Small Group Meeting Report Date/Time: June 25th, 2007 @ 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Location: MDC, North Campus, room 1324 Staff Present: Ali Ingersoll # People in Attendance: 27, of which about 10 filled out the engagement survey Basic Event Description (location, date, iChat you’re preparing for): Preparation for July 6th Colin Powell iChat video conference at MDC, Wolfson Campus (room 7128) Attendance List w. email addresses: First Name
Last Name
Elizabeth Loorna Rutmann Stephanie Jonathan Nelson Yaiseli Sergio Mayte Francois
Austin DeDuluc Desanguste Desir Drabeau Figuerdedo Figuerdo Flores Forte Frances GuerraMowday Harris Harrison Kline Luis Martinez McGibbon Northrop Parrado Pedreschi Simonhoff Thati Tran
elizabeth@hscdade.org
Geraldine Patti Malone Natalie Jaclyn Alex Lance Emily Niuka Carola Elizabeth Thi
ldeduluc@mdc.edu imrdmvp@hotmail.com stephaniadesir@gmail.com JONATHY_19@YAHOO.COM nfiguere@mdc.edu yaiseli618@yahoo.com kein0707@yahoo.com mayte7788@yahoo.com francis.francois@tui.edu gguerra@mdc.edu pharris@mdc.edu gguera@mdc.edu Natalie.Kline@ppgmpbtc.org LuisJac@usa.redcross.org alex@nvp-usa.org lmcgibbo@mdc.edu ecnorthrop@gmail.com niurka5387@yahoo.com cpedresc@mdc.edu esimonhoff@ci.miami.fl.us emilychihaoniva@yahoo.com
GenerationEngage • 2800 Calvert St. • Washington, DC • (202)465-4807
Syder Muriel Jesus JoAnne Amanda
Theodore Thomas Vargas Zarowny Blandi
tsyder@mdc.edu Muriel.Thomas@overtownyouth.org jvargas@miamidade.gov jzarowny@mdc.edu amandab@hscdade.org
SUGGESTED iCHAT CONTENT: Remember, each small group meeting requires it’s own report, and each venue is responsible for proposing 8 questions for the local for a, 8 questions for the national iChat, and four community action points, including asking all attendees to complete the Engagement Survey. Question Askers:
Colin Powell:
1.) Felipe Matos - felipe.matos@mdc.edu 2.) Lance McGibbon - lmcgibbo@mdc.edu 3.) Ophelia Somers - ophelia.somers@mdc.edu 4.) Devon Dassaw - devondassaw@yahoo.com
Local Speaker:
1.) Ammal Elhaddad - ammal_sf@yahoo.com 2.) Elizabeth Simonhoff - esimonhoff@ci.miami.fl.us 3.) Daniella Vasquez - bohemian.lechugita@gmail.com 4.) Rutmann Deguaste - imrdmvp@hotmail.com
Topic #1: "Big Citizenship" General suggestions/comments: People questioned Colin Powell's "Big Citizenship" video clip and devised questions to get Colin Powell to further explain what being a good citizen means. Also, how young people are expected to reach out to help people in their community when there are so many factors working against them such as education, corruption, lack of resources and the government not understanding who our generation is. Suggested questions for local event: NOTE: Questions in bold are first choice questions 1. It is often very hard for young people to become engaged in their local community because they are working flat-out to pay off their student loans. Do you think government should offer young people financial incentive to attend college by paying some of their tuition in exchange for their participating in civic engagement initiatives in the state level? 2. How can the local government refocus its efforts on education once again to teaching students how to be good citizens?
Suggested questions for national iChat conversation: NOTE: Questions in bold are first choice questions 1) Government leaders do not generally seem to understand what we are about or interested in. But If a leader such as yourself would tell us directly what he thinks we are about, that might enlighten us on how to help others grasp who we really are and what concerns us. How do you see our generation today? 2) Your “Big Citizenship” video clip targeted a specific group of people who are already well off. How can we build a sense of social responsibility if many of us are living with so much social conflict at home that we just want to hide out or even over-throw the system? 3) Political corruption takes many forms. Double standards in public policy is one such form, such as when illegal Cuban immigrant refugees set foot on Florida soil they are allowed to stay permanently, whereas when refugees from democratic Haiti set foot in Florida they are sent back right away. How do we motivate young people to public service in the face of such cynical public policy? 4) One major difference between the people in this room tonight and the people we’re talking about helping in our community is education. We care because we’re educated enough to care. Leaders are in power because they are educated enough to be leaders. How do we make education a much higher priority in South Florida and in the rest of the United States? 5) How do we restore the practice where public leaders used make themselves accessible within their communities? For example, Martin Luther King devoted several days a year to serving a community alongside community members. Is this something specific that young people could do to make this happen? 6) How are young people that are economically marginalized expected to become “big citizens,” as you would put it, when funding and resources for social programs are being redirected to fund the Iraq war? 7) How can the government give families incentive to integrate the concept of civic engagement into their households? What kind of incentives do you feel these should be? 8) The young people that are very engaged in our community do not represent the majority of the young population in South Florida and in the United States. What efforts are being taken by the government to further engage our generation and give more students the opportunity to participate in political life.
Topic #2: Immigration General suggestions/comments: Identity was brought up in regards to the thousands of immigrants in South Florida and what effect it will have with the new federally mandated ID cards. Suggested questions for local event: NOTE: Questions in bold are first choice questions 1) Many people here in South Florida are not able attend school because of their immigration status. Many of these people have been raised in the American educational system but now cannot move forward because the Dream Act does not apply to them. What can young people do to create the necessary change and make college more accessible for these immigrants in South Florida? 2) With respect to federally mandated ID Cards, the subject of a law that was recently presented in Congress, each of us would need this card for everything from applying for a job to opening a bank account. With such a diverse population in South Florida, what social and financial impact do you think this law will have on our population? Do you think this law is either fair or practical? 3.) What do you think could and should be done to deal with the fact that there are millions of long-term, productive Florida residents who also happen to be illegal immigrants? How can they be helped to participate legally in our society?
Suggested questions for national iChat conversation 1.) What is the government doing to ensure fair treatment and equal opportunity for immigrants, especially in South Florida?
Topic #3: Cost of Living in Florida General suggestions/comments: The topic of how do young people continue to live in South Florida with the cost of living steadily rising was brought up a lot. Suggested questions for local event: 1.) With the rising costs of utilities in South Florida and the nationwide campaign for people to “go green,� how can the local government help low income families make environmentally friendly ways of living more affordable? 2.) South Florida is a very expensive place to live, especially for young people with growing debts. What is the local government doing to ensure it keeps its young people in South Florida?
Suggested questions for national iChat conversation: 1.) What do you think could be done to ease the burden of college education costs for middle class American families?
Community action points for After July 6th: • Beach Clean-up on July 21st hosted by Hands on Miami with GenerationEngage picnic to follow and a young local environmentalist to talk to the group about environmental issues in South Florida • 5 computers will be present on July 6th for people to sign up to make a "pledge for action" with Imagine Miami. • Sign-up sheet will be present on July 6th for people to get involved with Imagine Miami's community dinner program. • 5 computers will be present on July 6th for people to complete the engagement survey to become a member of GenerationEngage.