Make Social Change A Reality

Among many Americans, especially lower-income women and families, hopes are high for the economic stimulus and recovery package, which now feels long-anticipated in the run-up to President Obama and the 111 th Congress’ transition to power . In the swirl of rumors and speculation that bind new expectations for modern economic stimulation with social recovery reminiscent of FDR’s New Deal , many advocates for women and families have been weighing in heavily and hoping to affect the economic policies that are currently being considered in Washington. This week, predictions were rampant in the mainstream political discourse about what the outcomes of the House debate on the economy would look like, and whether or not the resulting legislation would make the everyday needs of women visible again. Today, the US House of Representatives passed an economic stimulus and recovery package , which carries with it a total cost of $819 billion dollars . Although the recovery package now makes its...

It doesn’t take much to make changes in your community . Recently, I started watching a new channel devoted to cleaning up your environment and lessening your global footprint. There are many interesting shows and someday I hope to use their suggestions when I purchase my own home, but for now, I have to settle for some of the smaller changes I can make in my daily life. I like plants. I always have. Living in the Northeast means having to bring plants inside in the winter months and hope they survive the winter, which right now is touch and go. However, once spring rolls around, I plan to put my plants outside again and let them enjoy their time in the sun. Until then, I’ve decided to start a small composting pile so that when the weather gets warmer, I can provide my plants with this new recycled form of nourishment. It’s very simple, I simply searched the web for ways I can recycle my waste and found multiple websites. Going further, my city has a link on their website where...

A few weeks ago I was taking the bus cross town, or at least attempting to, in the pouring rain. I was dashing down the flooded streets, chasing after the bus I needed to catch. Thankfully another person was in the same boat, or so I thought. He banged on the door of the bus to stop it. For me. And he continued on his way under a half sagging umbrella. I breathlessly thanked him. "No problem." he said. In the late summer, I was walking a few blocks to meet my friends at the Boat Basin. A "Not in Service" bus stopped and asked me how far I had to go. He offered to take me over there. "But you're out of service," I said. "Don't worry about it," he replied, "I don't mind." He dropped me off as close to the Boat Basin as possible and didn't even ask me to swipe my Metrocard. Today I walked outside, very early in the morning and more than a little grumpy. An older woman was struggling to scrape off the thick ice that coated h...

On January 16, the American Red Cross celebrated Martin Luther King Day with a National Day of Service , calling on citizens everywhere to volunteer their time to the ARC's many initiatives. Every year, the ARC helps tens of thousands of people cope with the aftermath of disaster and prepare for future emergencies. Local Disaster Action Teams are often first responders to natural and man-made disasters, such as the recent plane crash in the Hudson river . In 2007, I was certified as a disaster action team member in the Washington DC metro area and can personally certify that the American Red Cross is one of the most effective and efficient humanitarian organizations in the country. Volunteers are on-call to respond to emergencies where they provide services such as sheltering, grief counseling, tracing services , and first aid . They have chapters in every state and almost every city, which you can easily find through their website. If you are looking for an established organiza...

As we celebrate an immensely historic election and inauguration this week, with President Barack Obama’s transition to the White House and Presidency complete, a sense of duty and great undertaking must motivate us all to work towards ending poverty and suffering in the U.S. Until now, this goal has been long-absent from a serious national conversation surrounding our priorities and direction in the 21st Century, with the exception of Hurricane Katrina’s dramatic, albeit short-lived, media spotlight on the poverty that persists in our country. With a jagged economic road looming ahead and predictions for a slow recovery reaching possibly into 2011, the great needs of impoverished communities , individuals, and families has never been more apparent . We must work on all fronts, including education, employment, and programs that will strengthen families, to generate solutions that will address the stagnant situations that many Americans continue to find themselves in, despite their eff...

Last weekend I was in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center for a conference and stood in the auditorium where Obama delivered his famous speech on race. I thought that the auditorium didn't do him justice—it was small and ordinary looking, lacking the grandeur of his speech. However, someone pointed out to me that while the auditorium looked inconspicuous it was actually an example of magnificent architecture. Everything from the walls to the number and placement of seats is designed to enhance the quality of sound in addition to overall comfort. Everything in that room was deliberate and well coordinated. When I learned this information I realized how perfect that space was for Obama. The intimacy of the space reflects his desire to build a stronger, closer country while the architecture reflects the effort and coordination necessary to sustain and enhance a strong country. And the Constitution Center , while honoring the past is most remarkable for its ability...

All around us, there are changes happening; the calendar changed from 2008 to 2009, a new president was elected, and for many us, we have decided to do things differently and make changes in our diet, our lifestyles, or in our overall well being. Social change is something that I plan to be involved with this year in many different ways: volunteering , reading, attending events and sharing ideas. Social change means different things to different people. To me, social change means being involved in making things better for your community. Doing something instead of just saying something. Raising money instead of just donating to a cause. Working with others to make sure that the change we desire is attainable. I have been involved with a variety of organizations that make social change a focus of their organization. This is important to me because I am a firm believer that through social change and helping each other and supporting one another, we as a people can right all...

In the strategic planning process, the management team and leaders of any business and/or social venture must ask themselves three important questions: 1) Where are we now? 2) Where do we want to be? 3) How will we get there? I think the same applies to blogging, which is why we at the Literacy ‘n’ Poverty Project have taken some time to come up with our own blog strategy for Making Social Change A Reality . In creating this blog strategy, we’ ve come up with a set of goals and objectives to accomplish over the next year that will not only create greater awareness for our organization and this blog but also to ensure we are expanding to new markets and advocating on behalf of the very people we believe will benefit from our programs and services. Here’s a list of some of things we’ll be doing throughout the year: 1) Expanding our base of discussion topics to include various social issues that are of concern to the GLOBAL community 2) NETWORKING with writers and bloggers already e...

Don’t have the time to head down to the community center? Is the nearest soup kitchen 45 miles out of town? Never fear – there are a million and one easy ways to volunteer, often right from your own home! GIVE a Little Bit Put a jar at home or the office, for loose change. Instead of buying something for yourself, donate that which would have probably gotten lost in the couch cushions anyway. Companies can give back to the local community. Parents, get your kids involved. Teach them about giving to others by choosing a charity together. GET a Little Are you an online shopper? Register with GreaterGood or iGive to donate a portion of your spending to charity. Zine fan? Good magazine is a socially conscious reader that donates your entire subscription fee to the charity of your choice. THINK Green All of this talk about global warming and carbon footprints keeping you up at night? You know the drill. Turn your thermostat down a couple of degrees, or wash your clothes w...

Last Fall, I volunteered at a disorganized event for a nonprofit. I was griping to one of the other volunteers and she told me about a nonprofit that she works with that runs like a well-oiled machine: God's Love We Deliver (GLWD). I looked into the organization and learned that they deliver handmade, nutritious meals to people in New York City and Hudson County, NJ who are home bound due to serious illnesses like cancer, MS, and HIV/AIDS. I love to cook and figured that this might be a match, so I went to an orientation last week. I left after the hour session with more energy than I've had in weeks. In 1985, Ganga Stone was volunteering at a hospice and she brought ingredients for a meal to one of her clients who had HIV / AIDS. Unfortunately, he was too ill to prepare even the simplest of meals. Seeing this desperate need in her community, she joined forces with Jane Best and Restaurant Claire to form GLWD in 1986. Restaurant Claire prepared meals that Ganga and volunteers...

Since I’m new to this blog, I’d like to open up with a post about why I feel personally vested in its mission. I’ve been laid off, twice. The first time was with two years notice, the second time was at 5:00 pm on a Monday with not even a sideways glance as warning. I received a severance package the first time, a pretty generous sum that gave me a nice cushion while I looked for my next job, enough to pay rent, groceries, maybe even take some time off. I put on my sneakers and corduroys and checked out for the next month. I figured I’d apply for a few jobs and temp once my severance ran out. The severance ran out in three weeks and I had clocked a total of four hours of temp time. No one replied to my solicitations, and my rent was due. So I decided to move back to mom’s house in New York. I should mention that I had conjured a formidable debt monster while living on my own (mostly resulting from three $1000 mattresses that I bought after each failed to conquer insomnia). In New ...

Making social change a reality can be tough work especially when you don't know where to start and what to do. Luckily, one of our readers has shared a fabulous resource with us for all you activists that want to create positive social change in your community . In Russell Cavanagh's article titled, " A Guide to Campaigning for Positive Change in Your Local Community ", he addresses key elements of starting a development campaign: Taking Inventory of Your Local Community Suggestions to Kick-Start Ideas What to do After the Meeting Outcomes Thank you Russell for sharing your guide with us. We hope you - our readers - find this resource of value as you exercise your entrepreneurial skills to create positive social change in your community . What are your thoughts? Bookmark on Delicious