals with IDD a chance to meet and date others with IDD (specialbridge.com). CBT can be utilized to help disabled individuals in the area of coping. Irrational beliefs can be explored and replaced with more realistic views. Stress management techniques can be taught. Self-worth can be explored and improved (Lee, 2004). Leisure skills and interests can be explored and improved upon through systematic testing and development (Kreiner and Flexer, 2009). Creative fitness can be cultivated through activities that involve thinking, particularly critical thinking. Handling emotions and controlling behavior can be taught via dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) (Rizvi, Steffel, and Carson-Wong, 2013). Work needs can be met through sheltered, supported, and/or competitive employment. In North Carolina, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation provides services and referrals to service providers (ncdhhs.gov/dvrs, 2014). Proposed Prevention and Education Activities Education and prevention can focus on training individuals, families, caretakers, and facility staff. If those who are in contact with the population everyday can be educated as much as possible, the level of wellness and resilience in persons with IDD should increase. IDD clients can learn about healthy eating and exercise through objective plans adjusted for functioning level. For instance, individuals with autism can read a social story (The Gray Center, 2014). Individuals, families and staff can be trained on proper nutrition by registered dietitians who can develop meal plans (American Dietetic Association, 2009). The importance of gender and sex education, spirituality, and cultural identity can be taught to those working with people with IDD. Gender and cultural identity and sex education can be taught to individuals with IDD through modified curriculums or incidental learning. Social skills, coping mechanisms, and creative pursuits can be taught to individuals. Families and facilities can learn what coping mechanisms are effective for clientele. Identified Strategies to Promote Community Resources Families in particular can be directed to community resources. Many resources exist for individuals with IDD. Brochures, information about service providers, and government resources can be given to families and higher-functioning individuals. Providing links to websites for organizations such as The Arc and managed care organizations such as Coastal Care can be a good starting place (thearc.org, 2014; coastalcarenc.org, 2014). References Beange, H., Lennox, N. (1999). Health targets for people with an intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual Developmental Disability, 24(4), 283. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.capella.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.capella.edu/login.aspx?direct=truedb=aphAN=2731367site=ehost-livescope=site The gathering place. (2014). Retrieved May 18, 2014, Retrieved from http://welcometowesley.com/connect/special-needs/ The gray center: What are social stories. (2014). Retrieved May 18, 2014, Retrieved from

Credit Protection and Identity Theft Essay Example for Free

Credit Protection and Identity Theft Essay If you find errors on your credit report, what steps would you take to correct them? Steps we can take include writing to the credit reporting company describing what we feel is inaccurate on our credit. If we do this the agency must investigate the claim. After the investigation is complete they will send us written results with a copy of our credit report if any changes had been made. Another way we can try and correct information is by contacting and disputing any information directly with the lender. If a lender does not resolve our problem then we can request that the lender attach a statement about the dispute for every time they report the credit agency. There are many organizations that claim they will repair your credit for a fee. From your readings, should someone use a credit repair service? Why or why not? What are some actions these organizations can take that should be a red flag? Have you, a family member, or a friend been a victim of identity theft? How did it happen? Describe the resolution process- ex. how much time did it take, what credit damage was corrected? I have never been a victim of identity theft nor do I know anybody who has. From what I have read the resolution process can be long and painful mentally and physically. It could also take a very long time as in years if not caught in time. We would have to contact lenders and close out and dispute anything that was not of our knowledge. I believe then an investigation will start and if the person is ever caught then they can begin on recovering your credit and removing whatever credit was used without your knowledge. Any credit we knowingly used is still our responsibility to repay. Using the FTC site, what can you do to minimize the chance of your identity getting stolen? According to the website we should keep record of our account numbers and phone numbers to contact the lender in case we feel fraud or an inaccuracy has occurred. We should shred any receipts and documents that contain important information that we plan on throwing away. A smart thing to do would be to carry some cards separate from our wallet in case our wallet gets lost. We should check our bills often and compare receipts to our statements to make sure they match and no errors occur. If we move we need to notify the lender of this so someone else doesnt get our mail and can possibly steal any sensitive information contained in the bill.

The Pursuit Of Gender Equality Theology Religion Essay

The Pursuit Of Gender Equality Theology Religion Essay Though no tradition can be considered representative of all religions, this essay will focus on Islam and whether it should be considered bad for womens development and the pursuit of gender equality. Although focussing on Islam, it will become clear that there is no single manifestation of this religion and, therefore, some interpret it in a way which is bad for womens development. The recent shooting of 14 year old Malala Yousafzai for promoting the education of girls in Pakistan is one of many shocking occurrences used by the Western media to paint a sombre picture of women in Muslim countries (BBC 2012). The essay will begin by demonstrating that the literature surrounding this topic leads us to assume that there is one model of womens development and one model of Islam and that the two are at odds. Next, it will argue that this assumption is the result of Islamophobia and more specifically gendered Islamophobia which has increased since the September 11th attacks (Zine 2006). Ge ndered Islamophobia relates to the negative stereotypes presented by Western media and institutions of vulnerable veiled women (ibid.). The primary purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that Islam has been considered bad for womens development because it seems to contradict Western ideas about gender equality, but that this is only part of the picture. It will highlight the fact that there has been a rejection, from within Islam, of the fundamentalist Islamic perception of women. It will argue that Islam has the potential to be good for womens development as Muslim women have been establishing new spaces of discussion and opportunity within their religion and are fighting against the negative stereotypes placed upon them. In recent decades, the Western perception of Islam has been almost entirely influenced by the increase in what the West describes as Islamic Fundamentalism. Although I acknowledge that views within the Western world are not uniform, the term will be used to describe the mainstream political and developmental discourses on Islam and Muslim women. Fundamentalism is a delicate term which refers to the conservative, apparently misogynistic interpretation of the Quran and the enforcement of Islamic law, Shariah. Shariah has increasingly been used to justify the oppression of women in all areas of their lives and child marriage and the veil are two of the more visible examples (Othman 2006; Hopkins and Patel 2006).The conservative interpretations of the Quran directly oppose traditional Western development discourse, exemplified in the universal aims of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Millennium Development Goal 3 (MDG 3) to Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women (United Nations date unknown a; United Nations date unknown b). Feminist notions of womens rights based on equality between men and women are central to the development of women and bills and policies such as CEDAW and MDG 3, regardless of religion. It is clear that this Western approach is at odds with the treatment of women required by some conservative forms of Islam. This leads to the assumption that Islam, as a whole, is a definitive barrier against womens access to human rights, such as the right to freedom, the right to education and the right to safety (United Nations 1995a) and is therefore bad for womens development. However, the views traditionally held by the West are criticised for a variety of reasons and are, in fact, thought to be detrimental to Muslim women. Western policy depends on a simplistic and over-generalised version of Islam based on the culturally-rooted traditions of the dominant minority which are seen as the defining feature of this religion. It therefore employs secular, feminist ideals in order attempt to free women from this supposedly patriarchal religion (Tomalin forthcoming). Although some Muslims are fighting against the veil, others challenge Western ideology and defend their right to continue with what the West would conceive as radical Islamic practices. They claim that the Western model itself has created oppressive roles for women by reducing women to their physical appearance and they believe that they could choose to cover themselves in order to be defined by their brains, not their bodies (Afshar 2000.) They challenge the generalised Western notion that the veil is an unequivocal sign of oppression and argue instead that they are examples of a womans agency over how her body is to be represented, which frees them from sexual objectification (ibid.). They view any opposition to this choice as an attack on their civil liberties and human rights (Critelli 2010). Nevertheless, this approach does not challenge the root problem of the objectification of women. These women are merely resigned to the fact that gender relations will always be based on sexuality and it is up to women to sacrifice their freedom in order to be protected from men. This does show, however, just how complex Islam and Islamic culture are and highlights the need for dialogue and cooperation rather than simply viewing Islam through a western lens. Islam is unlike religions which have developed in the West, such as Christianity, as it has no one authority that monopolises religious meaning (Barlas 2004). It is a multifaceted religion which draws on more than the culture and traditions it is famed for and the Quranic scriptures and legal interpretations of Shariah law also play crucial roles in the lives of Muslims. Islam cannot easily be conceptualised and, therefore, Western institutions fail in their attempt to do so in such a simplistic way. The absence of a critical attempt to come to terms with Islam as a heterogeneous tradition in development discourse, and the universality of bills such as CEDAW and MDG 3, deepen pre-existing inequalities and strip Muslims of their own vision of womens rights (Bradley 2011).Traditional feminist development appears to offer no way to achieve human rights and wellbeing for women other than through the Western model, which implies that women in the West are liberated and Muslim women are tr apped. This approach is destined to fail since it alienates Muslim women who may be equally against radical ideologies but are not willing to reject their religious identity (Jawad 1998). Some Muslims view traditional development as a threat to Islam and this has produced increased hostility towards Western institutions (Adamu 1999). It is counterproductive to continue to view Islam in this way, as it will only ever be portrayed as a negative force against women and prevent any meaningful cooperative action from being taken. Although there is a tendency to misrepresent or ignore Islam in the field of development, some organisations are beginning to engage with this religion. Oxfam is a secular organisation that arranged two workshops in 2004 and 2006 to determine the opportunities found within Islam (Hopkins and Patel 2006). These workshops confirmed that the stereotypical portrayals of Muslim women as helpless victims often make them invisible in the process of development. Moreover, international human rights treaties are viewed as a display of Western arrogance and are dismissed for being culturally irrelevant and incompatible with Islam (ibid.). Therefore, Oxfam is approaching development through the eyes of the recipients and use quotes from the Quran to try to prove that their vision of womens rights and equality are compatible with the teachings of Islam. In addition, the secular organisation the Womens Action Forum (WAF) in Pakistan is increasingly engaging with conservative versions of religion, as they consider this the only way to truly promote change in Pakistan (Pearson and Tomalin 2007). Including Islam in their fight for womens rights shows that they are engaging with women on their level and in a language they understand, rather than undermining their culture using Western, secular methods. Both Oxfam and WAF are open about this engagement being a strategy. However, it is not clear whether they are doing so because it is the only way to undermine the oppressive dimensions of Islam, or whether they actually believe that Islam can contribute to womens rights. Nevertheless, it is clear that both of these organisations understand that issues of faith and gender are intrinsically linked and that to criticise Islam as bad for womens development, would be to ignore the reality of Muslim womens lives. The notion of Islamic feminism is used to describe the way in which women are using aspects of their religion to counter the Islamist patriarchal interpretations of conservative Muslims and the gendered Islamophobia these have created in the West (Kirmani and Phillips 2011). Islamic feminists reject the imposition of Western, secular approaches which they see as reflecting imperialist ideologies. They believe that they have the right to participate in an understanding of Islam and that this right to autonomy is being denied to them both by fundamentalists and the West (Anwar 2001). Islamic feminism calls for Muslim women to reclaim their religion by reinterpreting the Quran in order to establish the authentic foundations of their religion. Islamic feminism states that the patriarchal culture of pre-Islamic Arabia heavily influenced modern Islamic law and states that Islam should not be judged for the oppression caused by the traditions carried out by Muslim people, as many of these a ctions are also forbidden in the Quran. At the fourth World Conference on Women, the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the first women elected to the head of a Muslim state, Benazir Bhutto (Bostan 2011), proclaimed that Muslim women have a special responsibility to help distinguish between Islamic teachings and social taboos spun by the traditions of patriarchal society (cited in United Nations 1995b: para. 14). Thus, it is culture, not Islam, that is bad for women and Islamic feminists are working towards a distinction of the two and are fighting for rights on their terms. There are various versions of Islamic feminism. The first believes that Islam is not bad for the pursuit of womens equality and uses the Quranic teaching to re-educate Muslims that inequality is not prescribed by their faith (Jawad 1998). Although sharing the common goal with the West of achieving equality between the sexes, these Islamic feminists have different visions of how to achieve equality as well as different motivations from conventional development, which is viewed as drenched in neo-colonialism. This type of development implies that in order to achieve equality and access to rights, Muslim women must reject their religion. However, some Islamic feminists claim that they can be a Muslim, a woman and equal. Sisters in Islam (SIS), for example, is a Muslim womens organisation established in 1988 in Malaysia to promote the equal rights of women from within an Islamic framework (Bostan 2011). They draw from parts of the Quran that assert that men and women are equal and that m en have no priority over access to education and that Muslims are to marry of free will, for example (Jawad 1998). Central to their mission is the belief that feminist interpretations of the Quran are the true Islam and they abrogate Shariah law on the ground that it is human derived and not divine (Mashour 2005; Ahmed-Ghosh 2008). This conviction has put SIS at the forefront of pressures to change family laws in Malaysia and in lobbying for womens equality and rights (Bostan 2011; Ahmed-Ghosh 2008). The view that Islam is good for women and the pursuit of equality is the driving force behind SIS and, therefore, Islam cannot be dismissed for being detrimental to women as it depends on ones definition of what Islam is. Another type of Islamic feminism challenges the view that equality can be achieved at all. Certain Islamic feminists believe that Western women forfeit their biologically determined roles in order to be more like men but never actually achieving equality (Afshar 2000). These feminists see the Western vision of womens development as a flawed model and see no reason that they should adopt it. It could be argued, therefore, that striving for equality is bad for women and what is in fact needed is equity. In Iran, Malaysia and other parts of Asia, the equality versus equity debate is prominent in Islamic feminism (Ahmed-Ghosh 2008; Foley 2004). This type of feminism believes that since women are not the same as men, equality can never be achieved. Instead of the individualistic priorities of equality, which encourage the breakdown of the family, communitarian rights found in the Quran are deemed to grant women rights while staying true to their biologically determined roles (Foley 2004). They state that the Quran grants them equal but different rights, such as the right to be provided for when pregnant (ibid. Ahmed-Ghosh 2008). This type of interpretation of Islam separates what is good for women from gender equality. Therefore, if Islam is bad for equality it does not necessarily mean that it is bad for women. This version of Islamic feminism would agree with the conventional secular approach that suggests that equality can only be discussed in secular terms and not within the framework of Islam. However, this simply means that they believe that the different but equally valid pursuit of equity is needed within Islam. Both secular and Muslim critics of Islamic feminism continue to strip Muslim women of opportunity. It is thought that the term Islamic feminism is oxymoronic since Islam can never been in favour of women. Moghissi, for example, asks How could a religion based on gender hierarchy be adopted as the framework for struggle for gender democracy and womens equality? (1999: 126). Moreover, she argues that Shariah law is inherently discriminatory against women and is incompatible with human rights based on equality. However, concerns such as these are based on one view of Islam, reducing it to a narrow and negative conception which will further delegitimise the progress made by Muslim women. In addition, feminist groups such as SIS call for the rewriting and modernising of Shariah law to include gender equality rights. Therefore, opposition to them appears negated by the incorrect assumption that Islam cannot change. In addition, if Islam is incompatible with gender equality, this simply rei nforces the feminist argument in favour of equity. However, there is also a tendency to speak of Islamic feminism as if it too had only one form. Islamic feminists in general have been criticised from within Islam on the grounds that they have no right to speak about Islam because they are not properly educated in Muslim schools (Othman 2006). However, this once again discriminates against women who can never be part of the patriarchal hierarchy put in place to ensure the continued appointment of men as the deciders of this religion. There is no consensus as to what Islam and whose Islam is the right Islam (Anwar cited in Hefner 2001: 227) and Islamic feminists truly believe that there is a place for all interpretations of womens rights within Islam. This essay questioned whether the human rights promoted by CEDAW and MDG 3 should be treated as universal and the implications on women and development in Islam. This essay has demonstrated that Islam is not a static phenomenon of patriarchy and oppression and that gendered Islamophobia only serves to worsen Muslim womens struggle. Equally, there is no unique model of what is good for womens development and Islam has only been perceived as bad for women because some interpretations contradict Western discourse. Contrary to the belief that Islam is bad for women, it has been shown that Islam is also a feminist resource. Islamic feminists must be commended for rejecting fundamentalism and the dominant secular Western development discourse and fighting for rights on their own terms. They battle the culturally-created element of their religion by using the historical texts to claim and defend the rights of women guaranteed to them in the Quran. The varieties found within Islamic feminism and conservative interpretations are all living forms of Islam which highlight the complexity of this religion and development institutions would avoid dangerous generalisations if they accepted this complexity and engaged with, rather than dismiss, Islamic feminism. However, it is also important to understand that Islam is just one part of womens identities. Therefore, it is vital that Muslim women are able to speak out on national and international scales in order for them to access the rights they want and deserve. It is clear that Islam is both part of the problem and part of the solution for Muslim women and, therefore, what is good for womens development must be defined by the women themselves. Word count: 2735

Snow Storm Baby Essay -- Essays Papers

Snow Storm Baby The year was 1992; a cold December arctic wind had brought a chance of snow to the area. It was the weekend and time to relax after a long hard week at work. The weather service had predicted several inches of snow to blanket the region by the next day. Not to worry: it was the weekend and traveling was not a necessity. At the time, my wife Jeanne was pregnant with our soon-to-be daughter Tahlyn. We had waited eight long months for her to arrive, and finally her due date was getting closer and closer. The excitement grew stronger as the days went by. By Friday afternoon it had begun to snow and quickly several inches had accumulated. As the snow was falling, clean up quickly began. The neighborhood soon filled with children excited over the freshly fallen snow. Since all of the schools were closed, the children were assured enjoyment for several days. The sounds of the winter snowstorm were echoing throughout the town, from the snowplows in the distance, to the scraping of snow shovels that sounded like fingernails scratching a chalkboard. Neighbors were shoveling snow that had accumulated on their sidewalks and driveways. The snow that was predicted to be several inches by the end of the weekend quickly piled up to around eight inches by that evening. At times, the snow was falling so heavily you could hardly see the streetlights that glistened like beacons in a sea of snow. With the landscape draped in white, the trees hangi...

Free Oedipal Complex Essays: Hamlet’s Oedipus Complex :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Hamlet’s Oedipus Complex In Shakespeare’s play of Hamlet, we are under the impression that Hamlet has an unconscious longing for his mother. The death of Ophelia assists in displaying Hamlet’s actions of being insane. Hamlet also subconsciously reveals the truth about his feelings, whether he realizes them or not. Hamlet communicates on two different levels throughout the play. Hamlet's intimacy with Ophelia shows that he could love other then his mother and father. By having Ophelia, rather than Polonius read the love letter to Claudius, Ophelia is reminded of Hamlet offering his love to her. This presents another sight of Hamlet in a state of well being. By generating the illusion of a serious, committed relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia, the failure of this relationship a crucial factor of Hamlet's madness. At Ophelia’s funeral Hamlet says, "I loved you ever. But it is no matter. Let Hercules himself do what he may, the cat will mew, and dog will have his day". The tragic death of Ophelia is clearly contributed to Hamlet's mental lapses. In one of Hamlet’s rages he says, "Here, thou incestuous, murd’rous, damnèd Dane, drink off this portion". When Hamlet says that to the King, he mentions incest, which has nothing to do with the King and the Queen. Hamlet might have subconsciously set off an indication of secret urges be tween him and his mother. When words seem like normal conversation, there can be feelings expressed without being conscious of it. Like when Hamlet sets out rules for the Gertrude’s sexuality in their long talk alone, which seems very unusual. "O, throw away the worser part of it, and live the purer with the other half. Good night – but go not to my uncle’s bed". Hamlet suggests that his mother should be in love with him instead of his uncle. Neither Hamlet nor Gertrude realize at this point what Hamlet really means. Also, when Hamlet talks to his mother later on, he suggests that her relationship with the King makes him jealous, "Let the bloat king tempt you again to bed, pinch wanton on you cheek, call you his mouse, and let him, for a pair of reechy kisses, or paddling your neck with his damned fingers†¦". Desire is in the unconscious when we lived out the Oedipal dream, it was destined to be in a warped form, and there's surely an echo of that.

The Management of 21st Century: Hong Kong Essay -- essays research pap

Hong Kong is the most suitable place for business. It is characterized by its high degree of internationalization, business friendly environment, rule of law, free trade and free flow of information, open and fair competition. Therefore, the business management is a very important part in the business. The management of Hong Kong includes the external environment and the internal environment. The external environment includes the economic environment, labour market and social environment. In the economic environment, Hong Kong has faced the Asian financial turmoil in 1997. But now, the overall economic condition progressively improved. Later, China will be a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Hong Kong will gain a lot of business opportunity in different trades, such as banking, insurance, telecommunication. Those businesses need the new management for their future. For example, they must plan the new organization ¡Ã‚ ¦s goals, or they estimate the demand of human resources in the future. However, this phenomenon will disappear very soon when China would be a member of WTO after two years. It is because Hong Kong may not be the intermediate between China and the world since China will open their market for the world. Therefore, the Hong Kong companies may plan how to reduce the labour supply within an organization at that time. In the labour market, manpower is Hong Kong ¡Ã‚ ¦s most treasured asset. Because of much labour supply, it does no...

Grade graduation speech

You know, I never expected to be standing up here but here I m, giving this speech and probably doing a terrible Job at It because If you couldn't tell, I'm pretty nervous. But thanks to NAMES, It pushed me out of my comfort zone and onto this stage In front of all you wonderful people. Succeeding from middle school Is no easy task, looking back It surprises me that I even made It this far. A famous author, Theodore Roosevelt, once said, â€Å"A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but If he has a collage education he may steal the whole rally road. Even though we have a while to get a collage education, we've made It here, to the end of 8th grade. Just like a rail road the train has to be set on a good track, just like our education. So far for this 8th grade class, our tracks have been fantastic ever since we first started our journey. Our first stop was 6th grade. New building, new people, and it were a whole new environment. New fears emerged and I reme mber feeling like a fish out of the sea.The year went by and our next stop was 7th grade, which the teachers have been preparing us for. We came back much more confident than the year before. We looked down at the 6th graders and asked ourselves, â€Å"Were we that short just last year? And by the end of 7th grade, we were on our way to 8th grade. The year started off at a sprint and it seems to have left many of us still trying to catch our breath but 8th grade is also the year we start becoming independent and learn to let go of our guardian's hands.From the moment we stepped foot into this building till the moment we walk out, this Journey has definitely been an unforgettable one for all of us. On this Journey, we have laughed, we have cried, we have argued, we have learned, and we are about to enter into another mile of our journey in a new place. Some of us will go one way, and others another, but at the ND of the Journey we will always have the memories of here, of this schoo l, the memories of our NAMES pride and traditions.As we say goodbye on the last day we sit together as NAMES students, we reflect on what has happened the past 3 years, but also look forward to yet another Journey coming up, high school. 8th grade graduation speech By Maintain-Tastes have been able to accomplish this much without their help. So today, in honor of all am, giving this speech and probably doing a terrible Job at it because if you couldn't tell, I'm pretty nervous. But thanks to NAMES, it pushed me out of my comfort zone and onto this stage in front of all you wonderful people.Succeeding from middle school is no easy task, looking back it surprises me that I even made it this far. A famous steal from a freight car; but if he has a collage education he may steal the whole rail road. † Even though we have a while to get a collage education, we've made it here, to the end of 8th grade. Just like a rail road the train has to be set on a good track, Just since we first started our Journey. Our first stop was 6th grade. New building, new we that short Just last year? † And by the end of 7th grade, we were on our way to 8th