I hate to say it, but the program is officially coming to a close. No more missing school to attend our monthly Skype sessions with Chile and Sri Lanka. No more weekly meetings with the girls from all over the Syracuse area. No more dialogs about our thoughts on human rights.  No more learning about and growing from all these amazing people that I now call my friends. 

All year the group has been a huge commitment and a lot of work. Not everybody is cut out for this, nor do many people care about it. However I can honestly say I enjoyed learning about Matilda Joslyn Gage. I relished in bonding with these peoples, all united in the common goal for a better position of women and frankly a better world. Though I want to be an Environmental Engineer I really do recognize how important this type of work is in society today. There is still so much to be done! I can only hope that Ill be a part of it! 

Just recently I won an award and scholarship through the University of Rochester, titled “The Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony Award in Humanities and Social Sciences”. I cannot help but feel proud. Through I don’t know who, someone nominated me: they saw all the hard work I have done this year and how much I have changed for the better. I think that really summed up how influential this experience has been. It is completely unique to anything I have ever heard, and truly allowed for its members to empower themselves and become better people of the world. When I tell others about the program they saw “Wow... thats college application gold”. Ok yes it is, but it is for a reason. What many don’t understand at this point in their lives- while beginning to think about college- is that the people who are going to excel are not just the extremely smart perfect gpa kids. We want our generation to be problem solvers and to care about improving our society- not just caring about being on top. I think Im just beginning to show some of these qualities and for that I am glad. You haven’t heard the last of Mikayla Jaz Cleary-Hammarstedt yet. Thats a name your gonna want to remember, because I’m gunning for greatness. I will make a difference. You just wait. 

Approximately a month later, and its finally time for the Syracuse visit! Sure, my life is a mess and I am so busy, but how many times do you get to meet with international peoples to show them about your life? Basically never. So for the most part my goal has been to take as much as I can from the experience. We started off with a meet and greet, something I have become accustomed to throughout the year. Tip: always be prepared to be put on the spot. Adults love to just ask you a random question or your opinion on a topic you know absolutely nothing about in front of a bunch of people. I have the suspicion that they just want to show off the people they admire in the younger generation rather than what we actually have to say. “Look at Mikayla doesn’t she just sound so smart?” There is nothing you can do but smile and act adorable. Of course, Sally pulled this on me multiple times on the ambassadors visit when things got awkward or slow. She even had me organize a group song for us Americans to sing to our visitors. Cliche, but it was “Party in the USA” which the Chileans surprisingly knew. 

It was amazing to see some of the people I had grown so close with in my week in Chile- Muthu, Carolina, Lelia, Claudia and Marion. It especially touched my heart to meet the two new ambassadors from Sri Lanka- though the couldn’t speak much english I could tell Nusrath and Jenty had told them about me. Their faces lit up and immediately they kissed me on both cheeks and said “Its very nice to finally meet you Mikayla”, in their heavy accents. As I came to get to know them I could see just what amazing people they were. At the end of the week we had a large ceremony to commemorate the year we’ve had. When it was their turn to speak you could just tell what they have taken away from the program is way more that any of us here in America ever could. In Sri Lanka they are faced with blatant discrimination and are completely unequal (whereas here its not as much so). The drive those girls expressed to change this was extremely moving and I know they will become successful in the future.

There were many other highlights of the week including meeting with girls from the Onondoga Nation. I really didn’t know that much about them today so their experiences and stories were truly eye-opening. They are still fighting to this day for their rights, with no end in sight. Also we met with students who attend the La Casita House. For those of you who don’t know, its a place where people who have come from a different country- mostly spanish speaking ones- can go to help adjust to this whole different culture. Its really a great program here in Syracuse that I knew nothing about until this week. I was actually inspired so much to volunteer there over the next year! Lastly taking the ambassadors to our schools was truly exciting. They loved seeing all these people their own age- really the most indicative part of the trip to how we really live. Though I was unable to attend many of the events because of school I do believe everyone enjoyed themselves and learned alot about us- which frankly was the whole point! 

On our 5th day we visited a Human Rights Museum- that honestly was one of the best I have ever been to- technologically savvy but also very informative. I won’t say much- except that it was extremely well put together- giving viewers the cold-hard facts- but with personal touches that commemorated the sacrifices people have made throughout Chiles history. After our long tour, the group of Chileans, Sri Lankans and Americans and proceeded to walk into one of the city’s many plazas- filled with food, shops, dancing and everyday people. That beautiful summer afternoon, really gave a sense of city life: upbeat, lively and carefree. 

As we continued to stroll, we came upon a stone laden street. A sudden change to the unforgiving pavement- I studied the cobbles. As I looked closer I saw that each turned out to be a small memorial with a name, age at death and political affiliation. We had come upon Londres 38. Like Villa Grimaldi- it was a torture center during Pinochet. However this was a house- a large house- situated right smack in the center of Santiago. As we listened to the experts talk about each room- we learned hundreds had died there- even though it was only open for a year. Taking a step back though- a year is quite a long time for neighbors to be hearing the screams of the tortured and for them not to be reported. In fact the site was only identified by a few survivors who could hear the bells of a church down the street and by the very distinct cobbles I had studied upon our venture into the house. Our group was outraged- many people in the area would have known what was going on at the time- why didn’t they stop it? Simply because they too could have been taken. The followers of Pinochet had very few guidelines for victims- anyone could have the misfortune of becoming one. 

The house itself was in horrible condition- paint chipping, scratched floors, broken windows, holes in the walls, no furniture. The guides, recognizing our distain informed us that it was all original- kept exactly the way it was left when Pinochet came out of power. The only thing changed were a few poems on the walls from people who came through Londres 38 and inspirational quotes about remembering history. The gravity of the fact that it was original, truly hit us as we stood in the tiny torture room- knowing that people had cried out for mercy, had even died in the spot we were standing in, was breath taking. There was nothing I could do but keep my head high, say a silent prayer and remember those who were lost. 

For the purpose of the blog I decided not to include many of the adventures we had or funny moments we experienced in Chile (though there were many). Moreover, I wanted to describe some of my findings and experiences in regards to human rights. I could have continued on forever describing the people and city. But what made the trip so unique was that I wasn’t just a tourist- I was on my way to becoming a Girl Ambassador- which I now feel, that I truly exemplify.

Upon returning I have taken a great part in the community. Abiba and I have told about our experiences in not just Gage meetings but in museum conventions and even to reporters. One thing we have found to be extremely poignant to our listeners is the aforementioned US involvement to the coup and torture- for like me, many did not know about Pinochet, let alone that we took an intregal part in it. However the biggest thing I have been working on in regards to the Gage program is the upcoming visit to the US. Three Sri Lankans, and four Chileans will be arriving to learn about our culture, our influence of women and our history of human rights violations here in Syracuse as the final part of our Girl Ambassador Project (that we have been a part of all year). Next blog I will tell you all about how this goes- what their reactions are and maybe even some things that I myself learn! 

One night Villa Grimaldi hosted an event that the public was open to attending. Many people spoke about the program- how they got involved, why it was important, but also about their beliefs on women's rights today. Two girls from Chile spoke and also the two girls from Sri Lanka- Nurath and Jenty. Although the presentations were extremely interesting I missed most of the first half because of my nerves. This was due to the fact that we had only been informed that we would be speaking earlier that day! The only thing we could do was hastily prepare a PowerPoint, which in that of itself was a miracle considering our already hectic days schedule of museum hopping and dialoging. When we arrived we were given simultaneous translating devices so we could understand every word of the speaker- but unfortunately that meant they could understand every word of ours. I don't think I have ever been so nervous. True I joined the Girl Ambassador program to let my voice be heard and to become a more confident leader in society... But that didn't mean I was entirely ready to present in front of a bunch of important people from around the world (including some members of the UN and US embassies). 

Probably the most touching memorial I visited in Chile was named Paine after the small town located outside of Santiago. During the mid-1900s many rural, low income families had been leftist. Following the military coup by Augusto Pinochet, many of these people were systematically killed- for the represented a threat to the new, more rightist dictatorship. This area of Paine experienced the greatest loss in percent of population- more than any other place effected by the dictatorship in Chile. It was a small town- so the 70 men that were abducted- had a huge impact on the rest of society.

Now, outside in that country air, 930 wooden poles represent the descendants of victims in the Paine massacre. Within this forest, 70 huge mosaics commemorate each individual who was lost. They in particular are heart wrenching- each made by what was left of their family- trying to keep a part of their loved ones with them always (for most bodies in Paine were never found- or never returned). Together the poles and mosaics create a mountainous skyline, with ominous shadows posing the question- how could the lives of the people today have been changed if this massacre hadn’t occurred?

As our large group discussed Paine- we got to hear from women who lost their husbands, boys who lost their fathers. There is nothing like hearing the story of families torn apart, so unnecessarily- and so recently (only 40 years had actually passed!). We were encouraged to walk around the space- through the poles and study the colorful, creative, and unique mosaics. We could see how entire families were destroyed-  for family names were repeated showing brother, son, nephew, grandfather. All dead. All gone. We all were to find a mosaic that spoke to us, then share it to the rest of the group. In this way we got to understand them more, bringing to life the faceless 70 who were gone- the watermelon farmer, the messenger who adored his wife, the guitar player, the father who loved soccer- the list went on and on. 

At the end of our visit we met with the directors of the memorial and they emphasized to us their goal of having recovery and progress for the future generations of Paine. They told us the importance of reconciliation between the government and the silenced. But also allowing a space where the Paine people can continue to celebrate their unity- and maintain awareness of the atrocities that occurred there. This sense of community that still exists was amazing. They showed to us girl ambassadors how learning about human rights violations if important, but how life changing if can be to have yourself be heard, to know that there are people who care about the past. We were a beacon of light to those citizens of Paine- we exemplified how not all of the new generation is lost. There are some of us who want to positively effect the future. 

These pictures are for the most part self explanatory. However, I just wanted to tell the story of  Pedro Luis Ramirez Torres. His mosaic, made by his family, is the first three pictures and is the one I chose to share to the rest of our group. It displayed the 5 parts of his life. One being his work- he had a huge farm and actually loved tending to it. Then there is the image of him going on his first date with his high school sweet heart- who became his wife. Next is the center image- which showed him on his bike with a guitar. A musical man Pedro often visited friends and was said to be an upbeat lively force of nature in the community. Next is the bridge at which he was killed with three of his closest friends. You can see how under one section there is only one drop of blood. This is because one of the people disposed of on the bridge survived- which is how his family was able to determine how he died (most never knew what happened to their loved ones). Lastly there is a picture of his pregnant wife and children- left alone, forever with a hole in their heart from his loss. 

Hello! So today I thought I would inform you all on some more of the things I learned. As you may remember the program connected three museums, the one in Chile is known as Villa Grimaldi. On our first day we took a tour of the museum, which I would more accurately call a park. Here is where I was taught my basis of the human rights violations that occurred in the 1970s. Basically Salvador Allende was democratically elected by the people in 1970. However he was considered a socialist. A select group was against this, so in 1973 a coup was organized to overthrow him. That day Allende supposedly shot himself and a man named Augusto Pinochet rose to power. Under his more than a decade long presidency about 3,000 people were killed, another 40,000 people tortured and a total of 80,000 people were interned by his regime. 

Villa Grimaldi had been a restaurant, but after the take over was turned into one of the biggest torture facilities of the country. As we walked around this place, the full gravity of its significance began to hit us as we were told its history. It has now become a place of memory in order to never allow people to forget what happened there. After the more terror oriented side of the regime ended, Pinochet ordered the destruction of the Villa so that citizens wouldn’t know what happened there. Now only some recreations of the structures exist, based off of survivor accounts and a few photographs that existed. But, for the most part the lot is filled with memorials to beautify and remember the people that were there. 

Half way through the tour we found out that one of our guides had in fact been a survivor. Her testimony was immensely moving as she described the cells that people were kept in, and the sadistic torture people there endured- including electric shock and mutilation. Every day prisoners would hear the screams of the tortured and would see the dead being taken away (many whose bodies were never found). She told us briefly how her husband and her newborn son were among those killed while there. We were informed how not everyone there had been Allende supporters, or even socialists, many were simply outspoken people in communities whose absence/torture would force many others into submission even if they weren’t tortured. We were shown the block where women specifically were held, where collective rapes were preformed. However instead of focusing just on this, our tour guide described to us in great detail how everyone looked after each other, and how communities formed among the women. To this day some people who survived meet once a month to stay in touch with each others lives. This was probably the most interesting part, on the one side this place was filled with so many memories of hurt and torture but on the other it had many instances of compassion. She told us stories of remarkable people who risked their lives to clean one another’s clothes, to relay information of loved ones and overall to protect each other. 

All this information was a lot to take in. And after we dialoged about our thoughts of the tour. But one thing that really stuck with me, that many people don’t know, is that the US played a part in all this. Our government helped ignite the coup and backed the regime when it was in power. A school here, once known as The School of the Americas, even taught people how to torture. After  this whole day of learning about the tragedy that occurred in Villa Grimaldi, only one of the thousands of torture facilities, learning this piece of information that the US didn’t stop it, that we almost encouraged it, was a devastating blow to us “Ambassadors of the US”. Facing survivors, who were held by American taught torturers, was extremely hard. I wanted to convey that not all Americans are like that, that many do not support the foreign decisions of our government. But I cannot take back what happened there, I can only accept the facts they gave me and resolve personally to not stand by as something like this occurs again. Overall, Villa Grimaldi was more than just an influential part of my trip,  and I am so glad that I learned everything I did there. Some say ignorance is bliss, which I can understand. Many wouldn’t want to learn about the atrocities that were committed there. But with the information, I feel I have become a stronger person because of this new found sense I have of the past, other cultures and the world today. My only hope is that I can inform about what happened there and help make a positive impact on others in the future. 

Included above are just a couple pictures of Villa Grimaldi. The tree picture is the size of a cell block that would include about 6 cells each with 4-5 people shown in the next two pictures. They were designed to weaken the prisoners before torture. Many people spent days on end within them without food and water. Throughout the park mosaics represented certain areas that had been destroyed. The one I included was a place that contained metal bed frames in which people were forced to lie down on and be electrocuted. The stone wall included the names of people who were last seen at Villa Grimaldi before disappearing. It was organized by year and there was a space after each year for more names to be added for as more information comes out, or remains are found of people who were killed at Villa Grimaldi. For example in 2012, 13 bits of peoples remains were found off a cliff near by. They were identified as killed at the Villa, and were added to the stone wall. Many families visit the wall to find the names of their loved ones. Also on the wall one can see fossils, which represent how the past can still be seen and effect the future. The rose garden was built to honor the memory of the 900 women and counting, who were killed there (only 15% of the victims there and generally forgotten about). Next the Tower is the reconstruction of the main torture building. About 90% of the people who went there never came out. Our tour guide was not only a woman but one of the 10% who survived the Tower. People were held in dog sized cubbies in wall in the upper levels of the Tower as they waited their turn to be tortured. Lelia our tour guide took us to see one of the small cubbies on the second level. Lastly the pictures were some of the faces of people killed. They were in another house next to the Tower, one of which that was solely built for the individual memorials of victims. 

Hi everyone! It’s been two weeks since I returned from Chile, and I still haven’t settled back into my “real” life. I feel so connected to this whole other world, thats only a plane ride away (granted a long one, but still). Sure my mounting work load at school has something to do with this but more than that my mind really hasn’t absorbed everything I learned. People ask me “Omg Mikayla! How was your trip?” I smile and say amazing, telling them the flashy details that any good trip out of the country has: the sights, the food, the shopping, the language, the culture and the overall feeling you get while being there. But this trip was way more unique than some average vacation. No one will ever know all the experiences I had, except maybe Abiba. 

If I would have to describe it, I would call it more than anything else a massive learning experience. I found learning about Chile’s history and culture to be quite interesting. I got so much more out of it then I ever could from  the internet or a history book. Every day the people made a huge effort to teach us about the human rights violations of Pinochet regime and the effects it had on their country. So, every day I visited a museum or a memorial of the people that were tortured and killed under this harsh dictator. And after every event all the girls, as well as adults from Chile, Sri Lanka and US would dialog about our thoughts on the issues that were brought up. This in it of itself was quite difficult, as we needed many translators to understand one another in Tamil, Spanish and English. Overall, the trip was a full on brain work out. I had to not only digest very harsh accounts, but also convey to all these new people my opinions, while representing the US. You would think that this was very stressful. But for the most part I knew what I signed up for and enjoyed every minute of it.

The second point to program (in addition to learning about human rights violations) was to create relationships among girls around the world to show that everywhere there are people who care about the past, and who want to help make a better impact on the future. And so, I worked hard to converse (roughly) with these amazing girls who I would have never met in another abroad situation. I learned about their daily lives, families, favorites things and in return taught them about some of mine. Walking around the city with them was in a way effortless. Even though on paper we were all so different, we were all united with our common goal of bettering ourselves as girls, from the knowledge of the world around us. Its hard to describe, but in many ways I feel more connected to them than half the people at my school, who known more about who I am simply because we live in the same culture. But, I can honestly say I created friendships with them that have made me become a better person. I will always have the memories we created together and I hope I never lose sight of what they mean to me. 

*Smiling* In approximately 15 hours I will be on a plane to Chile. Finally the date is here and I couldn’t be more ecstatic. I have done my research, I have gotten my shots, I have packed my suitcase. All I need is to get through this last day of school and I will be set free! Sure, my mental list of things that can go wrong continues to grow: kidnapping, loosing luggage, robbery, food poisoning, forgetting to pack a necessity, homesickness exc. However all that pales in comparison to the things I’m just itching to do once I land.

The past week in a word, was hectic. While maintaing my increasing work load, I had no less then three meetings with my fellow ambassador-Abiba and one of our chaperons- Sally. We finished off our presentation about America, as well as worked through the final details of our itinerary. Thank god that part is over! There is nothing like planning for a trip, when all you want is to actually be on it. One upside to this, though, was five days ago finding, to my astonishment, a page long article about the program in the CNY Women magazine. Sure I had posed for a couple of pictures and talked to a woman about the organization, but I thought nothing of it. It was quite a surprise to see my face smiling up at me from the bottom of a page. Of course I instantly posted a pic to Instagram and Facebook. But, upon thinking about it I became even more elated. The article really proved to me that what I am doing matters, its something that people care about and will stop and admire. I guess the acknowledgement that my ideas of women are in fact important, really meant a lot to me. Ironically the next day a reporter from the New Times called me for an interview. That was pretty crazy! So I expect to be in another article by the time I get back! Its funny, even after doing a magazine project for english, seeing how easy it is to write an article in that format, I still feel pretty psyched to be in an actual one. 

I have come to realize that the program has consumed my life. In addition (to everything for mentioned),  I organized a bowling date on Sunday with the other girls from the program who were not picked to go on the trip.  What I thought was going to be lame attempt by me to get to know the girls, instead went surprisingly well. No one seemed to resent the fact that I was picked instead of them (a huge weight off my shoulders). They opened up, congratulated me, gave me advice as well as told me things they wanted the other ambassadors to know. In the end, Abiba and I came away with a newfound sense of their personalities outside the structured dialog sessions we’ve had. This, will prove invaluable, for as this “Girl Ambassador for Human Rights” I am suppose to represent my country as well as girls my age. “How am I suppose to do this accurately?” I thought. Well now I believe I can not only show who I am and what I believe to the Chilean girls, but also my other Syracuse counter-parts. My only hope is that I will be able to do this while maintaing my class and learning about what their girls believe- (so I can relay it back to our girls in America). So I guess all I have left to say is wish me luck! I can’t wait to share my experiences with you all!


Pictured above is six of the girls who attended my 
bowling event. Top left to right= Rachel E., Caroline C., 
Bryanna P., Janna P. Bottom= Mikayla C-H (me) and Abiba S.

It's me, i'm back! My excitement continues to swell as the days to my Chile trip tick away. Just 13! I'm still in awe, that I have been given this awesome chance to see the world outside my Fayetteville community. I have never been the most excelled speaker/ writer or the most imaginative individual. However I believe I was chosen, because I make up for my faults in my spirit of adventure, commitment to the issues and enthusiasm for the project. On the other hand Abiba is quite loquacious, with the ability to express her mind in original, beautiful ways. Though I envy this talent, I think together we will make a terrific team and shall do a great job of representing the USA. 

On and off we have been conferring on Facebook, to get to know each other better, as well as to coordinate for the trip. We discuss our expectations of the process, ideas we would like to share about women's rights and questions we would like to ask the girls from Chile and Sri Lanka. For example I want to know if like here, women are still misrepresented in government, face body issues from the media, have lower paying jobs and are overall discriminated against by men. But I would also like to know how their lives are similar to ours, school, music, friend and social networking wise. For all of this, I plan to keep a journal, and every night detail our adventures so I can keep the experiences with me, (and share them when I get home). Another important topic we have touched on is bringing thank you presents for our hosts. We want the gifts to show our gratitude in addition to being a personal memento of meeting us. So, Abiba and I have tenuously decided on friendship bracelets and rainbow catchers that we will both hand make. Hopefully the girls will like them! However my goal is that the gesture will say more than the actual gift, for we want to be forming bonds that will last longer than just our trip duration. This is particularly important to the Coalition, because the whole point of the program is to dialog about our experiences so we can get to know the others better (while also putting the US in a positive light). 

Last week Abiba, our parents and I met with Sally Roesh Wagner the director of the Matilda Joslyn Gage House and one of the two adults who shall be accompanying us. We received our plane tickets and a brief, expected schedule of our time there. We will all be traveling together the night of March 13th, first to Atlanta, Georgia then on to Santiago (pictured below) for a ten hour flight! I didn't fully realize how far away we would be going until I thought about how much ground the plane will cover. We will be in a different continent, a different season and a major city that speaks a different language. If you stop and think about this, thats a lot to take on...AND I CANT WAIT. We have little knowledge of our exact itinerary, I don't even think the people there know it themselves. For many this lack of definition and structure could be scary in a new place, but I'm more than ready to embrace it. My only hope is that our free time from discussions will be spent talking to the girls informally about their lives. This of course is in addition to sight seeing, and yes shopping. There are so many ways I can think of to emirs ourselves in the culture, I only wish we could do all of them in our six day trip! 

Hello World! Reporting back, its Mikayla Cleary-Hammarstedt. Before divulging into the specifics of my upcoming trip and the programs' dialog meetings, I thought it would be prudent to explain why I got involved and am so invested in this initiative. It all began when my mother was the director of Girls Inc. Through her and taking part in the inner city program I developed a great sense of pride in being a woman and being "strong, smart and bold", which has not left me to this day. I was always taught to push my limits, never accept defeat and to not let my opportunities be limited by gender discrimination. In hand with these sentiments, my parents helped me to recognize where inequalities exist and to always question and challenge them (in a world where we are all supposedly equal). 

Women's history has always been a fascinating subject to me. Throughout my life I have developed a keen eye for it because it amazes me to see how unjust our pasts are and yet to see how far we've come. If you just stop and consider this, you may find lots of history embedded in your very community. For example, my city of Fayetteville was home to womens rights activist Matilda Joslyn Gage, who was in league with Susan B. Anthony and Elisabeth Cady Stanton. However she went even farther than push for the right to vote, because she was not held down by conservative religious beliefs as many others were at the time. Her views were among the most radical, and can be see in her book "Women, Church and State", including: equal pay and right to hold office for women, as well as freedom for blacks, and the end of discrimination towards the local Haudenosaunee. If I had not researched Gage on my own accord, I would never have taken the time out to even consider applying for the very program I am so delighted to be in today. Because of this I firmly stand by my belief that education, particularly in young girls is of the utmost importance. Thanks to my knowledge (which don't get me wrong is fairly minimal), I have been blessed with an opportunity to expand my viewpoints and leadership skills as I learn about other situations of women around the world. 

In the meantime I observe the non-equity of women in society all around me. As an aspiring environmental engineer the unequal women's involvement is in STEM fields is vividly clear, just by some of my brief college visits. Frankly, it still shocks me for in the course of our history women have proven that we are capable of achieving just as much as men, however something still seems to be holding us back. This division can be seen in high school sports, high power jobs (CEOs, engineers, exc.), representation in government,  average wage rates, and stay at home parents. This is unacceptable. I hope that with the new dialog and group oratory skills I acquire, through this Girl Ambassador Program, I will help make a difference through my call for change. Lastly (some food for thought for the end of this entry), I recently learned about a treaty known as CEDAW which is primarily in action to protect women and girl's basic rights by reading an article. This seems great right? So why is it that the US is one of only six nations in the UN not to have ratified it? By denying it our government is not taking a stand against the many violations to women's rights that are being committed throughout the world.