Overview of Harmonizer Program for the empowerment of Tijuana Youth

Harmonizer program is an initiative taken by Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI) in association with Ericsson which is now its Official technology partner which will help the WPDI in establishing its youth peacemaker network all over the world. The program is led by Forest Whitaker.

What is Harmonizer Program?

The Harmonizer program is actually an innovative way to avoid conflicts and build peace in life with meditation, skills and yoga. It is an overall wellness program designed for the development of the youth. This program was launched in Mexico, where the volunteers from Ericsson taught students about the effective use of internet and ICT skills. They also discussed about the networked society with students and told them about their role in the society. They also helped them in knowing how technology can affect their lives in the future and how they can use it in community building efforts.

Students’ Interest in the Program:

There were about 34 students. All of them were from Tijuana, but with different backgrounds and conflicting elements. They were all very excited in being a part of this development program. They shared their views about their societies or communities. They told what they liked the most about their societies which included a wide range of things or features such as vibrancy of the city, hospitality, food, weather, soccer teams, diversity, etc. They also showed concern about the growing problems in the society and their willingness to solve them. The best thing was their positive view about their society and they showed a desire that the city must develop and generate jobs for the youth.

Students’ concern for society:

They showed their concern about the problems society is facing such as crime, narco-trafficking, lack of security, unemployment, discrimination, overcrowding, animals on the street, low quality of food and other necessities, health, lack of public services and many others. They were divided into groups where they discussed different topics or issues.

Forbes started a very good and interesting session by asking a question to students that what if the technological devices like tablets and Smartphone were a part of them.

Effect of Technology on Life:

Technology has tremendously changed life. It has made things easier and comfortable for people. This is why; almost every field of life is influenced by technology. Be it education, entertainment or health, one can easily see the effects of technology everywhere. Technology has also helped our mind to grow and enhanced our brain capacity. We can easily share information and communicate with people from all over the world with the help of technology. Forbes encouraged students to make an effective use of technological devices. He asked them to make technology a part of their life and use it to bring a positive change in their life.

There was a group of students who wanted to work for abandoned animals. So they were taught that how they can use technology for this purpose. Like they can use Google to search about the topic, take photos of the animals and use the social media websites for creating awareness, etc. They were told that how they can use technology in an effective manner.