Make Social Change A Reality

As the year ends and the New Year approaches, I start to think about my New Year’s resolution from last year (exercise more, take time to read). I realized that if I set my mind to something, I generally do it. I accomplished both of my New Year’s resolutions from last year, so for this year, I decided to include a new one that I know I can accomplish… volunteer ! Moving to a new city and having a new job has given me the opportunity to spend some free time volunteering with different organizations. It wasn’t hard and the reward is meeting new people, learning a new place and helping to raise awareness for issues that are important to me. The other great thing I realized about volunteering is how contagious it is. I mentioned to some friends about some of the volunteering efforts I was apart of, and immediately they were interested in participating too. I soon found out that I could afford to give some more time to other organizations looking for volunteers. So one thing I am go...

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or any other winter celebration, we hope you enjoy it! Spend time with your family, relax from the daily hustle and bustle, and just relish in the fact that in the next seven days we each get a chance at a new beginning. 2009 is coming so start preparing for an exciting and prosperous new year! Happy Holidays All!

We are a few days away from Christmas and are undoubtedly being reminded about the joys of giving. But what if you don't have much to give? What if this year money has been more than tight—it has been nearly non existent? What if emotionally you have been so drained that most days you would like to just sit home and cry? What if the merriment of the season leaves you feeling disillusioned and excluded? Then don't give. We are told it is better to give than to receive and now is the time to put aside all selfishness and give to everyone you love and to the less fortunate. But it isn't that easy and for many people it never has been. Poverty doesn't take a holiday. The recession didn't go away on vacation. We are still struggling. Instead, reflect and open up. Openness is a gift in and of itself. It takes a great deal of our personal strength to open up to others and to listen to others. Too many of us are raised to value the suppression of negative emotions—...

There is a unique opportunity to make a difference and alleviate poverty all the way over in Swaziland (Southern Africa). Many children and families live in extreme poverty . Parents of many children living in poverty have died from AIDS and are being looked after by their old grandmothers far away from any cities or electricity. These grandmothers mostly have no income but are solely responsible for feeding and educating the children. Cabrini Ministries has done a great job providing help to many of these families over in Swaziland. YOU too can help these poor children and families have a better life by donating supplies to help them meet life's basic needs. Supplies Needed Clothing Medical Drop Off Location Supplies will be shipped to Cabrini Ministries the first week of January . They can be dropped off at The Hemingway African Gallery at the Manhattan Arts and Antique Center. The address is 1050 Second Avenue, Gallery 96 & 97, New York, NY 10022. The gallery is open Mo...

On December 19th, the Arise Collective in partnership with the Bed Stuy Campaign Against Hunger (BSCAH) will host a food and clothing drive in the form of an evening concert featuring local musicians and artists, and a silent auction for its constituents that struggle to meet basic life needs. The Arise Collective is a union of progressive educators, organizers, and activists in the community of Bed Stuy working towards grassroots community development through the cultivation of local arts. If you are interested in helping with this event or to give donations, email the Director of Special Projects at arisecollective@gmail.com . Purpose of Drive For The Stuy To gain the necessities of food and clothing for members of our community who are struggling to meet basic life needs. Date December 19, 2008 Location St. Phillips Episcopal Church Donations Needed *Donations for the silent auction, as well as the raffle * Monetary donations to cover logistical costs for putting on the event * ...

As a first-year public school teacher in Brooklyn, I learned quickly that if I was to survive in this position, it was going to be tough. I first turned to my colleagues; all of them seasoned teachers with 10+ years of experience. Apparently, being a first year teacher is much like entering a fraternity, and I was going through the hazing process. All I wanted was paper, was that so hard? I soon realized that I was not going to get much in the way of paper, other than what I was willing to purchase. I did what I could for the first few months, but when test prep started, I was using a lot of paper. It was then that I decided it was time my students learn about recycling. My school did not have a recycling program. I started a “recycle bin” for scrap paper and encouraged students to use it. I taught them about recycling, why it’s important to them and their community. Within the first few weeks, students would make a mistake on their paper and instead of crumpling up their paper; ...

As part of the Literacy 'n' Poverty Project 's December Giving Drive, we're happy to inform you of a curriculum fair this Friday, December 19 th hosted by the Human Rights Education program at Amnesty International USA. Be sure to RSVP to mrobinson@aiusa.org by Thursday, December 18 th if you want to attend. The details: In the spirit of giving that is such a great part of the holiday season, the Human Rights Education program of Amnesty International USA will be holding a curriculum fair to give away materials/resources to educators - for FREE! For an idea of some of the materials offered, please visit http://www.amnestyusa.org/education . Time: 4:00pm-6:00pm Date: Friday, December 19 th Location: Amnesty International USA NY Office 5 Penn Plaza (8 th Ave btw 33rd and 34 th ) 16 th Floor NY, NY 10001 RSVP: mrobinson@aiusa.org by Thursday, December 18 th ***It is VERY important that you RSVP. Security is very tight in our buildin...

Mozilla has launched Blackbird , a web browser created for African-Americans. The browser filters searches, networks, and websites to bring African-American related content and acts as a network for African-Americans to connect and highlight African-American charities. My gut reaction is that this browser is created to make money for advertisers. African-Americans are projected to have over $1 trillion in purchasing power by 2012 so anyone who can get this groups attention will certainly see profits . Additionally for the 85% of African-American web users who prefer African-American related content this browser does all of the filtering and searching that they may not have the time or savvy to do. At the same time, if we recognize that the Internet has revolutionized how we learn and interact with the world around us there is something unsettling about limiting content to solely focus on an ethnic group. And who gets the privilege of selecting what exactly is African-American cont...

On September 25th, the United Nations met in New York City to evaluate progress on the eight Millennium Development Goals . More than two months later, it’s still hard to dig through news about GM’s failures, Obama’s picks, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks to really assess the situation. The press briefing from the Summit offers critique, but also hope for the future. Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown have gathered a team and formulated a plan to achieve the three MDGs for Health : reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; and combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. The team also includes World Bank President Robert Zoellick, Director-General of the World Health Organization Margaret Chan, and Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Thus far progress has been slow and not steady. At the current rate of reduction, the UN’s efforts will see child mortality drop by only one-third instead of two. D...

It's the season of giving.. . ...and we want to give you the gift of free publicity ! The Literacy ‘n' Poverty Project is hosting a December Giving Drive here on Making Social Change a Reality for any organization in need of donations whether you're looking for food, clothes, books, medical, or office supplies. We want to help YOU spread the word and get those much needed supplies to your constituents . To participate in the December Giving Drive , email Chanelle Carver, Executive Director of the Literacy ‘n' Poverty Project at carver[at] literacyandpovertyproject .com with the following details: The name and mission statement of your organization Drive details (start and end date, who the drive will benefit, drop off locations, donations needed, etc.) Person to contact (name, e-mail, and phone) Literacy ‘n' Poverty Project is a startup nonprofit organization with a mission to support the advancement of adults through advocacy, research and service. We tackle s...

Because Literacy 'n' Poverty Project is all about helping adults improve their literacy skills we felt compelled to alert the community about this great opportunity. These are troubling economic times so if you have the qualifications and ready to take on something new, apply to Life Camp, Inc. and become a GED Classroom Teacher! Here are the details: POSITION : GED Classroom Teacher (2 positions) ELIGIBILITY : NYCDOE license as a teacher SELECTION CRITERIA : Satisfactory experience providing Literacy/GED instruction for at least two years preferred DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES : Provide Instruction to Literacy/GED Students in English, Mathematics, Science or Social Studies SALARY : $35.00 per hour WORK SCHEDULE : Tuesday and Thursday, Evening hours, Average 6 hours per week APPLICATION : Copy of NYC Department of Education license and resume must be received by December 8, 2008 Send your applications materials to info@lifecampinc.com with I Love My LIFE Literacy/G...

What does a second grade teacher and a GED tutor have in common? They both deal with people whose cognitive and psychological needs and capacities are so different yet in need of the same thing: to be guided through life. It’s fascinating how much of an impact can our teachers have in our lives. I will never forget my first teacher, Mrs. Helen from 1st through 4th grade, who convinced herself that I was a lost case when it came to math. To this day, I remember myself, an 8 year old, thinking that I didn’t have the talent or skill to do math and plus I really didn’t like math! My new 5th grade teacher was so dedicated (not to mention strict) and actually got me to change my mind about math and end up getting straight A's until I finished elementary school. Fascinating times! I started junior high school with my confidence boosted and real high objectives. That teacher will always be remembered, because he didn’t settle with the conventional methods of education. The determinant that...

Save the Children’s mission is simple enough: to meet both the immediate and long-term needs of children struggling to overcome poverty. Poverty is a challenge that both the US and the world have yet to overcome. According to the 2007 US Census Bureau, poverty in that year stood at 12.5 percent. Meanwhile, the World Bank’s latest figures show that in 2005, 1.4 billion people in developing countries were living in extreme poverty. Save the Children has tirelessly worked to reach out to those children who live in such conditions, and to their credit, they have met with some success, as it claims to have reached a staggering 41 million girls and boys the world over. One of the areas the organization works in is education, an area at the core of the Literacy ‘n’ Poverty Project’s mission. While Save the Children and the Literacy ‘n’ Poverty Project target different audiences, both organizations believe that education is an extremely important factor for poverty alleviation. An example o...

If you've ever considered becoming an adult literacy tutor but have to make a decision, listen to one volunteer's story of why he got involved. Remember, the decisions you make can change many lives. Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County

During my weekly Internet video stroll, I stumbled upon this interesting clip on YouTube. It's about someone who is Standing Up and Taking Action for Poverty . Enjoy! Read on for more information at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTP6CtSGzik .

This post was written by Rizwan Tayabali, a management consultant who works with different non-profits, social enterprises and individuals helping them create financial sustainability. He has started an initiative called the Urban Survival Project which is aimed at helping vulnerable young people survive education, jobs, small business and life. ----------------------------------------- Nothing about poverty is cool. It is tough, brutal, painful and cyclical. But it doesn't affect most of the people who can afford the technologies to be reading this, so for many of us it's always been easy to ignore. A hidden evil lurking in 'third world' countries. The saddest development is that even the little attention poverty had when it was simply the most pervasive of the global problems that didn't affect us directly, is being washed away in the tide of interest surrounding the Green movement. Green has gone from cheap and homemade to cool and chic. From 'tree-huggers...

This post was written by Chanelle Carver, founder of Literacy 'n' Poverty Project , activist, volunteer and consultant for socially conscious organizations. I virtually volunteer writing articles for a website called Collective Lens that " promotes social change with your photos. Upload a photo and help bring awareness to important issues around the world. You can inspire others to become involved ." They're also participating in Blog Action Day 2008 and posted a short blog with some GREAT photos on behalf of those who can't help themselves. I encourage you to go check it out. The Many Faces of Poverty

This post was written by guest blogger Maureen Lee, a wife, mother, author for Just Show Up and Board member of Ideal-Way.ca (a nonprofit organization for special needs individuals. “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.” Nelson Mandela Every now and again, I pull out my clay jar. I've been working on it for most of my life, and I suspect it'll never be done. I started it when I was a child. Since then, my jar has undergone many changes. Thanks to many hours of painstaking, backbreaking work, my clay jar has morphed from a tiny lumpen mass of brown goop to a breathtaking vision of loveliness. I've shaped, molded, and finally perfected my jar. Or at least, my vision of it is clear and unobstructed. Now, as I stand back and survey my creation, my fingers get itchy again. Scratching the surface isn't good enough. I need to get into the corners and scour deep within i...

This post was written by Chanelle Carver, founder of Literacy 'n' Poverty Project , activist, volunteer and consultant for socially conscious organizations. It's Blog Action Day! A day the blogosphere unites to discuss the same issue. Not two or three, just ONE. One issue that affects over a billion people throughout the world. One issue that has caused pain and heartache for millions of families, children, men and women alike. That issue is POVERTY . No matter how you define it, the truth is poverty exists. There are families living below and above the poverty line who face great challenges that many may never have to endure. When was the last time you had to decide which of your family members gets a new winter coat? Have you ever skipped a meal just to have enough food for your children? Thankfully, I have yet to bear the burden of deciding which of my kids will eat and hopefully, I won't have to. But like the saying goes... Never Say Never . For two months straight...

Instead of focusing on what's wrong with the world, let's celebrate the good. One year in the making and we're still going strong! On October 8, 2007, Literacy 'n' Poverty Project embarked on an incredible journey. A journey that would bring together our community in hopes of inspiring others to speak out for change and to Take Action. We made a commitment to make this world a better place for all by offering each of you an outlet to talk about the issues affecting your communities and to share ideas and experiences that can help create lasting change...to make social change a reality. We've discussed a number of issues like global poverty, health and adult education, highlighted random acts of kindness, and even addressed relevant topics like the Millennium Development Goals and Social Entrepreneurship . As a result, organizations like Women for Women International, Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs, Third Relief International, CODENI, Infante Sano, and Cu...

October 15, 2008 is the annual Blog Action Day and this year's theme is, guess what...POVERTY! So fitting a subject for Making Social Change a Reality and we definitely will participate. So what exactly is Blog Action Day? "An annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion." Why do we care? Poverty impacts our global society and our blog is all about discussing the issues, sharing ideas and experiences to create social change on a global scale. It would be a crime not to get involved. What's in store for this year? "In 2008, the Blog Action Day theme is Poverty. Bloggers are free to interpret this as they see fit. We invite bloggers to examine poverty from their own blog topics and perspectives, to look at it from the macro and micro, as a global condition and a local issue, and to bring their own ideas, vie...

The subway seems an especially strange place for random acts of kindness . Strangers isolated in their own thoughts, the linear stresses of getting somewhere by a certain time. Even asking for directions, or maybe reaching out to say "what an adorable baby," or "hey, I liked that book too," could be an intrusion. It's easy to get shy in the seemingly unbreakable silence of strangers. On September 11th, 2003, I got on the subway with a bag full of copies of Speaker For the Dead , by Orson Scott Card, a novel I've read many times since my teens. It has an elegant view of mourning and commemorating death, by speaking the truth about a person's life and connection to the community. Not just the nice truths- sometimes the painful ones that will help those left behind heal. It's thoughtful science fiction that raises questions about ethics, anthropology, humanness and communication, spiritual goals and memorial practices. It is one of the places I s...

Rounding out the last of the Millennium Development Goals are goals seven and eight, Environmental Stability and Global Partnership . Both of these goals are so much more specific than the previous six, Goal 7 including four targets and Goal 8 including five, that it would be impossible to examine them exhaustively in such a short space. Therefore, let’s examine one target per goal. For a more detailed look at these aims, please visit the website for the United Nations, www.un.org. To ensure environment sustainability, target three aims to, “halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. “ One Step Forward: Thirst Relief International is an international nonprofit organization that works with local groups to implement safe, potable water facilities in communities all over the globe. With projects in the Congo, Amazon, Kenya, and many more countries, Thirst Relief provides funding and serves as project mana...

Hello friends, A brief post for the evening. We've just added the Followers gadget to our blog and strongly encourage you to start following! By joining our fan base, you're letting the public know that you support social change and the people who are working to make social change a reality. Never miss a blog again! And of course you can follow anonymously if you wish. To make social change a reality we need your support. We look forward to having you join us!

Homophobia? Xenophobia? Both words express the fear of the unknown world of homosexuals on the first case or foreigners on the second. Interestingly enough, the phenomenon is so widely accepted that we actually had to come up with a word to describe our condition. What I enjoy in searching for the etymology of a word is also trying to understand the circumstances and the reasons under which that word was created. Homophobia for instance, why do we need to describe a fear of homosexuality? What threat does a homosexual person or lifestyle pose for the human being or the society? Is it a physical damage? Is it a psychological, moral, legal damage? Each question may receive a different answer from different sectors of society. Religion, politics, the educational system, academia, history and tradition, all stand differently on the matter depending on their influences and what they stand for. The www.freedictionary.com defines homophobia as “bias” and “prejudice” against the homosexual pe...

Millennium Development Goals five and six are closely related to goals three and four discussed last week. As we move on, it will become more apparent what an emphasis the United Nations has put on healthcare in the fight to eliminate poverty. The fifth Millennium Development Goal is to “improve maternal health.” Maternal health encompasses not only prenatal and postnatal care, but also family planning and education in proper childcare. Therefore, this is actually a very broad statement and not much else. Included in this goal are pledges to reduce the maternal morality ratio by two-thirds, as well as achieve universal access to reproductive health. This first target does help to clarify the goal. However, the word “universal” in target two is so expansive that its inclusion can actually undermine the UN’s ability to achieve its goals. One Step Forward: Each year the world loses over 10 million mothers and children, and the fact remains that many of these deaths are...

Last week we took a brief glance at MDGs one and two. This week we’ll take a closer look at the third and fourth goals, as well as see how dedicated groups of individuals are doing their part to make dreams a reality. The third Millennium Development goal is to promote gender equality and empower women . Once again, we see the problem of vague language noted last week in Goal 1. As it is hard to fathom the UN promoting gender inequality, the goal itself, while altruistic and admirable, is quite obvious. Without any set benchmarks or method with which to measure successes, the pledge to “empower women” sounds weak and insincere. One Step Forward: Women for Women International is a nonprofit organization working worldwide in areas recovering from recent conflict. While no one will debate the negative impacts of war on local citizens, Women for Women also sees these disaster zones as clean slates. Local women complete a three-step program. While at the beginning stages participant...

The first of the eight Millennium Development Goals is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Encompassed in this goal are targets to halve between 1990 and 2015 the number of people living on less than one dollar a day, ensure employment and “decent work” for all, and halve the number of people suffering from hunger. This first objective in particular is quite broad and stands precariously on vague language. There is no concrete definition for concepts like “extreme poverty” or “decent work”. Terminology of this sort threatens to undermine the legitimacy of the UN’s aims. The language conveys overwhelming international social problems that seem impossible to solve over the course of a decade by member states simply tweaking their respective foreign policies. One Step Forward: The Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs is a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization that runs Farmer-to-Farmer projects in Moldova, Belarus, and the Ukraine as part of USAID’s John ...

America's had enough. And so have I. Barack has finally articulated his plan for change to America. Tonight, he gave us a blueprint for what this change will look like. Now more than before, I feel connected to him. I feel like he spoke to me and my troubles and the troubles of those I know. An inspirational speaker indeed! So in case you didn't get a chance to hear Barack Obama's speech tonight, check out this clip from MSNBC. You can also read his speech here, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26446638/ . Are you ready for change? Post your comments and tell us how you're going to make change happen. We're waiting... This blog was written by Chanelle N. Carver, founder and Executive Director of Literacy 'n' Poverty Project. Please leave your comments and feel free to email Chanelle at carver@literacyandpovertyproject.com with any questions!

The Millennium Development Goals are eight broad yet inspired benchmarks, which will guide us, as concerned international citizens, down the path toward a world of peace and prosperity. Now, in the 21st century, the future never looked so bright. Well, not exactly. In the year 2000 at the Millennium Summit in London, UN member states adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The goals conveyed in that declaration provide a framework for international development, targeting eight specific benchmarks. While the degree of that specificity has come under much scrutiny since 2000, the MDGs also mark an unprecedented level of international cooperation to eradicate poverty. Expressly, the UN plans for the world to, by the year 2015: 1.) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2.) Achieve universal primary education 3.) Promote gender equality and empower women 4.) Reduce child mortality 5.) Improve maternal health 6.) Combat HIV/ AIDs , malaria, and other diseases 7.) Ensure environme...

From July 7th to the 9th, government officials from the United States, Canada, France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Japan convened in Hokkaido, Japan for their yearly meeting at which they evaluate numerous world crises and decide which disasters are most worthy of their largesse. Despite all of the hype, this great meeting of the minds neglected to deliver much in the way of long-lasting solutions and instead turned into a display of impeccable skill in the arts of avoidance and escapism. However, the Big Eight and their invited guests were not the only voices heard during those hot July days. Not far from the G8 in Toyako, over 220 Japanese NGOs came together for the People’s Summit in Sapporo and Rusutsu, the location of the media center. They convened to debate and make policy recommendations uninfluenced by those governmental perspectives molded by vested economic and strategic interests. Thanks to media coverage of the People’s Summit, NGOs were able to put extensive pr...

Since my time teaching GED classes with Columbia University’s Community Impact program has ended, many of my students have already taken the exam once or even twice. Some of them passed and successfully graduated the program; others still struggle with particular subjects or the exam as a whole. The experience of guiding and leading these people through this process was not only rewarding but also self-defining . In our last session, few of my “regular” students showed up mostly to say goodbye and wish each other good luck with the hope to meet again under circumstances that will allow us to get to know each other. These past months offered incredible insight to a person’s ability not only of self-conservation but also to reclaim the quality of life that everyone deserves but not everyone receives. Life is pretty hard in some parts of the world, but what is harder is the lack of drive, goal, purpose and dream. All my students are everyday people that merely try to better themselves and...

What a fantastic time to volunteer! Not only because our times demand it, but also because the human soul needs it! The GED classes at Columbia University’s Community Impact program continue and the semester seems to be progressing amazingly. After spring break, my students came back refreshed and ready for new adventures! And by adventures I mean learn how to write a winning GED essay! Now, that’s a challenge…!!! Mid-terms were uneventful and went by smoothly. The new focus of our class was how to become more efficient GED test-takers and learn new test-taking techniques and of course….practice, practice, practice…!!! At the beginning of the semester, I underestimated how valuable doing activities in the classroom would be. Having very few students returning their completed homework, it hit me that the only way to help them practice everything we learn in the classroom, was to actually have them do homework in the classroom. It is sad to admit I failed to convince them that homework w...

Welcome all to this new venture! The soul and spirit of this whole new undertaking, Ms. Chanelle Carver, a bright young lady with a vision and marvelous ideas deserves a standing ovation not only because of who she is but also for her inspiring efforts to include as many of us as possible in the dialogue for Adult literacy and Poverty. I, myself, got inspired and so I try everyday to veer my everyday activities towards the solution of this problem. That is how I decided that my contribution to this effort would be through community service. “I was really nervous on my first day. Having no experience, whatsoever, teaching in a classroom, I felt like a fraud.” To be more precise, I started volunteering at Columbia University’s Community Impact Program as a GED teacher and on Wednesday, February 6th I met with my new class. I got the idea that by chronicling the experience of teaching this class, I may be able to convey my ideas and concerns or issues I may stumble on and ask our readers...

Someone I know received a treadmill for Christmas. What a fun and purposeful piece of equipment! You can walk...jog...run like wind, in short, you'll get a great workout. That got me thinking about how important it is to eat healthy and exercise regularly. Great for the body...ehhh not so great on the wallet. Now yes, you don't need exercise equipment to get and stay in shape but without fresh veggies and meats (let's just say fresh food), how could your inside be healthy? Well I eat fresh food. I really do enjoy them and never understood why kids put up a big fuss about it. And so, I know the pro's (and con's) of eating healthy. But if obtaining these fresh foods weighs down your wallet and there are things you NEED to do with that money - pay a light bill, mortgage, car note - how do we choose which is more important ? What do you think? This post was written by Chanelle Carver, social entrepreneur, nonprofit consultant, and founder of the Literacy 'n...