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...