Best of Two Worlds

' Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does. ' - Margaret Mead

Many of my friends have heard my spiel, time and again, regarding a business I would love to someday be able to create. I realize that it is 90% pipe dream, but the remaining 10% keeps me looking for a way to make this dream possible. I have realized that the only way to really make this possible is to establish a portfolio of different contacts who would be able to provide specific services, and create a committee of dedicated individuals who would be willing to help make this a possibility. One friend who I work with has all ready volunteered to help come up with imaging and ideas.

"The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you can alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change the world." - James Baldwin

The purpose of this business idea (yes, I am intentionally being non - descript about the business itself, as that will come later) is education regarding social change and justice. It would bring together various Non-Government, and Non-Profit, Organizations from across the world and make them available to the North American public. They would address localized, national, and international needs that attack our generation and the generation we are trying to keep the world together for. My hope is that it could change the perceptions people have regarding "hippies" and the need to be disorganized to make a statement - see the Occupy movement. It would also unify those who wish to fit into the hippie cliche and give those who wish to stand up for something, something to stand up for.


' Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not. ' - The Lorax

I am looking for individuals ready and willing to commit to trying to make a difference in societies around the world. This IS a business idea, however, so please don't come ready with steaks and silver bullets looking for the monster to slay right away. The goal of this business is to provide opportunity for people to learn about social change and justice, find the right organization for them. Note, this is not an attempt to create an aspect specific NGO or NFP (IE: Free the Children, Not for Sale, Amnesty), but rather a chance for people to see what opportunities exist and recieve training for those. It is also to give those organizations a place to train, hold conferences or conventions, or just take a well earned rest at.


" How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ” - Anne Frank

Step one to meeting this goal is for the time being, I need dedicated individuals who are able to recommend organizations for research, who are willing to write up articles on their own personal favorites and reasons why, and who are willing to pass this blog on for individuals who may be interested in the resources we will hopefully be able to make available through it! Any articles passed to me can be sent to: kyla.mccartney2@gmail.com , any volunteers can email or comment!

“If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” - E.B. White

If you happen to still be reading this post, you get rewarded by finding out what my actual goals and business ideas are! The idea is to open up two resorts and two retreat centres across Canada: one in the maritimes, and one in the rockies. They will both be castle themed, the maritime a medieval theme and the BC a renaissance palace theme.

Initially, we would save up enough to purchase the land in the maritimes, then find a way to rezone and invest in opening the first phase of the resort- the keep. There will be a set number of phases, and each phase will be built, start to finish during an off season, while the previously completed phases will be fully operational during the main tourism seasons. This is so that the resort will be open , self sufficient, and very close to debt free within 5 years of the initial phase being built.

Then we would be able to open a retreat centre in the prairies which will be non-profit. Here seminars will be held, education and resources available, jobs and employment opportunities through an application process open, and it will be ranch or ranch- house themed, at least. This way it will be self sufficient as well, within five years.

Following this, profits from the first resort will be split to help support the retreat centre, and finance the purchase and building costs of the second resort in the rockies where it will be a renaissance theme. The process for this will be similar in nature to the first resort.

The last stage, five years after the second resort will be the second retreat in southern, or central, Ontario. The theme for this centre is yet undecided but "viking lodge" has been a popular vote.

This is a twenty year plan, however hopefully if the first resort is succesful, this could be done in as few as ten or fifteen years. Should these four phases be completed, I would love to see a second stage designed, where we could open up affordable retreats across the world in smaller locations, similar to the KOA campgrounds. This stage would be available for international workers or missionaries as vacation spots or training centres, or secure outreach locations!


Please let me know what you think!

Mother's Day, and Planting Season

So I did it. I managed to survive my first mother's day without my mom. It wasn't even particularly painful. I got up and it was beautiful and sunny out and my dad was doing yard work, I got ready for work and worked five hours, then went to dinner with my dad, sister, Nana and Papa. I am sure that part of why today was a lot nicer than I expected was because I did not spend the day in a graveyard. We had originally planned to bury my mom today (she was cremated and cemetaries aren't open between October and May), but thing's were not quite ready. I'm sure sometime in the future I am going to have to deal with this but I prefer to just avoid thinking about it.


Dinner tonight was pretty awesome, however my father and I have been having a disagreement over whether we should do a vegetable garden or not this year. He is convinced that it is a bad idea and I am pretty set on doing one, whether he likes it or not. In fact, I'm planning on starting to get suplies tomorrow. My neighbour said I could use the back part of her yard to try and see what I can grow. My things to do list? Get supplies and equipment, measure and dig out the garden, plant, water, nurture and figure out how to keep the blasted deer from eating my plants! Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures soon, before and after pictures of the land.


It kind of upsets me that my dad is so against a garden this year, but I suspect he has his reasons. Growing up, mother's day we always got my mom some Mums, and usually talked about the garden. When I was a kid I always helped my mom with the vegetable garden but it was always her initiative and job. So between the deer eating all of our plants last year, and the memories it probably brings up for him, he just does not want to be involved but I'm not asking him to be. Just to let me try and see if I can, or not.


There is such a different mind set here, than in Georgia. I was not particularly great at helping out on outreach but I had eyes and ears and picked up a lot more than my team mates probably realized. I felt inferior to most of them doing the work, and it was definitately hard when I was trying to learn something and would be told not to do it because someone else was better at it, but the jobs were also not about me but the people we were helping. In Kobuleti, we helped our hosts plant their garden, literally in a ditch. In Svaneti, we helped weed a garden that had not been touched since it had first been planted. Around here, things are so set in order and there is the mindset that if you don't spend massive hours every day, a garden won't survive or produce... I know this is true to a degree but often just exaggerated.

Wish me luck! This picture was me avoiding the work by being the photographer :P