Bring On the Arctic!!

Sorry blizzard,

I have an expedition to attend to. :D

Tomorrow I leave for my Expedition to Antarctica. I look outside my window and it seems that mother nature is giving me a taste of COLD and SNOWY weather. Well, I think I'm ready for some action. Bring on the snow, penguins, Arctic searches and everything else. I'm ready to explore it all!

If all goes well, destination 1 Santiago, Chile..

Wish me luck!

Words of Advice for Celeste :)

Dear Celeste,

I hear you are going to be making a trip down to Antarctica. I'm very fortunate to say that I was one of the few people who also had the honor of saying I have been there. It has been awhile since I was last there but I can remember it like it was yesterday :) So here it goes:

1. Takes lots and lots of pictures, it's proof you were there.

2. Don't lose your passport afterwords because the stamps are really cool.

3. Speak to as many people who you can since there will be people there from all over the world. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

4. Bring something from home just in case you get homesick.

5. Make sure you have a Mp3 player for bed time when you are rocking back and forth and the sun is still shining.

6. Take lots of notes. There are going to be plenty of cool presentations and you are going to want to share them with us. Make sure to blog when you can to keep us updated! Even if it's short.

7. HAVE FUN!!!!!! You're going to Antarctica!!!!!

Safe travels,

Crystal

Bye Bye Skyscrapers. Hello GLACIERS!

Now that finals are over, the expedition is right around the corner. I am excited and anxious for what is in store. When I was younger I had a fascination with polar bears and studies of the Arctic. Now all the things I have read is going to be in arms reach. This is a dream come true! I look forward to learning about the highlights of the Arctic and sharing it with all of you. I will keep you posted on my hiking journey in Buenos Aires to shuttling through glaciers in Antarctica.

I have been involved with UPROSE for a year and half. Through out that time I learned the responsibilities I have as a young Latina in my community. It is the youth's duty to speak out and be informed of the assets and burdens that is within the community. UPROSE taught me communication and leadership skills in order to do so. I have helped organize youth summits, spoke at the MTA student metro cards public hearing, attended a Free Minds, Free People youth summit in Houston, Texas to facilitate a workshop on Environmental Justice, as well as trained up coming youth. This has been a great learning experience and I will continue grow as a youth leader and college student.

Signing out.. Arctic Celi

Today, we the UPROSE Youth Organizers created a blog and told a story about the maps we created.  We added a few markers to our maps and we created a key for our map.  Check it out, click here.  In the future we plan to expand on our maps by adding pictures and videos.  We also plan on using our maps to organize for Fair Share .  If you would like to contribute to our maps have a look at our profile on HabitatMap.