Accepting Others as a Citizen of Your World

With a society that fosters such a competitive environment, people are constantly driven by the “what’s in it for me?” spirit. Does anyone even have time to genuinely care about somebody else anymore? Isn’t time money? Are money and power really the factors that define someone’s value in our society?

These are the questions and concerns that drove the creation of a new photo and video blog campaign, Citizen of Your World, by a group of Westminster College students. The blog’s goal is to bring awareness to the people who are forgotten.

“We trust that by telling individuals’  unheard stories in creative ways, we will get people to not only listen to those stories but also take action to help those with similar stories when the opportunity arises,” says Steven Sakayroun, ’14, one of the project’s founders. “I believe that there is an apparent need to rebuild the lost link of genuine care among citizens of the world.”

Why Should You Check it Out?

In his Huffington Post blog “What If Your Story Were Mine?“, Westminster alum Matt Murrie encourages others to check out the Citizen of Your World (COYW) project because …

“What if, the most important thing we can all do is make sure that no voice is louder than another when it comes to being heard? What if, by taking the time to know the stories of individuals, we give voice to the voiceless? What if, taking time to learn about the experiences of people, we can grow our empathy for people instead of rage of the politics of a place?”

A photo gallery on the COYW site captures Westminster faces with messages of “I care about you because …”

A compelling COYW video shares part of Abdullah Al-Hadeethi’s escape from his home in Iraq at the start of the Iraq War, told through many voices from people from all over the globe. (Read Abdullah’s full story here.)

The Citizen of Your World project was built from the ground up and they are constantly looking for more volunteers to contribute. They also plan to add content every two weeks to their blog at the beginning of August and increase the frequency as they get more individuals to contribute.

Follow COYW On Facebook or on Twitter. Check out the COYW blog.

COYW Team

Steven Sakayroun,’16 – Co-Founder and President
Irene Idrisse – Co-Founder and Advisor
Andrew Robertson, ’13 – Chief Content Coordinator
Sombiniaina Herimpitiavana,’16 – Events Coordinator
Lejla Dervisevic, ’16 – Regional Input Coordinator
Muhammad Ashari – Artistic Director
Khaoula Morchid – Regional Input Coordinator
Bongiwe Shongwe, ’15 – Contributor
Abdullah Al-Hadeethi, ’14 – Contributor
Sanaa Khan, ’15 – Social Media Coordinator