I’m nervous…

This is the last day of March…the 10 days count down is gonna start in an hour…I’m nervous, so is Ali.

We keep writing here and there, talking to different groups, promoting the contest wherever we can; yet, we are both nervous…

The success of this contest is not in our hands, this project is absolutely a ‘result-oriented’ project, the process does not matter that much to be honest…the number of essays that we get matters, the quality of the essays that we get matters…this makes me nervous cos I do not have that much of control over this, I have to wait and wait and wait...till the deadline…

...

Are you still following?!

Your audience...

Do you write often?
Do you write on regular basis?
Do you write on regular basis for a weblog?
Do you write on regular basis for your thesis?
Do you write on regular basis for a radio?
Do you write on regular basis for a column in a newspaper/newsletter?
Do you write often?

And if yes, who do you write for?
Who is your audience?
Who reads the weblog you write for?
Who credits your thesis next to your supervisor?
Who listens to your radio?
Who follows up the column that you write in that newspaper/newsletter?

You don’t know?! You don’t care? You don’t mind?!

If you write for IPY’s International Essay Contest:

all the ones who are on IPY’s Network, will read your essay;

all the ones who are on Radio Zamaneh’s Network will read your essay;

all the ones who are on Enduring America’s Network will read your essay;

all the ones who are on Foundation for Iranian Studies’ will read your essay.

The choice is yours!

Who do you want to be your audience?

…last few minutes…

I have few minutes to write what I want, before the midnight…but will I manage? Or would it matter? A post is a post, few minutes before or after midnight should not make a difference right?

Himmm…but NO!

It is true that a post is a post, but ‘my’ promise was not just ‘a’ promise…I promised to send a post very single day (still wondering whether that includes weekends or not) till the deadline…

I keep my promise cos I keep having hopes, cos despite all the disappointments I want and I choose to still have hopes…I want to go back, I want to live in Iran…I want to be at HOME again…

I keep up with this…but I need you…I need your ideas, I need your thoughts, I need your essays…I want us to be ‘the’ change, the change that will come by us standing in front of ministries, embassies, offices of United Nations around the world, the change that will come by us supporting each other, the change that comes through sharing our ideas…I keep having hopes, be my hope by writing and sharing…

…can an activist have a weekend?!

I started writing on a Sunday; it was officially during the weekend that I wrote the text…it’s been a very short while that I have promised myself not to work over the weekends, maybe just 2 or 3 hours but not more…weekend is weekend, I promised myself to take care of my body and my mind…I did not want to end up being in the category of ‘burned-out’…so this weekend arrived: I was struggling with the temptation of writing but at the same time was wondering: “Could an activist have a weekend?!”

Weekend would make sense if you have a week that you work and when you reach the end of the week then you do not work any more and that would be your weekend, as simple as this. But now my question is: is activism a work/job? And if so, could an activist have a weekend then?

I am not an activist! I am not an academic either!

I am not anything that is a category, is a label and is a way of being…

I live my way…I do what I want but I can’t hide[1]…

I want to live in/at the moment…and over the last weekend, every single moment I wanted to write, I wanted to share, I wanted to tell you how things work for me…I wanted to write about my disappointments and frustration whenever I got a negative reply from the ones I invited to be part of the jury…I wanted to write about my excitement and pleasure when I got positive replies from the ones I invited to be part of the jury…

I missed writing over the weekend…I want the week to never end…

---

[1] Taken from lyrics of ‘here with me’ by Dido from the album ‘No Angels’

step 2…

...keep writing…keep writing reminders…keep writing reminders for the ones you want to be involved, for the ones you want them to sit in the JURY of IPY’s International Essay Contest: I sent 183 emails just and just for this purpose!

So I keep writing, and you keep reading and following me…do you want to know who is in the jury? I’ll write for you but first let me write down who did we want to be there:

Since this is an academic contest, it was very clear from the beginning that there should be academics on board. We tried to bring teachers from different universities and disciplines together for this jury; at the same time we wanted politicians to be involved as well cos they are the ones who need to hear what has been suggested[1]; moreover, we needed to have the media on bard as well: after all, free media is the fourth pillar of democracy[2]! All in all, we have 6 members for our jury now…from all the groups I mentioned and as we announced in our call as well, IPY board will have a vote in this selection...and that makes us 7!

Do you want to know who is in this jury?
Yes?

Then keep reading cos I keep writing…

---

[1] I will elaborate on this in another post.

[2] Wow! What a sentence…I can question myself about the statement, but let’s do that in another post, deal?

Blank…I’m completely blank…

It’s been one of those days; those days that you think you are empty but you are just actually blank!

...you know that being blank is not equal to being empty, it is just blank! I know these two words are synonyms but not in this context, believe me!

I have a lot going on in my mind, like you, like everyone else, so I am not empty, like you, like everyone else...though when I am blank, I know that I have the information but it’s not completely processed, yet; it is ‘unfinished’; it is devoid of thought and impression...yet there is something there...

It’s one of those bloody blank days...

Since morning I'm trying to write for you, I promised that I will write about ‘how things work for me’, didn't I? I promised to write every single day till the deadline, I want to keep my promise, I will keep my promise...but I'm blank...like the time that I sent all those emails and got no reply, no single reply...the information was there, but it was not processed...how long should I wait? How long could I wait? How long would I wait? 3 days? 5? a week? 10 days? How long?

Today was one of those days...those days that I'm completely blank!

…how many emails?

Never liked administrative tasks…although I am good at it, I never liked it: I am precise, careful and organized but I never liked administrative tasks…it is not challenging: copy-paste; signatures; envelops and stamp; right addresses; correct formulation of the letters and so on so fort…I hardly ever enjoyed it…I say ‘hardly ever’ since there was once that I enjoyed it with every bits of my heart…

After the Grand Opening on 15^th January, it was of course the time to promote the contest, as much as we could; anywhere with anyone who might be interested, from general public to universities, academic institutes, parliament, NGOs working in the filed, magazines, student associations, close friends, relatives, anyone we could…

Inviting students and researchers to participate…
Inviting universities to promote the contest…
Inviting the academics and parliamentarians to sit in the jury…
Inviting the associations to promote the contest among their groups…
Inviting institution to be financial sponsors of the contest…
Inviting close friends to use their own network…
Inviting Facebook to be the contest promoter…
Inviting…inviting YOU to be part of our quest.

How many emails do you think we have sent for this?
10?
50?
100?
More?

Guess! Make a guess and let me know what your estimation is!

Regardless of the number, I absolutely enjoyed this administration…it put me in contact with so many people that I could never ever thought I will be in contact with…

…let’s “think” BIG!

What’s wrong with thinking big? What's wrong with having high hopes and being optimistic? What’s wrong with wanting academics as well as activists have a ‘different’ perspective on the issue at hand? What’s wrong with it?

Asking me?

Nothing! What could be possibly wrong with having high hopes and wanting something different? Nothing! Believe me, nothing!

So here I am…thinking BIG: a three year project; year 1: International Essay Contest; year 2: Sirius Project (a project designed and led by students from different disciplines interested in one topic supervised by University Teachers); year 3: adding this project to University Curriculum as an independent course.

Sounds like a plan, doesn't it?

So here we go: YEAR 1: INTERNATIONAL ESSAY CONTEST

But you know each step is paving the path for the others to come; if this year’s project works, then, there is hope for the next year.

…brushing up the first draft with all the comments given by board…a new draft is out…I like this one a lot more than the other…this has been double checked by Francesco over a great cup of coffee, he is an expert after all, both in academic world and in coffee tasting!

It’s time to announce the birth of my adopted child: it’s 15^th of January 2011; here is “پاتوق” at Mezrab in East-Amsterdam. The Grand Opening of The Iranian Progressive Youth’s International Essay Contest…come all, come along…

step 1...

…it all started like all the other projects: loads of ideas, loads of plans, loads of hope…it was not my initiative, I adopted the contest…though it took me a while to develop it and up-bring it…needed more time to figure out what I really want out of it…it did take some time, I think about a season or two, and Ali waited and the others, granted me enough time and space to realize the objectives of the project…it was in November, I think, that the first draft came out…sitting in “Spargo” assessing the first draft which was far from finished though they were enthusiastic and encouraging and full of hope…

December passed by without noticing, I remember this sentence vividly: “…we dedicated all our time over the last year for the two conferences and our other projects and we all are now behind our regular work and studies…”; he was saying it though I knew he would not take a step back, IPY was already part of his skin…

…came January, fresh start…fresh ideas…fresh plans…I started knitting again for you, in our discussion sessions, my knitting set was there too, it made everyone laugh…it made me think clearly...

I did not want it to be a one year project, I wanted continuation, I wanted it to become a ‘real’ academic deal, part of the curriculum…

…my confessions…never wrote anything which was not titled anything but ‘my confessions’; hence, this is my confession; yet, another one not necessarily a different one. This is merely how things work for me…how things have worked for me, and how things will work for me in one and only one context; and that is the making of IPY’s International Essay Contest…it does not reflect my professional and/or social being, it does not reflect anyone’s being, it is just and just me, me thinking out loud, me writing down my ideas, doubts, excitements, frustration, happiness, tiredness, tears…and hopes. And the moments that I gave up having hopes…the moments that I thought who am I fooling…but still I am writing…does that mean that I still have hopes? I do not want to know that…

IPY Essay Contest 2011

Prospect of Change in Iran

Share your ideas and prospects concerning the possibilities of change in Iran. The top three essays will be published in accredited journal(s) and will also receive a cash prize

Since the Presidential Election in Iran in June 2009, there has been an ongoing debate among and between different national and international political and social groups about the possibilities of change in Iran. Nevertheless, the issue has not been dealt with from an academic perspective sufficiently and adequately.
The Iranian Progressive Youth (IPY) is an independent association which aims at establishing a platform for political, cultural and social activities with special focus on the Iranian struggle for freedom and democracy. As part of its ongoing efforts, IPY has organized an International Essay Contest among students and researchers from different disciplines and has called for answers to the following question:

What are the ways to bring about a democratic change in Iran?

The IPY “International Essay Contest” encourages the interested parties to investigate and explore their ideas - from the idealistic to the realistic - in response to this question from either one, or a combination of, the following perspectives:
1. The role and prospect of the Civil Society;
2. The influence of the Political Structure;
3. The position and responsibility of International Community.

The top three essays will be published in internationally accredited journal(s) and
* the first-prize essay will receive €500 and the IPY Essay Award + Zamaneh Essay Award;
* the second-prize essay will receive €250;
* the third-prize essay will receive €150.

Moreover, all the submitted essays will be published on the essay contest’s website.
Participation in this essay contest is open to any (former) student and researcher of any institution of higher education in any field and discipline.
The theme of the essays should be directly linked to Iran and the 2009 Presidential election and its aftermath and will be judged on two criteria:
1. Scientific quality, especially in deepening the understanding of the subject and its social relevance.
2. Innovative elements, creativity and originality in subject matter and its effects, and/or delving into a subject that has been presented but not explored in sufficient depth.

Submitted essays must:
1. be in English or Dutch;
2. be between 1500 - 2500 words. Essays longer than 3000 will not accepted;
3. be in Word Document format (.doc and not .docx) (font ‘Times New Roman’, size 12, double spacing);
4. be delivered digitally to essay@iranpy.net
CD-ROM, Floppy Disks, videos and tapes are not accepted.
5. be received by 10th April 2011 9:00 PM GMT.

The participants are requested to download and fill out the ‘Participation Form’ from the essay contest website. (link)

IPY will appoint a jury which will consist of 3 university teachers/professors from Dutch Universities in different fields and 3 Parliamentarians from the Dutch Parliament and the European Parliament. The IPY Board holds one vote in this jury.
The members of the jury will be announced in due time.
Participants in the contest will receive a confirmation of their submission. The authors of the selected essays will be informed by 25th April 2011; the essays which have not been selected will receive a notification around the same time.
Only papers that meet all the conditions mentioned in this document will be assessed.
The decision of the jury is not subject to appeal.
For more information about the contest refer to Essay Contest Website, or contact us at essay@iranpy.net

Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event here

Sponsors: Hivos, Radio Zamaneh , Foundation for Iranian Studies

Iranian Progressive Youth

www.iranpy.net