The Miss BC Blog

➢ 27 million slaves worldwide (Dr. Kevin Bales, author of “Disposable People”, and President of Free the Slaves)
➢ The modern day slave industry generates profits of 37.5 billion dollars each year (International Labour Organization).
➢ Slavery happens in 161 countries worldwide, including Canada. (United Nations Global Initiative to fight Human Trafficking)
➢ The average victim of human trafficking is 12-14 years old. (US Department of Justice)
➢ According to the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, defines human trafficking:
➢ “Trafficking in persons shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payment or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”

SLAVERY IS BAD. I WANT IT TO STOP.

www.endmoderndayslavery.ca

- Tara Teng

Miss BC 2010-2011

I was born in Nanaimo BC, raised in Lantzville BC and have spent my post adolescent years in Kelowna BC.  I was a ballerina, horseback rider, cheerleader and basketball player, among other things. I was raised Roman Catholic, attended Sunday Mass,  Sunday School and Catechism.  I’ve gone to two different finishing schools, Toast Masters and other personal developement courses.

My father’s family is English and my mother’s is Hungarian. Behaving properly in public and social affairs is something I was raised to do with ease.

Everything I have done, every social activity, every course and every belief has been supported by my family because they love me and want me to be happy.

That is who Samantha Taylor is, not who Miss BC Interior is.

As Miss BC Interior I am representing the Interior. A place I love.  Looking outside and seeing the snow on the ground makes me so grateful to live somewhere where you see every passing season and grateful to live in a place where a little snow doesn’t shut down the town.

The cultures around me are amazing. I pass many places of worship on my 12 minute drive to work. To the right of my office is an amazing Japanese resturant, to my left is the Cantonese, Peking & Szechuan Resturant, and a block past my office is a Tim Hortons.  To say my life  is surrounded by  culture and different beliefs on a daily basis would be an understatement.

I keep my title and my beliefs very seperate.  My beliefs aren’t everyone’s and I never expect them to be.  But I will never use my title to push forward my belief.  I love being Miss BC Interior; I wouldn’t trade the people I’ve met or the experiences I have had for anything.

That said, I also want to encourage others to participate in Miss BC. So that is why I would never make a political or religious statement while wearing my sash and tiara. I would hate to think that by me saying something pertaining to my belief system that a young girl thinks she can’t run for Miss BC because she has been brought up differently then I have.

However even though I won’t push my beliefs, I will continue to support those of others. If I am volunteering at an event and a prayer of any belief is spoken I will honor them and participate. Our diverse cultures and beliefs are what makes Canada Canada.  We are a country that accepts all and freely encourages everyone to follow their dreams and beliefs.

I get so excited when I hear about creative initiatives that fight human trafficking! It just goes to show how little steps make a big impact on ending injustice. EVERYONE CAN DO SOMETHING TO END SLAVERY. Let’s really put our money where our mouth is!

Here are four ways that you can use your Holiday Christmas shopping to set people free from slavery:

• FREE2WORK (http://www.free2work.org) is a Smartphone app that facilitates corporate responsibility and promotes a list of companies that are free from the use of slave labour. This Christmas, consumers can check whether their favourite brands are slave-free or not. All this power to fight slavery in the palm of your hand!!
• SHOE REVOLT (http://www.shoerevolt.com) is “like no other online shoe boutique you have visited before; we are a family, a league of shoe styling girlfriends fighting together for one goal. The goal is simple, to kick sex trafficking to the curb with every shoe purchase. It’s more than a shoe- take a stand!”
• THE FREEDOM CD (http://www.ijm.org/articles/spotlight) Love music? Love freedom? Check out this great project- TWO cds, plus a DVD documentary about the end of slavery… all for the incredible price of…. $5.00! Proceeds support the work of the International Justice Mission.
• COCO-ZEN (http://stores.homestead.com/CocoZen/StoreFront.bok) is more than just organic Chocolate- it is also completely certified fair trade and slave-free! With 50% of Chocolate being produced by child slaves, this is one purchase that both you…and your tummy, can feel good about!

This Christmas, I am committed to doing my utmost to make sure that all of my purchases for family and friends are made SLAVE-FREE. This will take more effort on my part, because it means that I can’t leave my Christmas shopping to the last minute, run into the mall and pick something off the shelf. However, it also means that I can rest in the assurance that the people I love will not be receiving gifts that caused the pain, suffering, rape or murder of innocent lives.

I encourage you all to do the same.

Tara Teng

Miss BC 2010-2011

** For more slave-free gift ideas visit: www.shoptostopslavery.com

As a teacher, I run a social responsibility group at my elementary school. For those of you who are familiar with Free the Children, it’s affiliated with their Me to We Schools in Action program. This is our second year, and I’m continually amazed at how dedicated and selfless these students are.

Those of you who are familiar with Miss BC and Courage Productions’ other program, Top Teen of North America (which is, by the way, accepting applicants for our 2011 competition at http://www.topteenofnorthamerica.com), know how important volunteering and giving back to the community is to our organization. Darren and I – both teachers – have been very lucky to work with some incredible, selfless and giving individuals who are making a difference in the world. That’s the same work my Me to We group is doing at school, but at a younger level.

Twenty-one years ago this November 20th, the United Nations met in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Countries all over the world signed this convention: that children should have the right to be safe, to be healthy, to be educated, to speak up.

These rights are not being upheld. 121 million primary-school aged children are denied the right to an education, most of them girls. 218 million children are forced to work as child laborers, many of them in unsafe conditions, like on mine fields or with explosives or chemicals. Over 300 000 children in areas where there is conflict are forced to serve as soldiers, servants or sex slaves by armies. Every day, 28 000 children die from causes related to poverty. [http://www.iamsilent.com/]

These children are not able to speak up for themselves, so we will. On November 19th, students in my school and people all over the world will take a 24-hour Vow of Silence – we will not speak to draw attention to those who cannot speak. We will protest with silence, as these children are forced to silence every day.

I encourage all of you to join us. You can collect pledges and donate them to Free the Children’s Adopt a Village campaign, raising funds for clean water, for alternative sources of income, for education and for health for a needy village; or donate them locally to the Kids Help Phone or other organizations that provide aid to children. If you’d like to pledge to the students at my school, you can contact me at christy@missbc.ca. If you’d prefer not to collect pledges or pledge yourself, don’t – but join us anyway.

Speak out against injustice towards children by not speaking at all. Take the Vow of Silence on November 19th, from midnight to midnight. We can make a difference.

This blog post in long overdue, but still holds a special place in my heart.

On October 18, 2010, We (Miss Charity BC, Miss Fraser Valley and a few Miss BC 2010 contestants) partnered with the Dalit Freedom Network to host a benefit dinner in support of the 250 Million Dalits living in racial oppression and discrimination in India. Due to the traditional Indian caste system Dalits are viewed as the lowest of the low within the social order; the creator god, Brahma, did not even want them to be part of his body and therefore, they are literally the dust of the ground that you walk upon. One would think that such an inhumane practise would be unheard of due to its violation of human rights. Yet this is not the case. Although the caste system is formally illegal within India, many of the ancient practices still thrive due to deep rooted cultural and spiritual beliefs.

Dalit women are viewed of as the “Dalits of Dalits” because they have the unfortunate circumstance of being born both Dalit and female, which means they cannot reach enlightenment until they are reborn both a man and into a higher caste system. The life of a Dalit woman is so oppressive that many women would rather kill their newborn baby girls than have them suffer the life they live.

Why does these atrocious practices still continue?? Because no one speaks out against them!

Last month we joined with 130 Canadian women and stood in solidarity with our Dalit sisters in India. We acknowledge and declare that as members of the human family, we all deserve to live free and equal, valued and cherished. It was a beautiful night of both awareness and compassion.

Dr. Beryl D’Souza, herself the daughter of a Dalit woman, gave a moving speech about the plight of the Dalit women today. I also had the honour of meeting with a very remarkable young woman, the 2010 Canadian living “Me to We” winner Julia Thicke, who was so inspired by the struggle of the Dalits that she raised enough money to build a playground for Dalit children at one of the Dalit Freedom Network’s “Good Shepherd” schools in India. The Canadian women in attendance gave generously and many young Dalit children now have sponsorships that will send them to school and education will enable them to break the cycle of poverty and oppression.

Yes- change is coming. Oppressive social norms can be reversed when good people do their part in setting things right. You too can do your part in setting Dalit children free from oppression and rising up a new generation of leaders in India. To support a child through sponsorship or fund other projects with the Dalit Freedom Network go here: http://www.dalitfreedom.net

** For photos from the event, check out my personal blog following my journey as Miss BC- www.tarateng.wordpress.com

September 14 2010 marks the first day of the Zipcar Low-Car diet. I was lucky enough to be chosen from 100’s of applicants to be one of 30 individuals in Vancouver to participate in this wonderful campaign. For 30 days, participants will put down their keys and dust off their bikes, sneakers and transit passes to take on Zipcar’s Low-Car diet challenge, one month car free. When I first heard of the campaign, I thought it was a fantastic idea and such a great way for people to decrease their carbon footprint. It was not until I started the diet that I realized how much I drove and relied on my car. Before the diet, I would drive to work, school, to run errands, go shopping, visit friends … basically for anything and everything! I did not realize how much I was polluting this earth with my day-to-day driving.

To prepare for the Low-Car diet, Zipcar supplied me and the rest of the participants with a wonderful survival kit! It has everything from bus tickets and Vitamin Water, to a yoga gift certificate to stay fit. Since the start of the diet, my car has been parked at my house. I have started taking public transit daily to get to work, and school. I have even been taking the bus with my yoga mat and large backpack filled with my workout gear to do yoga every single day and I feel amazing. This experience has reminded me of when I was high school and college and used to commute everywhere using public transit. I am reminded that it isn’t that bad to take the bus at all. I do have to plan my days in advance to ensure I know how to get to the places I need to go and be on time.

Lately, the weather has been extremely wet and I have been tempted just to hop in my car instead of walking to the bus stop, but I resisted. I made sure I wore a warm coat, had my trusty large umbrella, and super-cute gumboots to keep my feet dry when I made the trip out of my house. Oh I forgot to mention, Zipcar also supplied participants with a free membership and credit towards using Zipcars on those days when you just have to have a car! I haven’t booked a Zipcar yet but I did download the iPhone application which allows me to find cars close to me, make a reservation, and lock and unlock the car with my phone! How amazing is that!

The challenge is almost over and I am excited for the finale party at the Lamplighter in Gastown this Thursday, October 14. I hope everyone joins in and participates in a Low-Car diet of their own: driving less, carpooling, walking to work, riding a bike, or using public transit. Every little bit counts. Taking a little longer to get somewhere now will help keep our Earth cleaner in the long run.

<3 Dionne Ng

Miss Greater Vancouver

I had the privilege of being a judge in a local pageant a few weeks ago. It was an honour to be part of an event where the sole purpose of the pageant was to help young females make friends, build confidence, and have fun with an amazing prize awarded to every contestant. On my way to the pageant, I was reminiscing about all of the fun I had when I was crowned Miss Greater Vancouver and about the wonderful women I met over that weekend. When I arrived at the theater, I was greeted warmly and shown to the judging table where I had a seat waiting for me alongside the other two wonderful judges. I quickly read through the judging package to remind myself of the categories and what I was supposed to do. The different categories for judging included casual wear, costume (they had to be creative and show their personality), evening wear, talent, and the interview portion. At the time, I thought it was great that I got to judge these young females on their personality and their natural beauty instead of how well they could apply makeup and strut around in heels. Within each judging category, I had to give two scores to each girl out of 10. The first number was for the girl’s beauty (I was suppose to take points away for unnatural makeup and trying to hard) and the second number was for their personality. For the older girls, I had to give three numbers for their score, one for beauty, one for personality, and one for my overall impression.

When the first girl came out, I gave her 10 out of 10 for beauty and personality. I continued to do the same for every single girl in the pageant. I was thinking to myself, who was I to judge these young girls and say that their beauty or personality was not 10 out of 10. I thought they were ALL beautiful and I could only assume they each had wonderful personalities. It was not my place or that of any other person to judge these young women or give them the idea that they needed to compete with one another. It became obvious to me that a lot of the girls did not even want to be there and it was their parents who were standing at the sidelines pushing them through this pageant. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely a few girls who wanted to be there, were trying extremely hard to get the judge’s attention, and wanted to prove to someone that they were more amazing than the next girl. I wanted to tell every single girl that came on stage that they were amazing exactly the way they were and did not need to impress the other judges or myself in any way to seek approval.

During the first half of the pageant, I gave 100% to all the contestants. I did not feel right giving a score less than perfect to anyone. At the intermission, the person who was in charge of tallying the scores came to the judging table asking who the judge was giving 100% to everyone and I proudly said me. This person then went on to say that I could not do that, all the girls could not get 10 out of 10 for beauty, and it was difficult for them to tally the scores and weed out the winner. I was appalled for many reasons. One, why was I asked to judge a pageant if someone was going to tell me how to judge. Two, who was this person to tell me the way I was judging, was wrong? Three, I thought this pageant was for fun and everyone came out a winner; it seemed I was wrong! Four, I was disgusted with myself for accepting to be a judge when I realized that some contestants were going to go home feeling like they lost or were inadequate because I didn’t make them the winner of this pageant. After the person finished talking about how I could not give 100% to everyone, I was extremely shocked and had no words to respond.

For the second half of the pageant, I continued scoring the way I did before the show. I refused to let someone else influence the way I felt and change the way I was judging. I was asked to be a judge, not the person tallying the scores.

This whole experience has made me think about my personal definition of beauty. I truly believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and every individual on this earth is beautiful. We are all beautiful because we are all different; we all have “flaws” and “imperfections”, we live our lives differently and face different lessons and challenges that have been given to us in this journey of life. All these little things separate us from one another and these differences are what makes us human and that is why we are ALL beautiful.

<3 Dionne Ng

Miss Greater Vancouver

Many people say it is about the journey, not the destination which was completely true for me and my journey to becoming Miss BC Interior.

It all started in February when I got accepted into the pageant. I was as happy as a clam! However some of my friends weren’t as supportive, many of them said that I was to old, or pageants were for little girls and it was time to grow up, others didn’t support the fact I now wanted to spend my time fundraising and being a positive example in the community. At this point I could have listened to my friends and backed out….but I didn’t.

Then came the daunting task of finding a sponsor, those who did reply said no as they had groups that they already sponsored or that they had used the donation quota for the quarter. Others such as my (at the time) business of employment (who will remain unnamed) laughed at the idea of me competing in a “beauty” pageant. So I contacted castanet.net for help. They gladly ran an article on me to help me!

Within hours of them running the article companies started emailing me saying they would love to sponsor me! Until one came saying that the reason I was having problems finding a sponsor was because “simply not pretty enough”.  I just brushed it off thinking nothing of it, until I tried accessing my account and couldn’t. It had been hacked! After days of contacting msn.com and providing my ip address and lists of emails and folders they granted me access and I changed all my settings. But also noticed that whoever had gotten into my account had also replied to the potential sponsors trying to solicit funds. Thankfully no one did and I replied to them explaining the situation.

Fortunately right before my account was hacked I had phoned one of the potential sponsors and had set up a meeting, thankfully The Spotted Spa wanted to sponsor me.

At this point many people would have backed out, and even my friends said they would understand if I did. But I wouldn’t.

Now everything seemed set, I had a sponsor, had sent in all my forms, now to start practicing for talent. I had contacted many dance studios to have someone choreograph a dance for me, one had even offered to do it at a discounted price!

For those of you who know me this next part isn’t unexpected….I’m a tad accident prone…

One morning after doing my wii fit work out I went to open my bedroom window and slammed my foot into my exercise bike, thinking nothing of it I went to work even though it hurt. Once at work I saw that it was swollen and green, blue and purple, so I was sent to the doctor, after xrays we discovered I had broken my toe and fractured my foot! There was going to be no dancing at pageant for this girl!

For two months I rested my foot, I did not want to limp on stage!

During this next time it was just some preparing and sending out invites. I was elated that my family was coming, until I got the call that my grandma on the island was to sick to go. I wasn’t mad but it broke my heart and I sat on the kitchen floor crying praying that she could just be there. She has always believed in me and was so proud that I was doing this. Sadly though she couldn’t make it.

Exactly a week before pageant I had gotten everything together and was jet set to go! Then I woke up at 2am with a migraine, due to the sever dehydration the vein burst when they put the iv in leaving a 3 inch long, 2 inch wide bruise.

Now I was going to pageant looking like I did injected drugs and limping! I was not impressed and wanted to cry.

Everything in me was telling me that all of this happened for a reason, I wasn’t meant to go to Miss BC, the universe clearly did not want me there. But I wanted to go and being one of the most stubborn people out there I went.

The drive was horrible! Fog and Rain the entire way!

So many people believe that everything happens for a reason, or we have predetermined fates…not me. You choose your future. Life is a pick your own adventure book, you’re in control, it isn’t a standard novel where you can read the last chapter to find out how it ends.

If I had listened to the universe I wouldn’t now be Miss BC Interior

WOW! I finally have found the time to post my very first blog!

After being crowned Miss Lower Mainland BC 2010 life has definitely been even busier for me than it already was!  As a joke between my family & friends; I tell them I’ve gone from being a D-list local celebrity to a C-Lister haha! 

After Miss BC 2010 wrapped up, I was already preparing for Miss Petite Canada and continuing my reign as Miss Petite British Columbia – not to mention work, auditions, shoots and filming on top of it!  Ohh the price to get to the A-List hahaha!!  

As Miss Lower Mainland BC 2010, I will be continuing to bring awareness and volunteer with my causes: The Union Gospel Mission of Vancouver and The Lookout Emergency Aid Society.  I was also contacted by 2 entreperneurs [1 in Ontario and the other in London] to be the official “media spokesperson” and “Lisa Ling – like reporter” for provideblood.com. 

After Vanessa To [our very own Miss Fraser Valley 2010] mentioned the amazing idea of donating as a group – I was inspired to step out of my comfort zone and face my fear of the dreaded needle.  I’ll admit, I still get sick just thinking about it – but with support I know I could do it.  

Dionne, our Miss Greater Vancouver 2010′s brilliant mind came up with the concept of making our year as the “Year of Change” - and I intend to not only create change within my community, but within myself as well. 

 I miss the girls and keep in touch with all of them via Facebook, texting, emails and of course the occasional phone call or two. 

Anywho – I bid you adieu, for now at least haha! 

XORS

Miss Lower Mainland BC 2010

I’ve been residing in Whalley, Surrey for about 10 years now. I get the same expression everytime I tell someone where I live. They ask me, “Aren’t you afraid?”
Yes, Whalley does not have the best reputation as it’s known to be an area where the homeless & drug addicts often hang out. The only encounter I’ve had with a homeless person was when I was asked for spare change.
Last week our Miss BC, Tara Teng, contacted NightShift Street Ministries and organized it so that titleholders and contestants were able to volunteer. NightShift is an Christian organization founded about 6 years ago by  MaryAnne Connor (who was former Miss Teen Nova Scotia). They feed the homeless all year round, every single night.
When I looked up the address, I was surprised to find out it was just a block away from my house. How can it be that this organization served food every night around my block & I had not known anything about it? I was about to find out.
We had an orientation about the company’s history (which you could read more about here: http://www.nightshiftministries.org/)  and then we were put to work. It was  held in the parking lot in front of the building and by 7pm over 100 people were lined up to receive their dinner. I got the pleasure of being placed in the soup station. Dinner consisted of soup, hot dogs, variety  of sandwiches, beverages and dessert. It catered to everybody’s diet because they offered veggie choices as well. After dinner, there was also a Clothing Truck stationed where donated clothes were available should you need any.
During the course of the night, I had a chance to observe and chat with some of the people waiting in line. They are like you & me. They chat and joke with you and are honourable. If there is a line up for seconds and someone rushes in and says “First Timer,” the people would let them jump to the front of the line because they haven’t had a turn yet.
When the night was over, those who wished to clasped hands and joined in a circle for a prayer.
This was truly an eye opening experience because I really got to look in the faces of those who help make up the community of Whalley. We got a chance to talk with MaryAnne at the end of the night and when she shared her vision for her organization, it really wowed us. The ladies admired her for her generosity, courage and dedication to those who are less fortunate.  If you would like to volunteer your time or donate your clothing,  please visit their website for more details.
Take a look around your community, what’s just a block away from you?

Reach out.

Vanessa To
Miss Fraser Valley 2010