Fall 2013 Beyond Good Ideas Magazine by The SISGI Group

Fall 2013

Beyond Good Ideas Back to School Special

Stories, advice, and life lessons from real teachers.

Feed the People 2 Day #FTP2D Fighting Hunger in Detroit

Privacy Rights of Children in Today’s Blogging Culture

Save the Date! ISC Winter Research & Learning Summit

1RQSUR¹W Leadership Circle

Teaching employees how to be good board members.

AIDS IN NEW YORK Then and Now 1

The SISGI Group Online Magazine

Beyond Good Ideas In this issue... Featured Article

Back to School Special Stories, advice, and life lessons from real teachers. By BGI Editorial Team

The SISGI Group

Letter from the Editor

ISC Winter Research and Learning Summit

Motivational Quotes

Quotes to Live By

Social Issues 26

Patriarchy’s Effect on “Safe places” for Women - Isabelle Magliari

AIDS in New York - Then and Now - James Michael Angelo

Privacy Rights of Children in Today’s Blogging Culture - Kate Legnetti

Literacy Strategies - Khalid Fahfouhi

Voices and Views 13

Slut-O-Ween - Devon Bacso

A Day in the Life of an Autistic Synaesthete - Patrick Jasper Lee

Graduate Student and Millennial Leader - Maria Isabel Rego

Pretty Nostalgic - Nicole Burnett

Putting Humanities to Use - Jaclyn Lyons

Featured Poem - Nick Haldikwa Mwaluko

Strategies for Social Change 17

Feed the People 2 Day - Jaclyn Lyons

Nonprofit Leadership Circle - Rachel Hutchisson

What Does Going Green Really Mean? - Jaclyn Lyons

Community Knowledge, Institutional Practice - Alisa Balestra

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Meet The Team

JACLYN LYONS

TENELLE BAILEY

FEATURES EDITOR

DESIGN EDITOR

Jaclyn is an avid writer and blogger on all things related to literature and life. With a strong educational background in the humanities, Jaclyn’s interests range from creative writing to environmental philosophy, but it is difficult to give any parameters to the topics that interest her. Her current work includes a collection of creative non-fiction essays, The Urban Pastoral, which seeks to dismantle the long-held binary between nature and culture, specifically in highly urbanized places like New York City. Jaclyn also has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English and is very passionate about all things literary, with a particular interest in eco-criticism.

Tenelle is a Design Consultant for The SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation. She is a Fashion Design Professional with a Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science in Fashion Design and over a decade of experience in the retail and fashion industry. Over the years she has designed womenswear for highly recognized clothing labels and worked in retail management. Tenelle is currently the Creative Director/Editor-in Chief of an online fashion company, Dose of Vitamin F, which showcases unique and creative doses of fashion, trend news, and accessories through a website, blog and boutique. In addition, she leads a design and stylist consultancy that supports the needs of individuals, small businesses, entrepreneurs and pro bono design projects to select nonprofit organizations.

DEVON BACSO

ISABELLE MAGLIARI

ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

ASST FEATURES & DESIGN EDITOR

Devon is currently finishing her education in English; she has a passion for literature and creative writing as well as women and gender studies. She loves helping others and has worked as a writing tutor and classroom assistant. Her interests include writing, sexual education, and female empowerment. As a queer women, she is very concerned with LGBTQ issues and forming safe spaces for queer communities. She has a history working with women’s groups such as domestic violence shelters and Planned Parenthood, and hopes to use her writing as a new way to give back and raise awareness about issues that concern her.

Isabelle Magliari is a published freelance writer, poet, and women’s advocate. She currently works as the Assistant Features Editor Intern for BGI Magazine within The SISGI Group. Her freelance work has been featured on Yahoo.com, Brickunderground.com, Patch.com, with poetry published in the Brooklyn based ‘zine, “Having a Whiskey Coke With You.” When she’s not writing, Isabelle can often be found singing with her band, sketching on a napkin, or daydreaming about adopting a cute puppy.

Meet The Editor The SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation

THENERA BAILEY

EDITOR/CEO, THE SISGI GROUP

Thenera has an accomplished career as a consultant, trainer/technical assistance provider to programs, organizations, government agencies, nonprofits, corporations, schools and school districts. As SISGI Group CEO, Thenera is the lead partner in the consulting group and has developed key programs and organization initiatives for the organization’s nonprofit division. She has served as the director of the organization’s cutting edge virtual internship program, overseen the increase in low-cost trainings and pro bono services and established SISGI’s strategies around collective impact and collaboration in the nonprofit sector. Thenera has an Master of Social Work and a Master of Arts and is currently completing a Doctorate in Business Administration with a concentration in Strategy and Innovation. 6

The Alliance for Positive Youth Development is a national platform that allows for networking and professional development for youth serving professionals, ongoing assessment of youth needs and significant increased positive outcomes for youth led by The SISGI Group. We invite all youth, parents, practitioners, community & youth leaders, policymakers and educators to join us in this unique platfrom to collect and share best practices for youth with others around the world. Learn more and see what happened at this year’s APYD conference at http://apydconference.sisgigroup.org/

Turning Good Ideas Into Real Solutions. The SISGI Group works to build the capacity of individuals, organizations and groups to create lasting social change. We remove barriers to action by using a simple, common-sense approach: Preparation, Education and Collaboration. Our Focus Sustainable ImpactsÂŠ A positive and cohesive outcome from the work of a charitable organization, social innovation or venture that can be maintained, upheld and defended until no longer necessary. Strategic Global Initiatives Measurable global efforts designed with multidimensional local perspectives to address social problems and achieve sustainable impacts.

SISGI Group, LLC + SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation Inc. = The SISGI Group The SISGI Group is a consulting firm and nonprofit organization. SISGI Group, LLC is a consulting and research group that specializes in nonprofit capacity building. Bringing together independent consultants with a variety of expertise, the consulting group is able to address cross sector issues and and a range of specialties impacting organizations, individuals and groups working within and on social problems. SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation is the nonprofit division of the SISGI Group. All programs such as our internship programs, educational resources and collaborative work sit within the nonprofit division. The foundation also awards free and low cost consulting services to organizations and individuals interested in creating lasting social change. The foundation serves as a donation clearinghouse for corporations and small businesses looking to support sustainable efforts towards social problems.

Beyond Good Ideas Magazine by The SISGI Group is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

A Note From The Editor...

elcome to the October Issue. It was a privilege to be able to share the voices and views of educators in this month’s issue. The role of teachers has always been incredibly special and important to me, as I come from a long line of educators, including my grandfather, mother, and aunt. I interviewed my mother for our cover story, who spent more than 40 years working in the public school system as a classroom teacher, and eventually as an elementary school principal. She shared a story during the conversation of speaking at a Board of Education meeting about the inequity within the city school system. At the time, my siblings and I were also students in the same school system and my mother could see the resources we had access to in our schools on the other side of town. My mother stood in that meeting and challenged the leadership to answer why all students were expected to test on all levels of the curriculum (at the time 28 strands), while the books and resources in her school only covered 24 strands. The students in her school were also dealing with issues of poverty and crime.

+HDULQJ P\ PRWKHU UHÀHFW RQ WKH challenges she faced 20+ years ago to overcome the inequity in education was frustrating. I quickly saw how common her experiences were to the education issues we still face today. I personally saw the discrepancies in opportunity when I worked with school based programs across the country. However, what I also saw was dedicated teachers, like my mom, who chose to take these challenges head on and help shape young minds each day. I am excited to give a platform for teachers to share their advice and suggestions IRU WKRVH HQWHULQJ WKH ¿HOG ,I \RX DUH an educator, we would love to hear your advice and responses to the questions we asked our network of educators. If you want to thank a teacher who inspired or supported you, please share it on our Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. We have a ton of other great content supporting this cover story, and I thank you for joining us for this issue.

Thenera Bailey Editor-In-Chief and CEO of The SISGI Group

SAVE THE DATE! SISGI Group-â&#x20AC;? Institute for Social Change Presents:

Winter ISC Research & Learning Summit December 3-â&#x20AC;?5, 2013 The Institute for Social Change Research and Learning Summit is where new ideas and additional perspectives are included in global social change efforts. It is an opportunity for individuals and organizations to discuss relevant issues impacting efforts for social change and to participate in a public learning environment. The biannual ISC Research and Learning Summit brings together researchers, students and practitioners to share, learn and discuss. This online event includes webinars, online trainings and live streamed events.

Do Not Miss This Unique Online Learning Event For regular updates about the summit, follow @BeyondGoodIdeas and @Notenoughgood! Follow #ISCSummit for the latest information about registration, workshops, and everything else related to the summit!

Contributors JAMES MICHAEL ANGELO James Michael Angelo is a writer, actor, motivational speaker and activist in New York City. He is most known for writing and performing his autobiographical show Life After Amway, which is set to be released as a memoir and screenplay. James also blogs at www.lifeafteramway.blogspot.com about America’s obsession with success. In 2012 James started the NYC chapter of GLSEN, (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) and serves as the board’s Chairperson. www.glsen.org James is also a public speaker who focuses on the long-term effects of bullying, the changing scope of America since the explosion of capitalism in 1980’s and how gay and straight men can come together.

ALISA BALESTRA

Alisa Balestra (alisab@publicallies.org) is currently the Director of Community and Strategic Partnerships at Public Allies Cincinnati, a leadership and professional development nonprofit in Cincinnati, OH. Prior to joining Public Allies, Balestra received a PhD in English from Miami University and has taught at both open-admissions and highly selective institutions, including Xavier University, where she teaches one literature course a semester (experiential and service-learning based).

NICOLE BURNETT

Nicole Burnett is an ex-museum curator in the UK and vintage dealer, who became so disillusioned by the quality of lifestyle magazines on the newsstand that she decided to start her own. Pretty Nostalgic was launched in May 2012, is run on the principle of fairness and promoting those who deserve to be promoted rather than just those who can afford to pay for advertising. The first British magazine to only feature and promote British made products or genuine vintage and preloved goods and it is now sold world wide.

RACHEL HUTCHISSON

Rachel Hutchisson (@RachelHutchssn) is the director of corporate citizenship and philanthropy at Blackbaud, Inc., a 2,600-person technology company that works exclusively with nonprofit organizations. She built the company’s “give back” function from the ground up, relying on expertise she gained in over two decades of working at the intersection of the business world and the nonprofit sector.

KHALID FAHFOUHI Khalid Fahfouhi has been in the educational sector in the UK for ten years, serving seven years as a Manager. Khalid works on consultancy projects and provides high-quality educational guidance and support on all aspects of performance management, quality assurance, quality of teaching and learning, and setting-up of a provision. Passionate about education and convinced that it is at the heart of social change, Khalid is eager to share his experience and expertise with other institutions around the globe. He is a qualified practitioner and manager, has a Masters degree in Business Studies and a Masters of Philosophy in Environmental Studies.

PATRICK JASPER LEE Patrick Jasper Lee is a published author, artist and speaker (www. patrickjasperlee.com). With a Romani Gypsy background and diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, he lives with a rare form of synaesthesia in a universe where psychological make-up registers in his mind as geometric shapes, patterns and elements of nature. He and his wife, Annabel, a business psychologist, provide seminars and workshops challenging social issues which link this unique system of communication to aspects of life and mind.

KATE LEGNETTI

Kate is an Adjunct instructor and Field Administrator for Elementary Programs at NYU’s Steinhard School of Culture, Education and Human Development. In her position, she works with undergraduate and graduate students, New York City Public Schools and NYU faculty and administration to place student teachers in settings across the city. She is passionate about the intersection of public policy and higher education access, equity and governance. Kate also keeps a personal blog, Ummm Now What, where she chronicles the trials and tribulations of young adulthood in NYC.

NICK HALDIKWA MWALUKO

Nick Mwaluko was born in Tanzania but raised mostly in neighboring Kenya, among other east African countries. Nick writes plays, fiction, poetry and is currently writing a novel. Nick’s work focuses on African and POC LGBTAI folk. Nick’s feature stories have been published in the Washington Times, Reuters News Agency, and most recently the Huffington Post. Nick’s plays have been produced in New York, NY and Ft. Lauderdale, FL through Thinking Cap Theater under Director Nicole Stoddard where Nick was Artist-in-Residence for three consecutive years. London’s National Theater recently shortlisted Nick’s play Waafrika, the story of an interracial love affair between two women.

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Contributors MARIA ISABEL REGO Maria Isabel Rego is a millennial leader at Mobilize.org’s Inaugural Mobilizer Academy class, and a recently accepted graduate student at East Carolina University’s Masters in Health Education and Promotion as she prepares to enter Dental School. Maria Isabel believes every young person has potential for success and excellence, and that determination and drive will take you further than you ever thought you could go!

Interested in Writing for Beyond Good Ideas Magazine?

Would you like to share your knowledge and experience in the next BGI Magazine? We’re currently looking for Contributors for future Issues. Click here to find out how you can you can submit an article idea or topic for a future issue.

The Tricks and Treats of “Slut-o-ween” By Devon Bacso

Each year, Halloween provides an opportunity to pretend to be something we’re not. Some men choose to dress up as superheroes or show off their humor with a witty costume. Some women seize the chance to dress provocatively without being judged as much as they would on any other day of the year. And some very young girls dress up as something scarier than Halloween itself: submissive representations of our society’s dirtiest fantasies. Around the United States, it is increasingly difficult to find a costume for a young girl that displays power and strength. Shelves are stocked with revealing costumes that sexualize girls who have just begun developing. While adult women can be empowered by body confidence in their skimpy costumes, young girls rarely have a choice between sexualized costume number one and even more sexualized costume number two; this sends the message from an early age that to be a girl is to be a sex object.

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The increasing sexualization of young girls is a serious problem in our country, and Halloween only serves to highlight this epidemic. Most people are familiar with Halloween’s tendency to take a concept and tack sexy on the front of it to transform it into a woman’s costume, giving us such gems as sexy Ghostbuster, sexy M&M, and sexy Spongebob; the idea of ‘sexy’ costumes has been mocked in comics and shown up in innumerable opinion pieces without slowing the slew of sexy costume production for women. Though these sexy costumes are marketed for older women, the concepts slowly trickle down to younger and younger girls, without losing much of the sexualization.

“I believe it’s important for young girls to feel confident and attractive in their bodies without beauty being their defining goal or characteristic. Halloween stores that only offer sexy costumes to young customers emphasize that for girls, being sexy is what’s important.” This is especially apparent when you take a walk down the boys’ aisle. As a boy, you can choose weapons, pants, and capes to dress up as a superhero, a doctor, or something super scary. As a girl, you can don mini-skirts and thigh-highs and play at being a fairy, devil, or something super sexy. Simply in appearance, boys’ costumes are skin-covering, and often include masks or bulky fabric in the case of humor-themed costumes. Girls’ costumes are skin-tight and reveal as much as possible, while still claiming to be age-appropriate. Something I found deeply disturbing was the costume breakdown by category. On most websites and in stores, costumes will be separated into different sections, one of them being career costumes. On PartyCity’s website, the boys’ career costumes included prisoner, 14

policeman, firefighter, astronaut, doctor, Nascar driver, and military variations. Options for girls’ career costumes? A cheerleader, prisoner, celebrity, ‘cupcake cutie’, and clown. All the so-called career options for girls included short dresses, skirts, or shorts, with some showing mid-drift and the majority colored pink. Halloween is an elaborate form of dress-up that happens once a year, but I would argue that one night of pretend has a lasting effect. What does it mean when our girls are told that even costume career options are sexualized? What even is the job of a ‘cupcake cutie’? Why can’t boys be cheerleaders and celebrities, and why can’t girls have policeman and doctor costume options, preferably options that don’t turn the uniforms into mini-skirted sex objects? A slideshow of compiled costume offerings display a sexy schoolgirl outfit for tweens and a ‘Major Flirt’ outfit for six-year-olds, complete with neck choker and knee-high boots; this oversexualization of such young children is proven to have lasting, serious consequences.

It’s important for young girls to feel comfortable in their bodies and confident in their sexuality, but when attractiveness becomes the sole trait that defines worthiness, our society has a major problem. The American Psychological Association has connected the oversexualization of young girls with problems later in life, including eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression; these issues are beginning to show up earlier and earlier as girls become sexualized at a younger age.

Recent research has revealed that children rank body image above other factors such as confidence and social life, with a survey showing that more than fifty percent of girls 11-16 would consider cosmetic surgery in order to become more attractive. Dieting is becoming more widespread among children not yet in their teens, with eating disorders rising among these extremely young children as well. Beyond the clear health risks associated with oversexualizing young girls, the value placed on female attractiveness in our culture also wreaks havoc on girls’ mental abilities.

Being sexualized often causes young girls to sexualize themselves, reducing their value to whether or not they are attractive and having that message reinforced by the world around them. Sexualization and selfsexualization increases girls’ unhappiness with their bodies and has been shown to cause difficulty with thinking clearly; essentially, young girls begin to make sexiness the center of their lives and the ultimate goal to achieve. When our girls’ minds are tied up in selfsurveillance, in judging their own bodies and putting forth an image far too advanced for their years, they are missing out on childhood and taking away mental space that could be used for creative or academic thought; this produces women whose sole concern continues to be ‘am I attractive enough,’ rather than one of ambition or a drive for success. Our society must change its values in order to change girls’ image of themselves. A 2012 study investigated self-objectification in six-year-old to nine-year-old girls. The girls were shown two identical dolls: one dressed in jeans and a sweater, and the other in a black mini-skirt and a top exposing mid-drift and cleavage. The majority of the girls picked the sexy doll when asked which doll looked like herself, which doll looked how she wanted to look, which doll was the popular girl at school, and which doll she’d rather play with, with the highest majority being for the questions about popularity and how the girl herself would like

to look. As young as six, girls are picking up on what our society deems important- seductive clothing and an attractive appearance- and are shaping those values into their life goals.

Without a doubt, there should be a variety of Halloween costume options for younger girls to choose from, especially options that do not emphasize young girls’ sexuality. However, for older women, Halloween can be a day of empowerment. On one hand, young girls are trained to be valued for their appearance and potential sexiness, but at the same time, adult women are taught that their purity is what gives them value. A woman should look sexy without engaging in sex, though men are by and large free to take as many partners as they please. Lindy West states that “the sexualization of women is only appealing if it’s non-consensual. Otherwise it’s ‘sluttiness,’ and sluttiness is agency and agency is threatening”. While disturbing, I agree with this statement wholeheartedly, which is where Halloween empowerment comes into play. A result of growing up in a sexualized society means that women judge their bodies obsessively and patriarchal values dictate what clothing is and isn’t acceptable. On Halloween, women have the freedom to discard rules about what clothing is flattering and publicly acceptable without being too sexual, and fully embrace their slutty side. To these women, as opposed to young girls, slutty costumes can be a conscious decision to revolt against everyday slut-shaming.

“Slut-shaming is a widespread phenomenon in which men and women will punish a woman who is deemed to act or dress too provocatively, but on Halloween, women are granted as much of a free pass as they’ll ever get.” Continued on the next page....

On Halloween, a woman can still be called a slut, but for the most part, in the words of Mean Girls, “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” Choosing to take on the role of a sexually empowered woman and to expose flesh without being self-conscious is an incredibly fulfilling experience for many women. For some, wearing a skimpy costume ‘’is a mark of independence and security and confidence,’’ and an opportunity to dress sexy for themselves as opposed to pleasing others. Halloween is a tricky holiday; on one hand it exploits young girls and highlights their blossoming sexuality, but on the other it provides a chance for mature women to embrace their bodies and all that entails.

Regardless of age, female shoppers looking for Halloween costumes need to be provided with a wider variety of choices (see the beginning of this Sex and the City clip).

There should be funny costumes, career costumes, simplistic costumes, and yes, varying degrees of ‘slutty’ or ‘sexy’ costumes as well. The most important factor is giving women the right to choose. That means young girls shouldn’t be forced into buying costumes that emphasizes their body above all else, and adult women also shouldn’t be constrained by the limited variety of sexualized costumes. Women who choose to dress sexy should still have options of revealing costumes to choose from in order to find one that feels empowering, and they should not be punished for embracing the one night a year when they can be proud of their sexuality and show off their appearance. In my childhood, I was able to dress comfortably and conservatively as a bumblebee, a chef, and one year, a Furby. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve done group costumes, dressed as TV characters, and even gone the stereotypical slutty Disney princess route. I enjoy Halloween immensely, and I hope that other young women feel free to don the outfits that make them feel the most confident on one of the most enjoyable evenings of the year; furthermore, I cross my fingers that if I have a daughter, she’ll be able to walk into a Halloween store and see a variety of costumes that encompass all the wonderful things a woman can be. Devon Bacso is a writer currently completing her education in English. She can be reached at bacsod@kenyon.edu.

(Feed the People 2Day)

Detroit

The Big Picture: An Overview

A grim portrait of the once prosperous Motor City has been splashed across

the screen of our TVs and computers for months since Detroit’s bankruptcy. Even before the recent economic crisis, the outlook for Detroit hasn’t seemed hopeful for decades. But when I happened upon @Bradetroit’s Instagram account, I got quite a different picture. Literally.

Bradley Gugan has been documenting the time

he’s spent helping those affected by the economic crisis in Detroit. I’ve been following Brad feed the homeless and hungry people of Detroit for months. His images show a picture of hope and offer an example of how one person’s efforts can make such an impact on the lives of many. Brad’s own words and images tell this story better than I ever could.

Brad’s Story:

while I was inspired to start something up; not just to take food around giving it away and leaving, but spending time with the people, learning their names, making sure they know they are cared about. It seems like many people on the streets just need some positive influence and encouragement to nudge them back on course. Many if not most are living this way by choice; my goal is to show them they can also choose to get off the streets on purpose to make a positive difference day in and day out, bettering themselves and the lives of those around them.” 2Help those who want to be helped

#FTP2D

“It has become completely clear to me that some, no matter how bad it gets, how hungry, lonely and miserable they are, will not change, not on their own, anyway, and certainly we can’t change for them. This is where faith comes in really crucially. I can only pray for God to change their hearts, I know He can because He has changed mine from living in a world controlled by drugs and abusing substances to a life of love, where sharing joy and kindness is a daily objective, so that when we see a need that you can assist with, you react by helping, without thinking about why or why not, because life is a gift, so give it all away before you go.”

“Feed The People 2Day was created to help fight hunger by bringing food to the streets, seeking out the hungry, and working to establish relationships with those struggling. We encourage them to take the first step toward recovery, so that they too may be able to encourage and provide support for others struggling in the future…” “One day while exploring I met a man named Robert, living hand to mouth, sleeping on piles of urine- soaked trash at the abandoned Packard automotive plant on Detroit’s east side. I asked him if he wanted a sandwich, and after watching him chow down like he hadn’t eaten in a

Things Unseen “The positive results may not yet be visible, but the important thing is that the seed has been planted; when you see a giant tree think of how it started as a tiny seed. It didn’t explode overnight into this monstrous beauty, it takes time, but gradually it grows to support other life with roots deep in the earth to draw nutrients and one day it will spread its seed for generations to come. This is how I think of FTP... just planting the seed and watering them fervently so that there will be leaders for the future and we won’t look back on life and wonder why we didn’t do more to help mankind. It can’t be about gaining personal recognition or fame, it won’t work if it is, to God be the glory, it is all for Him. ‘I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.’” -Bradley Gugan, #FTP2D

*All photos are property of Bradley Gugan, @Bradetroit Jaclyn Lyons is the Features Editor for BGI Magazine. She is also a graduate student at Drexel University.

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Monica Mutter, Training Manager, facilitates a discussion on nonprofit board leadership.

By Rachel Hutchisson

Blackbaud employees love to give back. In many ways, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s their job to do just that.

Every day, more than 2,600 people come to work at the publicly-traded technology company on a mission to help nonprofit organizations use Blackbaudâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology to raise money, convey messages and operate more effectively.

Given that employees work so closely with nonprofit professionals on a daily basis, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not surprising that 81% of them also volunteer. In fact, the vast majority say that Blackbaudâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work with nonprofits as customers was a key factor in their own decisions to join the firm. 22

With so many socially minded people in one company with strong connections and beliefs about the power of the nonprofit sector, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also not surprising that many seek to do even more with their volunteerism. Enter Sally Ehrenfried from the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy team who ensures there are philanthropic programs available that help employees give back, learn and grow: Company wide service days. Grants to nonprofits where employees volunteer. Local volunteer initiatives at different office locations. Opportunities to learn how to grant money to deserving nonprofits. All of these areas are represented in programs Sally runs for the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s people.

“In my role, I work with people who are seeking a way to get involved with nonprofits they care about. They know intellectually that they want to serve on a board, but they don’t know how to make the connection, how to get involved,” said Ehrenfried. One special program, however, takes the company’s desire to invest in its employees’ knowledge and service to an even higher level: The Nonprofit Leadership Circle.

Blackbaud has long been committed to skills-based volunteerism, or the concept that people can and should be encouraged to help nonprofits through the use of their professional skills. For example, instead of helping to answer phones or staff a water table on race day, someone might offer HR expertise, a contribution that could be valued at much higher level because of the lasting impact it can make on the infrastructure of an organization. Independent Sector tells us that the value of a regular volunteer hour is about $19. But a value of a skills-based hour can be worth far more. Building on the concept of skills-based volunteerism and the desire for employees to find opportunities to get involved with nonprofits as a part of their own service and career development, Sally created the Nonprofit Leadership Circle. Membership in the group is open to anyone who either serves on or is interested in serving on a nonprofit board or committee. The goal is simple – to cultivate really good future board members who understand their roles and are ready to be leaders in their own communities. Nonprofit boards play a critical governing role in helping their organizations both survive and thrive. The caliber and quality of boards varies dramatically from high functioning, skilled operations to those that are simply grateful to have a new person at the table. To the new person wanting to get involved with a nonprofit, the prospect of joining a board might seem daunting, so getting some sound advice and training beforehand serves to both alleviate concerns and build skill sets.

Blackbaud employees getting together to talk about nonprofit board leadership and best practices

“In my role, I work with people who are seeking a way to get involved with nonprofits they care about. They know intellectually that they want to serve on a board, but they don’t know how to make the connection, how to get involved,” said Ehrenfried. “They are concerned about whether they have the right skills or are ‘important enough’ to be of help to an organization. The Nonprofit Leadership Circle is a way for us to help answer questions, build skills and get them ready to serve.” Members of the circle are invited to participate in educational programs held throughout the year. When launching the group, Ehrenfried conducted a survey to identify what kind of programming made sense. She asked what might seem like basic questions, like whether they were on a board already, if the nonprofit had provided board orientation, if the employee knew that board members had to not only read but also sign off on the nonprofit’s 990 (tax return) every year, and so on. Although many in the group were serving – on their school’s PTA, on the neighborhood association for their community, on the board

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of a local nonprofit that was near and dear to their hearts – few had received orientation on the fundamental responsibilities of a board member. That led Ehrenfried to develop a four-part board fundamentals webinar series, taught by a Blackbaud employee who came to the company with a strong background in board governance training. The series, held over a number of months, covered financial management and governance, board giving, the board member’s guide to surviving events and serving on a fledgling board. One of the things I think is neatest about the Nonprofit Leadership Circle is how people get the opportunity to connect based on what they are passionate about, not what they do for a living. We provide a way for employees located as far as Sydney, Australia, or The Netherlands, to connect with others in our corporate headquarters. People working out of their homes can join in. What matters is that they all care about serving their communities, and they connect on that level, learning from each other. In addition to the board fundamental series, Ehrenfried has hosted sessions on such topics as board recruitment, multichannel marketing, board service in the United Kingdom and crisis communications. In one of these sessions, a senior executive of the company walked the group through a multi-year struggle one nonprofit went through to survive, including shutting down and reforming the organization almost from scratch. His candid insights and advice about the work required as well as the level of emotion involved helped fledgling board members see what an incredible responsibility it is to serve in a governing capacity and how rewarding it is to make a real difference.

Some employees simply learn more from the group, from the informal book discussions that are held, and from the webinars, applying this knowledge to the boards where they already serve. Others who are there as a way to become initially involved with a nonprofit then work with Ehrenfried to identify the appropriate next step. “Although the Nonprofit Leadership Circle is about board service, we encourage our employees to get involved on a committee first so they can get to know the organization and see if there’s a fit. Just because you have a passion for a type of nonprofit doesn’t mean it’s the one that will best use your skills,” said Ehrenfried. “It’s kind of like dating. Each side should evaluate the other and only get married (i.e. go on the board) if both sides think it’s a good idea.” Employees who have benefited from the program gain something personally and feel a stronger bond with the company that places such a high value on service and education. “Blackbaud is great for encouraging us all to be leaders in the nonprofits that are local to us. I always tell people that, if I didn’t work at Blackbaud, there probably wouldn’t be a Greyhound Pets of America –or at least not the one we have today,” said Mary Aquino, Instructional Designer in the company’s professional services division. Aquino’s story is just one example of how the Nonprofit Leadership Circle is helping the company’s employees become community leaders. The program, over time, is building a lasting legacy by delivering well-trained leaders to nonprofits who are seeking the next generation of board members. Rachel Hutchisson (@RachelHutchssn) is the director of corporate citizenship and philanthropy at Blackbaud, Inc., a 2,600-person technology company that works exclusively with nonprofit organizations. She built the company’s “give back” function from the ground up, relying on expertise she gained in over two decades of working at the intersection of the business world and the nonprofit sector.

“If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire!”

- St. Catherine

“Life begins at the end of your

comfort zone.” - Neale Donald Walsch

“Giving of any kind begins the process of change, and moves us to remember that we are part of a much greater universe. ” - Mbali Creazzo

Patriarchy’s Effect on “Safe Places” for Women by Isabelle Magliari

Patriarchy, according

to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is defined as, “control by men of a disproportionately large share of power.” In American society, this “share of power” includes our behaviors, relationships, points of view, morals, values, and more. The hierarchy of men and women bleeds deeper than the widely acknowledged “glass ceiling” or unequal pay; it dictates how women treat and support one another in everyday situations. Even so-called “safe places” for women, such as Women’s Resource Centers, are invisibly influenced by patriarchal ideals. I consider myself a feminist. I strongly and publicly oppose American rape culture and all incarnations of victim blaming. I believe that women are held to impossibly high propriety standards, and are shamed when they both do and do not attempt to achieve them. I believe that patriarchal society sexualizes women without their consent, and that how a woman dresses should never invite aggressiveness upon her. When I began my training as a Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Educational Advocate, I was excited to be surrounded by people with similar ideals. On my first day of class, I felt safe and secure, tucked inside a small conference room within a New York Women’s Resource Center. The room was filled with professional-looking women, many of whom were licensed social workers and counsel26 ors. I glanced over my training booklet

and readied my pen, poised to jot down anything and everything my esteemed classmates had to teach me. The first note I took that day read, “She’s walking down the street in a yellow string bikini calling it ‘clothes.’ I told her, ‘you’re dressing like a hoochie mama!’” This quote was belted out with a laugh by a retired social worker of forty years as she told a story about a poor, “un-teachable” ex-client of hers. I couldn’t help but scribble down what she had said in disbelief. As I stared at her words, scrawled amongst statistics of violence against women in America, I felt shocked, confused, and ashamed. As I listened to her and another retired counselor commiserate on their ex-client’s inappropriate fashion choices, I reflexively pulled down the hem of my short skirt under the conference table. It took me half the class to realize that my newfound nervousness over the length of my skirt felt identical to the fear I had sensed when my mailman would catcall to me on my walk to school. I hadn’t immediately identified my shame and embarrassment over my choice of dress because I wasn’t expecting those feelings to occur at the women’s center, a location I had considered a “safe place.” Over the next two months of training, my notebook slowly filled with similar quotes:

“I was raised Catholic and I would never do the things this woman does.” “This woman is a prostitute and she’s surprised she’s getting abused? What does she think will happen?”

While many of my classmates were non-judgmental, thoughtful, and compassionate, some seemed more interested in comparing themselves to the abused women we were studying rather than sympathizing with them. As my class progressed, it became undeniable that a few of my classmates were true proponents of a woman dressing “modestly” in order to keep from being abused, while placing little blame with their aggressor. This revelation was both disheartening and frightening. On my last day of advocate training, I left class with dozens of unsettling quotes and a lot of perspective. I wondered if my worrisome Women’s Resource Center experience was an isolated incident, or if more “safe places” for women behaved similarly. I spoke with Women’s Counselor and Advocate Susan Jennifer Polese to find out. Mrs. Polese holds a Master’s degree in Social Work and

currently counsels victims of domestic violence and sexual assault at The Women’s Center of Greater Danbury. I asked Susan if she had seen patriarchal ideals negatively affect the “safe place” in which she works, to which she responded, “I find that, more often than I care to admit, my own attitudes are shaped by the prevalent patriarchy in our society, often in subtle ways. For instance, a client of mine was explaining how she is in a recreational sexual relationship with a friend and, although I quelled my reaction, I could feel myself judging her. My thoughts ran along the lines of feeling that a woman is incapable of a truly noncommittal sexual relationship. I believe that this judgment is embedded in the fabric of a patriarchal society in which men can enjoy a variety of different sexual relationships, while women should have only monogamous ones. I realize logically this prejudice is not true, but it creeps into my thoughts nonetheless.”

“Male authority dictates actions taken in places built especially for the healing and empowerment of abused, molested, and frightened women, and that is unacceptable.” I then asked Susan if she had any outward examples of patriarchy dictating behaviors at her women’s center. Susan thought for a moment, “Well, a female client came into our office recently, saw a male coworker of mine and assumed he was the one 27

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“in charge.” Even though the office is full of women, clients often gravitate toward the men in the building when asking for directions or looking for someone with information. It’s disconcerting.” After speaking with Susan, it became clear to me that patriarchy rears its oppressive head in many places women consider “safe.” To put it succinctly: Male authority dictates actions taken in places built especially for the healing and empowerment of abused, molested, and frightened women, and that is unacceptable.

Women as a whole do not have to accept the idea that a sexually liberated girl is promiscuous, while a sexually liberated boy is a “stud.” We as a gender do not have to allow the male gaze to dictate the way we dress, behave, and see each other. Patriarchy is strongly rooted in American culture, but I don’t believe it’s impossible to overcome. As long as women continue to acknowledge rape culture, disregard antiquated gender roles, and empower one another, we can continue taking steps toward making truly safe places for women.

I believe that the first step in women reclaiming their “safe places” is to acknowledge how puritanical and patriarchal feminine ideals dictate everything, from law enforcement refusing to prosecute husbands who rape their wives, to women denouncing other women’s suffering because they dress like “sluts.” I am a big proponent of women supporting women, and the patriarchal belief system embedded in American society is the number one reason women stand apart from one another, while men often don’t.

Isabelle Magliari is a writer, editor, and artist with a passion for activism, feminism, and women’s issues. See more of her work at www.isabellemagliari.wordpress.com

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Back to School Special For our October issue, the editors at BGI Magazine decided to collaborate with our personal and professional networks in an effort to ask educators to teach us yet another lesson. We wanted to know what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really like at the front of the classroom and what advice teachers had for RWKHUV HQWHULQJ WKLV UROH IRU WKH ÂżUVW WLPH $GGLWLRQDOO\ ZH wanted to learn how the teaching profession has changed, not just because of standards and policy changes over the last several decades, but also on the personal level for WHDFKHUV ZKR VR RIWHQ ÂżQG WKHLU SURIHVVLRQ V\QRQ\PRXV with their passion. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we found out...

The First Day of School -Â Â Advice Â to Â New Â Teachers What is one piece of advice youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d give to a teacher headed into WKHLU ÂżUVW \HDU LQ WKH SURIHVVLRQ" â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you believe that your effectiveness as a teacher determines how well your students will learn, then I strongly recommend you Google and implement the ideas/strategies of two beloved teachers of teachers. Their advice is critical to becoming an effective teacher: Harry Wong (Classroom Management), author of The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher, a MUST for every teacher to have in their professional library. Anita Archer (Student Engagement) whose motto is: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Learning is NOT a Spectator Sport.â&#x20AC;? Her effective strategies and videos are used with students K-12. :KDW LV WKH ELJJHVW FKDOOHQJH \RX IDFHG DV D WHDFKHU" â&#x20AC;&#x153;Meeting the multicultural needs and learning styles of each student, to keep them actively engaged, providing experiences that allow them to explore events, concepts, issues, and themes from multiple perspectives.â&#x20AC;? +RZ ZRXOG \RX GHVFULEH \RXU YHU\ ÂżUVW WHDFKLQJ H[SHULHQFH" â&#x20AC;&#x153;A positive one because I had a wonderful mentor and was willing to listen.â&#x20AC;? $QQ 6HZHU Retired Educator after 43 years teaching

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The First Day of School - Advice to New Teachers What is one piece of advice you’d give to a teacher headed into their ¿UVW \HDU LQ WKH SURIHVVLRQ" “It is important for you to be kind and caring, but stern. The children want to learn that you have boundaries and that you also care about them and their success. Find a mentor teacher to work with you because it is not going to be exactly what you expect from what you learned in college or even as a student teacher. Every school is unique and being in charge of the classroom requires flexibility and leadership. Don’t think you know it all and don’t be afraid to ask questions. This is a great time to learn from your peers who have experience and walked this path before you.” What is the biggest challenge you IDFHG DV D WHDFKHU" “I taught in a challenged community for most of my career and parents often were struggling to juggle work and personal obligations to make ends meet. This meant that it was often difficult to engage and involve parents in the education issues of their child. As a teacher in this school, I was often wearing many hats. For example, at times I was a social worker, visiting a home to see a student’s environment and how that impacted their ability to complete their school work, or to try to engage their parents in their academic issues. I often stayed late into the evening with students because I knew their homes were unsafe or they would not have a table to complete 32

their work. People underestimate how much teachers that really care are putting into the students in the class. It goes far beyond just teaching the academic lessons.” How would you describe your very ¿UVW WHDFKLQJ H[SHULHQFH" “I had a ton of great mentors and support because I returned to the school from my childhood. But even though I knew the school and many of the teachers, it still was challenging. I was young and so many of the students would try to test the boundaries due to my age. I learned a lot during that year and it set a strong foundation for my career.”

- 0 $WKHQLD %DLOH\, Retired,

Teacher for 33 years and Elementary School Principal for 10 years

The First Day of School - Advice to New Teachers What is one piece of advice you’d give WR D WHDFKHU KHDGHG LQWR WKHLU ¿UVW \HDU LQ WKH SURIHVVLRQ" “Every single day make it your mission to make your students feel valued.” :KDW ZHUH \RX PRVW H[FLWHG DERXW DV \RX EHJDQ \RXU WHDFKLQJ FDUHHU" “125 teenagers filing through your room everyday, some dazed and confused and some at warp speed. It doesn’t get any better.” What, if anything, do you plan on doing differently this year as you plan \RXU OHVVRQV" “Spend more time on content and writing in AP Euro to help better prepare my students for the exam.” +RZ ZRXOG \RX GHVFULEH \RXU YHU\ ¿UVW WHDFKLQJ H[SHULHQFH" “Exhilarating. I knew it was my calling, my vocation. When kids respond to you and you see the switch in their brains go to the ‘on’ position it sends chills up my spine.”

- Dave Bello, Hopewell Valley Central High School

What is one piece of advice you’d give to a teacher headed into their ¿UVW \HDU LQ WKH SURIHVVLRQ" “Find a mentor on whom you can rely on and ask questions.” What is the biggest challenge you IDFHG DV D WHDFKHU" “Discipline. I had a lot of difficulty establishing a ‘presence’ in the classroom.” How would you describe your very ¿UVW WHDFKLQJ H[SHULHQFH" “I loved it; I just felt so at home in a classroom.”

-Karen Lucci

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The First Day of School - Advice to New Teachers What is one piece of advice you’d give to a teacher headed into their ¿UVW \HDU LQ WKH SURIHVVLRQ" “The first year is the hardest, but I promise it gets easier. Stick with it and teaching is the most rewarding job around. Don’t let a few bad days deter you from your passion. Our students need dedicated teachers.” :KDW LV WKH ELJJHVW FKDOOHQJH \RX IDFHG DV D WHDFKHU" “Student motivation can be very challenging- it’s hard to make them care about a subject they don’t like. Teaching middle school math I get a lot of “math haters.” While I tell them I plan to change them into math-likers, it can be a bumpy process. Finding what makes each individual student motivated and then planning accordingly can take a lot of time and effort.” :KDW DUH \RX PRVW H[FLWHG DERXW DV \RX EHJLQ \RXU WHDFKLQJ FDUHHU" “Entering my 5th year of teaching, I am excited to not feel like the newbie anymore. I feel confident in my teaching abilities and lesson planning skills to know I will have an engaging class and hopefully reach out to many students.” What, if anything, do you plan on doing differently this year as you SODQ \RXU OHVVRQV" “I am always looking to make learning hands-on and fun. There are still a few chapters I can make more interesting and I plan to seek out new resources to help engage students even more.” +RZ ZRXOG \RX GHVFULEH \RXU YHU\ ¿UVW WHDFKLQJ H[SHULHQFH" “Terrifying is the best way possible. There’s nothing like it. Walking into the classroom with 20+ faces staring at you, knowing they are hoping they get a great teacher. You want to live up to both yours and their expectations. And you get one first impression so you want it to be the best one.”

-Krysta Porteus, middle school math, Hillsborough County Schools, Florida, starting her 5th year

The First Day of School - Advice to New Teachers “One piece of advice: Remember that the first year is the hardest. It DOES get a little easier. You will figure out how to multitask, write better lessons, and find fun activities. The first year is always the hardest.” “My biggest challenge is finding a way to differentiate all of my lessons for classes with 15 kids who have special needs, all different from one another, and all of whom are ESL students. It is the biggest challenge, but when I get it right, it is the most rewarding part of my job.” “I am most excited about continuing to work with ESL students abroad and inspiring the idea of travel in their minds. They see a teacher from the US in their country and they start to dream of traveling some day too.” “This year I am using A LOT more technology in my lessons. I am at a school where the students have the resources at home, making it much easier to use different aspects of technology in the classroom and at home.”

“My very first teaching experience was educational. I learned so much my first year, mostly what not to do. It also affirmed the fact that I am meant to be a teacher. It was the best experience I could have asked for.” “If I could change anything about the public school system, it would be finding a way to provide extra support in and out of the classroom for students who need it, in order to give each child the best education possible.” “This is my 5th year teaching (yikes!) and I’m currently teaching Social Studies in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.”

6DPDQWKD %U\DQW Continued on the next page....

The First Day of School - Advice to New Teachers What is one piece of advice you’d give to a teacher headed into their ¿UVW \HDU LQ WKH SURIHVVLRQ" “I learned so much my first year of teaching. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was the importance of over-planning. It makes a big difference in classroom management! There is nothing worse than having a great lesson, looking up at the clock, and realizing you still have twenty minutes left to fill! If the students are not engaged, they will quickly misbehave. You are lucky to enough to influence these students from the minute they step into your classroom until the second they leave....plan every minute!” What is the biggest challenge you IDFHG DV D WHDFKHU" “The overwhelming feeling that there was always something left to do. Whether it’s lesson planning, grading, communicating with parents, staying on top of paperwork, consulting with colleagues, reporting to administrators, participating in extracurricular activities, etc. etc., a teachers’ to-do list is always very long.”

:KDW ZHUH \RX PRVW H[FLWHG DERXW DV \RX EHJDQ \RXU WHDFKLQJ FDUHHU" “I remember feeling very excited to have a group of students that were mine, all mine, for 42 minutes straight every single day. I was excited to use my creativity and everything I learned in college to make a difference in as many of their lives as possible.” How would you describe your very ¿UVW WHDFKLQJ H[SHULHQFH" “It was an incredible learning experience. I remember thinking it was the hardest and most rewarding thing I had ever done. I didn’t realize how many decisions I would have to make in an eight hour day and how exhausting it all was!”

-Mari Buono, former teacher at Hopewell Valley Central High School

$ORQJ WKH :D\ - Learning Through Teaching Teachers respond to: “What is the most important lesson you've learned since becoming a teacher?" “I have been teaching for a little over a year, and spent 10 months teaching in Ukraine. The most important lesson I learned is to not cater to a student who is disrupting class. It frustrates the other students who are working hard. And contrary to what some people think, some students just love to be disruptive. Even as adults!” - Tyler James “Although I have yet to work in my own classroom, I have worked as a volunteer, assistant, and student, and have taught in many classrooms at numerous grade levels over the years. The absolute most important lesson I have learned is to listen, really listen, to the children you work with. Not only will you be able to better connect with and teach them, as well as hear all sides of an argument, but, they will teach you more than you ever imagined! You never know what your students will say or do, but chances are it will be a OHDUQLQJ H[SHULHQFH IRU WKHP DQG <28 ´ - Marley Irene “I’ve been TA-ing for 7 years, and teaching my own class for 2. I think the most important lesson I’ve learned since becoming a teacher is that not every college student plans on going to graduate school, and to understand when students are trying, but don’t have it in them to provide answers and essays up to par.” - Haley Moss Dillon

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$ORQJ WKH :D\ -Â Â Learning Â Through Â Teaching â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have been a teacher at a child care center for 17 years. The most important lesson Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned is to never take for granted what a privilege it is to be there for times of discovery in children. To be that person who teaches children about their eyebrows, table manners, toilets, and just being nice to one another. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty amazing!â&#x20AC;? - Ryan Martin

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taught over a hundred classes this summer (kids ages 4-17), and the most important thing iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve noticed is: kids who act out or refuse to do work are almost always doing so because they are struggling with the work, not because they are trying to be GHÂżDQW WKH\ ZDQW WR SOHDVH \RX WKH\ UHVSHFW \RX WKH\ ZDQW \RXU DSSURYDO EXW LI WKH ZRUN LV WRR GLIÂżFXOW WKH\ÂśG UDWKHU DFW VLOO\ awful than have it known that they are having a hard time.â&#x20AC;? $OWKHD +ROPHV

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m currently a student teacher, and one of the lessons Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned from working with kids is this: Being honest in my character in class has helped me win the favor and thus the attention of my students more than any amount of planning, preparation, or knowledge of content.â&#x20AC;? 6FRWW $UPDQG

End of Year Grades - Changes in School Policy and Education What is one thing you wish you could FKDQJH DERXW SXEOLF VFKRRO SROLF\" “Education has reached this unfortunate space where we are teaching kids to pass a test rather than for learning sake and to build successful adults. Through education we can inspire and nurture the way young people will view learning and personal development for the rest of their lives. We have this unique opportunity to teach life skills (such as interpersonal communication, character, team building, etc.) but it is missing in most current curriculums. It is sad that we are not helping students to become successful adults in the ways that were important when I first entered the profession.” “I also think that those that are creating some of the new education policies have no idea what it is is truly like to be in the front of the classroom. Teaching for a year or two is not enough experience to equip someone to understand the many dynamics faced by teachers who continue to lead in the classroom. There needs to be more of an emphasis for education policy makers and school administration to have lengthy, tangible experience in the classroom. A key part of why I believe I was a successful principal was because I had served 30+ years in a challenging school environment working as a classroom teacher. When I became a principal, I could relate to the challenges faced by my classroom teachers from personal experience and knowledge, not theory. The shift in the field towards more researchers and business leaders, with limited exposure to actual classroom leadership making key education policies, has led to changes that make teaching less productive in some ways. More teacher leaders and growth in the field from career educators, may help limit many of the problems and lack of positive growth we now see in education.” - M. Athenia Bailey

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End of Year Grades -Â Â Changes Â in Â School Â Policy Â and Â Education What is one thing you wish you could change DERXW SXEOLF VFKRRO SROLF\" â&#x20AC;&#x153;How Â we Â bring Â students Â into Â education-Â-Âto Â work Â with Â how Â brains Â function Â more, Â and Â to Â let Â students Â start Â reading Â when Â they Â are Â physiologically Â ready, Â which Â may Â not Â be Â at Â age Â 5 Â or Â 6. Â Â Students Â who Â cannot Â read Â on Â grade Â level Â seem Â to Â fall Â behind Â right Â away. Â Â We Â know Â that Â reading Â is Â a Â learned Â behavior, Â relying Â on Â brain Â development. Â Â Not Â all Â students Â develop Â at Â the Â same Â time. Â Â I Â would Â love Â to Â remove Â the Â stigma Â associated Â with Â students Â ZKR KDYH GLIÂżFXOWLHV OHDUQLQJ WR UHDG DW DJH Â´ - Karen Lucci â&#x20AC;&#x153;Politicians: Â stay Â out Â of Â education Â and Â let Â educators Â make Â policy. Â Also, Â schools, Â public Â or Â private, Â need Â to Â return Â to Â the Â mantra, Â â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It Â takes Â a Â village Â to Â raise Â a Â child.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â Although Â effective Â teachers Â can Â change Â and Â alter Â lives, Â so Â much Â more Â good Â can Â be Â DFFRPSOLVKHG ZKHQ LWV D WHDP HIIRUW Â´ - Dave Bello â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Â feel Â sometimes Â the Â policies Â lose Â sight Â of Â whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â best Â for Â the Â children. Â There Â are Â many Â JUHDW LGHDV RXW WKHUH EXW ZKHQ SXW LQWR SUDFWLFH PLJKW QRW EULQJ WKH EHQHÂżWV ZH DUH KRSLQJ IRU /DZPDNHUV PXVW ZRUN ZLWK HGXFDWRUV WR ÂżQG UHDOLVWLF DQG IHDVLEOH VROXWLRQV WR PHDVXUH DFFRXQWDELOLW\ DQG QDUURZ WKH DFKLHYHPHQW JDS ZH KDYH Â´ - Krysta Porteus, middle school math teacher, Hillsborough County, FL Â Â Âł, VWURQJO\ EHOLHYH LQ ÂłUHDO OLIHÂ´ KDQGV RQ SURMHFW EDVHG OHDUQLQJ 7H[WERRNV KDYH D place, Â for Â me Â they Â are Â a Â reference. Â Â Project-Âbased Â learning Â is Â a Â vigorous Â approach Â to Â teaching Â in Â which Â students Â explore Â real-Âworld Â problems Â and Â challenges. Â With Â this Â type Â of Â active Â and Â engaged Â learning, Â students Â are Â inspired Â to Â obtain Â a Â deeper Â knowledge Â of Â the Â subjects Â theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Â studying. Â Â One Â of Â the Â advantages Â of Â project Â work Â is Â that Â it Â makes Â school Â more Â like Â real Â life.Teachers Â become Â facilitators Â of Â learning Â rather Â than Â information Â givers. Â $QQ 6HZHU

We would like to thank all of the educators and retired educators that shared their voices and views for this article. We are all inspired by those that make nurturing young minds and sharing knowledge their lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work. We invite you to join in thanking the teachers from your academic journey by sharing a favorite teacher story. If you are an educator, share your advice and lessons learned to be a part of this collection. Share through our Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+.

What Does Going Green Really Mean? By Jaclyn Lyons Most of us would agree without much thought that the health of our environment is a pressing issue. Some of us may make an effort to “Go Green,” to recycle, to be conscious of the brands we buy, and to be aware of how our choices affect our planet. But how many of us actually know how these simple choices affect the bigger picture? Are our efforts futile, or are we making a real impact when we buy locally grown foods, use recycled materials, and opt for renewable energy? I think the majority of us, even those of us who identify ourselves as environmentalists, would be surprised to know how much of impact we can actually make by choosing environmentally-friendly options in our everyday lives. One of the best ways we can make a real difference in the health of our planet, and thus ourselves, is to choose renewable energy sources. Unfortunately, it seems not enough people really know about the options available to them and how they can opt for clean electricity in their homes today. The idea of powering our homes with renewable energy is not a futuristic ideal; for many of us the option of choosing renewables might just be as simple as calling our energy companies.

The terms “renewable,” “green,” or “sustainable” are often thrown around without much effort to define what these words really signify. I believe that having at least a basic understanding of renewable energy and related terms is essential, as it seems that a lack of education surrounding the topic has become a hindrance in spreading the word about how simple it is to make environmentally responsible choices. The following provides a crash course for those of us who want to choose to go Green whenever possible, but are intimidated by the rhetoric or scientific terminology.

Crash Course in Going Green Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s start with some of those terms weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been throwing around. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll put these terms in simple, everyday definitions and then see how this relates to the larger picture of environmental health. Green most simply means tending to preserve environmental quality (i.e. by being recyclable, biodegradable, or non-polluting) or not harmful to the environment. Renewable energy sources are either inexhaustible (i.e. solar, wind) or replenished within a human lifetime (hydro, biomass, geothermal). Most renewable energy ultimately comes from the sun - indirectly in the case of wind, water, and biomass; directly in the case of solar (PV) generation. Natural gas and coal, for example, are not renewables because their use consumes gas and coal reserves at a much quicker rate than they can be replenished. To describe something (like energy) as sustainable means it is able to be maintained at a certain rate or level. It is concerned with conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources. By the definitions above, it is clear to see that sustainable solutions regarding our environment have much to do with green options, and one of these choices is renewable energy sources. Therefore, in order to preserve our environment, choosing renewable energy is perhaps one of the most important ways we can achieve sustainability, and it is often as simple as making a phone call to our energy providers. The Beyond Good Ideas Foundation has teamed up with Green Mountain Energy, a provider of wind and solar energy for those of us based in the New York area (for others please visit the website here). The special relationship we have with Green Mountain not only benefits the continued good work of the non-profit foundation, but the company has also taken the time to help educate us on one of our 6 core focus areas: Environment and Conservation.

What We Have Learned from Green Mountain It turns out, your choice does matter. The Benefits of Clean Electricity Source: Green Mountain Energy Company

Did you know that the traditional production of electricity is the largest source of industrial air pollution in the U.S.? That’s the bad news. The good news is that with Green Mountain you can choose to support clean, 100% pollution-free, renewable electricity instead. You can actually be part of the solution to this pollution problem! The benefits of generating electricity using clean renewable resources are broad, ranging from environmental to economic. By choosing clean electricity you can do something positive for the environment today that also creates benefits for the generations of tomorrow. Environmental Benefits R5 No emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), mercury, nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2) or particulate matter into the air, water or soil. Commonly cited effects of these harmful pollutants include climate change, mercury poisoning, acid rain and smog R5 Doesn’t require fossil-fuel extraction that seriously damages the land R5 Made from unlimited renewable sources that will never run out, unlike limited and polluting fossil fuel sources R5 Helps preserve and protect the environment for future generations Economic Benefits R5 Creates employment opportunities in the green job sector in the U.S.; between 1998 and 2007, clean energy economy jobs — a mix of white-and blue-collar positions — grew by 9.1 percent, while total jobs grew by only 3.7 percent (Pew Charitable Trust) R5 Helps secure America’s energy future by investing in domestic sources of energy R5 Brings development to rural areas, where renewable facilities are often sited to take advantage of ample space and resource potential No matter which of these reasons is most important to you, any one of them can be a great motivation to choose cleaner electricity from Green Mountain! Jaclyn Lyons is the Features Editor for BGI Magazine. She is also a graduate student at Drexel University.

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AIDS in New York: Then & Now By James Michael Angelo

After sunbathing one day on the Christopher Street Pier, I went by myself to the New York Historical Society to view the exhibit AIDS in New York: The First Five Years. The first things I saw as I entered the second floor gallery were giant photographs of gay men on the same pier thirty-five years ago, right around the time I was born. I stood there studying these images, comparing them to the people I just left thirty minutes prior. Naked and packed in like sardines on a secluded section of the dilapidated pier in 1978, they indulged in what little freedom they had in those days. Their bodies were naturally lean, but not chiseled and manufactured like most boys I know require. Today the Christopher Street Pier is a manicured lawn where gay men flaunt their pride amidst mainstream society. Of course, the flip side to that freedom is that we have to keep our clothes on. Staring at the men of 1978, I wanted to reach out and warn them about what was coming, or better yet, jump in and feel what it was like to live in a world without AIDS. Next, I stood in front of a 1980s Blackstripe television set and watched old news clips from the first five years of the plague. “Gay cancer” and “Virulent Diarrhea,” or “Gay Bowel Syndrome,” flooded every report, further segregating an already segregated class of men. I thought about how awful and terrifying that must have been for them. Sex, a means by which we seek solace and acceptance, had turned on them without warning. Gay men were on a trajectory of hope since the Stonewall riots. A glimmer of equality had hung in the distance only to be snatched away by a disease

that was seen by those they fought so hard against as a form of divine punishment. I often imagine what that must have felt like, a tidal wave crashing over a sunlit pier and wiping away more than half of one’s friends.

“Sometimes, when I’m sitting at a diner surrounded by a group of cackling gay men, half of which are HIV positive and seemingly without a care in the world, I imagine how different our conversations would have been thirty years ago with half of those seats empty.” As I moved through the rest of the exhibit, passing images of the first candlelight vigil at the Bandshell in Central Park on June 13, 1983, almost thirty years ago to the day, I thought about the fact that I have only known sex associated with death or social ostracism at best. I left the museum on 77th Street and strolled up Central Park West haunted by what I had just seen and couldn’t help but ask myself, what’s really changed? To answer that question I needed the honest perspective of those who have been on the front lines since the first five years, as well as those who are discovering their sexuality in what is essentially today’s cyber baths. Hector is a 52-year-old New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent who has been living with HIV

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for over twenty-five years. Today, with over 700 t-cells, he’s not only a survivor of those early years but also a long time dresser for the Broadway show Phantom of the Opera. But in 1981 he was twenty years old and like most gay men, spent the majority of his time at the infamous baths. “We would go to the baths on Wednesday and all sit around in our towels and watch Dynasty and then go have sex for three to four hours. Sex defined what it meant to be gay. It was our right after fighting so hard at Stonewall.” Every minority group that has suffered major oppression in this country is left with ingrained dysfunction as its most glaring disability. The African-American community is constantly fighting against poverty, drug addiction and racial profiling. The Hispanic community battles discriminatory immigration laws and drug smuggling. Native American tribes have been devastated by alcoholism. And the gay community is riddled with a deepseated sexual dysfunction. “We felt invincible before the virus hit,” Hector recounted. ”We had the arrogance of youth. But after, there remained a sexual arrogance we had as a community. We didn’t have the willingness to change. We didn’t want to let go of the life we had because we fought so hard for that liberty. Even with the threat of death and stigmatization within the gay community, we were still having sex like crazy.”

The term sexual arrogance struck me in the pit of my stomach. I knew exactly what he was talking about. It all suddenly became very clear - I saw the common thread between then and now. HIV & AIDS is but a symptom of deeper issues that continue to plague our society - sexual arrogance and stigma. They are the real killers.

Hector went on to paint a clear picture. “We were angry. So much had been taken away from us. Our rights as human beings were never equal. It’s thinking this is all I have and no one is taking that away from me. It’s a sexual rebellion. 46

“I’m gay and being gay means having sex. Now if we could redefine what gay means I think that could start a change in the way we view ourselves and sex.” That’s why marriage equality is so important. It’s a direct link to our sexual arrogance and the spread of HIV. It’s about building our selfesteem and getting rid of that stigma.”

I strongly identified with Hector’s assessment. As a gay man I have struggled with my sexuality for my entire life. And by “struggle” I mean I have indulged in the culture I came out in that condones, actually promotes, a hedonistic way of life that is sold as a celebration of freedom. It’s my gay right, one of the few that I have, to have sex with as many men as I want. When after suffering years of abuse as an adolescent I was finally able to express the very thing that demonized me in the eyes of society, it became as necessary as the air that I breathe. I not only needed it, I deserved it. That’s the sexual arrogance that still fuels our community. And that in itself is not the problem, but leads to the problem: reckless behavior in the heat of the moment, propelled by low self-esteem and a constant need for validation from each other. Then you throw drugs and alcohol into the mix and the idea of using a condom or thinking about HIV is lost in the midst of passion and sexual spontaneity, because it’s our right.

I interviewed a dozen gay men in their 20s and 30s, both HIV positive and negative, and only after assuring them that I would protect their anonymity were they completely honest with me. Nearly all of them admitted at various times, and some more than others, that safe sex and HIV disclosure weren’t even a thought in the midst of hot sexual encounters. Some even admitted lying about being positive for fear of being rejected. Sure their online profile status might say “ask me” but when it came down to that moment, hormones overrode responsibility and their need for acceptance overshadowed the truth, because truth isn’t sexy.

After my research in the don’t ask, don’t tell world of online anonymous hookups, I wanted a more professional perspective. I turned to my friend Andrew MacPhail at GMHC for help in researching where we are today in New York. He set up an interview between me and Chief Operating Officer Janet Weinberg. I had no idea what I was in for. With Janet’s intense schedule we had to do our interview via phone. She sounded like Larry Kramer’s character Dr. Emma Brookner from the critically acclaimed play, The Normal Heart. She was direct and angry. JMA: The CDC is reporting that new infections are down in demographics like black & Hispanic heterosexual men and women, but there’s a troubling increase among young white-gay and bi-sexual men (22% increase). Does this match what GMHC is seeing here in NYC, and, if so, why the skyrocketing jump in this demographic? JW: No. How’s that for an answer? We’re seeing a major rise over here among young, black men 16-29, most of them having been thrown out of their homes for coming out as gay or HIV positive. Then I have a group of 30-40 year old men who grew up in the crystal meth era. 25% of those who started using crystal meth seroconverted to HIV. 1 in 4.

JMA: On the crystal meth note, have you seen an increase in HIV infections among crystal meth users who are now injecting the drug with a needle, since that method is on the rise as opposed to smoking it? JW: No, not particularly. In fact, if anything compared to 2008, 2009 and 2010 around here we’re actually seeing less meth. And we’re seeing more people in recovery around meth than we did. Remember, New York City really got hit with meth from 2001, I’d say, to about 2009 or 2010, and we are now entering the recovery stage of it. JMA: I’ve been in New York since 1995 and I have only known one person who has died of AIDS… JW: You’re lucky. JMA: I am, but I’ve been interviewing gay men in their 20s and 30s, and very few, if any of them, have ever known anyone who has died of AIDS. So my question is have the meds turned this disease, in the minds of most young gay men, into something more like herpes rather than a deadly killer? JW: I hope not, but I believe that exists in certain demographics. JMA: Do you see fear in young men, the fear of death in those who are diagnosed with HIV like it was thirty years ago? JW: Yes, unfortunately we do here at GMHC. Because the folks we’re servicing here are poverty stricken. And by the time they get to a doctor many of our clients have full-blown AIDS. They’re not HIV positive, they have AIDS. And they are terrified of dying. They have major medical issues that got them to the doctor in the first place, and I’m not talking

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about a little cut on the finger. I’m talking about cystic pneumonia. We’re talking about meningitis, very, very serious infections. So, yes, these folks are terrified of dying. They range in ages from adolescence to well into adulthood. But what I do see, and I’m not trying to be glib, is gay white men of privilege who are thirty years old who believe that AIDS is like herpes. Because they’ve had the privilege of access to medical care consistently throughout their lives, because they had the knowledge to go get tested, because they knew how to get tested anonymously, because their neighborhood had a place for them to have access to all of that. But the folks we’re servicing, they’ve never had access to that. JMA: That’s very powerful for me to hear as a gwm, also because of what the CDC is reporting of a major rise among gwm infections. You have said that most of your clientele are young black men who have been rejected and thrown out by their families. Why is there so much rejection in the African-American community? Is it largely because of embedded Christian beliefs? JW: Right wing religion has not done a whole lot of good around this, but that’s true for any of the evangelistic religious folk. Because frankly if there is a young man sitting in the audience in his church like that, then I can almost assure you that he’s not coming out as gay and that he’s having sex in the same closet that msm (men seeking men) is having it in and therefore being exposed. And if he does come out then he’ll be removed from his church, his family and his community, and they’re afraid to disclose and we’re back to the real epidemic which is stigma and homophobia. JMA: What are the similarities between thirty years ago and today?

JW: I see the same need for increased exposure to medical care, the need for education. We keep having the same damn conversation about stigma, about homophobia, about racism. I mean none of that seems to have moved a whole lot. The needle is still sitting in about the same spot. JMA: What has changed? JW: What has changed is the immediacy and the urgency of death. People know they can potentially live beyond eight weeks, ten weeks, and when we were seeing AIDS in 1981 they were just dying so fast. You know, James, you talked about the healthy young men of 1978 who weren’t pumped up on steroids, who didn’t have these chiseled bodies, but we know people were dying of AIDS by 1978 and 1979, it was just totally undocumented. And so I look at those beautiful young faces and say how many of them actually died a young death and we didn’t document them because we didn’t know. That’s what keeps me going. The resilience, the love, the kindness, the caring, the survival of these people is amazing to me, and that’s what keeps me going thirty years later.

I hung up the phone, grabbed my keys and my dog and went for a walk. I had so many emotions racing through my body that I

couldn’t sit still. The words stigma, homophobia, racism and sexual arrogance were illuminated in neon colors and looped around my head like a Times Square marquee. Yet when we’re all hiding in the dark, playing a big game of eyes wide shut, it’s about a different kind of stigma. The prevention tactic of making HIV this big scary thing that devastates your life in order to put the fear of God in gay men is not working. It’s only creating a deeper well of shame and a greater divide in the gay community. The infighting and judgment is growing exponentially between HIV positive and negative men and forcing HIV back in the closet. About two weeks after my interview with Janet Weinberg, my boyfriend Jonathan and I went on our annual summer vacation to the epicenter of gay sexual freedom in New York - Fire Island. This iconic gay destination is also a survivor of the plague where entire houses of men died off in the first five years. But today it remains a unique and eccentric summer get-away where drag queens rule the stages at venues like the Ice Palace and boys still have sex in the jungle-like woods of the infamous “meat rack” between Cherry Grove and The Pines.

I walked up and down the beach in my skimpy red bathing suit passing beautiful naked men basking in the sun. And I admit it’s hard for me to imagine scaling back the sexual freedom that has become synonymous with gay life. Some argue that’s not even possible.

called the guy he had been dating who claimed to be negative. He was actually positive and didn’t know it. When I asked Timmy about that passion-filled drunken night he said, “We were drunk and wanted to bareback because it feels so much better.” I then asked him if he was scared when he learned he had contracted the virus. “No. My best friend is positive and I know a lot about it. I’m on meds, am undetectable, so I’m fine.” The antiretroviral medications used to treat HIV and keep people alive have saved millions of lives since they first came out in the mid ‘90s. But the flip side to that is many gay men are able to go right back to the kind of uninhibited sex we have always sought after and not die, if we’re privileged enough fit a demographic profile that has access to healthcare.

So we’re back to square one. Can gay men change our outlook on ourselves, each other, and our sexual behavior just enough to stop the spread of HIV, without losing our idiosyncratic flare for freedom? If the answer to this question is ever going to be yes, then this needs to become an inside job. Gay men are some of the smartest, most successful people this world has to offer, and we should be able to figure this one out.

James Michael Angelo is a writer, actor, motivational speaker and activist who also started the New York City chapter of GLSEN and serves as Chairman of their board of directors.

I met Timmy, an adorable 26-yearold seasonal bartender at Cherry’s by day and fabulous drag queen by night. In March of this year he was dating a guy and things were going well with his new man. One night they got drunk and had unprotected sex. Three weeks later Timmy got extremely sick and went to the doctor and was diagnosed HIV positive. He

&RPPXQLW\ .QRZOHGJH ,QVWLWXWLRQDO 3UDFWLFH By Alisa Balestra

â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a researcher, teacher, and community engagement specialist, I am most interested in efforts to align the work of institutions with the work of community members, especially those who are routinely policed, exploited, and/or disenfranchised by the state; these formal institutions often mark certain groups of people as â&#x20AC;&#x153;badâ&#x20AC;? or unable to contribute meaningfully to the work of civic engagement from an early age...â&#x20AC;? In this article, I will use one case study to illustrate what formal institutions (in this case a university) can gain by aligning their efforts with that of community members, specifically community members who have not been previously recognized as key in helping institutions work as they should. Importantly, this case study has at its core the work of emergent leaders enrolled in a professional development program that aims to provide access to those community members who are often without access to formal vehicles for meaningful civic engagement. Since 1992, the leadership and professional development nonprofit where I work has helped young people (generally between the ages of 18-30) transform their passion into action by expanding their range of skills and experiences to position young adults in meaningful careers involved with public life. Members in my program are placed with an area nonprofit for a ten-month apprenticeship; members also receive a rigorous training and learning component and, as a smaller team, plan, implement, and evaluate organization

or community-based projects. Each year, members offer organizations or community members the â&#x20AC;&#x153;people powerâ&#x20AC;? to put an idea into action, with many of these projects sustainable beyond the ten-month period; one example of sustainability is the creation of an all youth driven neighborhood youth council â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a project that other neighborhoods in Cincinnati have tried to replicate with varying degrees of success.

This year, I managed a project designed by faculty at a local area law school. For a number of years, faculty at the law school have had little success in collecting information and stories from people who used alternative banking systems, e.g. cash advance stores, pawn shops, etc. A current law student and former staff member of my organization suggested that faculty locate the project within but also outside of the law school, with program members, not law professors or students, as primary â&#x20AC;&#x153;researchers.â&#x20AC;? This kind of research, whether done by â&#x20AC;&#x153;expertsâ&#x20AC;? or not, differs from traditional research in its methodology: instead of using methods of research such as surveys, which are then used to generalize information about a particular group of people and issue, researchers conduct â&#x20AC;&#x153;action research,â&#x20AC;? or research that takes its cue from what develops (and redevelops many times over) through conversations with the target demographic (which may also change throughout the course of research).

â&#x20AC;&#x153;In this model of research, the target demographic or demographics identify, define, and propose solutions to a range of issues of which the researcher may have not previously considered...â&#x20AC;?

For the law faculty, the goal of the project was not to determine who used these services but why.

Once they decided on tentative methods by which to collect information (drop cloths and interviews emerged among the most interesting), members held a number of community conversations to determine why Cincinnatians used alternative banking systems. In the course of determining why Cincinnatians use or do not use these systems, members also identified a few community members who were empowered by these conversations and wanted to continue with the project once members’ term of service ended. Interestingly, community members were not the only participants to offer whys and share their stories; of the twelve members on the team, seven had used alternative banking systems that ranged from cash advance stores to pawn shops to student loans. The same is not true for the previous group of researchers, whose primary type of alternative banking system was student loans. Both members and others in the community who used these systems generated obvious answers to why: to avoid the shame of asking a family member/friend for money, to pay bills, to pursue higher education, or to maintain a lifestyle not otherwise afforded by one’s means. The whys members uncovered – from their own and others’ stories – were consistent with what researchers had previously identified. However, members’ conversations with community members, including young children, revealed a narrative

researchers had not fully considered, namely that lack of financial education as a child – what I would call financial illiteracy – impacted whether or not adults used alternative banking systems. Many of the adult participants of the study cited lack of financial education, whether formal through school and informal through parents or guardians, as a possible cause for their use of these systems. Another reason that was palpable for participants, even if not readily known, was that bank practices were often corrupt, and that saving money seemed unnecessary when subsistence level wages were expected to pay rent, utilities, food, and often, child care. In both of these cases, participants faulted, albeit indirectly, the systems or institutions that oppress or exclude them. Drop cloth drawings from children confirmed adult participants’ views, with children associating “banks” with men and “money” with material items, e.g. IPods, cars, clothes, etc. With this logic, “money” is for spending, not saving, and banks are used and run by people in power, namely white men. The “truths” members discovered in the course of this project revealed more than why some people use or do not use alternative banking systems, or what traditional banking systems represent to a segment of the population negatively impacted by banking practices. Importantly, and perhaps because some members shared with participants reasons for using alternative banking systems, members were better positioned to question biases and assumptions about who used

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or did not use these systems and why. For example, members questioned (and later rejected) suggestions by the law faculty and student that they identify a target community through nonprofits or agencies with existing financial literacy workshops. Members entertained but ultimately dismissed this suggestion because they felt uncomfortable asking for personal and sensitive information from people already vulnerable from receiving emergency services such as food or other social services. Moreover, members remarked on how the mere association with a law school raised concerns, with one member noting a desire to, “Rage against the academic machine and show up with funky data.”

“This is to say that members wanted to challenge research methods aligned with institutions, even the institution itself, because both have been traditionally viewed as contrary to the work of communities.” Members did not “show up with funky data” but rather presented data of a different kind: data informed by both personal experiences and an awareness that research – even action research – must not be at the expense of values such as integrity, diversity, inclusion, and a focus on individual and communal assets. In reflecting on their experiences in working on the project, members focused much of their attention on practicing asset based community development, now that they had found a community, had collected information from community members, or had identified among participants individuals willing to continue with the project. Principles of asset based community development, or ABCD, rest on what individuals and communities have instead of what they lack. In exercising these principles, members held firm to two things: that they were successful in “connection [sic] members of a community 52

to each other [to] engage in real and genuine conversations, learn the strengths and assets in order to empower growth in leadership, and support them [community members] as they make the changes they believe are necessary”; and that the “deliverables” of the project were created by the community of participants. Because researchers were skeptical of a project in collaboration with a law school but used their skepticism to demand a focus not on whom or why but what – what is assumed, what is valued, and what is needed for social change –the answers to these questions came not from the academy but from everyday citizens. In other words, answers came from everyday civic actors who, unfortunately, lack many opportunities to exercise their civic muscles. And yet, community members alone cannot address pressing social problems, nor do they have answers that are somehow elusive to academics. The social theorist bell hooks has suggested that theory without praxis is as pernicious as praxis without theory. In other words, academic attempts to understand – to name, to frame, and to solve – social questions and problems must not come at the expense of lived experience; the same is also true for lived experience and the action it produces, in that action must accompany a reason for doing, not simply the doing itself. Is it significant that the law professors and student of this case study

“Academic attempts to understand – to name, to frame, and to solve – social questions and problems must not come at the expense of lived experience.” “turned outward” to identify community members as researchers, or that they understood the why must come from community members who use alternative banking systems? Certainly, and yet, where would community members be without new knowledge of how – how alternative banking systems are in collusion with other kinds of systems that police, exploit, and disenfranchise them? And, if many community members who use alternative banking systems do not share with others the same degree of socio-cultural capital to navigate difficult financial waters, how will those most affected by these systems gain the currency needed to effect change at the macro-level (through policy change, for example)?

At a recent workgroup meeting at a research think tank in Dayton, Ohio, a young African-American man from North Carolina remarked on how “people from the other side of the tracks,” or the middle-class people who often make him feel like less of a community member or citizen, have “know how” and resources to share that could help his community solve its most pressing problems. For this man, the tracks are a literal and figurative barrier to the kind of alignment needed for democracy to work as it should; in other words, race and class divides are impediments to alignment between institutional knowledge and practice and community-driven solutions. The case study I present is, in many ways, an example of the alignment the young man from North Carolina finds most needed and valuable, in part because the question of how – how will community members change systems without the institutional muscle to do so – is central to the study.

The law professors and students acknowledged two things early on: the need for a group of community members to continue with the project after the researchers’ tenure ended, and that whatever whys researchers generated must direct policy change on alternative banking systems. This is why, then, the law professors and students emphasized particular deliverables of the project – oral testimonies, interviews, etc. they could use to present to the credit bureau (a next step for the law faculty). The law professors and student did not anticipate, however, that deliverables were created by the community, not the researchers, and that asset based community development is as valuable a practice to action research as identifying a community and helping it name and frame its problems. Both practices are needed if communities are to benefit. Alisa Balestra is the Director of Community and Strategic Partnerships at Public Allies Cincinnati, a leadership and professional development nonprofit in Cincinnati, OH. Balestra holds a PhD in English from Miami University and has been on staff of Public Allies since 2011.

A Day in the Life of an Autistic Synaesthete By Patrick Jasper Lee

I am an autistic synaesthete. This means I not only have Asperger’s syndrome (difficulty with social skills), but I also use a language consisting of mental geometric shapes, which can help me to understand what people mean when they are interacting with me.

Asperger’s syndrome is defined as a condition in which social cues, emotions and spacial awareness are not always recognised. Asperger’s is mostly unnoticeable in individuals, at least from their outward appearance. Difficulties with social communication, social interaction, and social imagination are commonplace. In addition, an individual with Asperger’s syndrome may be likely to develop dyspraxia, dyslexia, and may also be prone to epilepsy. Synaesthesia, on the other hand, is defined as a condition in which extraordinary 54

experience occurs in response to ordinary sensory input: for example, sound evoking sensations of colour. People are likely to experience synaesthesia in many different ways where their senses are concerned. Sight, sound, taste, and feel can be affected and can produce some quite bizarre effects; tasting numbers, for instance, can be common for people with this condition.

From the moment I get up in the morning until the moment I close my eyes at night, I am surrounded by a selection of squares, circles and triangles in my mind. These shapes emanate from people and things, in whatever situation I find myself in. I call these shapes ‘my signals.’ I recently wrote a book entitled, MY SIGNALS: Autistic Reflections of a Man Who Thinks in Circles and Dreams Like a Stone, a

process which helped me realize how different my life is from other people’s. Few others see shapes forming patterns upon people’s bodies, within their words and gestures, and within the things that surround them, in the way I do. These patterns are not solely limited to people, for they are also contained within objects I might encounter.

From looking at the computer I am working on at the moment, to seeing a man passing by on the street, when the shapes appear, sometimes bold, sometimes almost unnoticeable, they are seemingly in the background of my mind.They communicate something extremely vital to me: how to respond to any particular situation. This is where I will receive clues about what I will need to do, or say, and that is important to someone who is on the autism spectrum.

My computer can give off circular signals, which are in my mind but at the same time given off by the computer itself. These circles can appear watery, in a synaesthetic sense; that is, they are a sensation in my mind, rather than a visual experience. A computer is a very direct kind of object, since it only does what it is programmed to do. A man passing in the street, however, will be likely to give off any number of signals, sometimes circular, sometimes square, or even triangular, and this is because a man, unlike a computer, will be at liberty to choose how he relates to things and how he will respond to them, and will therefore give off far more of a variety of signals than a computer will. It goes without saying that I tend to trust machines far more than I trust human beings a good deal of the time. This is because machines are not at liberty to choose how to behave; they cannot become cryptic, confusing, and they cannot flatter me, no matter how much they try. I manage social cues aided by the three shapes: squares, circles, and triangles. Why do I sense these three shapes in particular? The truth is, I do not know. I only know that the shapes

form in my mind, either to the left, or to the right, sometimes at the back of my mind, or even at the front. All this takes place when I’m in the presence of people. The fact that squares are stony, circles are watery and triangles are misty has to do with what information the geometric shapes impart to me. For instance, squares impart information that is clear and direct, circles impart information that flows along and is easy to follow, but should an individual give off cryptic information, which I do not understand, a murkiness is likely to grow within my mind, eventually producing triangles, until I feel that I may have entered a strange kind of mist.

“These shapes rule my day, becoming a valuable resource, like a dictionary I might carry around with me, but instead of locating a word and what it means, I am locating a signal and what it means, with a view to interpreting it, and acting upon it. I can only know what someone means by interpreting and categorising their shape. Much of what I experience contradicts the way people with Asperger's are expected to behave. The more I have learned about spectrum conditions and synaesthesia, the more I realise how much I am transcending the boundaries between these two conditions.” While suffering from a spectrum ‘disorder’ means that I will not know how to behave socially, the synaesthetic condition, such as the one I live with, relieves any social pressure instantly by filling in

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and informing me on how I need to behave, via the signals. The fact that I experience Asperger’s and synaesthesia in the way I do produces an enigma when I am able to assess what people mean by reading the geometric shapes they are likely to become. When I can assess the psychological state or condition of a person through recognition of their shape alone, it becomes spooky for some, intriguing for others, because most cannot understand how I developed such an ability. I can assess whether they are feeling confused inside, or know if they are happy or sad, even though they

coming from. But perhaps it is more the case that many people on the autism spectrum know more rather than less. Too much information is often coming our way, rather than too little, and if we are able to manage it well, life isn’t so bad. In the mornings my signals begin imparting information, around the coffee cup and the breakfast table, and around people I may come into contact with if I happen to go out. Walking in the street, or visiting the supermarket, is an interesting experience. I will sometimes pass people who are covered from head to foot in squares, circles or triangles; other times I may not see much upon them at all. It can often seem as if I am plugged in and receiving information from some giant computer somewhere.

Most of my day is filled with writing. I am also an artist and a composer of music and, perhaps because of my autism, it is difficult for me stop being creative once I start; it is nothing short of an obsession, for I become rather intense about what I get involved with – which many people with Asperger’s can do. Here, circle signals will abound; sometimes they’re even tinged with pink. I tend to work in a very machine-like way when I am writing, which causes the signals to switch to square, usually with circles mixed in. Interestingly, the signals vary according to whether I am writing fiction or non-fiction: watery circles will accompany fiction, while stony squares will accompany non-fiction. “At night I do not dream of

may not appear to be that way on the outside. Naturally, this can turn a few standard beliefs upside down; as an autistic synaesthete I am not supposed to be able to know where people are 56

signals, but perhaps when dreams occur in sleep, I don’t have to dream of signals, because everything is far more straightforward in a dream and in our unconscious, at least that is the way I see it. Signals are usually more inclined to appear when people and things are unclear, or something is not quite defined, and that happens far more regularly in the conscious, everyday world.”

People are curious, and always want to know which signal I can see coming off them. Whenever I have given talks, such a conversation often takes place because people are busy trying to work out how I do what I do. Some believe my signals are like auras, other believe I am psychic. I wouldn’t describe it like this at all. I would say it is more a case of my receiving information from a person regarding the psychological structure of their minds, which they live with every day, and I cannot.

help but sense it, because their shapes will form, whether I want them to or not.

I cannot imagine a day going by without my signals. I cannot imagine what it would be like to live my life without them, and now that I can speak openly about my ‘condition’, and having written about it, life is so much better. A life, a day, an hour, without signals, is a life I could not possibly imagine.

Patrick Jasper Lee is author of MY SIGNALS: Autistic Reflections of a Man Who Thinks in Circles and Dreams Like a Stone. Ravine Press.

Patrick Jasper Lee is a published author, speaker and autistic synaesthete. For details on his books and workshops visit www.patrickjasperlee.com

How a Leap of Faith and Openness Unfolded a New World of Possibilities By Maria Isabel Rego

When I was a young girl, I

used to set up a pretend grocery store inside my father’s house and sell him back his own groceries. My father played along. One day, I decided to test my entrepreneurial skills a step further. I asked myself, “Would someone buy this leftover foam?” In my fearless eight-year-old mind, I said to myself, “Of course!” Soon enough, I was cutting a large rectangular piece of foam into pieces, placing it inside transparent produce bags, and stapling papers onto the bags that said, “Shredded Foam, $1.” I remember even drawing a few little stars on each side to make my product more appealing. With all the energy I could muster, I ran outside and started hanging the bags of shredded foam on the tree outside my father’s house. Because the house was located on a dead end street, not a lot of foot traffic went by on a weekend afternoon, but I had hope!

I sat on the curb underneath the tree as I patiently waited for potential customers. My older siblings could not believe I had the courage to sell such a “commodity” and of course, I received several giggles for this brilliant idea. Before long, a couple started heading toward the end of the street. I waited for them get close and then started my pitch. They gazed at me, smiled, and stopped walking. Soon, the woman reached for her pocket and handed over the $1 in exchange for a bag of shredded foam. I couldn’t believe it, I was conducting my very first business transaction with a complete stranger. It was one of the most empowering moments of my life. I know, I know. It was just foam! But what it represented was much more than that. I felt capable and independent. It was so validating to see that if I believed in myself and put myself out there, I would not only be able to come up with an idea, but could turn it into reality and influence others to take action. It was a tremendous realization to have as a child. During my teenage years, with a financial investment from my late grandfather, I decided to open a jewelry business. The endeavor was quite successful. I enjoyed the whole aspect of starting and running a business, but something was still

missing. I decided to shift my priorities to furthering my education and soon arrived in the United States as an exchange student. It was nothing like I had experienced before. Before long, I began reevaluating my cultural values and reshaping them with values from American culture. I was growing and becoming my own person, a person more open to differences. My increasing self-awareness was not always comfortable, but in my perspective, it was a necessary step to becoming my own person. Fast forward a few years, and there I was, taking a full load of college courses in America and writing research papers. During a Health Equity Day event at college I met one of my mentors, who believed in my potential and gave me a chance to show my capacity. I worked hard and immersed myself in health disparities literature. Right before graduation from college, my mentor offered me a paid position on the research team. All the hard work had paid off and I felt very fortunate to have a job related to what I wanted to do. I continued to research, presented scientific findings at several national and local conferences, and mentored other students. Seven years after coming to this country I was even co-authoring scientific publications. It was all coming together. The more I became involved in social work and public health research, the more it grew on me. I became passionate about health justice. As I researched more, I came to find out about the issue of oral health disparities and how prevalent it is in our communities. I came face

to face with community members dealing with these issues and saw how it affected their quality of life. Seeing young people like me with few functioning teeth, or seeing the hopeless face of an elderly woman after she heard she would probably not be able to get new dentures, was devastating. The more I experienced the disparity through the lenses of our most under-privileged community members, the more I wanted to make public health a part of my life. I never expected to have all of these experiences. I never thought I would enjoy doing research, or that you could do research outside of a laboratory. As I continued to put myself out there and be open to new ideas, a whole new world unfolded in front of my eyes, a world of service to people who needed a voice, a world of opportunities and challenges. I took in all that I could. There were many sleepless nights I spent reading articles, writing papers, and browsing the web for leadership, selfimprovement, and career immersion opportunities while my friends were out having fun. Sometimes, I felt tired and questioned my decisions. But soon my thoughts would bring me back to the faces of disparity and the meaning behind what I was doing. Most importantly, I knew that the more I learned now, the better and more effectively I could help people one day. I kept telling myself, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do something every day.â&#x20AC;? I have personally experienced the power of having a personal mantra to activate growth and promote action in my life. It just takes incorporating it into your daily routine in whatever way it works for you. A mantra will remind you of your Continued on the next page....

priorities and focus your energy on what you need to do to achieve greater goals. This year, I got accepted into Mobilize.org’s millennial empowerment and leadership program, focused on creating and implementing solutions to social problems, through which I am concentrating on oral health equity. I have met some of the most amazing, passionate, and supportive people while taking part in this program. It gave me stamina to feel recognized and worthy of such an opportunity. Six months later, I received a letter of acceptance to a

master’s program in health education and promotion. Dental school is next on my list. Even though the journey to where we want to be, who we want to become, or what we want to achieve, can often feel distant and complicated, remember to take small steps focused on your greater goals. If you stick to that, always do your best work, seek key opportunities, build relationships, and have an open mind to change and diversity, no matter what comes your way, life will take you along for a ride beyond your imagination.

Maria Isabel Rego is a millennial leader at Mobilize.org’s Inaugural Mobilizer Academy class, and a recently accepted graduate student at East Carolina University’s Masters in Health Education and Promotion as she prepares to enter Dental School. Maria Isabel believes every young person has potential for success and excellence, and that determination and drive will take you further than you ever thought you could go!

Mum to Magazine Magnet: My Journey into Print Publishing By Nicole Burnett

Many believe that with the digital media revolution we are experiencing, online magazines are the only way to go. However, smaller print magazines have a great opportunity to build loyal readerships, and many are reaching out to new markets that traditional and online magazines have been unable to tap into. We are now so used to short- lived, content-deprived, and advertising- flooded cheap magazines that often we don’t notice the real gems which are on the newsstand fighting to get noticed. Many of these are lovingly produced by small independent publishers who love the medium of magazines and truly want to offer up the best product possible. In order to really make a difference to the world of publishing, however, they must fight the tide of big corporations and a cost-driven society. Perhaps the next time you come across a new print magazine, take a closer look. It may have a higher retail price than others, but ask yourself, “why?” I am currently a small magazine publisher in the UK. Three years ago I knew nothing about publishing and had no great ambitions to write or to launch a magazine; I was a stay at home mum who dabbled in a bit of vintage dealing

after leaving my previous career as a museum curator. I organised a few vintage fairs and called my business Pretty Nostalgic.

Eventually, I met another like- minded mum and together we decided to open a shop. Our vintage home store and artisan market opened in September 2010, and it was an instant success. We rented small areas to artisan makers, crafters, and vintage dealers, and we shared the staffing of the store so that everyone had an opportunity to sell their wares without having to sacrifice crafting and family time. We had some wonderful customers who really appreciated the unique handcrafted items that we sold. However, there was always a problem with those who thought our artisan-made items were too expensive. It was a bit of a battle no matter how much I tried to explain that our makers had to buy the raw materials, design their products, put their energy into making them, and Continued on the next page....

“I wanted a magazine that supported those who deserved supporting, rather than just the ones who shouted the loudest and had the biggest budgets.” cover their costs before they could make a profit. Many customers still focused on how much cheaper similar products were – they just couldn’t see that handmade goods could not be sold for the same price as factory goods made cheaply by the millions from poor- quality materials. A few months into opening our store, I was sent a copy of a newly launched British vintage magazine that wanted us to advertise with them. I was incensed. Not only was it full of mass- produced new vintage style goods, but it put artisan-made items directly in competition with factory-made foreign goods. It became clear to me that this was one of the reasons our British artisan makers couldn’t make a decent living and why the general population didn’t recognise the value of their work. Many of the makers who I worked with were not even making minimum wage, while British designer brands flooded magazines with adverts for cheaply made goods at ridiculously high prices. In an attempt to change this, I decided to literally put my money where my mouth was and start a magazine of my own. I wanted a magazine that supported those who deserved supporting, rather than just the ones who shouted the loudest and had the biggest budgets. I particularly wanted a magazine which produced well-researched, written, and designed content with a nostalgic theme. I love vintage ways of living and history and I just didn’t feel there was a magazine out there doing it properly. However, there were many 62

superficial and tokenistic attempts at vintage in the publishing world. I wanted a magazine with passion and principals that was worth reading. My adventure into publishing began and in May 2011 my old trading name was reborn as Pretty Nostalgic magazine. I am indebted to my business partner who ran the shop while I launched the magazine and helped fund its early issues; we separated businesses after a while and followed our own dreams, and I took sole ownership of the magazine we had created in September 2012.

I am a firm believer in positive thinking and that the right thing will come along at the right time, and that’s exactly how Pretty Nostalgic magazine happened. Every time we went for business advice, people kept pushing us for detailed business plans and forecasts and research and we didn’t have any of it. I just wanted to publish the best

magazine I could. We quite literally bumped into our editor, Jo Keeling, while she was visiting our shop, taking photos for another magazine. As soon as she said she worked in publishing we couldn’t wait to tell her our ideas and instantly offered her the role of editor for Pretty Nostalgic. She must have thought we were mad, and it was a big gamble for us. Luckily, she has turned out to be perfect, with the right amount of publishing knowledge and a total passion for what we are doing. Next, we found a great local printer who had amazing patience and helped us when we had no idea what we were doing. We wanted our magazine to have as little environmental impact as possible, but not look cheap. We chose a high grade forest friendly paper with an uncoated finish, which was to be printed with vegetable inks and bound, so that Pretty Nostalgic would look good for longer. As it was to be filled with original and interesting content, we wanted each issue to be kept and collected and read over again. While we were developing the magazine, I wrote a book called Pretty Nostalgic Home. This book was to be a Pretty Nostalgic manifesto, a vehicle that allowed us to work out ideas and show people what we were about, and it was offered as a free gift to encourage early subscribers to join up before the launch of the first issue. The book took months to write and then another few months to raise the money for printing, but it was finally published in February 2012. By that time we had formed our own fully operational publishing company and we launched the first issue of Pretty Nostalgic magazine in May 2012.

Pretty Nostalgic is a bi-monthly vintage home and lifestyle magazine that celebrates everything that’s brilliantly British. We have features on homes, gardens, food, fashion, shopping, vintage, and nostalgia. Everything is focused on British, traditional, and sustainable ways of living. If I write a feature, I approach it as a museum curator rather than a magazine journalist, and many of our contributors have no experience of writing. However, our contributors are incredibly knowledgeable and totally passionate about their subject, and this enthusiasm spreads through our pages and to our readers who appreciate the novelty of a mainstream magazine with content worth reading.

“There are many things that make us different than other magazines, lots of which makes it very difficult for us to make money, but we have broken the mould and are working outside the normal laws of magazine publishing.” We are determined to make the magazine a success while following our own Pretty Nostalgic Motto – Spend Wisely, Waste Less, Appreciate More.

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Why We Are Different: t We are beholden to no one; we have no investors or big corporations telling us what can and cannot feature and promote. t All content is original and well-researched. We do not regurgitate content from other books or magazines. t We design each feature individually. We even handcraft many parts of the magazine and then photograph the results rather than faking layouts with computer software. t We only use original images – we never use stock images from photo libraries. t We have no advertising – we only feature and promote independent businesses which sell genuine antique, vintage, or upcycled goods. t With our Pretty Nostalgic directory, businesses join us for a year for a small annual fee and get a listing in six issues of the magazine, copies of the magazine to sell, great online listings, and we help them raise their social media profiles. t We work closely with our contributors – we do our best to trade goods and services with them and aim to help their careers to grow. t We have a great relationship with our subscribers and directory members– they are our inspiration and far more than an income stream. t We only allow Pretty Nostalgic to be sold in stores we are happy with and feel meet with our ethos. This is hard to police, but we aim to be sold as much as possible in small independent stores, although we do need to be in some larger chains to survive, but we are careful of who we choose. t We are a British magazine, and although we are sold overseas, we don’t tailor our features to overseas readers – we will stay true to what we are and hope that readers all over the world appreciate us for being different. t We have written a Pretty Nostalgic Pledge – all the team have signed it and it is the mission statement for everything we do. Many of our readers have signed up to it as well. You can find our pledge here: http://prettynostalgic.co.uk/challenge/take-the-pledge/ 64

The fact that we are independently published and work in a different way than other magazines means that we have to charge a higher price. We sell at £8 in the UK and $20 overseas, and while this seems expensive, don’t forget this is our retail price and not the price we get. Pretty Nostalgic is supporting British and artisan makers and asking people to pay a fair price for the products they make, so why shouldn’t we apply the same principles to our own product? We don’t have any other revenue streams with which to fund production and we are not just producing Pretty Nostalgic so that our readers can be targeted by a load of multinational corporations who just want to sell stuff. Even though it is tough to survive in this economy, I am totally willing to fund Pretty Nostalgic,

as I am proud of the magazine and what we stand for. Pretty Nostalgic has made it through its first year, but it has been tough and it has cost me all my life savings and then some. Will we survive the next year? I think so – the tide is turning for us and all the other wonderfully dedicated independent magazines out there. People want quality that they can believe in and trust. They are discovering the difference and they like it. So if you are fed up with the same old magazines which you buy more out of habit than because you enjoy reading them, seek out an independent magazine. Independent magazines are uniting like-minded people and are motivated by things other than money – so go get reading and be inspired!

Nicole Burnett is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of Pretty Nostalgic and is trying to prove that magazines can run on ethical principals and still be profitable.

Privacy Rights of Children in Today’s Blogging Culture By Kate Legnetti

I am a 20-something year old woman living in New York City. I have two Master’s degrees and work at a research university. I live with my fiancé and two cats, go to happy hours, concerts, and am getting married this November. I currently have no children.

I am also addicted to Mommy Blogs. Yes, Mommy Blogs: blogs of stay at home mothers in all corners of the country, who write about their children, their homes, their relationships, and their lives. Nearly every morning, I open my laptop while eating breakfast, click to my favorite blog reader, Bloglovin’, and navigate my way across the country by way of these blogs. Manhattan, Utah City, Houston, San Diego; I visit all these places before getting on the subway each morning. As a blogger myself, I have connected with a community of online writers. My friend, Stephanie, writes a Pop Culture blog covering television, fashion, and celebrities and reads blogs following these topics. My friend, Brian, writes a food and home improvement blog and reads other home and food blogs. I write a personal blog, which

chronicles the silliness in my life and I read...blogs of women who have children? In some ways I think this

makes sense, as most of these women are writing personal lifestyle blogs, except they have thousands of followers (and children), whereas my followers mostly consist of friends and family. I’m not exactly sure how I discovered this niche of the blogging universe, but I know I’ve been reading these types of blogs for years. I can remember writing my first Master’s thesis in the sweltering, makeupruining, hair-flattening New York City summer, nearly crying in the library because I had been writing for hours and was getting absolutely nowhere. I didn’t open Facebook or even my favorite celebrity gossip site for a break.

Instead, I opened one of my favorite Mommy Blogs, Kelle Hampton’s Enjoying the Small Things. Somehow, the pictures of Kelle’s daughters playing on a Naples, Florida beach made me, a stressed out graduate student, feel better. Bizarre, right? Interestingly, after all my years of devoted readership, a recent occurrence in the mommy blogging universe has caused me to take pause, and question my love of these blogs for the first time. In January of this year, Kelle Hampton posted an Instagram photo of her naked three-year-old special needs daughter, Nella, in the bathtub. The comments section on the picture exploded with people expressing outrage over the picture almost immediately. This photo, which I saw in the rare moment that my morning train was above ground allowing me to get cell phone service, horrified me. People on forums devoted to Mommy Blogs (the existence of which I discovered while researching this article) are still discussing the incident nearly ten months later.

The picture was eventually deleted, although it is unclear whether Hampton removed it or if Instagram did. It is obvious that a photo of a naked three-year-old is never appropriate

“In addition to issues of safety and privacy, I wonder about the sense of self that is created or inhibited for these children based on their inclusion on these blogs.” to post anywhere public. The entire incident made me uncomfortable as I opened Bloglovin’ the next morning. Nearly all of the blogs I read include the real names of children and almost daily photos of their lives: first days of school, playground visits, birthday parties, trips to the zoo. What impact does their inclusion on these blogs have on these children’s privacy? What about their safety? Based only on the information provided in these blogs, I could tell you Henry’s favorite playgrounds, the farmer’s market that Everett goes to with his Mom, the number of Nicholas’s Boy Scout Troop and the entire layout of Aubriella’s house. I am in no way saying that these bloggers are intentionally putting their children in danger, but I think it is naive to assume that of the thousands of people who read these blogs, all have good intentions. 67

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In addition to issues of safety and privacy, I wonder about the sense of self that is created or inhibited for these children based on their inclusion on these blogs. As these children age, and begin using the internet themselves, how comfortable will they be with being featured so prominently on these blogs? How will they feel about their peers or friends seeing them? For many of these authors, their blogs provide a secondary income for their families. What kind of pressure will this put on these children who are the primary subjects of these blogs?

As a reader, I find myself increasingly critical while reading blogs that include such personal information and photographs about the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children. As a blogger, I know that I will have to make decisions about the inclusion of my children on my own blog- once I have them, that is. In the meantime though, I know I will continue to read these blogs, even though when I do I will probably find myself asking if I, as a reader, am complicit in the exploitation of these children.

Kate Legnetti is an Adjunct instructor and Field Administrator for Elementary Programs at NYUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Steinhard School of Culture, Education and Human Development. In her position, she works with undergraduate and graduate students, New York City Public Schools and NYU faculty and administration to place student teachers in settings across the city. She is passionate about the intersection of public policy and higher education access, equity and governance. Kate also keeps a personal blog, Ummm Now What, where she chronicles the trials and tribulations of young adulthood in NYC.

Literacy Â Strategies By Khalid Fahfouhi The average illiteracy rate around the world is one in five people, with a substantial number being women. Over ninety three million U.S. residents have basic or below average literacy skills. Although 98% of illiterate individuals are concentrated in three main areas in the globe, South and West Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab states, developed countries are not spared by this phenomenon. According to a recent report, seventy five million people in Europe do not have the basic skills in literacy and numeracy to get by independently. In France, 9% of 18-65 year-olds are currently illiterate. That is more than three million people. The number reaches 14% for those aged 56-65 years. The European Union has made almost no progress over the past decade in reducing this percentage of illiterate people. Even as literacy becomes more necessary, reading levels havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t improved.

One may seriously question why illiteracy is still an issue, even in the most developed parts of the world. Billions of dollars have being injected in international initiatives and various programmes over several decades to raise literacy and numeracy standards amongst a fringe of our societies (both adults and children). However, the outcome gives cause for concern in some cases. A person is considered literate when he or she is able to read and write simple words, but is unable to apply these skills in real-life situations. Using a smartphone, browsing the internet, helping children with homework, making a personal choice when buying consumable goods or services; any individual with basic literacy needs cannot carry out these everyday tasks. The definition of illiteracy itself includes three sub-definitions: multiple literacy (the ability to use reading and writing skills in order

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“Despite all of society’s technological advances, an important fringe of the world’s population still cannot read or write independently. We must ask ourselves: why?” to produce, understand, interpret, and critically evaluate multimodal texts); functional literacy (the ability to read and write at a level that enables development and functioning in society at home, school, and work; baseline literacy (the ability to read and write at a level that enables self-confidence, and motivation for further development). The last two are the most commonly accepted when it comes to literacy skills. “Real life” means reading labels on packaging, instructions to take medicine, directions, and the ability to interoperate road signs, flight numbers at the airport, etc. Today’s digitised societies are centred around words, both written and read, for connection, communication, and information. Poor literacy does not just restrict education and employment, it stunts aspiration and ambition. Children of adults with poor literacy are more likely to struggle with literacy themselves, and less likely to do well in school. More broadly, poor literacy limits individual’s capabilities and civic participation, increases poverty, hinders innovation, reduces productivity and holds back economic growth. The reasons behind these poor literacy and numeracy skills are as various as individuals’ lives: dropping education at an early stage or disaffection of the educational system, personal problems, trauma after an experience in their life, etc. Poor literacy and numeracy skills have an impact on people’s lives and societies as a 70

whole. A high proportion of individuals with literacy and numeracy needs are unemployed and on benefits. They often make poorer health choices because they struggle to understand health-related information. By and large people with poor literacy have the lowest levels of employment and are more likely to perform manual jobs (i.e.: working in a warehouse, being a cleaner). Improving literacy skills will likely enable individuals to find work, increase their wages, use a computer, become more independent, feel more confident, and ultimately boost their self-esteem. Despite all of society’s technological advances, an important fringe of the world’s population still cannot read or write independently. We must ask ourselves: why? Addressing illiteracy issues is complex. Not only does it involve the educational sector and practitioners, but it also requires policy-makers and social and economic actors to be part of setting up a strategy. Any initiative on tackling illiteracy needs political ownership and cooperation at different levels when implementing policies. With constant commitment and a combination of approaches, the problem can be solved. Many countries have implemented strategies to tackle illiteracy, but their success varies. For instance, countries such as Latvia, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Poland have improved

their reading levels among 15-year-olds substantially over the last decade. On the other hand, Australia, which was regarded as a world leader a champion in literacy policies in the 1990s, has witnessed a move away from global strategy in tackling literacy to a more market-focused approach. So what has made some policies and strategies more successful than others? Are strategies successfully implemented in other parts of the world transferrable? It seems a few countries have had effective strategies to tackle illiteracy and improve reading and writing of their citizens. Nordic countries such as Finland and Sweden have fostered a culture of learning, especially amongst adults, which widens participation and improves the level of qualifications. To do so, free tuitions are on offer, and outreach activities and access to education are also available for those who are working. More than trying to raise earnings of those who lack literacy skills, the strategies are rather seen as a way of benefiting the society as whole by bringing about engagement in the communities and social cohesion. While policies on fighting literacy can be intrinsic to a given country due to its own cultural, historical, societal, and political specificities, they should all endeavour to promote the following: create a more literate environment, improve the quality of teaching, and increase participation and inclusion. It often all starts with motivation. So the primary objective of a literate environment is to increase literacy motivation and engagement by encouraging and supporting reading and writing for pleasure. This means nurturing a culture of reading, increasing the visibility and availability of reading materials, and promoting reading in all its forms, through diverse materials, online and offline. It also requires high-quality teachers and practitioners. While cultures differ from country to country and there is no specific

model, a number of skills and characteristics are considered central to making teachers outstanding. The need of a professionalised workforce (well-trained and highly qualified in delivering literacy and dealing with this profile of learners, can use a variety of teaching strategies to meet the needs of learners, a recognised status) is commensurate to excellent provision. On the other end, one needs to have highly motivated learners that are willing to improve their literacy skills. To do so both practitioners and learners need to have a fostering environment shaped by all stakeholders.

Â School Â systems Â must Â create Â a Â positive Â work Â environment, Â stimulating Â teachers Â to Â thrive. Â Countries Â with Â the Â highest Â levels Â of Â literacy Â achievement Â do Â not Â just Â have Â highly Â talented, Â well-Â TXDOLÂżHG ZHOO WUDLQHG WHDFKHUV but Â teachers Â who Â are Â involved Â in Â the Â decision-Âmaking Â about Â what Â to Â teach, Â how Â to Â teach, Â and Â what Â materials Â to Â use. Â This Â autonomy Â provides Â a Â broadened Â range Â of Â integrated Â approaches Â based Â on Â individual Â pupilsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â needs. Â Teachers Â need Â a Â school Â environment Â in Â which Â continuous Â learning Â for Â teachers Â is Â stimulated. Additionally, the literacy curriculum should focus on developing a set of composite skills that will enable learners to decode and negotiate critically the cultural, social, political and ideological aspects of language use. It is therefore essential to cultivate critical literacy skills, being able to â&#x20AC;&#x153;readâ&#x20AC;? culture, identities and ideologies and different uses of language.

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“Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century, we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens.” - Bill Clinton Last but not least, access to education means little without high-quality provision and specialised support targeted at those who most need it. Almost all European children participate in formal education for at least 10 years; yet, as we have seen, nearly one in five reaches the age of 15 without having developed adequate reading skills. In India, about seventy-two million primary school age children, and another seventy-one million adolescents, are not at school. Gender disparities remain deeply engrained, with twenty-eight countries across the developing world having nine or fewer girls in schools for every ten boys. To close these gaps, governments need to place greater emphasis on inclusion and fair access: participation coupled with quality, and bolstered by specialised support for everyone who needs it. There are four main literacy achievement gaps that Europe must address. These are the socioeconomic gap, the gap between migrants and native-born students, the gender gap, and the digital gap.

If these three underlying factors are taken into account strategically, then the literacy rate is more likely to improve. However, all the stakeholders need to be involved and committed to raising standards. Achieving real improvement in literacy requires political ownership and co-operation across the policy spectrum and beyond, in society as a whole. Literacy strategies should be co-owned across society and government, should cover all ages, and should be independent of political agendas. By ensuring this, we will place improved literacy at the heart of our priorities. As Bill Clinton once said: ‘Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twentyfirst century, we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens. ‘ Khalid Fahfouhi is a SISGI Group consultant and has been working in education as a practitioner and a manager in London for over ten years. He is passionate about the quality of teaching and learning, and learners’ engagement and success.

Putting the Humanities to Use

By Jaclyn Lyons

In our Lessons Learned column from the last issue, I gave some tips on how to plan for higher education and leverage opportunities that might benefit students as they prepare for college. Now, as a college graduate with a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in the humanities, I have a few more lessons learned for graduates seeking employment. Those of us who chose to cater to our passions rather than practicality often find there isn’t an obvious track from college to career, but here is the good news: students who choose to major in the humanities are typically creative people--eccentric even--and thrive in non-traditional roles. So maybe the career you thought you’d land with your BA in English didn’t pay off. Your college advisor and professors promised you’d be a desirable candidate for businesses who are always in need of employees who communicate well. Were you lied to? Well, not exactly. Just as colleges and universities, and even individual professors, have their own agendas that cause them to suggest a particular curriculum, so too must students be active proponents in selecting their courses; all parties involved are inevitably and necessarily self-interested. This isn’t to say that there aren’t really great professors and advisors out there who truly believe in the courses they are trying to sell you, but keep in mind that this is essentially a business transaction as much as it

may be a dalliance with the romance plays of Shakespeare or modernist art history. It might be too late to think competitively when it comes to your college coursework, but there is plenty of room now to think creatively. If you took most of your coursework in the humanities or related social sciences, there are other options than going to graduate school. It is easy to become disillusioned by student loan repayments and entry-level jobs, but I have found that by keeping the same optimism, and even a bit of the idealism, that you had throughout all of your coursework can be translated into a career. You should be proud of your degree and avoid the self-pity that is easy to fall into when you realize you didn’t need to go to college; for many of us it probably just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. And I still believe it was. Each degree I’ve gotten has ended with bitter sweetness. College is hard work, and graduate school ever harder, and this shouldn’t be undermined by the fact that programs often don’t mirror the job market. If you have a degree in the humanities, chances are you followed your passion; perhaps it was even more like a calling. Coming up with a way to validate your degree(s)--I mean the work you did, not the money you spent-- is more fulfilling than simply landing a high-paying job in a field you could care less about.

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Doing something you enjoy will provide fulfillment in a less than promising job market. How? Here’s some ideas to get you started:

Work for a non-profit. When creatively-minded people meet socially-

minded people, some pretty amazing things can happen. Throw in some entrepreneurial know-how and the sky’s the limit. (I should know, I work for one!) Often places that seek to promote positive social change nurture the creatively-minded; after all, the humanities are concerned with humanity. Use the medium you are comfortable with to spread a message of awareness or to promote social change for a cause you care about like many musicians, artists, writers are already doing. Non-profits are great places to learn how to promote awareness of social issues and fundraising for causes while leveraging your creativity or unique skill sets.

Freelance work. There are so many different opportunities that arise when we stop thinking outside the box of 9 to 5 jobs. List all of the skills you’ve accrued from your coursework and market them. The internet is like free advertising, mainly via social media. Network with friends, family, old classmates, and watch your endorsements grow on LinkedIn. Are you good at editing? Writing? Painting? Tutoring? Put yourself out there and something is bound to come back. Create. Just because it’s been a few months since graduation and you

might be technically unemployed, does not mean you should not be working. Whatever you did best in school, keep doing it. Keep reading, keep writing, keep creating. You might surprise yourself with what you come up with. The key is to remain open to opportunities that you hadn’t imagined and possibilities that push the boundaries of tradition.

Overcoming the all too common belief that degrees in the humanities are labors of love and not a road to actual labor (i.e. a job) doesn’t have to be the case. Thousands of creative, resourceful, and talented students are coming out of universities with enormous potential but are met with pessimism. Although I do recognize a need for programs to better prepare students for the reality of the job market, a degree in the humanities should not be discouraged. Rather, it should be nourished.

Jaclyn Lyons is the Features Editor for BGI Magazine. She is also a graduate student at Drexel University.

Featured Poetry Inching Towards Infinity, I Make Art By Nick Haldikwa Mwaluko

The demons surface ferociously, devouring what little room is left outside the roar inside my head. I once thought silence was perfect music but now believe it is fear, pain, agony, demanding order through the creative process without which one only sees oneself in the world as opposed to imagining a world with the real them in it. I make Art. Because maybe the function of Art is not so much to mirror an imagined identity, but to deliver that identity to safety, security, to a space free from the demons that drive you to create in the first place. Or maybe the function of Art is the dysfunction of functioning. Living with the inability of living with the inability until a miracle is birthed from disaster. Or maybe the function of Art is to disrupt all silence with the music of our livesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; pain, fear, agony, and, most importantly, Art is consumed with the possibility of delivering us past death. YES, Art is the invention that robs death of all power. Like an angelic visitation, Like a newborn baby as soul resurrected the work of an Artist is. Or is not.

Special Thanks... We would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all the contributors, volunteers, editors and designers that lent their talent, knowledge, and expertise to our October issue! If you would like to help support the growth and expansion of this and other educational resources from the SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation, DONATE TODAY! Your donation in our work is an investment in the overall social sector. By supporting our programs you prepare the next generation of social change leaders and empower the current changemakers. The SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. All donations are taxdeductible as allowed by law.

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my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.” - Thomas Jefferson

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External Links and References #FTP2D Detroit

In Alphabetical Order By Title

http://instagram.com/bradetroit http://ink361.com/app/#!/users/241621571/photos http://ftp2d.tumblr.com/

A Day in the Life of an Autistic Synaesthete http://www.patrickjasperlee.com/

From Mum to Magazine Magnet http://www.prettynostalgic.co.uk/

Privacy Rights of Children in Today’s Blogging Culture http://www.bloglovin.com/ http://www.kellehampton.com/

Putting the Humanities to Use

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humanities http://issuu.com/beyondgoodideas/docs/summer_2013_bgi_magazine/86%20

Patriarchy’s Effect on “Safe Places” for Women

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/why-doesnt-the-justice-system-take-rape-cases-seriously http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keli-goff/of-course-she-was-asking-_b_835782.html

The Tricks and Treats of Slut-o-Ween

http://thehairpin.com/2011/10/have-a-sexy-little-halloween http://www.partycity.com/category/halloween+costumes/boys+costumes+accessories/boys+career+costumes.do http://www.mommyish.com/2012/10/01/sexualized-halloween-costumes-for-kids-538/gallery-page/1/ http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2007/10/28/eye-candy.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-l-tolman/halloween-and-the-sexuali_b_769891.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/colleen-perry/sexualization-young-girls-eating-disorders_b_906192. html http://www.livescience.com/21609-self-sexualization-young-girls.html http://www.missrepresentation.org/media/weekly-round-up/facebook-weekly-roundup-may-6thmay-10th/ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=FB0C16FC34540C7A8DDDA90994DE404482 http://www.anyclip.com/movies/sex-and-the-city/all-about-the-im-sorry/#!quotes/ 78

External Links and References External Links and References What Does Going Green Really Mean?

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/green http://www.greenmountain.com/component/glossary/?id=27 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sustainable http://www.greenmountain.com/ http://sisgigroup.org/home/about-us/focus-areas/ http://www.greenmountain.com/why-green-mountain/benefits-of-clean-electricity http://www.greenmountain.com/resources/general-glossary?id=2 http://www.greenmountain.com/resources/general-glossary?id=25 http://www.greenmountain.com/resources/general-glossary?id=30 http://www.greenmountain.com/resources/general-glossary?id=11 http://www.greenmountain.com/SISGI

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