“I have always tried to be conscious of my actions and make sure they are sustainable and in touch with social justice,” says Pen. “I thought joining the challenge would give me an opportunity to make this commitment more concrete.  It has worked I am now thinking of different ways to meet the challenges I have set out for myself.”

Pen has committed to:

• Learn more about ways she can make her home more sustainable such as encouraging Mum and Dad to have solar panels installed and see if I can start a vegetable patch and compost heap.
  
• Keep in touch with her immediate and extended family better through meaningful visits, phone calls and the good old letter.
  
• Ensure she puts her rubbish in a bin and picking up pieces of rubbish on the street and other public places.
  
• Spread the word on great concepts such as the Be More Challenge and the various 'World Days' through the calendar.
  
• Make herself aware of issues that are occurring (and often recurring) in our 'global village' so she is better equipped to inform others and encourage them to act.

Pen found out about the Be More Challenge whilst volunteering for Caritas Australia. “I became quite disillusioned by the expenditure of a particular NGO and while further researching the NGO I discovered that Caritas has a really high percentage of donations that make it to the actual cause (not getting lost in advertising, admin and celebrity photo shoots in Africa).  I then looked further into Caritas and found its grass roots/local community response to issues was such a wonderful and sustainable way to bring about change.  I wanted to be a part of that in any way I could!”

From spending time with Pen I discovered that she is very passionate about social justice so I asked her what she would say if she had 10 minutes to speak to all of the world leaders. “That is a toughie! I think I would hand the floor over to people who are being affected by the leaders decisions. Either have them there with me talking or hunt them down and make a series of little movies. People who are suffering from long-running wars, poor trade decisions/rulings, lack of health funding, inadequate infrastructure etc Can I have more than 10 minutes actually?”

And what does being more mean to Pen?

“It means allowing more things to influence you in a positive way and hoping that in turn, others are influenced as well.”

Why not join Pen and the Be More Community by signing up (Link to sign up page) to the Challenge and making your commitment to a more just world today.

Until next week…

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