Summer 2013
Beyond Good Ideas The Youth Issue Articles and topics focused on youth
Beyond the Statistics; Beyond the Stigma Teen Suicide Prevention
and youth development
Sambhali Boutique: Empowering Young Girls in Rajasthan
The Cost of Education Global issues of tuition and future employment.
Challenges of an Educator: From Bullying to Academic Success
Preteen Insecurities Exploring and Combating the self esteem issues of young girls.
SPECIAL FEATURE: #APYDCON 2013 Best Practices For Youth Conference 1
The SISGI Group Online Magazine
Beyond Good Ideas Youth Issue In this issue... Voices and Views 19
Power of Youth - Rajesh Gowan
21
Parental Alienation Syndrome: Spreading Awareness - Isabelle Magliari
79
Emma Academy - Sarah J. Browne
86
Lesson Learned... Planning for Higher Education - Jaclyn Lyons
89
Learning through Teaching - Lori Gilmartin
Social Issues 13
Teachers: The Frontline of War on Bullying - James Michael Angelo
26
Spiking Fees and Anxiety for UK University Students - Devon Bacso
61
Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: An Epidemic in America - Regina Bernadin
65
Exploring and Combating Insecurities in Preteen Girls - Isabelle Magliari
76
Reforming American Education - Devon Bacso
 Mark Your Calendars
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APYD Best Practices For Youth Conference August 5-8, 2013
Featured Article
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Beyond the Statistics; Beyond the Stigma Teen Suicide Prevention By Jaclyn Lyons
The SISGI Group 8
Letter from the Editor
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Beyond the Blog - April - July
46 44 45
APYD CONFERENCE INFORMATION
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SISGI Internship Experience
Quotes to Live By Office Ettiquette: Texting A Supervisor Q & A - Robin Neely
Strategies for Social Change 16
Camp Blackbaud Inspires 5th Graders to Pursue Careers in Technology Rachel Hutchinson
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Common Core for Common Understanding - Sarah Sosbe
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Sambhali Boutique: Empowering Young Girls in Rajasthan Priyanka Sacheti
67
From the Front of the Class: Classroom Behavior - Khalid Fahfouhi
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Meet The Team
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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.
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Meet The Editor
NEW YORKERS - Help SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation Inc. Raise Money By Choosing 100% Renewable Energy for Your Home
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
SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation Inc. is proud to announce we have selected Green Mountain Energy Company as our exclusive renewable energy affiliate. SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation Inc. and Green Mountain, the nation’s longest serving renewable energy retailer, are celebrating the new relationship by offering you an exclusive price on Pollution Free Partnership electricity for your home. Plus, every new customer signup with Green Mountain benefits SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation Inc. with a $25 payment from Green Mountain. Since Green Mountain’s Pollution Free Partnership electricity is made from 100% renewable, local wind and water, it’s a great way to help make a difference for the environment. Switching is easy – visit www. greenmountain.com/SISGI to enroll. Thanks for your support.
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 ImpactsŠ 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.
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A Note From The Editor...
Welcome to our first annual Youth Issue!  When  I  was  in  high  school,  I  saw  friends  and  classmates  who  didn’t  have  access  to  the  same  opportunities  as  others,  and  decided  I  wanted  to  work  on  addressing  youth  issues.  There  were  extremely  smart  and  capable  students  that  did  not  continue  their  education  after  high  school  because  they  were  unsure  of  where  to  start,  while  others  did  not  have  informed  or  caring  adults  in  their  life  to  help  guide  them  through  the  complicated  application  processes  IRU DGPLVVLRQ ¿QDQFLDO DLG DQG WHVWLQJ , VDZ \RXQJ female  classmates  discover  they  were  pregnant  and  then  make  decisions  by  themselves  that  most  adults  could  never  handle.  Too  often  in  this  country,  young  people  can’t  enjoy  the  many  great  aspects  of  being  a  child  due  to  things  such  as  abuse,  poverty,  poor  SDUHQWLQJ RU XQVDIH FRPPXQLWLHV , HQWHUHG WKH ¿HOG of  social  work  determined  that  a  part  of  my  career  would  help  move  the  needle  in  the  other  direction  for  more  young  people.  I  have  stuck  to  that  goal,  volunteering  and  working  with  organizations  providing  mentoring,  social  services,  academic  support,  and  FDSDFLW\ EXLOGLQJ , IRXQGHG D QRQSUR¿W HDUO\ LQ P\ career  to  address  the  African  American  achievement  gap  and  provided  students  with  support  to  address  other  issues  like  lack  of  informed  caring  adults.  I  quickly  learned  about  the  many  challenges  faced  by  those  in  the  youth  development  sector,  and  the  odds  stacked  against  their  mission  and  goals.   In  2011,  the  SISGI  Group  launched  the  Alliance  for  Positive  Youth  Development  (APYD)  to  increase  the  sharing  of  best  practices  and  awareness  within  the  youth  sector.  Our  research  found  that  though  there  are  over  150,000  youth  development  programs  and  organizations  in  this  country,  individuals  are  still  unaware  of  the  work  it  takes  for  youth  organizations  to  address  the  major  issues  in  their  communities.  We  also  found  that  youth  8
organizations  are  working  in  silos,  unwilling  and  unable  to  connect  and  share  what  they  know  works  for  youth.  We  created  the  annual  Best  Practices  for  Youth  Conference  to  help  break  down  those  silos  and  assist  in  sharing  information  within  the  youth  development  sector.  The  Beyond  Good  Ideas  Magazine  annual  youth  issue  is  another  project  to  increase  the  knowledge  within  the  youth  development  sector.  From  articles  on  teen  suicide  to  how  teachers  can  be  the  frontline  to  end  bullying,  this  issue  will  provide  inspiration  and  strategies  useful  to  youth,  young  adults,  and  the  adults  and  organizations  working  to  empower  and  support  young  people.  We  also  have  included  information  on  the  2013  Best  Practices  for  Youth  Conference  August  5  -  8,  2013  and  the  ways  that  groups  can  build  on  this  event  locally  in  their  communities.  We  are  excited  to  continue  to  be  a  stakeholder  in  collaborating  with  other  organizations  to  increase  the  positive  outcomes  for  youth  in  this  country  and  around  the  globe.  If  you  are  a  youth  organization,  join  the  APYD  by  emailing  ideas4youth@sisgigroup.org  and  follow  us  on  Twitter  at  @ideas4youth.  We  would  love  to  hear  from  young  people  and  youth  organizations.  Tell  us  your  thoughts  on  the  topics  in  this  month’s  issue  and  share  what  you  are  doing  to  address  youth  issues  in  the  Beyond  Good  Ideas  LinkedIn  Community.
Thenera Bailey Editor-In-Chief and CEO of The SISGI Group
The SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation invites you to join us for the:
Best Practices for Youth Conference August 5th-8th, 2013 $ 8QLTXH 2QOLQH DQG 2IÀLQH (YHQW coming to a computer screen or a city near you! 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 opportunity to collect and share best practices for youth with others around the world.
Learn more in our #APYDCON Special Feature section beginning on page 46, or on the conference website. http://apydconference.sisgigroup.org/
Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter (@ideas4youth) $3<'&21 WR ¿QG RXW ZKHQ \RX FDQ UHJLVWHU DQG IRU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ 9
(PDLO \RXWKFRQIHUHQFH#VLVJLJURXS RUJ
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.
REGINA BERNADIN Regina Bernadin is a Program Manager at the International Rescue Committee, where she supervises the Florida Freedom Partnership, an anti-trafficking program in South Florida, and develops new projects to assist victims of conflict, including refugees and asylum seekers. She holds a Bachelors degree from the University of Miami and an M.A from that same institution. Regina, a published author, is currently working on her Ph.D in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University.
SARAH J. BROWNE
Sarah J. Browne has a BA in English from Slippery Rock University and took graduate courses at Brandeis University. She is writing a YAL fiction novel, does freelance, models and hikes on the side. She enjoys the outdoors and volunteering. She currently works at First Commonwealth Bank.
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. 10
LORI GILMARTIN Lori has a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology and Human Relations from Pace University. She is currently completing a master’s degree in Childhood Education, grades 1-6, and Special Education at Long Island University. She plans to teach special education with an advanced certification in autism and literacy. She also aspires to become certified in applied behavior analysis.
RAJESH GOWAN Rajesh is an accomplished consultant who works with nonprofits around the world on projects that aim to eliminate poverty, provide education to those who do not have excess to it, project’s that help bring medical assistance to those who are left without and projects that aim to improve our environment. He has an economic background and thus is well suited to provide guidance to nonprofits to achieve success.
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.
ROBIN NEELY Robin Neely is President and CEO of Administrative Solutions, a virtual assistance administrative services and consulting business. Robin started Administrative Solutions several years ago with over three decades of experience providing administrative support at the executive level. This experience, coupled with a passion for presenting the best professional image possible, helped her to begin Administrative Solutions. She believes she possesses the expertise, passion, and commitment to excellence that many businesses are seeking. Administrative Solutions has provided services to SISGI Group for almost two and half years, and future plans for Administrative Solutions include partnering with SISGI Group to provide administrative services training to college students.
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Contributors PRIYANKA SACHETI Priyanka Sacheti is an independent writer based in Pittsburgh. Having earned a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing and MSt in Women’s Studies from Universities of Warwick and Oxford, Priyanka grew up in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. She has published numerous articles in publications such as Gulf News, Brownbook, and Khaleejesque, with a special focus on art and gender. She’s authored three poetry volumes, co-authored an English-language instruction publication and two of her short stories have been published in international anthologies celebrating Indian immigrant writing. She was also the co-founder of a Muscat-based grassroots art initiative, Khayaali. She blogs at http:// iamjustavisualperson.blogspot.com/ and http://photokahanis.tumblr.com/ SARAH SOSBE Sarah Sosbe has been a NYC educator for the last 11 years. Beginning her career in the Bronx, Ms. Sosbe taught 6-8 grade English Language Arts and Social Studies at the Angelo Patri School. During that time, she earned two degrees from Fordham University, one for Adolescent Literacy education 7-12 and the other for Administration and Supervision. During her time as an educator, Ms. Sosbe has worked as Lead Teacher, Literacy Coach, Data Specialist and for Teach for America as a Curriculum Specialist and summer School Director. Currently, she works as an 8th grade Lead English Language Arts teacher at Promise Academy Charter School at the Harlem Children’s Zone.
Interested in Writing for Beyond Good Ideas Magazine?
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Would you like to share your knowledge and experience in the next BGI Magazine? We’re currently looking for Contributors for the October Issue. Click here to find out how you can you can submit an article idea or topic for a future issue.
Teachers: The Front Line of the War on Bullying By James Michael Angelo
B
y the time I entered high school in 1990, I had already endured three long years of severe bullying. My school, just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, was not particularly welcoming to adolescent boys of my persuasion. My naturally flamboyant nature attracted a swarm of hornets whose daily stinging left indelible scars. But the day it all became too much to handle was the day I realized how alone I really was.
I walked from first period English to second period Science class and stopped in the doorway of the science lab to say hello to my friend Gindy. In mid-conversation I felt a hand clutch my shoulder from behind and whip me around. One of my tormentors, a boy named Matt, picked me up by my shirt, punched me in the stomach and threw me across a lab table. I glided along the slate tabletop like a bowling ball and landed on the concrete floor. Then Matt lunged at me to take a few more shots. My science teacher, Mr. Johnson, walked in as I was airborne. A crowd had gathered to cheer Matt on, yelling, “Yeah, kick that faggot’s ass.” I looked up desperately toward my teacher, but to no avail: “Okay, come on now boys, cut it out.”
Matt ran off and the crowd of spectators disbanded, leaving me wincing on the floor. Mr. Johnson picked up his chalk and faced the blackboard. I collected my books, walked out of Burlington High, and never went back. I transferred to another school the following semester. Mr. Johnson was not the first teacher to turn a blind eye to this kind of behavior. In fact, he was the last in a string of teachers who showed more annoyance than concern in the face of such hazing. Most teachers tossed off a casual rebuke and went on with their lesson as if the abuse was
“Like me, many teens feel isolated and alone when coming to terms with their sexuality and often can’t tell their parents for one reason or another. This unfortunate reality places our teachers in an even more vital role in our children’s lives.” no more than a mere disturbance. But I wanted them to see what was really going on and stick up for me. I required their protection.
Like me, many teens feel isolated and alone when coming to terms with their sexuality and often can’t tell their parents for one reason or another. This unfortunate reality places our teachers in an even more vital role in our children’s lives. Today I am the Co-Chair for GLSEN-NYC (The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, www.glsen.org) and teach anti-bullying workshops to students from all walks of life.
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I can usually get them to pay attention and participate for some length of time, but I struggled for the entire hour to start an honest dialogue about their behavior. Every time I thought I was getting somewhere they erupted into laughter or acted out, with their teacher, their leader, laughing along with them.
Although the recent explosion of “gay” in mainstream America, via television characters, marriage equality, and the anti-bullying movement, has launched a revolution, our schools still have a long way to go.
I recently taught a workshop at a high school on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. When I arrived and the coordinator escorted me down the chaotic hallway, memories of that day in Mr. Johnson’s science lab flashed in my head. We reached an unruly classroom pinging with the shrieks of teenage intensity. As I waited there for the teacher to arrive, not one of these students so much as acknowledged my presence. It was a mixed class of gay, lesbian, and straight students. The strength of the dominant kids, both gay and straight, was overpowering as they called each other slurs like “slut,” “fag,” and other derogatory terms. Some flung these words out in sarcastic jest at their friends, but others hurled them across the room like stones from a slingshot meant to harm. I noticed a few students hiding in the corners of the room avoiding eye contact with anyone. When they did look up, I saw that all-too-familiar look of fear in their eyes, pleading for help but too petrified to speak up. I wasn’t all that shocked – I’ve seen it before while teaching many workshops in all kinds of schools. But finally someone stood up and said, “All right, let’s pay attention to this guy from GLSEN.” It turned out she was the teacher. That did shock me. She had been carrying on and laughing like one of her students. The rest of the workshop was a battle for control between me and the class. 14
“I left that day with the stark realization that my work with students is irrelevant if teachers are not on board.” Now, not every teacher or every school is like the one I just described. Still, I have seen varying degrees of this behavior in most classrooms I’ve visited. Most often, I continue to observe the type of silent neglect that Mr. Johnson exhibited toward me close to twentyfive years ago. Teachers who allow words to fly across the room like emotional bombs with enough power to destroy self-esteem send the message that it’s acceptable for students to treat their peers in this manner.
I believe that teaching is the most respectable and most honorable profession. There are remarkable teachers out there who change children’s lives for the better and help build an unshakable foundation in their students that live on in society as they grow and enter the world. But while each student deserves such an experience, that’s not what every student receives. Is it unrealistic to expect better? Is the education system itself irreparably broken? I don’t think it is.
“What teachers need, rather, is more support.” The point of teaching is to impart knowledge. But is the term “knowledge” limited to calculus, chemistry and English Literature? Most teachers worth their salt will say that it’s not. They recognize that emotional development in young adults is just as important, if not more so, as mental development. Indeed, the teaching of facts has to be coupled with the nurturing of wisdom. How many more school shootings carried out by students or former students who felt ostracized, bullied, or unaccepted do we have to see?
If changing this behavior means saving lives then we need to educate our educators with tools and systems that support a respectable and bullyfree learning environment. I have the great pleasure of sharing my GLSEN –NYC duties with fellow Co-Chair, and educator, Jonah Frank of Achievement First High School in Brooklyn. He had this to say: “I must model what being an “Upstander” is rather than reinforce the image of a “Bystander”. Students have no choice but to place their trust in the adults at school, but it creates a much better situation for all when children’s trust in teachers is actually earned by way of the teachers’ insistence upon mutual respect for everyone. Teachers should not merely demand mutual respect, we should model it. This is a daunting task sometimes, as we are only human, but upon choosing this profession we should understand that it is the most important job there is and treat it as such, for these children are the greatest hope for a kinder, more courageous, enlightened, and empathetic America, where people truly are free to experience life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If America is viewed by the world as a bully, where do we think that started? As teachers, we have a great opportunity to help eradicate bullying once and for all.”
While searching for a way to join the war on bullying it was important for me to align myself with an organization that recognizes the enormous scope of the work needed to truly make a difference and ways to carry that out. GLSEN works with educators, policy makers, community leaders, and students on the urgent need to address anti-LGBT behavior and bias in schools. GLSEN strives to protect students from bullying and harassment, to advance comprehensive safe schools laws and policies, to empower principals to make their schools safer, and to build the skills of educators to teach respect for all people. They have also designed a guide to help educators create a safe space for all of their students called The Safe Space Kit (www.SafeSpaceKit.com), which is easily accessible and only $20.00. This July, Jonah and I and our entire board of directors will attend GLSEN’s Training of Teachers (TOT) weekend where we will receive four days of comprehensive training on how to equip teachers with tools and tactics to handle bullying behavior in their classrooms. We’ll then set off on our quest to carry this training into as many of the 1,700 – plus New York City schools as we can. GLSEN has created a grassroots organization where everyday community members like you and me can step up and help our educational system become the safe space our children deserve. For more information visit GLSEN at www.glsen.org and find the nearest chapter to your community. And if there is no chapter near you, then start one. If I can do it, you can too. It is our civic duty to help our students and teachers.
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.
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Camp Blackbaud Inspires 5th Graders to Pursue Careers in Technology The product development team at Blackbaud, Inc., doesn’t just spend its time coding software products for nonprofit organizations. It also takes its passion for programming to local kids through a give-back program designed to show low-income kids that careers in technology are not just possible, but something they should pursue. This past May, a team of twenty-nine employees from Blackbaud, a company that develops technology used by 28,000 nonprofit organizations worldwide, brought the magic of their work to twenty kids from the local community. This was possible through a partnership with the Charleston Promise Neighborhood, a nonprofit that seeks to break the cycle of poverty in the city’s poorest area and promotes a college-bound culture. Twenty fifth graders spent two days at the company’s headquarters in Charleston, SC, developing an iPad application from scratch. 16
By Rachel Hutchisson
The resulting app was a scavenger hunt, featuring items and places within the four schools the kids attend. Those using the app would find items and then use QR codes to access pages that included more information.
During the two days, highly skilled programmers and other technical experts walked the kids through the many phases of what it takes to develop a software product – software design, programming (or coding), user experience testing (making sure end users find the app easy to use and intuitive), quality assurance, and documentation. Students then worked with the core team of employees to create the app and finished the project out by doing live demonstrations of the solution to other people in the company. “The idea was not simply to talk to kids about the cool kinds of things we do every day in our jobs,” said Jill Galloway, a program manager at Blackbaud. “It was also to give them a chance to
get their hands on the process as well, to see something go from a concept to an actual tangible product within two days. We wanted to inspire these kids by showing them that they have what it takes within them to do this kind of work.” As a part of the project, the kids were taken into the company’s onsite cafeteria during lunch where they were tasked with finding possible “customers” to try out the app they were developing. This is a part of the user experience step, showing a possible user images or screens from a technology solution and getting their feedback. This step is invaluable in showing software designers and developers what potential users like and don’t like while it’s still easy to change direction. It also helps validate the work being done.
from donating money and goods to getting involved as a volunteer. We also seek to educate our employees that volunteerism can take many forms, from doing physical labor like building a house to using our professional skills,” said Sally Ehrenfried, a member of the corporate citizenship and philanthropy team at the company. “Camp Blackbaud is just one way we give back through sharing the skills we use every day as professionals. We know, through the work we do with nonprofits every day, that giving knowledge and expertise is a fabulous way to invest in our community.”
“Seeing the kids dive into testing the user experience was breathtaking! I know I find that part of my job to be the best, but they’re pretty young, and I wondered if they would be at all nervous approaching potential customers to ask them questions. But, no, they were bold and eager and got a lot of valuable feedback,” said Kyle Thomas, a user experience designer at Blackbaud.
“The project was designed to highlight the importance of STEM (which stands for science, technology, engineering and math) education, showing kids from lower-income neighborhoods and schools that they can and should pursue careers in technology.” Camp Blackbaud helped the fifth graders get a sense of why science and math matters.
As always, the employees learned just as much – maybe more – through planning and participating in the project, and mainly from interacting with the kids.
“At Blackbaud, we’re on a mission to show our people that giving back includes everything
Individuals and teams at Blackbaud are encouraged to find ways to bring the company’s value that “service to others makes the world a better place” to life. Ehrenfried devotes her time to running programs that engage employees in volunteerism, both on a personal and professional level. Because employees have different interests and passions, the choice for how they give back is left up to them. In addition to helping channel that personal passion, Ehrenfried assists groups like the products team with bringing good ideas to fruition. Independent Sector, a “leadership network for nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs committed to advancing the common good in America and around the world,” publishes an annual estimate of the value of a volunteer’s hour. Currently, the organization estimates that
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“Today, almost 500 companies have made pledges to either launch, continue, or expand their skilled service initiatives, offering employees time to give their talents through work with nonprofit partners. In the last twelve months, Blackbaud estimates that employees have given, both through efforts during the workday and on their own, more than $6 million in time and expertise to a wide variety of nonprofits.“
one hour of a volunteer’s time is worth $22.14. However, when the type of work being done is skills-based, the value jumps dramatically. Looking at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nonprofits, companies, and employees can get a better sense of the increased investment of hour of skilled time. For example, if an employee is a programmer, giving professional knowledge that was gained through both education and onthe-job experience, a couple of hours of time can equate to hundreds of dollars. Blackbaud is also a part of the Billion+Change pro bono initiative, which encourages companies to adopt skills-based volunteerism programs. Billion+Change is an effort of Points of Light, which seeks “to put people at the center of change.” Today, almost 500 companies have made pledges to either launch, continue, or expand their skilled service initiatives, offering employees time to give their talents through work with nonprofit partners.
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In the last twelve months, Blackbaud estimates that employees have given, both through efforts during the workday and on their own, more than $6 million in time and expertise to a wide variety of nonprofits. This doesn’t surprise Ehrenfried, nor is she surprised by the enthusiasm the team brought to the Camp Blackbaud project. “Eighty-five percent of our 2,600 employees worldwide tell us that they chose to work at Blackbaud, in part, because we specialize in technology solutions for nonprofits. They come in the door caring about the sector, so it’s a logical next step for them to want to volunteer,” Ehrenfried says. “What’s really cool is that they always end up learning so much. They go out to give and come back better understanding the needs and challenges of nonprofits, plowing that knowledge back into what they do every day.” Click here to check out the Camp Blackbaud video.
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.
Power of Youth By Rajesh Gowan
Politicians often say that youth are the world’s future, ensuring a brighter tomorrow. In my opinion, the youth are already our leaders, as they inspire progression in every sense. Young people are more likely to accept new methodologies and ideals while dismissing prejudices and narrowmindedness. These qualities are fantastic, and exactly what we all desire in our leaders. Today, the voice of youth is too often dismissed. What the young are saying should be embraced, as it was in 1950s South Africa, after the devastating Bantu (African) Education Act was introduced nationally. Bantu Education was a
project aimed at “teaching” South Africans only what they needed to know to work as servants for the white population. After completing their “education,” South Africans could only make a living acting as servants to their oppressors. This despicable act was not accepted by African youth, and inspired the formation of the South African Student Movement.
The South African Student Movement, or SASM, was formed with social ideals and regard for international outlook. The students hoped the world would see the injustice of black students being forced into organised slavery and stand with them against it. However, despite the Movement’s
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noble intention of helping students avoid Bantu Education by transitioning them into university, the Apartheid government considered the group a political threat. Security forces in South Africa continually harassed SASM members, forcing much of its leadership into exile.
SASM emphasized a humanitarian nature by remaining peaceful in their actions. However, a peaceful march by thousands of students, aimed at exposing the “education system” and attracting international interest, quickly turned violent. Police who were ordered to disperse the crowds fired live rounds at the students; a young boy was shot and killed, and was carried away by a fellow marcher. The police’s disregard for young lives led to an uprising by the youth, which spread throughout the country and changed the course of South African history. The world demanded the release of political prisoners, as well as the lifting of bans on all political parties, and the formation of a new democracy. In the end, Hector Pietersen, the murdered thirteen-year-old, did achieve what he and the other youth set out to achieve. Unfortunately, he lost his life in the process, and South Africa may have lost a great leader. To this day, June 16th is celebrated as Youth Day in South Africa. In 2013, with the recent spate of youth shootings and bombings, it is easy to say that today’s youth no longer hold these ideals of peace and equality. But we must remember, to brand all young people as dangerous because of the actions of a few does a great disservice to today’s youth.
Young people have the capacity to be a powerful force for good and positive change. We as a society must protect and preserve the revolutionary ideals spoken by the youth and allow their voices to be heard. Rajesh Gowan is a SISGI Group consultant based in South Africa who works with nonprofits around the world on projects to eliminate poverty, provide education, bring medical assistance and improve our environment. To contact him send an email to rgowan@sisgigroup.org
“Young people have the capacity to be a powerful force for good and positive change. We as a society must protect and preserve the revolutionary ideals spoken by the youth and allow their voices to be heard.”
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Parental Alienation Syndrome: Spreading Awareness
by Isabelle Magliari
Physical scars aren’t the only sign of domestic violence. Sometimes, the aggression is calculated, exploitative, and invisible to the naked eye. Parental Alienation Syndrome, or P.A.S., is one of these intangible homewreckers. Found most often in tumultuous child custody cases, Parental Alienation Syndrome is defined as, “one parent’s manipulation of a child to harm the other parent.” This includes the abusive parent brainwashing their child or children to hate the victimized, or alienated, parent by, “degrading and devaluing” them repeatedly in front of the child, among other damaging behavior. Parental Alienation is a systemic social problem, seen in abusive households regardless of race, location, or monetary standing.
Imagine a child caught in the throes of their parents’ divorce. As the household fighting escalates, their father begins sharing upsetting information with them. “Your mother is a liar,” he says, “she doesn’t want to be with you. I’m the only one who loves you.” This is the beginning of what could become Parental Alienation. Doctor of Philosophy, Peggie Ward, and J. Campbell Harvey, Esquire, define Parental Alienation in their article, “Family Wars: The Alienation of Children,” as, “...the creation of a singular relationship between a child and one parent, to the exclusion of the other parent. The fully alienated child is a child who does not wish to have any contact whatsoever with one parent and who expresses only negative feelings for that parent and only positive feelings for the other parent.”
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“Parental Alienation is one of the most damaging forms of child and spousal abuse” Dr. Sommers uses the term, “brainwashing” to describe the effect that Parental Alienation Syndrome can have on a child. The child in question must fully believe that the victimized parent is at fault and even participate in the alienating process for the family to be correctly diagnosed with P.A.S.
Most children desire approval and are quick to believe what their parents tell them. Add a child’s eager-to-please nature with the disturbed environment of an abusive household, and the aggressor’s negative claims about the alienated parent slowly become truth.
Although P.A.S. is a fairly common type of domestic abuse in 2013, it hasn’t always been so prominent. Because Parental Alienation Syndrome most often occurs during child custody battles, the frequency of it has risen with the frequency of divorce. Between the 1950s and today, the American divorce rate has progressed from 26% to 50%. Over the last twenty years in particular, millions of households have been affected by P.A.S., and researching treatments and spreading awareness of this new syndrome are essential to managing it.
However, it is important to keep in mind that one parent simply insulting the other in front of their child is not Parental Alienation. Tensions run high during divorce, and many parents vent their frustrations to their children, but P.A.S. is far more sinister and calculated. Dr. Reena Sommers, a divorce and custody consultant specializing in Parental Alienation Syndrome, makes note on her professional website that, “P.A.S. goes well beyond ‘bad-mouthing’ the other parent,” but, “involves a systematic process of denigration and malignment of the [alienated] parent and often extends to friends and relatives of that parent.” 22
Parental Alienation is one of the most damaging forms of child and spousal abuse; the brainwashing of a child is incredibly invasive and difficult to reverse. The victimized parent must watch helplessly as their own child is used as a pawn against them. Frighteningly, once a child is aligned with the abusive parent, they are capable of complete emotional rejection. A symptom of emotional rejection is a deep-seated hatred for the victimized parent, installed within them by their abuser. When this occurs, there is little the alienated parent can do to empathize with their child. According to Dr. Richard Gardner, the academic who set the criteria for Parental Alienation Syndrome, “The child’s hatred of the alienated parent is often impervious to evidence which contradicts his/her position.” Emotional rejection blocks a child from rationalizing what their abuser is telling them concerning the alienated parent. Oftentimes, the child will begin misremembering happy familial events or exaggerating negative ones in order to justify their feelings of hatred toward the alienated parent. This often leads to a feeling of abandonment and frustration in the victimized parent, which can amplify the fighting and lead to further negative effects.
Because of its relative newness, and the high level of damage it causes, Parental Alienation Syndrome may seem incurable, but Dr. Barbara Steinberg’s parentalalienation.org article, “Pain and Ongoing Grief in Parents Dealing with Alienation,” offers some suggestions to parents and children who are suffering. Firstly, Dr. Steinberg recommends that the alienated parent keep positive contact with their child or children, “regardless of the attitude and reception from the other parent.” This includes exuding a calm and controlled attitude in front of the children and abusive parent, regardless of what they may be saying to your face or behind your back. Secondly, Dr. Steinberg stresses the importance of sending alienated children cards and packages on unimportant days as tokens of love. Additionally, Dr. Steinberg emphasizes the necessity for the victimized parent to forgive their abuser for the sake of their child. Dr. Steinberg notes, however, “Notice there was no mention of forgetting what has happened, or how you have been treated...but for restoring your emotional balance and your ability to cope with life challenges in healthy ways, you will need to forgive the alienator.” As for children suffering from P.A.S., they often won’t be able to begin to heal until adulthood, when they separate themselves from their abusive parent. Oftentimes, when children age and have a chance to take an outsider’s perspective on the situation, they realize that the parent they grew up so hating was victimized just as they were.
“Adult children with P.A.S. often feel immense guilt regarding their participation in the alienating process, and are at high risk for becoming depressed, having low selfesteem, and being unable to form healthy attachments to loved ones.”
Therapy is often a good remedy for P.A.S. at this point, and, now that Parental Alienation Syndrome is becoming more well-known, therapists are beginning to form P.A.S.- centered treatment plans to combat specific symptoms of the syndrome.
Though coping mechanisms and potential cures for Parental Alienation Syndrome are surfacing now that it is recognized as abuse, P.A.S., as with any type of domestic violence, is far from having a solution. As the dangers of Parental Alienation become more widely known, we all must keep in mind that children are not pawns and should never be used as leverage. The best gift that anyone can give to their child is a healthy family dynamic, even if that family is in pain. Isabelle Magliari is a recent college graduate and activist, with a passion for writing, feminism, and women’s issues.
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Beyond the Blog... NotEnoughGood.com covers a variety of issues related to all areas of social change. For this issue of BGI Magazine, we have provided highlights of some of our content focused on youth, young adults, and youth development. To see the full articles click the links.
June 4, 2013 Parenting a Transgender Child This article addresses the difficulties of being a transgender child and how parents and other adults can provide love and support, ensuring that the child does not feel rejected or isolated. Read More - http://notenoughgood. com/2013/06/parenting-transgender-child/
April 4 2013 The Homelessness Series: What About the Kids? Children make up nearly half of the homeless population. Action needs to be taken to stop homelessness and prevent children from suffering the negative effects of living on the street. Read More - http://notenoughgood. com/2013/04/the-homelessness-series-whatabout-the-kids/
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June 4, 2013 Why Education for Girls is a Worthwhile Investment Some countries like Afghanistan are still facing setbacks in educating young girls. Educating girls provides many benefits for society in addition to awarding girls equality and an opportunity to succeed. Read More - http://notenoughgood. com/2013/06/girls-education/
July 10, 2012 What About the Boys? While the pressures of appearance for young girls are widely known, boys too suffer from body insecurities, largely due to media influence.
Read More - http://notenoughgood. com/2012/07/what-about-the-boys/
NotEnoughGood.com is a social research blog from the SISGI Group that contains daily content on social change and social issues.
Schools across the nation are struggling with strict budgets and many have turned to advertising in order to create revenue, inflicting students with the wrong ideas about commercialization and materialism.
June 5, 2012 Nine-Year-Old Blogger Changes School Lunch System Through dedicated blogging, Martha Payne was able to achieve healthier school lunch options at her school in Scotland; unhealthy school lunches are a problem in the United States as well, and Payne provides an example of how to fight for change.
Read More - http://notenoughgood. com/2012/07/commercialization-of-schools/
Read More - http://notenoughgood. com/2012/06/school-lunch/
June 3, 2012 The Commercialization of American Schools
May 31, 2012 Gender & Media: Behind the Weight Loss Craze Magazines are increasingly contributing to womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body problems, but a new trend of realistic models may be beginning.
Read More - http://notenoughgood. com/2012/05/weight-loss-craze/
May 3, 2012 Improving Rural Education in the United States Rural schools are often correlated with students suffering from poverty; changes should be made to bring rural schools up to national standards as well as to aid students in combating the effects of poverty Read More - http://notenoughgood. com/2012/05/rural-education/
View more great articles at NotEnoughGood.com and connect with us on Twitter @NotEnoughGood
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Spiking Fees and Anxiety for UK University Students By Devon Bacso
Starting in September of 2012, fee caps for universities in the United Kingdom have been raised to £9,000 from a previous £3,290. Unfortunately, government savings have not been as large as expected, with just a 12% taxpayer savings from the previous tuition caps. In addition, the fee increases have had negative effects on student applications, with many students choosing not to apply or to accept university offers due to the increase in price. The fee increases are optional, with universities choosing whether to increase tuition to the maximum amount allowed or not. However, 64 out of the 122 universities in the United Kingdom plan to implement higher tuition fees within the allowed limits beginning in fall of 2014. Therefore, it is unlikely that many universities will remain at the more affordable tuition rates of the past. The main result of the fee increases has been a decrease in student enrollment. It is estimated that one out of every twenty students who would have applied to university did not this year due to more expensive tuition, resulting in a 30,000 fall in applications. Data shows that
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demand has declined by 6.3% this December compared with December of last year as the current average tuition for English universities has risen to £8,385, with expectations that it will increase to £8,507 by the following year. However, not all areas of the United Kingdom have raised fees. In Northern Ireland, tuition for universities is capped at £3,465. Any Welsh student who attends a UK university with fees higher than £3,465 will have the increase paid by the Welsh assembly, and any Scottish student who attends a Scottish university is exempt from tuition fees. The decline in student enrollment has not occurred in these areas of the UK where fee caps have not been implemented, implying that the rise in tuition is the main cause for lower student attendance at university. Will Hutton, principal of Hertford College, spoke about the tuition increase, saying, “We’re asking our young men and women to assume more debt than any other country in the world...it’s not clear whether those lost this year will return to the fold next year, or [if] it’s a storm warning of a worrying trend.”
The increase in fees has had a large impact on men and poorer students in particular. Men are already less likely to enter university than women, and the tuition increase has negatively affected men more. Rates of attendance for both genders fell following the 2012 increase, but the decrease for men was four times greater than for women. Applications from disadvantaged areas did increase in 2012, but the higher tuition caps limit students from a range of backgrounds, with the tripling of tuition being especially difficult for low income families to afford.
However, an unnamed spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said that, “most students will not pay upfront to study; there are more loans, grants and bursaries for those from poorer families and loans are only repaid once graduates have jobs and are earning over £21,000.”
“As an American student studying in England for the year, the tuition increase has had a clear impact on UK students. All of my flatmates are firstyears, and it is common conversation to discuss the strains on their families or themselves from the increased fees.” I’ve heard numerous stories from my classmates about friends of theirs who decided to put off university in order to work, or whose university decision was changed due to finances or which universities were more affordable.
In addition, the tuition spike created increased expectations about quality of education for students who were now paying triple what their older siblings had paid for school. Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said that due to raised fees, “students and their parents will be expecting more bang for their increased buck– raising the pressure on already overworked and underpaid staff.” The students I know were frustrated that they were receiving roughly the same education with no added enhancements as students who had paid a fraction of the price only a year earlier.
Becca Di Francesco, a first year at the University of Exeter, said that “the huge increase of fees means that students are starting university with the knowledge that they’ll be paying off a huge debt for the next twenty years just because they were born in the wrong year to want to continue their education. This is incredibly infuriating for someone like me with two older sibling that paid the original reduced fees. There is also more pressure to find a career to make the university degree and the £9000 a year tuition fee worthwhile.”
“The tuition spike has been met with anger, with protests breaking out in London after the raise in fees was announced. In addition, the Liberal Democrats suffered damage to their reputation, as they had promised to prevent any rises in tuition during the election.”
Di Francesco said that while “university fees were never going to stop [her from] wanting to go to university,” she does “remember thinking it was remarkably unfair that they had tripled in just one year, especially when we had Liberal Democrats as part of coalition and Nick Clegg had assured the population that if he had power then he wouldn’t raise the fees. This means that though the Liberal Democrats received more votes at the time, a lot of respect has now been lost for him.”
Pascale Aebischer, a professor at the University of Exeter, said, “The rise in tuition fees seems to me to be a pretty inevitable result of the drive, by previous governments, to increase student numbers to an unsustainable level. The government soon found itself unable to carry on funding all these students and footing the bill. So the rise in tuition fees is a self-inflicted problem which will have the opposite effect of the policies which created it: instead of widening participation (which is what the initial plan was), it will reduce the ability of working-class students to access Higher Education.
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In my personal view, this is deeply regrettable and will have devastating consequences for social mobility, but short of shutting down quite a few institutions, sacking lots of staff and mothballing student halls, I don’t see how else higher education can be funded now the government is having to save money in every possible way.”
The tuition spike will not allow for professor’s raises or increased educational facilities, leading to frustration on all sides. Students are suffering due to the financial weight of tripled tuitions, while professors find themselves under pressure to measure up to the increase in fees. Meanwhile, the government is still trying to gain back money that was overspent during the expansion of higher education buildings and has proposed no better alternative. While tuition increases are a trend spreading around the world, it doesn’t seem as though anyone is profiting from the spike in university fees. Hopefully the tuition increase will not have any long-lasting effects on the ability of UK students to attend school, and it is likely that attendance numbers will gradually return to normal levels after the raised fees become the new accepted standard.
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“Students are suffering due to the financial weight of tripled tuitions, while professors find themselves under pressure to measure up to the increase in fees. Meanwhile, the government is still trying to gain back money that was overspent during the expansion of higher education buildings and has proposed no better alternative.” Devon Bacso is a writer currently completing her education in English. She can be reached at bacsod@kenyon.edu.
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Featured Article
Beyond the Statistics; Beyond the Stigma Teen Suicide Prevention By Jaclyn Lyons The Center for Disease Control makes the following observation about suicide: “Most people are uncomfortable with the topic...too often, victims are blamed, and their families and friends are left stigmatized. As a result, people do not communicate openly about suicide. Thus an important public health problem is left shrouded in secrecy, which limits the amount of information available to those working to prevent suicide. The good news is that research over the last several decades has uncovered a wealth of information on the causes of suicide and on prevention strategies.”
A few factors have become startlingly apparent to me as I evaluate the prevention strategies that the CDC and other organizations have come up with to battle the epidemic of teen suicide. First, as the CDC mentions above, no one wants to talk about suicide, especially in the case of young people. There is a serious lack of dialogue as to why the rate of suicide among teens is so high. Secondly, the lack of discourse about the topic begs the question of how statistics and research can be fully accurate if suicide is, as the CDC says, “shrouded in secrecy.” And finally, why aren’t these detailed prevention strategies being implemented in our high schools and colleges? There seems to be an enormous lack of communication between those working to reduce the number of self-induced fatalities among young people, and the communities and families that are actually affected by this kind of tragedy. The only way to bridge the gap between theory and practice is to have an open and honest conversation about suicide and mental health.
In our post 9/11, high-stress culture, it seems absurd to me that mental health issues are still stigmatized and misunderstood. It’s time we start talking. I will start by telling my own story:
As a teen and young adult I suffered from debilitating depression and crippling anxiety. Sometimes these feelings were so intense, I’d become suicidal or simply unable to leave my house or apartment for days. As I slowly recovered and learned how my emotions were controlling my thought patterns, I was left wondering why I felt this way. I didn’t fit into doctors’ statistics as a troubled youth; nearly every psychiatrist or psychologist I talked to asked me the same, obvious question: “Did you have any trauma or abuse as a child?” This question became so routine, I almost wished I had an answer for them--a reason why I was the way I was. Fortunately for me, the answer has always been, “no.” In fact, I had both a childhood and parental relationships that one could only dream of. So why was I so messed up? The quest for this answer led not only to this article, but also to an understanding of myself that is too priceless not to share. For years, I carried around guilt and embarrassment over my depression. I couldn’t understand why I felt so awful considering the peaceful home I grew up in and the fact that I had two, loving, supportive parents by my side. I was lacking nothing except a sense of peace and true happiness, which I have finally found. Before I get there, though, I think it is important to tell the whole story--all the details that might make people squirm or blush. My story isn’t meant to shock anyone; in fact, I know that
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it will be much more relatable to readers than any of us wish it was. Thankfully, I am still here to tell it. I can only hope that my voice will be one of many speaking out about suicide, so that we can begin to figure out how to prevent these intense emotional breakdowns in the first place. The following documents the beginning of what I thought was the end of my life.
The day he came into my life the two of us passed in the vacant hallway like a couple of gunslingers, keeping eye contact to the last possible second of periphery.
“The new kid’s mine,” I told the girls at school. Within a month he was my boyfriend. Tall and lanky with a southern accent, I had dibs on the hottest thing to hit our high school in years. With a graduating class of just one hundred students, the arrival of a new boy from South Carolina was a big deal.
He and I continued to date when I went off to college. We saw each other monthly, but the distance that separated us became wider as time went on. It was inevitable that we’d change, make new friends, grow up, and grow apart. But we clung on for four arduous years, with only a six-month intermission. In the end, that break would be our demise. We never got over that gap, never could quite reach each other again.
The years I was away at school were tough on everyone. My parents were each diagnosed with cancer and my bouts of depression and anxiety were starting to become a permanent fixture in my life, as I was miles away from my boyfriend, my parents, and anything 32
that seemed worth caring about. I immersed myself in my school work in a vain attempt to keep the demons buried.
I was home for break when he told me he wouldn’t be spending the day with me because he was going to get tattooed with a couple of his friends. In these brief intervals we’d get to see each other, I clung to him with a death-like grip. I was having an especially hard time accepting how much our relationship had changed, how he had changed. He looked different. He dressed differently. He had lost the last hint of that southern drawl. I’ve often asked myself what if he never went to get that tattoo that day, the ink ingrained in his stomach that ever since has symbolized the loss of my first love. But it isn’t that simple. A few hours after he left my house to meet up with his friends, I decided I was going to end my life. I went for a drive to where I knew he’d be. I’m not sure why, but seeing him through the window with a huge grin on his face, surrounded by new friends, solidified what I knew to be despairingly true. We were over. He didn’t see me parked outside with a bottle of sleeping pills in hand as I watched the beautiful boy I loved so dangerously for what I thought would be the last time. There was a certain solace that came over me, knowing that while life as my boyfriend wasn’t easy for him, it would have been even harder to leave me, as I was clinging so tightly. I would free us both.
I took several pills on the drive home, a few more as I pulled into my vacant driveway, and half the remaining contents as I stumbled to my room. I searched around for whatever else I had hidden away from my concerned parents. I found painkillers, and whatever brand of tranquilizer and antidepressant my doctor had me on at the time. I went to sleep planning to never wake up.
When he found me, my father carried my limp body down the stairs and out to the car. As I was lying on the back seat, not even able to hold my own head up, I remember looking at the stars out the window, afraid to close my eyes. I sensed death creeping up on me like a warm blanket.
I remember being carried into the ER, but the details of the rest of the night aren’t as clear. Ironically, with all those sleeping pills, I never did sleep. My heart-rate monitor kept setting off the alarm, annoying all the other patients and the nurses who talked about me like I wasn’t there. In the early morning hours, a woman with a clipboard came in to ask me some questions that I couldn’t comprehend or respond to. She said something about a psychiatrist and recommended that I be put on suicide watch in the Behavioral Health Unit. I didn’t want to go, but I didn’t have a choice. I was being committed. ***
It’s been nearly a decade since my first suicide attempt. I’d like to tell you that I’m cured, that my experience was one born out of teen angst and I’ve grown out of it. But I’ve never been a good liar. Things are different, though. Every day that passes, I learn a little more about myself, get a little more perspective, and am a little more understanding of the emotions that bubble up inside me from time to time and how I can deal with them. I can list all the various diagnoses I’ve been given over the years, tell you all my labels, but I’d rather tell you about who I really am and forget my medical history for now. I am just a girl in this world. I’m just like you and everyone we know. Maybe you’ll disagree, say you’d never take your own life, but I can
promise you this--there is at least one person in your life that has seriously considered it. We can never really know what someone else is going through. I hope for all our sakes we keep this in mind when we jump to judge.
Here’s the most important part though: there is no one to blame. Not me, not my parents, not my ex-boyfriend, not my doctor. Once we give up this impulse to point fingers back at ourselves or anyone else for mental illnesses, we suddenly become free to just live. It’s then we open ourselves to learn what it means to cope, and imagine a day when we won’t be bogged down by labels. Maybe then we can just be us: simply you and me.
Six months after I wrote down that bit of narrative, I visited a new therapist and was asked that age-old question, “Did you experience any trauma as a child?” But this time, before I could say no, she followed up by asking questions like, “did you have a normal birth?” “what was happening in your mother’s life while she was pregnant with you?” and “how many days did you stay in the hospital?” While I didn’t realize the purpose of these questions at first, my therapist explained to me that research in the last couple decades has indicated that trauma experienced at the time of birth, or even before, can have a profound effect on a person throughout their life. This crucial time of development is thoroughly discussed in Scared Sick: The Role of Childhood Trauma in Adult Disease by Robin Karr-Morse and Meredith S. Wiley. Since the nervous system of a fetus is not fully developed, children can often feel the stress of their mothers, which permeates the placenta. I sat on the couch in
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the office that day stunned. I had myriad answers as to why I was the way I was--I was a C-section baby born breech and with jaundice, my mother’s blood pressure was so high during delivery she developed a potentially fatal blood clot in her leg, we had to stay in the hospital for eight days of monitoring, my mother was dealing with the sickness and eventual deaths of her own parents while pregnant with me, and the list goes on. But I also realized that if I didn’t learn this until I was in my late twenties, how many other people were walking around without an understanding of their own mental health issues and with the guilt that I had felt for so many years? Worse still, how many teens and young adults have been lost to suicide because no one understood the root cause of their behavioral issue? The one statistic that cannot be denied is this: Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 10 to 24 year olds.
When I look at literature and programs aimed at teen suicide prevention I now see a huge gap in the general understanding of who these atrisk children are. Statistically, we are told that they come from broken or abusive households, they may have physical as well as mental illnesses, they’ve been in juvenile detention, they’ve been overachievers trying to live up to impossible standards, or they’ve been the victims of bullying. While these criteria are certainly valid and should continue to be a point of focus in teen suicide prevention methods, there is clearly another piece of the puzzle missing. There are children who fall through the cracks of mental health care systems because they don’t fit the statistics. Furthermore, the stigma around mental health and suicide remains a barrier to implementing many of the great programs that have been designed to help children in need. What 34
needs to change first and foremost is an open dialogue about the issue that is often swept under the carpet and filed away, blaming mental health issues on simple statistics and demographics, or worse yet, just clichéd instances of teen angst. Teen suicide, thoughts of suicide, and clinical depression are major issues facing young people today. It is time we stop avoiding difficult topics and start engaging with and educating children about mental health. I find it truly disturbing that the issue of increasing suicide attempts among young people is not because we don’t understand why this is happening, but that we simply aren’t talking about it and spreading awareness. I even take issue with the way the CDC describes suicide and risk factors on their website, citing a long list of statistics and demographics:
“Suicide (i.e., taking one’s own life) is a serious public health problem that affects even young people. It results in approximately 4600 lives lost each year. The top three methods used in suicides of young people include firearm (45%), suffocation (40%), and poisoning (8%). More young people survive suicide attempts than actually die. A nationwide survey of youth in grades 9–12 in public and private schools in the United States (U.S.) found that 16% of students reported seriously considering suicide, 13% reported creating a plan, and 8% reporting trying to take their own life in the 12 months preceding the survey. Each year, approximately 157,000 youth between the ages of 10 and 24 receive medical care for self-inflicted injuries at Emergency Departments across the U.S.” The article goes on to say that “Suicide affects all youth, but some groups are at higher risk than others. Boys are more likely than girls to die from suicide. Of the reported suicides in the 10 to 24
age group, 81% of the deaths were males and 19% were females. Girls, however, are more likely to report attempting suicide than boys. Cultural variations in suicide rates also exist, with Native American/Alaskan Native youth having the highest rates of suicide-related fatalities. A nationwide survey of youth in grades 9–12 in public and private schools in the U.S. found Hispanic youth were more likely to report attempting suicide than their black and white, non-Hispanic peers.” Only at the end of this lengthy overview does the CDC finally state, “Several factors can put a young person at risk for suicide. However, having these risk factors does not always mean that suicide will occur.” This final statement seems to undo any sense that we know what actually causes one to attempt suicide and, given the arbitrary numbers, it is not surprising. Suicide is not as simple as demographics or statistics, and I think my own story attests to this. My story doesn’t end here, and I hope we can start saying the same for people of all ages who are struggling with depressive disorders. So what can we do to actually facilitate suicide prevention measures? To get the conversation going, I’m inviting others to share their stories on my blog at www.jaclynwrites.com. If it’s time you’d like your story heard, please feel free to email me at info@ jaclynwrites.com or tweet to me @speakoutsuicide-a new resource I’ve created to facilitate conversation on teen suicide prevention via social media. Let’s start today to ensure the future of our young people tomorrow.
In addition to simply speaking out and sharing our own experiences, it seems the next logical step would be to use the resources already in existence that are grossly underutilized. On the next few pages are some great resources to introduce those unfamiliar with mental health issues to a wealth of information. These resources also serve as a reminder of the prevalence of mental health issues for those of us who have been affected by the stigmatization of these disorders that our culture has encouraged us to keep quiet about. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Servies offers
“Suicide is not as simple as demographics or statistics, and I think my own story attests to this...” a 240 page toolkit for high school suicide prevention available for free via the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This is a great resource both parents, teachers, administrators, and even students to be aware of. In my home state of New York, the SPEAK Program provides excellent resources for teens as they finish high school and enter college. Research shows that this is a particularly difficult time for young adults and it is not hard to imagine why. The SPEAK Program offers an overview of factors to keep in mind for both teens and parents during this critical phase of life that can be extremely overwhelming and emotional. Finally, I am thrilled to announce the launch of Mentalhealth.gov just a few short weeks ago. This online resource is invaluable for those struggling with a variety of mental health issues, from any background or age bracket. Let’s start using what is available to us.
Jaclyn Lyons is the Features Editor for BGI Magazine. She is also a graduate student at Drexel University.
Turn the page for additional information and resources.
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This following comes from a publication developed by SPEAK, New York State’s suicide prevention campaign. Here are several excerpts that begin to open the dialogue about maintaining mental health, recognizing symptoms of depression, and the reality of suicidal thoughts and behavior:
*Image credit: www.omh.ny.gov website. (speakteens.html)
t Entering college can be exciting, but it can also be stressful - many new students often feel sad or overwhelmed. That’s why it’s so important to also talk with your child about symptoms of depression. Feelings of pressure and stress are not uncommon during the beginning of college, but when “the blues” last for weeks, or interfere with your child’s academic or social functioning, it may be a sign of clinical depression. t Stay close to your child even if he or she is away at school, and listen carefully during phone calls and visits. If your family has a history of depressive disorders, you may wish to be particularly attentive. On the other hand, sometimes people with no family history develop depression. If your child shows signs of becoming depressed, he or she may need your help to get help. People who are depressed often have a hard time thinking clearly or recognizing their own symptoms. For Parents: How to Help Your Child During this Challenging Time t Encourage him or her to set realistic goals, prioritize tasks and make plans for the use of work time. t Encourage your child to begin building a new support network of friends and classmates, and to maintain a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise, a balanced diet, a sleep schedule and planned time for relaxation. 36
Recognizing  depression Does  your  child  express  feelings  of: sadness,  anxiety  or  emptiness? hopelessness,  pessimism  or  guilt? helplessness  or  worthlessness? Does  he  or  she  seem: unable  to  make  decisions? unable  to  concentrate  and  remember? to  have  lost  interest  or  pleasure  in  ordinary  activities? Does  your  child  complain  of: decreased  energy,  fatigue,  being  slowed  down? sleep  disturbances? appetite  problems  or  weight  changes? headaches,  stomach  aches  or  backaches? chronic  aches  and  pains  not  explained  by  another  physical  condition? Has  your  childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  behavior  changed  suddenly  so  that  he  or  she: is  restless  or  more  irritable? wants  to  be  alone  most  of  the  time? is  cutting  classes,  or  dropping  hobbies  or  activities? may  be  drinking  heavily  or  taking  drugs?  seriously.
Suicide is  your  child  saying  things  like  â&#x20AC;&#x153;youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d  be  EHWWHU RĎ&#x2018; ZLWKRXW PH ´ RU ÂłOLIH LV MXVW QRW ZRUWK LW"´ is  your  child  taking  less  care  with  personal  hygiene  or  grooming? has  your  child  become  preoccupied  with  death? has  your  child  lost  interest  in  things  that  he  or  she  cares  about? LV \RXU FKLOG SXWWLQJ SHUVRQDO DĎ&#x2018;DLUV LQ order? is  your  child  suddenly  happier  or  calmer? is  your  child  giving  away  treasured  or  personal  possessions?
Getting help - treatment works If you think your child might be depressed, ask him or her to discuss this with a qualified health care or mental health professional. Offer to accompany him or her, or encourage your child to bring along an understanding friend for support if he or she is hesitant or anxious about the appointment. The professionals at a student health center or counseling service, the dormitory resident advisor, your family health care provider, or your clergy can be helpful resources for getting an evaluation and treatment. A community mental health agency, a hospital psychiatric outpatient department or clinic, or a private or nonprofit counseling center may also be sources of help. Individuals respond differently to treatment, if your child doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start feeling better after several weeks, suggest that s/he talk to the clinician about trying other treatments or getting a second opinion. 37 Continued on the next page....
Recovery Recovery is Possible As all of the resources suggest, most people with mental health problems can get better. I am living proof that it is possible. It is important to know that treatment and recovery are ongoing processes, however, and like any attempt to maintain health, mental health needs to remain a lifelong effort. The first step, as always, is getting help.
What is Recovery? Mentalhealth.gov describes recovery in the following way: “Recovery from mental disorders and/or substance abuse disorders is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a selfdirected life,” and finally “strive to achieve their full potential.” Additionally, Mentalhealth.gov suggests that there are “four dimensions of recovery” from these disorders, outlined by the four areas of a persons life: health, home, purpose, and community: Here are the four major dimensions that support a life in recovery: t Health: Make informed, healthy choices that support physical and emotional wellbeing. t Home: Have a stable and safe place to live. t Purpose: Engage in meaningful daily activities, such as a job or school, volunteering, caring for your family, or being creative. Work for independence, income, and resources to participate in society. t Community: Build relationships and social networks that provide support. (Mentalhealth.gov) Self-directed help has proved very useful for me in my personal recovery from depression and anxiety disorders. I found that taking initiative to help myself gave me a sense of agency and power that my depression made me believe wasn’t possible. It was a great feeling to know I could be back in control of my life and my health. The following documents are from Mentalhealth.gov. If you or a loved one is struggling like I did, the best thing you can do in this moment is to open your mind to the possibility of recovery and educate yourself on the options available. May we all find peace from the issues that ail us. Recovery Definition and Guiding Principles (PDF – 384 KB) Recovering Your Mental Health—A Self-Help Guide Action Planning for Prevention and Recovery: A Self-Help Guide 38
Suicide Prevention Resources National Resources National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-TALK 800-273-8255 TTY line: 800-799-4889 http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org National Suicide Hotlines http://suicidehotlines.com National Hopeline Network-Kristen Brooks Hope Center (KBHC) 800-SUICIDE (800-784-2433) http://hopeline.com Girls & Boys Town National Hotline 800-448-3000 TTY line: 800-448-1833 http://www.girlsandboystown.org Covenant House NINELINE Hotline 800-999-9999 TTY line: 800-999-9915 http://www.covenanthouse.org/ourkids American Association of Suicidology (AAS) 202-237-2280 http://www.suicidology.org Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) http://www.sprc.org 877-GET-SPRC (438-7772) TTY line: 617-964-5448 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP)
http://www.mentalhealth.org/ suicideprevention/default.asp Continued on the next page....
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Suicide Prevention Resources National Resources Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Suicide http://www.mentalhealth.org/ suicideprevention/calltoaction.asp Air Force Suicide Prevention Program, a Population-Based Community Approach http://afspp.afms.mil/idc/groups/public/ documents/afms/ctb_016206.pdf (PDF) The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention http://www.afsp.org The Suicide Prevention Action Network USA (SPAN-USA) http://www.spanusa.org Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) http://www.save.org
Teen Suicide Resources American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) http://www.aacap.org/publications/ factsfam/suicide.htm Youth Suicide Prevention Programs: A Resource Guide http://aepo-xdv-www.epo.cdc.gov/ wonder/prevguid/p0000024/p0000024. asp ANSWER (Adolescents Never Suicide When Everyone Responds) http://www.teenanswer.org President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health http://www.mentalhealthcommission. gov National Mental Health Association (NMHA) http://www.nmha.org National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) http://www.nami.org
“Let’s start today to ensure the future of our young people tomorrow.” 40
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Common Core for Common Understanding By Sarah Sosbe
“Why are you teaching Shakespeare? You’re pushing your kids too hard. Don’t you think Emily Dickinson is beyond these kids’ understanding?”
My first two years teaching, these were the comments I would get from colleagues who would stop by my classroom or make comments on the bulletin board displaying student work. For years, I struggled with what the basic New York English Language Arts Standards said I needed to teach versus what learning experiences I knew my kids needed in order to be successful beyond my classroom, middle school and high school. Year after year I analyzed my Bronx school’s state report card, which displayed abysmal results, showing only small gains in student achievement. On a larger scale, you could also only see small gains in NYC student achievement. Part of analyzing the results was knowing they could be attributed to a lengthy document called the New York State Standards
This document contained over 200 different learning objectives which teachers were required to cover in the scope of the school year – keep in mind there are only 180 school days on average. Often these standards were handed to teachers on the first day of teaching in an infamous red binder that was roughly two inches thick. Teachers became so preoccupied with covering everything that quantity won out over quality. The same situation was present in many states across the country, which led to an initiative to truly change the outcomes for kids and impact the learning that was happening in the classrooms. The initiative is known as the Common Core State Standards. In 2004, a report was published called “Ready or Not: Creating a High School Diploma That Counts”. This document outlined results of high school graduates and their success rates in college. Additionally, it broke down the skills and knowledge a student would need in order to be successful in college. The report distinctly showed how far behind the American education system was in truly preparing kids for college and careers. In 2009, the National Governor’s Association hired David Coleman, president of the College Board at the time, to construct a series of curriculum standards in mathematics and English language arts. Working with a series of consultants from colleges and universities, the Core was designed with a backwards-planning process. Continued on the next page....
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Starting at the University level, Coleman and his team determined what would have been needed to learn the year before in order to be successful in the current school year. This planning wound its way back to kindergarten and a set of standards for math and literacy that truly connected learning year to year, building on skills and knowledge to reach the ultimate goal of college or career. This lead to the creation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative: Preparing America’s Students for College and Careers (http:// www.corestandards.org/). This set of standards, in comparison to the thick red binder, can be handed to teachers on two sheets of paper. For each category, there are ten strands, which focus on the depth of knowledge and not the breadth.
“On June 2, 2010 the standards were officially released and adopted by a majority of states. President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan supported these new standards and encouraged states to make them part of their education plans.” The goal is for states to fully implement the Common Core Curriculum by 2015. Currently, 45 states have adopted the Common Core Curriculum and are in the process of phasing in the standards in student learning K-12. The Common Core is a set of standards that details what American education is and should be. Prior to them, states developed their own series of standards, so that reading on grade level in one state meant something completely different in another. Additionally, what one student was learning in California was very different than another student in Pennsylvania. Through the Common Core, education in America attempts to create a nationwide standard that isn’t determined by your address or the amount of money your parents make. Another organization developed to support the work of the Core and address the issue of assessments in this country is the Partnership for
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Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. PARCC is a state-led group that is working to develop a common set of assessments K-12 aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with the premise being that a common assessment at a rigorous level used across the states would make real changes in student achievement across the country. The first round of PARCC assessments will be ready for administration in the 2014-2015 school year.
Each state which has adopted the Common Core Curriculum has taken on the task of preparing educators and administrators for the changes in rigorous ways. Similar to the expectation for student learning under the Core, teacher learning follows a similar trajectory, as the focus is on deeper understanding of the Core and how to teach it versus a memorization of each strand. For example, New York has created an online consortium of Common Core explanations, unit and lesson examples, teaching videos, and professional development materials for in-school workshops. The site Enage NY (http://www. engageny.org/) also provides resources to parents to help them better understand the new curriculum and how it will impact their kids at school and at home. Besides state initiative organizations, there are also many non-profit groups providing services to help teachers prepare for these changes. Student Achievement Partners (http://www.achievethecore. org/) brings educators together to design Common Core lessons and units, and engage in a dialogue focused on learning the Core in a way that truly impacts the learning in the classroom.
Much work has gone into developing these standards and supporting teachers and administrations as they convert to them. My classroom and school has vastly transformed in ways that I would not have imagined during those first few years teaching, when I was criticized for giving work and using authors that were “too hard for these kids.” Today, not only has my instruction changed and the delivery of my lessons been impacted, but my conversations with colleagues is vastly different. Frequently, I am planning with the science and social studies teachers to ensure the kids are making connections and thinking deeply about topics and concepts. I’ve even worked alongside the math teacher for cross-curricular projects, which mirror real-world experiences with math and ELA. In comparison to the old standards, the Core expects the use of Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson in the middle school classroom.
Currently, through the assistance of Common Core exemplars and aligned texts, my students in my school are experiencing the works of Shakespeare, Whitman, Twain, and Chopin with excitement and encouragement. With the implementation of New York State testing which reflects the Core, students across New York are thinking deeply about their reading and engaging with texts in a more meaningful way. Sarah Sosbe is a middle school educator who has worked for 11 years in NYC schools, 9 within the public school system. Currently, she works at Promise Academy Charter School.
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Educational Quotes to Live By. “Education is more than a luxury; it is a responsibility that society owes to itself.” -‐ Robin Cook
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” -‐ Nelson Mandela
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SPECIAL FEATURE : #APYDCON
The Alliance for Positive Youth Development invites you to join us for the:
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Best Practices for Youth Conference August 5th-足8th, 2013 A Unique Online and Offline Event Coming to a computer screen or a city near you! http://apydconference.sisgigroup.org
Join us for a great professional development opportunity that leverages technology and social media to connect with youth development professionals, educators, and young people working on youth issues around the country.
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#APYDCON 2013 EVENT DETAILS
SPECIAL FEATURE : #APYDCON
Youth Day Conference Kick-off - August 5, 2013
In local communities, youth will design a day of social media, webinars, live streams, and community activities to kick-off this year’s conference. Community partners will bring together groups of young people in their community to discuss youth issues and share best practices from a youth perspective. Youth organizations outside the target communities can join in the conference day through the online workshops and live stream events. This kick-off will set the stage for the professional development topics in the remaining three days of the conference.
Professional Development Virtual Conference - August 6-8, 2013
The professional development portion of the conference will consist of webinars offered during the week of August 6- 8, 2013 at 1:00 pm Eastern (10 am Pacific) and 3:00 pm Eastern (12:00 pm Pacific), accessible only by conference registrants. Additionally, each day Google+ Hangouts will cover topics of the day and create a conversation between presenters and the general public.
Registration Includes Access to online conference content Workshop presentation links and year-round access to recordings Year-long topic discussion areas Networking and chat areas Sign-ups for Add-on activities
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Four Registration Types Conference Pass - Full access to all online events Organization Pass - Receive 40% off conference pass access for individuals in your organization. Minimum 5 registrations. Small organizations with a staff of less than 5 or budget of $250,000 or less can also receive this discount by emailing youthconference@sisgigroup.org Workshop Pass - Access to one live workshop and the recording Community Partner Live Host - 10 Conference Access Passes, 1 Access to use on a screen with projector, Community Partner Facilitation Guide, Community Partner Facilitator Training, and Community Partner Webpage
The Alliance for Positive Youth Development
Best Practices for Youth Conference Conference Goals t
Provide an affordable professional development opportunity to youth-serving professionals
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Begin a national conversation on strategies to create and increase positive youth development and engagement
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Engage youth in their own development and leadership
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Use technology to share best practices and to create a platform that allows strong strategies to reach new audiences with limited barriers
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Build a foundation for ongoing networking, learning, and community-wide resource sharing
Conference Mission
The Alliance for Positive Youth Development provides professional development and valuable training for youth development professionals in an effort to improve and increase the positive outcomes on issues impacting young people. The Best Practices Conference promotes innovative and dynamic ideas from around the country on the future of youth development, engagement, and leadership, including the role of technology and strategic approaches to the most pressing issues facing young people.
Be a Community Partner: Host a Watch and Engage Event in your Community. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re giving you the opportunity to be part of this event by designing an event in your own community that will feature live content from the conference as it happens, in addition to providing the tools and training to your local staff, youth and/or facilitators to lead a great conference community event. Learn More
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#APYDCON 2013 Presenting at APYDCON 2013
SPECIAL FEATURE : #APYDCON
August 6, 2013
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From Facebook to Facetime: Using Digital Platforms to Engage + Empower Youth As the digital divide closes and access to the internet increases through smartphones and other devices, young people use technology to do anything from getting help with their homework to video-chatting with their friends. Join this workshop to learn about digital engagement strategies including polling technology, online forums, virtual platforms, and social networking to engage and empower the youth you serve.
ANNIE LORENZANA - @THIS_IS_ANNIE
As Program + Communications Associate for Mobilize.org, Annie supports the planning and implementation of Mobilize.org summits, leadership development trainings, and Summit Awardee support through the fellowship program. She also works closely with the New Media Coordinator to enhance social media impact, millennial blogs, and other communications.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are thrilled to be presenting at APYDCON 2013 and share best practices learned from our Mobilizer Academy, a 12-month virtual leadership development program designed and inspired by our work with Millennial change-makers over the last 10 years. Through our experiences with young people across the nation, we hope to share digital engagement strategies to continue to support youth-serving organizations in their work to empower the Millennial Generation to implement solutions to social challenges across the country.â&#x20AC;?
August 6, 2013 From Youth Development to Politicized Citizenship: Empowering Youth to Be Agents of Social Change This workshop will assist youth workers in empowering and equipping youth to critically engage with struggle and to see it as a site for learning, identity development, and leadership. The presenters will share frameworks, strategies, and arts-based approaches for politicized capacity-building that empowers youth to be agentic political actors who can mobilize to have their needs and desires met in their personal lives, community, and the world. ERIN STEPHENS
Erin is currently a doctoral student in the public sociology program at George Mason University, with a focus on youth socialization into social movements. She is committed to youth development and has extensive experience building and coordinating programs for diverse children and youth ages 6 to 22. Her professional experiences have included implementing civic engagement programs, social justice education with international students, comprehensive sex education, and gender justice programming. ALISON KIBBE
Alison is a community organizer, arts administrator, and performer who is passionate about the role of the arts and creativity in developing vibrant, sustainable communities. She is currently working as a fellow with CultureLab, an international consortium of arts consultants. As an undergraduate at Duke she worked as the Community Building intern at the Duke University Women’s Center, integrating arts into social justice and activist development programming, including co-developing the Moxie South alternative spring break trip, exploring women’s activism in the south.
“As we continue to confront the challenges that face our communities and our world, we must not forget the promise of hope within our youth. We must prime our youth with the information, skills, and support to be agents of positive change in the world, so that they can advocate for themselves and their communities. By sharing our knowledge, skills, and best practices at APYDCON, we all build the platforms and create the opportunities for them to lead the way.”
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#APYDCON 2013 Presenting at APYDCON 2013
SPECIAL FEATURE : #APYDCON
August 7, 2013
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Camp Blackbaud - Kids + STEM = Fun! Blackbaud is a company that cares about giving back, both through the technology we provide nonprofits and the service we do. One cool way we give back is through Camp Blackbaud, a two-day program where we get school kids excited about careers in technology. This session will introduce you to the program (its goals, what we do, what the kids say) and how it embodies the spirit of service we champion at our company. My goal is to provide you with a model for how you can do something similar in your community.
SALLY EHRENFRIED- @SALLYEHRENFRIED
Sally J. Ehrenfried is the Community Relations Manager and Philanthropy at Blackbaud, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLKB), headquartered in Charleston, SC, where she is responsible for managing the technology company’s global community relations, corporate giving, and volunteerism portfolios, and helps teams and individuals identify opportunities to serve in their communities. Sally also keeps abreast of government relations issues, working with local, state, and federal groups to advocate for policies that benefit the nonprofit community.
“At Blackbaud, we’re on a mission to show our people that giving back includes everything from donating money and goods to getting involved as a volunteer. We also seek to educate our employees that volunteerism can take many forms, from doing physical labor like building a house to using our professional skills. Camp Blackbaud is just one way we give back through sharing the skills we use every day as professionals. We know, through the work we do with nonprofits every day, that giving knowledge and expertise is a fabulous way to invest in our community.”
August 7, 2013 Life Skills Scavenger Hunt Life skills education can be difficult and dreary for both youth and staff. The Life Skills Scavenger Hunt provides a fun, fast-paced way to teach young people many of the skills they will need when they graduate from your program. Workshop participants will learn how to develop and implement their own Life Skills Scavenger Hunt.
RICK NEWMYER
Rick Newmyer teaches at the USC School of Social Work and also serves as Executive Director of the Film Consortium Foundation. Over the past two decades, Newmyer has developed and administered residential and communitybased programs for children, youth and families. His work includes counseling, administration, facilitation, community organizing, governmental relations, social advocacy, communications, and fundraising. Newmyer has lectured nationally and internationally on youth development, transition-age youth and homelessness.
â&#x20AC;&#x153; Young people typically learn life skills from their families over a period of several years. Many families continue to provide emotional and financial support even after the young person has entered adulthood. Youth who come from homelessness, foster care, or the juvenile justice system have often gone without these opportunities and supports. An abundance of research illustrates the poor outcomes faced by these young people after they turn 18. Life skills education is vital for all youth but especially for those growing up apart from their families.â&#x20AC;?
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#APYDCON 2013 Presenting at APYDCON 2013
SPECIAL FEATURE : #APYDCON
August 8, 2013
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Engaging Young Men in Teen Dating Violence Prevention Teen dating violence (TDV) is a serious issue in our communities. This workshop will explore the role of young men in the prevention of TDV. Topics will include strategies to engaging young men, promising practices to mobilizing men to be active bystanders and allies, and comprehensive approaches to engaging men. This workshop is applicable to professionals who work with youth of all genders and will highlight best practices for general teen dating violence prevention as well as for engaging young men. MOLLY ZEMKE
Molly Zemke is the Prevention Program Coordinator with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) in Madison, Wisconsin. She oversees DAIS’ primary prevention program which includes a school-based program for young men that supports them in their development of a healthy male identity, as well as initiatives that seek to transform community attitudes that perpetuate violence.
“Teen dating violence is a serious concern for too many of our young people and is an issue that affects entire communities. There are several best practices emerging around the prevention and response to teen dating violence, including engaging young men in prevention. I will be discussing this during my workshop at the 2013 APYDCON and providing participants with tools to work on youth-led prevention initiatives in their communities. This opportunity to share best practices and to inspire community-based solutions to teen dating violence is an important step in creating change to end violence.”
August 8, 2013 Diversity at All Levels Diversity is often stated but not as often practiced. It is important for an organization to be diverse at ALL levels to expand its reach to the target audience. At the end of this session, participants will be able to define basic terms associated with diversity, as well as understand concepts related to diversifying their organization.
DR. DAMARY M. BONILLA-RODRIGUEZ
Dr. Bonilla-Rodriguez has worked passionately on behalf of underserved communities through roles in the not-for-profit, private, and government sectors. In her current role at Girls Incorporated, an organization that inspires all girls to be strong and smart, she leads the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national Latina Initiative. At Girls Inc., she is a member of the Values and Diversity committees.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;APYD provides a wonderful platform for a cost-effective, timeeffective conference which brings together experts in various fields to provide innovative training for youth development professionals. Last year, I presented on Latina leadership and this year I will present on the Importance of Diversity in the Workplace; both topics are important to youth development workers. As a second year presenter, I am excited to continue being part of a movement in youth development training.â&#x20AC;?
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Interested in participating in the 2013 APYD Conference, a live conference providing valuable training and professional development for youth in your organization?
Do you want to learn about Best Practices for Youth and have the opportunity to share and engage members in your community around this issue?
Become a 2013 APYDCON Community Partner!
Why should you become a Community Partner?
There are many ways you and your organization can benefit if you decide to become a community partner. 56
t The opportunity to network with youth development professionals and organizations. t Combine Best Practices for Youth content with your own programming to provide an educational and networking event for your members and your community. t Host conference workshop “Watch and Engage Events” with community members, stakeholders, youth or partners. t Access valuable educational content and share it with your community. t Build brand awareness and gain registration revenue for your organization. t Receive a discounted price for hosting the conference.
You have the opportunity to be part of that mission by designing an event in your own community that will feature live content from the conference as it happens, in addition to providing the tools and training to your local staff, youth and/or facilitators to lead a great conference community event. Register as a live host before July 22 and receive a facilitator’s training guide and steps to make the conference topics connect with your local community! A Community Partner Live Host Pass Includes: t 10 Individual Computer Conference Access Passes t 1 Access to use on a screen with projector t A Community Partner Facilitation Guide t Community Partner Facilitator Training t A Community Partner Webpage
How do I become a Community Partner? t Purchase a Community Partner Live Host ticket through the Conference Registration Site. t Submit your Community Partner Application to receive your facilitator’s training and guide (available on the conference website). To apply and register, check out: http://apydconference.sisgigroup.org/ conference/community-partner 57
Sambhali Boutique: Empowering Young Girls in Rajasthan By Priyanka Sacheti
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wo summers ago, while exploring the crowded bylanes of old Jodhpur, Rajasthan, a north-western Indian state, my eyes strayed towards a sign: Sambhali Boutique. I stepped inside the boutique, encountering an array of rainbow-hued products. This in and of itself was not an unusual sight for Rajasthan, which is synonymous with color and hand-crafts. However, here the exception was that all of these products had been created by young Rajasthani girls, under the umbrella of Sambhali Trust.
The status of women in Rajasthan has long been a cause of concern; patriarchy, discriminatory customs and rituals, female infanticide and feticide, child marriage, maternity mortality, and poor nutrition are some factors that have contributed towards women’s marginalised position within society. Burdened by these factors, women find it insuperable to overcome these obstacles and to carve out their own destinies. Thus, Sambhali is one outstanding effort which attempts to redress this situation. As a nonprofitable trust, which aims to empower young Rajasthani women, Sambhali seeks to give them educational, vocational, and social skills; this, in turn, allows these women a voice and a support network to nurture their hopes, dreams, and ambitions.
“Sambhali means ‘Rising of the deprived women,’” says Govind Singh Rathore, the founder of Sambhali. “The essence of Sambhali is its personal and needs-‐based DSSURDFK DQG IXOÀOOLQJ WKH QHHGV RI WKH women and girls who come to Sambhali for help. We try to make these women and girls independent decision-‐makers 58 and capable of looking after themselves and their families,” he states.
Additionally, Rathore points out that workers and volunteers go out into the field and engage with the women that they are working with. “Due to such approaches, we develop a personal rapport with the participants. If they are in need of help, they can call me whenever they want,” Rathore states. He adds, “When women come to Sambhali, they know that Sambhali will help them in one way or another.“
The idea to start Sambhali was rooted in and influenced by events in Rathore’s life and its implication for his female family members. “I was 14 years old when my father died and my mother took me out of school and made me head of the household. In this patriarchal society, widows have no status, respect, or any rights. My mother suddenly became an outcaste and no longer respected in the community. However, she and my grandmother were determined to keep the household together,” he reminisces about his youth. Married at the age of twenty, he began to consider the status of women in the local community. “I began to realise that many of them did not have the resources to help their situation and I felt I really wanted to do something to help them. I persuaded
our Dalit maid to bring her three daughters to our house and I would start to teach them to read and write; in the following days, our maid brought 18 more girls with her,” he mentions, commenting that this signalled the birth of Sambhali Trust with the assistance of his family and friends.
The motto of Sambhali Trust is Independence, Self-esteem, and Unity. “For me, gender equality truly defines
women’s empowerment: if a woman is considered equal to that of a man, able to express her opinions, given the chance to be educated, considered equal firstly to that of her male sibling, then to her husband,” he summarises, commenting that a woman should be equipped with the agency to make vital decisions about her life and fulfil her own potential. “If women were able to accomplish all of these things and wield equal responsibility for the family and bring in their own expertise, women would be properly valued,” he mentions, elaborating that if such gender social parity exists, there would be less number of foeticides and infanticides and that female decision-making would enrich families. So what does Sambhali do? Having begun in January 2007, the initial activities witnessed a qualified Arts and Crafts instructors teaching the women basic sewing and embroidery techniques while Rathore taught women Hindi. “We initially faced challenges as in the local communities were suspicious of Sambhali Trust,” he mentions; “however, after about a year, the people began to trust what we were doing and understand the benefits their daughters were accruing in form of education and skill.”
The number of women participants increased and Sambhali began to attract volunteers, who provided workshops in various subjects, including English as part of the literacy initiatives. A year into these activities occurring at Jodhpur, Rathore then wished to start something in Setrawa, which was where his grandfather’s family came from; this was located in Shergarh district, 110 km west of Jodhpur. Having heard that children who had failed their English examinations were asked to leave school, they decided to start an empowerment centre for girls where they could improve their English. “Over the past six years, the centre has developed into two classes: Peacock Class for girls and boys under nine years old to receive tuition in English, and Butterfly Class (for Dalit girls from the outlying villages),” he says. In addition, they have also developed a Literacy Program where girls can be directly sponsored to attend a reputed private school; they have over 100 students enrolled in the schools.
While literacy was instrumental in assisting the girls and women to fulfil their goals, economic independence was equally significant. “We wanted to help the women in this rural area by giving them access to loans to help them buy a cow, a goat, a flour-grinder, or some money to start a small business,” Rathore mentions, and they sought to achieve this aim by developing Women’s SelfHelp groups, which gave 100 women the benefit of access to a loan and repayment scheme operated and monitored through Sambhali Trust. “We have also started an Empowerment Centre in another neglected area of Jodhpur, providing them with
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vocational training and English as well as working with the Social Justice and Empowerment Department to provide the same in their Shelter Home for young girls (similar to an orphanage),” he says. Sambhali and the scope of its activities and programs have clearly grown with each other. When the first students graduated in 2009, the next logical progression was to ensure employment. “We achieved this by opening two small sewing centres in the areas where they lived. They could then generate income by making soft toys, block printed scarves, salwaars [baggy trousers] and kurtas [tunics] which would be later sold in the Sambhali Boutique. We have been able to move to a larger sewing centre which has allowed us to make more products and produce items for international orders,” he concludes. What has Sambhali achieved for these women and girls? “It has given them an understanding of their
One woman’s story: Sanju Jawa
“My name is Sanju Jawa. I’m 29 years old. I went to
school until the end of Year 9. My favourite subjects at school were English and economics. We learned about India and other countries – the school principal was our teacher. I got married twelve years ago and I have two children. They both go to school. They really like school. From March they will have scholarships from Sambhali. Fourteen people live in our joint family. They are my parents, my two brothers, their wives and our children. I’m single now – my husband used to hit me. He didn’t look after me or my children and now he lives with another woman. I am very happy to be back with my own family. I’m happy and my children are happy. In our family, my two brothers and my mother have private jobs. My father has been blind for 10 years and he is on bed rest now. Money is very difficult for us. My niece told me about Sambhali. I started here eight months ago. I like reading English, sewing and embroidery. Before I started coming here, for four years I was 60 already working and cooking in a girls’ hostel.
their self-worth: they are a person in their own right and entitled to develop their inner potential,” says Rathore. “They have learnt to believe in themselves and have an awareness of who they are as people, as women, understand their rights and have confidence in themselves. Sambhali is now employing twenty-two ex-Sambhali students within its organisation.” Figuring amongst the list of ways Sambhali has made a difference to the women’s lives include providing them with access to loans to buy goats and cows and start a dairy business or a small shop as well as scholarships for children to attend schools and vocational training so the girls and women can make clothes for themselves, their families, and earn a livelihood for themselves. “Our students are encouraged to be creative, to absorb information and develop skills that will help earn them an income as well as developing their own personalities,” concludes Rathore. Priyanka Sacheti is an independent cultural writer based in Pittsburgh, United States.
Every morning at 7AM I went to the girls’ hostel and then I came here at 11:30AM. I get up at 5:30AM and prepare the breakfast and lunch for the family. Usually I came here by bus – Govind gave me the money to come here. I am very happy that now my dreams can come true. I am now an employee at Sambhali Trust, I am assistant at the Sambhali Boutique. I make a good income here and I am financially independent and able to make my dreams come true for the future of my children, who can graduate. My daughter will be a Circle Inspector officer in the police, and my son will be a computer engineer. The struggle has stopped!” --Sanju Jawa
Domestic Minor 6H[ 7UDIÀFNLQJ
An Epidemic in America By Regina Bernadin
A
merica’s youth is being lured into the dark world of prostitution at the hands of men who promise love and a better life. Many times, these youth are escaping abuse and neglect and are ensnared by dreams of change. Once separated from their home environment, they are coerced into prostitution, particularly street work, in communities across America.
“Sarah is a 17-year-old Caucasian female who grew up in rural Ohio. Sarah ran away from home a few times because her mom and stepfather drank a lot and did not pay attention to her. A few months ago Sarah was walking to the store alone and a 30-year-old male drove up beside her and told her how pretty she was and asked why she looked so sad. Sarah told him that she was angry with her mom and just needed to take a walk. He asked if he could take her to get her nails done down the street to cheer her up, and she agreed. He paid right away while giving compliments and telling her he wanted to meet again the next day.
For the next two months he picked Sarah up and took her to eat, to get her nails done and continued
to act like a loving boyfriend. They both began calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend. They spent a lot of time together and he asked Sarah to move in with him, but after another month of living together he told her he couldn’t make the rent payment and needed help. He asked her to go on dates with older men and engage in commercial sex. Sarah felt uncomfortable but agreed because she would do anything not to return home, and wanted to make him happy. Her boyfriend praised her and told her he didn’t mind that Sarah helped them get money for rent this way” (survivor story taken from a collection from the Polaris Project). Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, or DMST, has become an epidemic in the United States. DMST is part of a global phenomenon called human trafficking, a form of modern day slavery. It is an economic crime and human rights violation in which men, women, and children are bought and sold. In October 2000, U.S federal statutes were created criminalizing trafficking of persons. However, today there are more
slaves than at any other point in history. Continued on the next page....
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According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), twenty-one million people are enslaved around the world. Forced to work against their will in restaurants, agricultural fields, sweatshops and brothels, millions are exploited for financial gain. DMST is a $32 billion global criminal enterprise that seeks the most vulnerable, especially children. While adults are trafficked in both labor and sex trafficking schemes, children are mostly exploited in the sex trade. Because of perception regarding the innocence and vulnerability of children, and in many cases, their lack of exposure to sexually transmitted diseases (factors which places minors amongst the most requested for sex tourism), these youths are in higher demand by those who prey on them.
“According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, approximately 300,000 children in the United States are sexually exploited for commercial gain every year. While the majority of victims are girls, boys are also exploited.” One myth is that all victims of trafficking are escaping poverty or abuse. The truth is that human trafficking affects everyone. Victims come from large and small communities in urban and rural settings. Human trafficking does not discriminate in gender, age, socioeconomic status or nationality. Children in every sector of the general population are in danger. Traffickers exploit vulnerabilities in youth. This is why foster care youth, runaway children, and homeless minors are at greater risk as there is a lack of protection in their environment. However, traffickers are also recruiting girls from their families by methods such as seduction. They also know how to lift the self-esteem of girls during a crucial point in adolescence. This process known as grooming is widely used by traffickers as a technique to win their trust. They focus their attention on them, showing these youths their interest through compliments and gifts while providing a false sense of love and understanding. 62
However, the threat is not only posed by men. Traffickers can also be women and other minors. Girls are also recruiting other girls in school yards, the local mall, and other places popular with kids. Girls convince unsuspecting children that they can help them make some money, introduce them to a boy, or fulfill a dream like modeling.
Additionally, technology is making it increasingly easier for traffickers, also called pimps, to have access to young vulnerable minors. Cyberspace is used as a place to lure children through the use of chat rooms and other social media sites. It is the place where their sexual services are ultimately sold through advertisements in sites such as Craigslist and Backpage. Once ensnared, the reality experienced is far from the dream promised. Shared Hope International, a national anti-trafficking advocacy group, “discovered minors were sold an average of 10-15 times a day, 6 days a week, totaling between 9,360 and 14,040 sex acts a year” in exchange for money or something of value. Taken from city to city, these groups of girls are oftentimes moved to locations where large number of transient people attend sporting, music, or political events.
These youth are typically given a quota by their trafficker. The girls receive none of the money. If the quota is not met, they face incidences of extreme violence. The girls are coerced and convinced that it is done out of love and to make money to provide for their new family.
To stop the commercial sexual exploitation of children, laws have been passed to assist this vulnerable population. There are anti-trafficking laws at the federal level and as of 2013, every state in the country has passed state legislation combating this issue. About a dozen states have passed Safe Harbor laws which allow state child welfare agencies to provide social services to survivors of DMST. With the passage of these laws, domestic victims of trafficking are no longer stigmatized as willing participants in prostitution, but treated as victims of a crime. The state child protection agencies have been mandated to provide safe and appropriate services to aid in the recovery from sexual slavery.
In Sarah’s case, her victimization “continued until one night when Sarah was out on the street and was raped by a stranger who initially solicited her for sex. She immediately called the police and was taken to the hospital for an exam. Once at the hospital, the responding detectives called Polaris Project client services and two staff members reported to the hospital. Polaris Project provided emergency housing and emotional support for Sarah as she considered some of her options. She decided to leave her boyfriend and move into a shelter. During her month at the shelter, Polaris Project found long-term housing for her and helped her secure a part-time job. Within four months, Sarah saved enough money to move into her own apartment. She continues to work part-time and attend classes in the evenings. She hopes to attend college next year and eventually own her own business.” While protecting victims is key to assisting those surviving DMST, communities and parents are fighting back by raising awareness on the issue and by exposing this subculture which has now reached main-street America. The Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security all have outreach campaigns and provide resources to frontline responders to combat trafficking in person. However, prevention against DMST starts in the home. Parents should teach children proper use of the computer and social media. This requires that adults understand the use of the most popular programs to properly monitor cyber activities. Additionally, parents should learn about stages of infant and adolescent development and what is outside the norm to help children escape the dangers of trafficking.
“Knowing the indicators of DMST, such as being alert to a child who becomes isolated, has newly acquired possessions bought by someone outside the home, and spends large amounts of time out of the home, can help thwart the exploitation of a minor.” Continued on the next page....
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The following is a list of potential indicators. It is not exhaustive; however, it provides a quick overview of signs to look for: · Running away · Having an unknown boyfriend · Skipping class · New and unknown friends · Being evasive with their answers · Having a new telephone not purchased by the parents · Unauthorized computer use, especially at odd hours If a child seems at risk, then parents should seek help from their local schools or other community based agencies. Trafficking victims and those at risk usually have a complex relationship with their perpetrator. The victim may perceive that the trafficker is in fact meeting their emotional, psychological, and physical needs by showing love and acceptance, building self-esteem, and providing food and shelter. This makes the bond harder to break. Lastly, as parents, it is important to learn about the community’s response to human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The fight against domestic minor sex trafficking is one of the most important wars in this century. America’s youth is in peril. Regina Bernadin, a human rights advocate, supervises the Florida Freedom Partnership, an anti-trafficking program in South Florida. She is currently working on her Ph.D in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University.
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Exploring and Combating Insecurities in Preteen Girls by Isabelle Magliari As a Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Advocate for the Putnam/Northern Westchester Women’s Resource Center, I have participated in my fair share of wellness workshops. Most recently, I co-ran a self-esteem workshop at a middle school wellness fair, encouraging students to identify one positive trait or talent they exhibited. While running the activity, I noticed a marked difference in the way male and female students approached the task. While the majority of male students had no issue communicating why they were proud of themselves, most female students struggled to write down one positive attribute, seemingly afraid of ridicule. It wasn’t my judgement they were wary of, but that of their female peers.
“As I sat at the workshop table in the middle school auditorium, I tried to rationalize why these smart, energetic, and happy young women struggled to embrace their skills.”
I began to notice that, while male students approached my activity either alone or with a couple friends, the majority of female students walked over in huge groups, sometimes consisting of six or seven girls. When a gaggle of girls approached, it was inevitable that one of them would write down a personal talent, and another would snicker.
Sometimes, the girls would whisper about what someone was writing, but the outcome was always the same; the female student who had identified why she was proud of herself would become uneasy and embarrassed. Suddenly, she would refuse to write down her talent and recede into the background of her clique.
“Sadder still, I witnessed a number of girls making fun of the positive traits they had written down after another girl insulted them.” I tried my best to intervene when this would occur, but was often met with resistance by the girl, who would agree with her friends that her talent was “stupid” and say that she didn’t want to participate anymore. Conversely, most of the male students I encountered were positive and encouraging. When groups of boys would approach, usually no more than three at a time, they would laugh and remind each other of their talents. Phrases such as, “You are good at that!” were often spoken by the male student body, and rarely, if at all, by the female.
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I watched over fifty middle school girls sabotage each other’s images during my time running the self-esteem workshop. That night, I went home and researched self-esteem issues in preteen and teenage girls. I couldn’t sit contently with the rationalization that girls, by nature, would always be combative with one another. My search yielded an article written for Scientific American, entitled, “The “Bitch” Evolved: Why Girls Are So Cruel to Each Other.” Writer Jesse Bering states that, “While teenage boys and young male adults are more prone to engage in direct aggression...females exhibit pronounced social aggression, which includes...eyerolling, gossiping, ostracizing, [being] sarcastic, dismissive, and cliquish.” Beringz references an anthropological study on women’s innate social aggressiveness, conducted by Washington State University at Vancouver, which revealed that, “evolutionarily, historically and cross-culturally, … girls in the fifteen- to nineteen-year-old range [are] most actively competing for mates.”
I believe it can, and Groups such as Girls Support Network reach out to middle school-aged females and spread this message, encouraging girls to become empowered and introducing them to influential female leaders and changemakers. Girls Support Network organizes roundtable discussions, connecting adolescent girls with women activists, artists, athletes, lawmakers, writers, and more. GSN also gives girls a space to speak freely around other women, endorsing female support and unity.
WSU’s study reasons that, because of their desire to receive a mate’s attention, women will do anything to, “sabotage another female’s image.”
I watched over fifty middle school girls sabotage each other’s images during my time running the self-esteem workshop.
“But if it is true that women could be biologically predisposed to competing with one another, can that behaviour be unlearned?” 66
In a girl’s formative years, instilling this kind of trust and respect among women is necessary. Hopefully, in the years to come, more groups with GSN’s message will arise and all girls will have the opportunity to learn from great female leaders. Nothing would make me happier than to participate in a female-oriented wellness workshop a few years from now and see girls complementing and rooting for one another. To reinstill confidence in our adolescent women, we as a society must encourage female-to-female support, not competition. Isabelle Magliari is a recent college graduate and activist, with a passion for writing, feminism, and women’s issues.
Behaviour In The Classroom: Young adults and bad behaviour in educational settings. From the Front of the Classroom By Khalid Fahfouhi Behaviour among young adults has become a major issue in schools and colleges and can take up a lot of time, energy, and resources for the organisation to tackle such problems. Children and young adults with behavioural, emotional, and social difficulties (BEDs) are indeed a challenge for most practitioners in education, even for outstanding teachers. Whilst most adults perceive bad behaviour negatively and see the young adult as ‘difficult’, ‘disruptive’, and ‘not listening’, this behaviour, sometimes labelled as ‘anti-social’, shouldn’t be taken at face-value. As we know, all children can misbehave when they are not happy or feel distress for any given reason, and this can translate into attention-seeking, being noisy, lack of interest (passivity), or disruption. It’s when this behaviour becomes a persistent pattern that it can be categorised as BEDs. The latter is mainly associated with problems rooted in ‘nurture’ as opposed to ‘nature’.
tionships, that teachers cannot necessarily identify in the first instance, simply because they are not trained and equipped well-enough to deal with such cases. Often a lot of time is needed to find out the reason behind such a behaviour, which teachers do not necessarily have.
Tackling behavioural issues also requires that other ‘stakeholders’ be involved, such as parents, social workers, counsellors, etc., in order to put an adequate support system in place. Such support can take time before it bears fruit; in the meantime, behaviour in the premises of the educational institution, especially in the classroom, can still be problematic. That is why it is imperative to get whoever is in contact with the young adult (i.e.: parent or foster parent) involved into the support process in order to address the issue. By doing so, one can anticipate any potential problem as far as behaviour is concerned and put an early intervention in place.
“Often bad behaviour has a cause that can be deeply rooted into the
individual's personal life, such as traumatic past experience or difficult family relationships, that teachers cannot necessarily identify...” Some institutions address the matter with a zero-tolerance policy that often excludes learners from education. Others try to keep the students engaged by following lengthy procedures that can ultimately exclude the young learner after several warnings, too. Both have their pros and cons. Often bad behaviour has a cause that can be deeply rooted into the individual’s personal life, such as traumatic past experience or difficult family rela-
However, such ideal situations where we have an interlocutor to talk to before the young adult’s educational journey starts is sometimes not available. On the contrary, it is quite often the case that many issues are unknown for a certain period of time and do not come up until it is nearly too late to enable the individual to gain control over their behaviour and achieve success in school.
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So how can we bridge the gap between the institution and the young adult so that any relevant information is shared and support put in place accordingly?
By and large, the main challenge is how to address classroom behaviour to allow a young adult to focus on his/her learning journey and achieve success? If behaviour is addressed appropriately in the classroom, supportive systems and processes are not needed. There isn’t a one-method-fits-for-all approach, but best practice shows that if
the problem is tackled appropriately, taking into account the interest of the young adult, it can help significantly in getting the young learner back on track. Although many cases will mainly need common rules to help improve behaviour, one or two young learners with a more challenging behaviour (probably because of deeper personal issues and experience) will need further attention. Would a learner who has grown up in a conflict zone (i.e. The Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq) and found shelter in another country where he/she misuses substances to repress this past (nurture) be dealt with the same way as a young learner that is just behaving difficultly (nature)? The aim for practitioners and their institutions will be the same--the learner’s well-being and achievement-yet the tools required to get to that aim will be quite different. 68
In that respect institutions do not have the same means and resources--finances, adequate internal services and external partners--to be able to address every single individual’s own needs, and some often have to rely on the skills and expertise of their teaching staff in order to deal with such individuals. So how can we bridge the gap between the institution and the young adult so that any relevant information is shared and support put in place accordingly?
By and large, the main challenge is how to address classroom behaviour to allow a young adult to focus on his/her learning journey and achieve success? If behaviour is addressed appropriately in the classroom, supportive systems and processes are not needed. There isn’t a one-method-fits-for-all approach, but best practice shows that if the problem is tackled appropriately, taking into account the interest of the young adult, it can help significantly in getting the young learner back on track. Although many cases will mainly need common rules to help improve behaviour, one or two young learners with a more challenging behaviour (probably because of deeper personal issues and experience) will need further attention. Would a learner who has grown up in a conflict zone (i.e. The Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq) and found shelter in another country where he/she misuses substances to repress this past (nurture) be dealt with the same way as a young learner that is just behaving difficultly (nature)? The aim for practitioners and their institutions will be the same--the learner’s well-being and achievement-yet the tools required to get to that aim will be quite different. In that respect institutions do not have the same means and resources--finances, adequate internal services and external partners-to be able to address every single individual’s own needs, and some often have to rely on the skills and expertise of their teaching staff in order to deal with such individuals.
The human resource is probably the best tool that any given institution can have to overcome the lack of or deficiency in other resources.
However, one needs certain skills and experience to be valuable for the organisation when supporting any young learner with so-called behavioural issues. Indeed, addressing bad behaviour in the classroom can vary widely from one educational practitioner to another and some approaches can prove more effective than others. One can use the tough approach where obedience-obsessed teachers tend to overuse their authorities and ‘power’, expecting learners to comply fully as if the good behaviour was in their genes. However, the modern word, which has enabled more people to access more education than ever before, requires quite a different approach to young learners. Such a top-down approach tends to create a negative environment for both the learners and the teacher that is not conducive for learning and can sometimes lead to confrontation. The other approach, or the softer approach to distinguish it from the one above, is more subtle, where the main purpose is to enable the young learner to pursue his/her learning journey while managing the misbehaviour. Unlike the first approach, that can be compared to a relationship where a parent uses his power over his child simply because one is an adult, the second approach is less punitive and looks at the young learner in a more positive angle. It fits perfectly into a more evolved and changing relationship between adults and children and, in our context, between teachers and learners. In this approach there is still a culture of compliance and learners still do what they are asked, but in a more positive environment. Learners follow instruction without even thinking about it.
“The aim of this approach is as little intervention as possible to avoid disruption in the class and to get the learners to focus on their learning journey so that they achieve their academic goals.” The human resource is probably the best tool that any given institution can have to overcome the lack of or deficiency in other resources. However, one needs certain skills and experience to be valuable for the organisation when supporting any young learner with so-called behavioural issues. Indeed, addressing bad behaviour in the classroom can vary widely from one educational practitioner to another and some approaches can prove more effective than others. One can use the tough approach where obedience-obsessed teachers tend to overuse their authorities and ‘power’, expecting learners to comply fully as if the good behaviour was in their genes. However, the modern word, which has enabled more people to access more education than ever before, requires quite a different approach to young learners. Such a top-down approach tends to create a negative environment for both the learners and the teacher that is not conducive for learning and can sometimes lead to confrontation. The other approach, or the softer approach to distinguish it from the one above, is more subtle, where the main purpose is to enable the young learner to pursue his/her learning journey while managing the misbehaviour. Unlike the first approach, that can be compared to a relationship where a parent uses his power over his child simply because one is an adult, the second approach is less punitive and looks at the young learner in a more positive angle. It fits perfectly into a more evolved and changing relationship between adults and children and, in our context, between teachers and learners. In this approach there is still a culture of compliance and learners still do what they are asked, but in a more positive environment. Learners follow instruction without even thinking about it.
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There are expectations and rules which have been instilled into the class without being noticed. The aim of this approach is as little intervention as possible to avoid disruption in the class and to get the learners to focus on their learning journey so that they achieve their academic goals. First, to do so one must have ground rules in the classroom; everyone must be expected to follow minimum standards, especially at the beginning of the year. Little intervention is also translated into non-verbal intervention (body language, face expression, eye contacts), and more subtle intervention when needed. Using such a strategy requires no compromise as to the standards and norms expected which should be implemented in a very gentle manner and a nearly unnoticed way, so that learners adhere to them unconsciously and naturally. This is in the context that young adults with difficult behaviour should be dealt with in the classroom, without any specific treatment. While investigating the background of their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;misbehaviourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; it is worth trying to keep these BEDs learners on board and get them to remain focused on their learning journey.
A., a young adult from torn Afghanistan, is an example of a student with misbehaviour. A. arrived in the UK in August 2011. Like many other young adults he travelled all the way from torn Afghanistan, crossing various countries of Asia and Europe to claim an asylum status under eighteen-years-old once in England. Because of his lack of English, his social worker found him a place in a class for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in January 2012. 70
During the first five months he made steady progress in English and Numeracy, and his behaviour was exemplary. However, towards the end of this academic year he started to misbehave and ignored straightforward instructions from the teacher, who promptly addressed this change of behaviour by inviting his social worker for a meeting to identify the reason behind the change. It turned out that A. had recently changed his foster family and this had had an impact on him, in addition to his experience of a conflict zone. The teacher managed to monitor and control the behaviour until the end-of-year exams took place. He passed his exams, which was an already excellent achievement for A.
He progressed onto the next level in 2012/13. He started misbehaving as early as September in the new class and was disturbing the class (not listening to the teacher, talking constantly in Pashto in the class, leaving the class without permission, arriving late). After several warnings the teacher got the management involved, which took him a step further towards a possible exclusion. However, the college policy is to try to keep young adults unless serious gross misconduct, so A. couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been excluded at that time. Later on in the year an incident took place between A. and another female student, who made an official complaint against him. The harassment complaint was too serious to be dealt with without any possible exclusion. An investigation took place and A. was still given another chance to continue his studies under strict conditions, notably not to talk or approach the young female adult and meet one of the support staff to learn how to manage his anger, which he did until the Easter break. He then reverted to his previous habits (coming late, missing classes, etc.). He was asked to leave the college for a few days while his case was being reviewed, then invited to another meeting with his foster father. The tutor and management agreed to give him his last chance and put in a reduced timetable to enable him to get ready for his exams. A. had been respecting his contract so far.
“It is imperative that one tries to understand the reason behind a misbehaviour before labelling the young adult; the aim to DGGUHVV PLVEHKDYLRXU LQ WKH FODVVURRP LV ÀUVW DQG IRUHPRVW WR enable a young adult to remain focus on the learning journey and, ultimately, achieve success.”
This approach of combining both the official procedure to address misbehaviour of a young adult who has already gone through hardship in his life with a willingness to support him to achieve and succeed in his education have been combined and proved beneficial to A. Will the current organisation be lenient next academic year? Will other institutions have the same care and support system? Should A. move elsewhere and go back to his ‘bad behaviour’? As behaviour can differ from a young adult to another, each student has a unique story behind him/her. It is imperative that one tries to understand the reason behind a misbehaviour before labelling the young adult; the aim to address misbehaviour in the classroom is first and foremost to enable a young adult to remain focus on the learning journey and, ultimately, achieve success. There is not one unique approach to addressing behaviour in classroom, but the ones that work best are subtle, using the interaction (appropriate wording, timing, body-language, young adult sensitivity and reaction, etc.) to get the message through.
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.
Are you an Educator with a technique, tool, or best practice that could help others leading “From the Front of the Classroom”? Submit your article idea71 to be included in this regular column.
DID YOU KNOW: 53% of US college graduates are unemployed In a Hart Research Study employers stated the top- three skills desired in recent graduates were teamwork skills, critical thinking/reasoning and oral/written communication. Taken all together, the nonprofit sector generates almost $1.5 trillion in spending per year and employs about one in 10 American workers, or 13.5 million people. It is the third largest labor force behind retail trade and manufacturing. Many nonprofits require a graduate degree for an entry level job because they need individuals with applicable skills but many students are hesitant to take on additional student loans despite a high interest in working in the nonprofit sector.
The SISGI internship experience prepares future nonprofit employees with a practical skill set to address the challenges and issues of the growing nonprofit sector. Here is what our former interns have to say... “Currently, I work as a Program Specialist in the field that I spent my internship researching. Since I didn't major in my current field, the internship helped prove to my employers that I had an interest and a background in the subject. I use the writing and the communication skills I developed during the internship every day during my job.” - Undergraduate Spring 2011 (California)
“In regards to my current job, my internship has made me a more confident speaker. I’ve always been painfully shy when meeting new people, and now when I have to interact with various people at work, I am better adept at handling myself.”- Undergraduate Summer 2011(New Jersey)
“The most important part of the SISGI internship program is the passion it instills in the interns. I think that because I am now more cognizant of problems, having researched them for the internship, I am more likely to do this type of research on my own now.” - Undergraduate Summer 2011 (North Carolina) 72
“At my current job at a small nonprofit, I have been able to make a number of suggestions on how to reach out/garner support via social media platforms I used as a SISGI intern, which has been very helpful. I’ve also been able to train other employees on how to do the things I learned during my internship.” Undergraduate Spring 2012 (Texas)
“The best part of the SISGI internship experience was that at the end of the term, I had a portfolio of tools (ie. collection of blogs, a Webinar presentation and YouTube video) to showcase my work in human rights. This portfolio was invaluable as a student and as a working professional. It set me apart from others.” - Doctoral Student Summer 2011(Florida)
“I am more aware of what is happening around the world and why it is happening. This internship pushed me to further develop my critical thinking and problem solving skills. If I read or learn about a social problem, I know not to judge a book by its cover. By using my critical thinking skills, I am able to understand the reasons behind the problem. In short, this internship has expanded my world view.” Undergraduate Summer 2012 (New Jersey)
“Participating as a intern with the SISGI Group opened so many doors for me because it allowed me to explore my interests within the realm of social justice. The best part of the SISGI internship experience was realizing that I had a voice - an important voice - which I could share with the world.” - Undergraduate Summer 2012 (Pennsylvania)
SISGI interns work in project teams connecting their academic and career interests and gain critical thinking skills, the ability to develop original products to address social issues and skills in project management and research. Preparing students to enter the workforce with practical experience and providing leadership training to current professionals increases the effectiveness of the social sector and enhances efforts for lasting social change. Learn more about the SISGI internship experience at http://sisgigroup.org/scl-program/ Help us to grow this unique internship experience by donating to the SISGI Beyond Good Ideas Foundation.
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Five Tips for Youth Volunteers: Summer Edition By Kerry Ose and Kelly MacBride-Gill
1.
2.
Brainstorm:
Talk to someone who knows:
What do you care about and what do you love to do? Did you learn about a fascinating issue or cause during the school year, but did not have time to learn more or get involved? Now is the time! Do you love to work outdoors or garden? Would you like to combine travel with a service project? You are no longer sitting in a classroom five days a week, so now is your chance to explore causes and try volunteer activities tailored to your passions and interests.
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There are plenty of organizations out there that are all about service. Find your local Kiwanis Club, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, congregation or volunteer center. Crossreference your list of ideal volunteer opportunities with what they have to offer. They are likely to have or know about wellestablished volunteer programs that provide the orientation, training, and supervision you need to have a positive, meaningful volunteer experience.
3.
4.
5.
Reach out:
,I DW ÀUVW you don’t succeed.... Try, try again!
Have fun and do good!
If you think you might be interested in volunteering with a certain group, arrange a time to talk to them. The organization will most likely be happy to set up a meeting, phone conversation, or opportunity for you to sit in on a group orientation. This will give you a good sense of the work you will do, the way that work will benefit the community, and the perks, such as new friendships and fun experiences, that come with the job.
Each organization has its own way of screening volunteers, and sometimes that means that an enthusiastic applicant does not get the position. For example, not all volunteer positions are open to youth. Similarly, you might find that once you do begin volunteering, the experience is not what you were expecting. Don’t let these bumps in the road keep you from persevering. It sometimes requires a little extra research and patience to find the volunteer gig that’s right for you.
Volunteering is the perfect chance to hang out in that sweet spot where your passion and the needs of your community intersect. Once you’re there, you are likely meet some extraordinary people, amass lots of new knowledge and skills, and get to know yourself better in ways you would have never expected. Enjoy!
Kelly MacBride-Gill and Kerry Ose are AmeriCorps members serving as Peer Leaders at Volunteer Maryland. For 20 years, Volunteer Maryland has partnered with nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies to enable them to build new volunteer programs and improve existing ones, with an emphasis on creating sustainable 75 structures to support the programs after the partnerships conclude.
Reforming American Education by Devon Bacso
The United States’ educational system is failing. Students are being let down nationwide by schools’ inability to provide individualized attention and an engaging education. Finland is currently considered to have the best educational system worldwide. Their secret? Innovative approaches to education that drastically differ from America’s educational strategies. In Finland, flexibility is emphasized: there is little homework, only one standardized test, and more unstructured free time, with children not starting school until they are seven. Secondly, they believe in equal treatment; everyone is placed at the same level, with special needs children assigned to the same classrooms as more advanced children. Finland also has small class sizes to ensure that each child gets the attention they deserve, with the opportunity to perform hands-on activities or to receive extra help if needed. Finally, teachers are treated with great respect, receive fantastic pay, and are chosen from the top ten percent of graduates. This all results in an educational system that spends less money than America per student, while still producing a higher percentage of students who graduate high school and who steadily outperform Americans on international standardized tests.
To enact change, the United States needs to make some critical adjustments to our current educational approach. America’s educational system should focus less on testing and performance and more on whether students are actually learning. American schooling revolves around attempting, but failing, to outperform other nations, and equates education with test 76
scores. The No Child Left Behind Act, while not completely detrimental to education, places emphasis on testing well instead of on creativity or intelligence that doesn’t come across on a standardized test.
To encourage learning and free thoughts, we should restructure the strict scheduling of American children. So many children are overscheduled, shuttled from school to a sports team and then back home for hours of homework. Free time would give kids the ability to develop their own thinking patterns and explore their creativity, something that is limited when they start school young and are taught how to think with little time for play. Recess is incredibly important to young children, helping students learn social skills and giving them exercise. Additionally, recess allows children to process what they’ve learned in the classroom; just as adults reach an information overload if they attempt to work for many hours straight, children need a break in order to be more efficient learners. A refreshing break helps students return to the classroom with more focus and relieves the need to fidget or move about, distractions that many teachers deal with. American schools do not offer lengthy recesses,
with most offering half and hour or less and some schools not providing any recess at all.
“A huge step in changing America’s educational system for the better is to give kids more free time to develop individualized intelligence and to shift the focus of schools from test performance to unique thinking and productive learning.” In order to have smaller and more fair learning environments that will promote better education, the structure of classrooms also needs to be changed. Separating children by intelligence at an early age can have disastrous consequences. Children selected for gifted and talented learning may indeed be accelerated learners, but a classmate who wasn’t selected may have just as much potential that will go unnoticed by remaining in an average classroom. Dangerously, intelligence selection can also be racialized, with white students being plucked out of public school systems and receiving more attention and better instruction than students of color. This segregation occurs at an early age and instills non-white students with the idea that they are inherently less intelligent than the gifted and talented children.
American schools’ decision to separate students by intelligence can reinforce racism and cause greater disparities in achievement. Instead of telling some children that they are more intelligent than their peers and sending the message that their peers should surrender to mediocrity, all students should be taught in the same learning environment while still being appropriately challenged.
Having smaller class sizes would make it possible for students with a range of intelligence to all be challenged in their own way. Smaller classes allow students to feel more connected to both their teacher and their peers, promoting a safe environment in which they can ask questions and explore new territory. In bigger classes, students
typically compete for attention, causing shyer kids to go unnoticed or advanced children to become bored and tune out. Small classes also promote better behavior and increased focus, as teachers can keep an eye on all students in the class and vary their instruction if students are becoming bored or having difficulty grasping a concept. Smaller classes would require a greater number of teachers, which could be achieved if teaching was a more lucrative and respected career. Currently, American teachers are not given the respect they deserve. Teachers are almost universally underappreciated and underpaid, which does not help in motivating superb classroom instruction; if teachers enjoyed better pay and
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“Teachers are almost universally underappreciated and underpaid, which does not help in motivating superb classroom instruction...” greater regard, teaching would improve as a result of teachers’ increased satisfaction. Teachers should receive rewards or bonuses for excellence in the classroom and should be given opportunities to keep improving their teaching skills throughout their career. Teaching is a very challenging job, and the path to becoming a teacher should be made more rigorous and should come with better pay. This will ensure that teachers are the very brightest and are rewarded for their hard work, resulting in teachers putting more energy into the classroom. President Obama has said that he hopes to have teachers be seen as ‘nation builders’ in the future and to have teaching jobs instilled with more respect.
If teachers enjoy their jobs more, students will benefit as a result and America will take another step towards improving the overall educational system.
Additionally, American schools are in a state of disrepair; the American Society of Civil Engineers projects that over five years, it will take $160 billion to put schools back into a state of good repair. There is a stark difference in school facilities between richer and less affluent districts; if money was more evenly distributed among districts, schools would be able to provide equal learning experiences regardless of students’ backgrounds. The United States has many problems to solve before achieving success at Finland’s level. However, success is possible if big steps are taken to fix the current issues. It will be a long road to improvement, but America can get there with dedicated effort, and with time, American students can attempt to take their place among the brightest students in the world.
Devon Bacso is a writer currently completing her education in English. She can be reached at bacsod@kenyon.edu.
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A British Aid Worker and a Former Child Soldier Work Towards Peace and Education in War-torn Sudan By Sarah J. Browne
When Emma Met Emmanuel Emmanuel Jal was recruited by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) at the age of eight under the pretense that he would be educated. Instead, he was trained to kill in the role of a child soldier. At age eleven, he was forced to attack a village. Unable to cope with this horrific task, Emmanuel Jal and another young boy escaped into the wilderness, choosing to potentially die on the run rather than serve the SPLA any longer. While Emmanuel Jal’s companion starved to death, Emmanuel himself was faced with the gruesome necessity of cannibalism, until he luckily happened upon a fallen bird. This chance encounter was his first glimmer of hope for survival in the wilderness. Emmanuel Jal describes this experience: “I was so hungry, I was about to eat my own friend who was weak. I was holding his hand and thinking: ‘I’m going to eat you tomorrow.’ But I remembered my mother always telling me to be patient and wait for food because God would make it alright, and the next morning, a bird come which
which we shot and ate. That bird was a miracle bird. It saved my life.” While Emmanuel Jal’s friend did not survive their time on the run, Emmanuel Jal eventually made it to a town called Waat.
Some years earlier, a girl named Emma McCune was born and raised in India. She later went to Oxford where she met an African woman named Sally who described her own experiences in Africa. With more research, McCune developed an interest not only in Africa, but in refugee camps in Sudan.
“Sudan has a magic that takes hold of you for better or worse,” she described in The Warlord’s Wife. While in Sudan, McCune was exposed to many difficulties, such as female genital mutilation and squatter camps, as well as sexual harassment and forced servanthood. She left Sudan temporarily, took time to reflect, and then returned. It was upon this return that McCune began working for Street Kids International, a youth-serving international organization that helps aid and educate children in need.
As a result of her training in humanitarian aid, McCune was well aware of the dire situation of child soldiers and could easily recognize those in need. One of the boys that Emma McCune helped to liberate was Emmanuel Jal.
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Gua Africa and the Emma Academy
It was upon her own arrival to a town called Waat that Emma McCune took notice of Emmanuel Jal. He was so weak he was not able to lift his gun. McCune decided to help the boy by sneaking him onto a plane that was destined for Kenya. With makeup on and flirtation ready, she distracted men as Emmanuel Jal boarded the plane. From there, she continued to work with him through various organizations and watched him grow. When Emma McCune took Emmanuel Jal out of his dire situation, she armed him with education instead of a gun.
To thank Emma McCune for saving his life, Jal dedicated a school being built in Leer, Sudan, to her, which will be the first secondary school in the area. He did this through an organization that he created called Gua Africa. Gua Africa was created to address the educational needs of those in impoverished areas, such as Leer. Sudan has suffered a civil war, and with many of Emmanuel Jal’s experiences being that of a war child, his inspiration for the organization is to help children have an education that encourages peace and an effort to rebuild the country. With education comes empowerment. Gua translates to “peace” in Nuer.
Gua Africa is a nongovernmental organization recognized in both Sudan and Kenya. You can watch their promotional video here: http:// www.gua-africa.org/gua-africa-video.html
The Legacy of Emma McCune Emma McCune later died in a car accident in Sudan. This was a great loss to Emmanuel Jal, but he turned to music to help ease the pain. He became a renowned hip hop artist, performing with the likes of Alicia Keys and in front of Nelson Mandela.
At an Amnesty International conference five years ago, I saw his music video play. I was captivated and contacted his manager. It turned out that the dance department of my college, Slippery Rock University, had already contacted Jal. Since then, I have helped sponsor his performances at my campus. Emmanuel Jal often performs a song he wrote entitled “Emma,” dedicated to Emma McCune. You can listen to it here: http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=bYt8w64T3wA.
Gua Africa helps to support “35 young survivors of war.” A primary school and the first secondary school are being built in Leer, Sudan with the funds gained by this sponsorship opportunity for 35 children. The secondary school is called the “Emma Academy” and has a Survivors of War program specifically designed with the culture and experiences of war-affected children in mind.
“With education comes empowerment.” 80
“It is up to all of us to continue the spread of peace and education to children in war-torn areas of Africa. ”
Some of Gua Africa’s former war children survived the Sudanese war along with the Rwandan genocide. The sponsorship pays for their education, housing, food, and more. The children have beaten unimaginable odds to be where they are, and much like Emmanuel Jal, they value education. Additionally, there is a Teacher Training Program in conjunction with the Survivors of War Program. Implementing peace and trauma counseling into the Survivors of War education is fundamental to the healing process.
“Emmanuel Jal’s dream is to create peace and awareness of what he went through as a child soldier, and to help displaced children in wartorn and impoverished areas through education.” This, in turn, will help to ensure that children will not have to experience the torment that he did. He wants to offer others a way out.
The Emma Academy is still being built. With your support, it could impact the lives of children in Leer, Sudan who currently do not have a secondary school to attend in the area. It will ensure that Emma McCune’s legacy lives on. General inquiries can be sent to info@gua-africa. org. Gua Africa believes that “giving everyone access to education will lead to an increase in individuals generating their own income and a more stable society.” We can be part of change. We can learn something here from these children and from this cause. Just as Emmanuel learned from Emma McCune, the legacy can be continued. It is up to all of us to continue the spread of peace and education to children in war-torn areas of Africa. Become a sponsor today! *Photo credits: All images are from the Gua -Africa.org website. Sarah J. Browne is a freelance writer who also works at First Commonwealth Bank. She has a BA in English and is writing a YA novel.
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Texting A Supervisor Q&A by Robin Neely
In some workplaces today, employers and employees communicate with each other through text messaging. It is important to remember that, although this may be standard practice, maintaining one’s professional image via text is still very important. If texting between a supervisor and employee is an acceptable form of communication in your office, here are some tips to help you compose that perfect message:
Q: “I always text with abbreviations, what’s the big deal?”
Tip: Most text messages are restricted to 160 characters, or less, in one message. Hence the reason for shortened words, missing vowels, and combined consonants. But as a professional, you always want to display your written communication skills, and your ability to spell - correctly! Even through text messages, your employers are receiving impressions of your character and your level of aptitude in grammar and in spelling. Use completely spelled words, even if, for example, the message is just “thank you”: TX, or TU is inappropriate in professional communications. Take the time to spell out words. 82
Q: “They can use texting language, but I can’t?”
Tip: Does your employer use texting language? If s/he does, does that give you permission to use it? Not necessarily. Find out if using abbreviations is acceptable to him or her. If it is, go for it, but in many cases, it is just best to spell out words.
Q: “To smile or not to smile?”
“Ensure that your language expresses the intent of your message -- without the smileys.” Tip: What about the emoticons that are available in your texting program? Should you use those symbols when communicating with your supervisor? No. Leave them out of the equation. Ensure that your language expresses the intent of your message -- without the smileys. Continued on the next page....
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Q: “How dare they text that to me!”
“Review your text carefully to ensure the tone is respectful and that the response is professional.” Tip: Think carefully about how you will respond to a text message. If you need to reply to a supervisor’s text which is causing you some distress, give yourself a few minutes to calm down, consider what was sent, and examine the intent. Assess the most effective way to respond and then deliberately construct your reply text. Often times we hit the send button without reviewing the message, or to whom we are sending the message. Review your text carefully to ensure the tone is respectful and that the response is professional. Also, have you selected the correct recipient? How many times have you sent a message to the wrong person? It happens, especially when you’re sending and receiving messages one after the other in a given period of time.
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Q: “Should I text my boss status updates?”
“It is always appropriate to respond, give feedback, or send updates on tasks...” Tip: A supervisor should never need to ask if you’ve received their messages. It is always appropriate to respond, give feedback, or send updates on tasks, unless the update needs to be more detailed than what a text will allow. You want your employer to see that you value accountability, as well as their right to know how a task or project is progressing.
Robin Neely is President and CEO of Administrative Solutions, a virtual assistance (internet-based) administrative services and consulting business.
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Lessons Learned....
Planning for Higher Education By Jaclyn Lyons
Junior and senior years of high school can be very stressful for teens as they try to decide on colleges and careers. Summertime often calls for college campus visits. With this comes moans and groans of displeasure from teens who take lengthy campus tours with their nervous parents. While mom and dad ask the questions, their teenage children sneak text messages to their friends back home. Most 16-18 year
olds have never had any experience working in a potential field or career. Furthermore, many have no clue which path may suit them best according to their interests.
To be asked “What’s your intended major?” not only intimidates teens, but can turn them off from the prospect of college entirely. This is the time when they give up their dreams of becoming a celebrated astronaut and struggle with the idea of more practical job opportunities (scarce as they are). Sure, there are simple personality tests and even the SATs that might point a student in the so-called appropriate direction, but this is rarely as cut and dry as it implies. Additionally, as a child matures and becomes more exposed to the real world, their interests and aptitude toward certain skill sets may dramatically change. 86
As if the stress of simply applying to college and the daunting task of securing funding and student loans isn’t enough for a student and their parents, the pressure of making the right decision can cause some pretty heated debate between teens and parents.
I think the arbitrary notion of picking a college based on a desired or recommended major before one even enters higher education is as unnecessary as it is futile. With higher tuition rates and a less than promising economic outlook, some students and parents may shy away from degree programs all together. And who can blame them? As a student in higher education for the last decade, I know firsthand how frustrating it is to not be able to secure a job, regardless of how many degrees you get. Once you have a bachelor’s degree,
it often seems like a better option to go on to graduate school rather than settle for a job that one could have gotten with only a high school diploma. So what’s the solution here? Or perhaps it is even better to ask, what’s the real problem here?
We can point to the economy and to tuition and the false promise of a high-paying, readily available job when you receive your college diploma, but I think the root issue here is one of curriculum. Since my verbal scores on standardized tests have always nearly doubled my math scores, I was told I should study English. Hesitant to declare a major in college, I dabbled in some business classes until I received the only C I’ve ever gotten, and hung my head as I walked back towards the English department and declared my major once and for all. Professors at my school encouraged us English majors by telling us that plenty of
businesses would be looking to hire us, since English majors typically have the best communication skills. Another option would be to focus on literary study and seek a career in academia, which was my original intention until I found out that the job outlook for English PhDs was, well, nearly extinct as of late.
A couple master’s degrees later, I am finally in a career-driven program that will make me a certified librarian in just one year. My master’s degree in English and my interdisciplinary master’s degree in Literature and Environmental Philosophy turned out to be labors of love with massive student loans, as many degrees in the humanities are. While I can’t say I truly regret all this time I’ve spent figuring out what I was going to do with my life, there are some lessons I wish I would have learned a bit earlier.
“The reality is, many college programs, specifically those in liberal arts, do not adequately match the job climate of today.”
Essentially, many students spend two or four years studying a subject that has no immediate, real-world application. While some universities are making strides to ameliorate this disconnection, there are several things that new college students should keep in mind:
- Look for programs that offer interdisciplinary study, so that you get a broader sense of various academic fields and have a better chance of finding your niche.
- If you decide to attend a very traditionally organized school with clear-cut disciplines, try minoring in something seemingly unrelated to your major that might end up giving you an edge. Think competitively.
- Complete an internship while you’re still in school. Walking away from college with a blank resume is not going to attract employers. Often internships turn into job opportunities. Continued on the next page....
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- If the traditional college curriculum makes your stomach turn, seek alternative educational programs like technical colleges or trade schools. Skilled workers are always going to be valued and once you’ve secured that skill, there’s always the option to go back to school and take some business classes if you decide you’d like to start your own company and become your own boss.
- Most importantly, think of college as a smörgåsbord board-an open buffet that you can alter to your liking, either directly through course offerings, or through your own ingenuity. Pick and choose what you like and what will benefit you the most. Even the most traditional programs can be altered and supplemented to suit what it is you want to do.
Jaclyn Lyons is the Features Editor for BGI Magazine. She is also a graduate student at Drexel University.
Do you have a “Lesson Learned...” story or idea that you would like to share? This regular column highlights strategies, stories, and lessons learned from implementing or creating social change. Submit your story idea today.
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Learning Through Teaching By Lori Gilmartin
I had never given much thought to becoming a teacher. I was of the opinion that teachers were underpaid, underappreciated, and often suffered verbal abuse from their students. However, after completing a six-week fieldwork assignment at The Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry, NY, my opinion changed. I observed a second grade class at The Children’s Village, an educational institute which functions as both a school and home for troubled children and their families. The class to which I was assigned was completely composed of boys. I have to admit, at first I was intimidated. Most of the boys were well behaved, but a few suffered from angry outbursts. However, after spending time helping the boys with their assignments, reading to them, and assisting their teacher, I came to know why some of the boys lashed out as they did. Many of my students came from abusive households and had been separated from drug-addicted parents.
Hearing the boys’ stories broke my heart, especially as I grew closer to them, and two boys in particular became attached to me. On my last day, the two boys with whom I bonded asked me if I was coming back and I almost started to cry. I realized that, although I was there for a short time, I had an impact on these children and they were going to miss me as I would miss them. Before observing at The Children’s Village, I had always considered myself to have little patience for people or difficult situations; however, being with those children made me realize that I do have patience.
“It mattered to me whether or not those children succeeded inside and outside of the classroom.” Continued on the next page....
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“I believe that the only way children can truly learn is through activity, not by sitting behind a desk all day. Handson learning is not only the most effective way to learn, it also helps children to socialize with their peers.” I also learned that I care deeply about strangers in need, because those kids were strangers to me at first. My time with The Children’s Village is the main reason I decided to teach. I want to make a difference in children’s lives and for them to leave my class remembering me and what I taught them. Following the teaching models of Maria Montessori and John Dewey, I strive to be a handson teacher. I believe that the only way children can truly learn is through activity, not by sitting behind a desk all day. Hands-on learning is not only the most effective way to learn, it also helps children to socialize with their peers. This was the approach used in the class I observed at Children’s Village, and it awakened the students’ curiosity and brought a liveliness to my class.
Additionally, I believe in the process of inclusion. In my opinion, special education students should be mixed with general education students academically. It gives both groups a chance to interact with one another and allows the special education students to not feel like outsiders. As I complete my training as a teacher, I hope to continue building my philosophy on education. I know my main goal is to help children and impact their lives. Teachers are a child’s mentor and play a big part in their development-anyone who considers a career in education must acknowledge this to be successful.
The Children’s Village showed me that children often rely on guidance from teachers in addition to their lesson plan. I believe that the classroom should be a place of developmental support and function; a place for learning that goes beyond the curriculum.
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“Teachers are a child’s mentor and play a big part in their development-- anyone who considers a career in education must acknowledge this to be successful. ” Lori Gilmartin is a current graduate student at LIU studying Childhood and Special Education
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External Links and References In Alphabetical Order By Title
Become a 2013 APYDCON Community Partner!
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Beyond the Blog
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Beyond the Statistics; Beyond the Stigma (Teen Suicide Prevention)
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External Links and References External Links and References Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: An Epidemic in America
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Exploring and Combating Insecurities in Preteen Girls
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Letter from the Editor
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Parental Alienation Syndrome: Spreading Awareness
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Reforming American Education
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External  Links  and  References External  Links  and  References Reforming American Education
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Spiking Fees and Anxiety for UK University Students
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Teachers: The Front Line of the War on Bullying IUUQ XXX HMTFO PSH DHJ CJO JPXB BMM IPNF JOEFY IUNM IUUQ TBGFTQBDF HMTFO PSH
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