Make Social Change A Reality

There are those who want to fuss and fight And would rather scream and shout Than try to find some common ground And calmly talk things out Some people are just so hell bent On getting their own way That they show utter disregard For what others have to say It is almost common place these days To dismiss and reject Those that have a different view As down right incorrect. It seems like some are delighted With the chaos and the craze They spread their anger and disdain And expect to get high praise The President speaks to Congress To make us all aware Of reforms he will be making To bring us all healthcare But with blatant disrespect One chooses to defy The President of the United States And scream at him “YOU LIE !” Have some people lost their manners Do they simply have no shame? Or is it easier to look outward To find someone to blame? Some are just determined To make it their game plan To fight against the social change That could help the common man Social issues are a reality tha...

Taking a walk down your neighborhood block on a warm, sunny afternoon, you couldn’t resist stopping and cooing at the adorable puppies staring back at you through a pet store window. Although that golden retriever may seem happy with his wide brown eyes, he may be hiding a dark secret that the Amish, a community who appears to be so peaceful, is hiding from you. In Lancaster County, PA, many puppy mills are currently operating under horrid and secret conditions. ABC News reports, “Rescue workers estimate 600 unlicensed facilities operate in barns and sheds. Those breeders go to great measures to avoid discovery.” Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue, tells ABC News some of these facilities even "de-bark" their dogs. “The farmers, the Amish and the Mennonites, they pull the heads back and then they hammer sharp instruments down their throats to scar their vocal cords so they can't bark. So that way they can have 500-600 dogs in a barn and no one knows. As we sa...

In July, President Obama announced his $12 billion investment plans for community colleges . He set the benchmark of success at an additional 5 million community college graduates within in the next 11 years – by 2020. However, research by the Brookings Institution, noted in an Education Week article earlier this month, showed that in 2002, only 1 in 10 students who started at a community college had earned an associates degree within three years. So, how do we increase graduation rates among community college students? Before we address that question, let’s take a step back and look at the role community colleges play in the educational system and why they are crucial to America’s success. Community colleges were started by President Truman to increase the educational opportunities for World War II veterans. They actually represent a larger portion of the higher education system than traditional four-year colleges. 40-45% of all college undergraduates attend community colleges. They ...

During the decade I recently spent in East Africa, I spent the majority of my time experimenting with disadvantaged communities to explore ways that participating in the Internet could influence their lives in positive ways. What I learned is that empowering the poor through the Internet is much more complex than teaching people where to click to find information. There are fundamental perception issues at play that serve to keep Africa’s engagement in the online world lower than it should be. One widespread misperception is that enabling Africa to access information from the rest of the world is going to empower African people - as if Africa’s problems would be solved if the average semi-literate African woman could simply find, read and digest what the rest of the world has to teach her. Fundamentally, however, empowering people means helping them believe that they matter, and that what they have to offer has value . Unfortunately, foreign information and culture pushed at Africa o...

** Editor’s Post ** Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Many organizations, social entrepreneurs and citizens of the world share his philosophy. World Flix , a non-profit organization, displays a powerful variation of the quote on their homepage. They encourage individuals to “ SEE the change you wish to MAKE in the world.” It’s a strong and encouraging message that seems to resonate with online donators. If you haven’t heard of World Flix yet, it’s because their website just launched this August. I stumbled upon their site last week when doing some research for the Literacy ‘n’ Poverty Project (LnP). What struck me most about this young organization is the similar passion and drive for social change that it shares with LnP. World Flix is determined to change the world by advocating through new and traditional media. More specifically, they are bringing attention to important social issues through video clips on the Internet. ...