Altruism for Animals (Blog Post#13)

Observe: This week in class we watched a TED talk given by Peter Singer. In it he talks briefly about effective altruism that benefits animals and recommends a website called Effective Animal Activism. 

Reflect: Animals have always been near and dear to my heart so I was interested in seeing what charities this website considered to be effective. I was particularly wanting to see what shelters it recommended, but when I searched the website I became disappointed. Only two charities qualified as "effective" according to the website's criteria, however they did list other charities that they had evaluated and the reasons behind why they were not "top charities" or "standout charities". Sadly, the website does not consider rescues and shelters that aim to help companion animals to be effective at all and they do not recommend them as means to save as many animals as possible. Instead, they recommend numerous organizations that help save farm animals because they have saved more animals for less cost. 

I, however, disagree with the website's claim because I think that rescue organizations can be quite effective and worthwhile causes. One such organization that I highly recommend giving back to is Austin Pets Alive! I volunteer with APA through a fitness charity called RuffTail Runners and have seen firsthand what an incredible job they do to save animals and give them better lives. APA takes dogs and cats in that are set to be euthanized by the city shelter and they love and care for them until a forever family comes along and adopts them. While there, dogs are trained by the fabulous behavior team and some are even ready to become Canine Good Citizen dogs! Since APA staff, volunteers, and foster families give these sweet, sweet animals a second chance at life I consider these wonderful people to essentially be social workers for animals. Like traditional (for lack of a better term) social workers, they deserve more recognition than they get. I know I said it once, but seriously, check these guys out and give back if you can. They can always use more donations, volunteers, foster homes, and of course forever homes!

This handsome fella is my favorite running buddy named Rooster.

     

Rewarding Kindness (Blog Post#12)

Observe: Today in class we got in groups and created games that would simulate social issues.

Reflect: One idea for a game that our group discussed was intended to stop people from making assumptions about others based on one aspect of their identity. 

The setup: Volunteers would hang out on the main mall wearing shirts that labeled them with a variety of identities that are frequently stigmatized by society. For example, one person might wear a shirt that says "single mother" while another says "convict". There would be a table in the west mall where we would encourage passerby to go up to our volunteers and have a conversation with them.

The rules: People are supposed to talk with the volunteers about their lives and then ask them to walk to our table with them. If the volunteer feels that the person was genuinely interested in learning more about them then they can both walk together to our table where the person who struck up the conversation will tell us five things that they learned about the volunteer (not including the fact that they are a <insert identity label here>). 

The reward: As a reward for their respect for others and their kindness towards a stranger, participants will receive a delicious slice of pizza!

Although this game may not come to fruition I think it is worthwhile enough for us to all try and play it in some way in our everyday lives. We may not be rewarded with pizza, but spreading kindness and understanding amongst our peers should be a reward in and of itself.

Holy Haiyan! (Blog Post#11)

Observe: The Philippines were hit by Typhoon Haiyan this month. Many countries are trying to provide relief, but the damage is catastrophic.

Reflect: Before and after photos reflect the devastation that is an unfortunate reality for the people of the Philippines. Homes had been ripped to shreds and lives have been lost. Basic survival needs are unable to be met for many people living there because food and shelter were destroyed and washed away in mere minutes. The country already faced an earthquake just a month before the typhoon struck so emergency funds are depleted.

It is in times like these that countries must band together and realize that we are all people and we all need help. Times like these make me realize how important it is to have macro organizations, like the Red Cross, that are able to go in and provide relief. As someone who often dreams of doing primarily micro based social work these large scale situations boggle my mind. How can we rebuild an entire town, city, or country? It is tremendously difficult, but it can and has been done thanks to the people who have the ability to handle large-scale problems. 

While macro practice is highly important to disaster relief micro social work can also serve an extremely valuable purpose. After going through any type of trauma it is often helpful for people to go to counseling, either one on one or in a group setting. With a team of combined macro and micro forces many issues can be addressed at once and a community can rebuild. I hope that this is what lies ahead for the Philippines: help and a brighter future.

Ask and you Shall Receive...Hopefully (Blog Post#10)

Observe: In class today we discussed how non-profit organizations go about asking for funding. We looked at the differences between what donors want to know about an agency and what an agency wants to tell donors.

Reflect: The fundraising aspect of non-profits is extremely important because without donations from the government and private donors the organizations would not be able to operate. There are two general approaches to getting donations that we discussed in class. The route travelled is based on the donor and whether or not they allow agencies to approach them or if they would rather reach out to agencies. The approaches are: 1) follow an application process described on a donor's website and 2) know someone that can get a donor to ask your agency to create a proposal. I was surprised to hear that some foundations and other donors do not let organizations approach them for donations, but in viewing it from their perspective it makes sense. They want to limit the number of proposals that they are presented with for multiple reasons, one of which being that they only want to hear from organizations that have the same goals as they do. For instance if their goal is to improve the health of children they don't want to be asked to donate to an organization that primarily assists the elderly.

In regards to the actual proposal donors and non-profits often hold different views on what the most important topics of discussion should be. Agencies go in wanting to talk all about the people that they are working to assist while donors are of course are far more considered with the financial aspects. Those giving the money are likely to ask where exactly the money is going, what the intent of the project is, what the sustainability of the project is, and who else is providing funding. Those asking for the money are likely to emphasize how many people they are currently helping and how man more they could help with extra funds along with their ideas of how a particular population can be better served. Since the agency is the one in need of funds it is up to them to be able to alter their thinking in order to provide those giving the funds with the information that will cause them to feel comfortable making a donation.

Foster {Don't} Care System (Blog Post#9)

Observe: In class this week we discussed the "foster care-to-prison pipeline". I decided to do a little more research on the subject and found some shocking statistics. For instance, about 66% of children who age out of foster care wind up in jail, homeless, or dead within one year.  

Reflect: The foster care system is intended to help kids by removing them from dangerous situations and placing them with people that will properly care for them. Unfortunately the system is, as most government systems are, flawed. Foster families have the potential to be abusive just like biological families. They may not feel any bond with the children they are caring for and they may not be understanding of various behavioral attributes that are more common among children in the foster care system, due to their difficult background. Children in foster care have not only been witness to or the victims of abuse, but they are also removed from the life that they have always known and forced to live with other relatives or strangers. 

It is disappointing that the foster care system has been in place for so long, but has not been altered in order to prevent such tragic statistics. Children are often times not given enough of a voice when they are in the system. They are not given the chance to say that they want to leave their families and even if that is what they want they are not given the opportunity to choose their foster family. All of these important decisions are being made for them which only adds to the frustration that most of them feel. This frustration causes some foster children to run away to a shelter or to the streets where they are likely to engage in illegal activity that lands them in jail. It's a sad journey and I would be thrilled to see the process change so that the kids affected by it can have better lives as the system intends to, but rarely does, give them.

Testing Tots (Blog Post#8)

Observe: I recently came across a link that shocked me. It discusses how New York schools are being required to administer a new standardized test to kindergartener's. The tests have already started to be implemented, but schools aren't required to administer the exam until this coming spring.

Reflect: If I recall correctly, when I was kindergarten my biggest worry was that the center I wanted to play in would be full. I honestly cannot imagine the stress that these tests must be putting on the tiny children that are taking them. Kindergarten is the time when kids are creating their knowledge base, they're learning numbers, the ABC's,  etc. If I was given a standardized test in kindergarten I'm sure I would have failed it. The last picture I saw colored by a 5 year old looked something like this: 

So I'm really not sure how they can be expected to color in a tiny bubble to mark their answer. I'm a junior in college and I still make scantron mistakes, but I recognize them and can change them whereas a kindergartener probably doesn't think they made a mistake at all. Another thing that the article mentions is that teachers are struggling to teach students not to share answers. All their lives they have been taught that sharing is good and kind. They share their toys and their crayons so why should they not share their test responses? At such a young age these conflicting messages are more than confusing and the teachers know this. The teachers dislike the exams and believe that they are unfair but they don't seem to know what to do about them. Seems to me like they might need someone to show them a few resources and teach them how to IMAGINE a change...

Shutting it Down...Literally (Blog Post#7)

Observe: So the government is in a shutdown...still. I subscribe to theSkimm and the email they sent out today contained this link right --> here. The article talks about the current state of the shutdown and the deals that seems to be constantly in progress, yet not really going anywhere.

Reflect: Let me start by saying that I do not keep up with politics and our government nearly as much as I should and therefore I still don't really have a grasp on why the shutdown occurred in the first place or why it is still in effect. That being said, my first reaction to the shutdown was that the government was trying to outdo every two-year old in the world by throwing the largest temper tantrum.

I have to admit that after reading the article my opinion didn't change much. I saw Congressional members as being older than 2, but only slightly. The conversations seemed similar to exchanges I witness between students that are about 3-4 years of age at the daycare center where I work. The section discussing conservative Republican's complaints after Boehner's proposal had me flashing back to a fight between two kiddos...

Kid#1: "Miss Saraaaaa! He won't give me all the puppets and I want them!"
Kid#2: "I was playing with them first and I'm not done with them. I gave her one puppet already."
Me: "Well you each only have two hands, so what if you each get just two puppets? That way you each have one for both of your hands."
Kids shouting over top of each other: "No, no, no! I want them!"

Clearly, much like these 3 year olds, our government officials are having a hard time compromising. At least it only took me a few more minutes to persuade the kids that no one needs all the puppets and that since they were friends they should be kind and share. The government on the other hand is on day 16 and counting. Here's hoping they figure out how to put on their big kid pants and compromise pretty soon.

**Ask and you shall receive, I woke up the morning after I wrote this post to discover that a deal had finally been made**

Judgmental Giving (Blog Post#6)

Observe: In class we watched a clip of one of Brené Brown's Lifeclasses with Oprah. In is she says that if we cannot ask for help without judging ourselves then we can never truly give help without judging the people we are helping. 

Reflect: As a social worker this sent my brain flying! After graduating I want to work with children to help them improve their confidence and to work through any challenging events they might be facing. This clip made me fear that I would be judging the very kids I so want to help, so I quickly started going through every memory I had of asking for help and also of giving back. Naturally, the first memories that came back to me were of times when I gave help. Then I began recalling the times when I asked for help. One moment in particular stands out in my mind I am actually quite proud of. I never thought I would be proud of myself for asking for help, but looking back it was one of the best things I ever did for myself. My parents were divorcing each other (for the second time) and at the same time I was having some serious problems in my relationship with my then boyfriend. I decided that I needed someone to talk to and I sought out a counselor. She really helped me establish boundaries with everyone in my life and her constant validation left me with the very pleasant sensation of feeling normal, for that I will be forever grateful. This memory thrilled me because it was a time that I asked for help and didn't judge myself for it in the slightest. Now I'm not perfect and there have been plenty of times when I struggled to ask for help, but this moment let me know that it was possible. I can request help without judging myself and I can give help without judging others which means my minor freakout was not needed. Although, I am glad that it occurred because it gave me time to reflect on this memory as well as others. 

Getting Help to Give Help (Blog Post#5)

Observe: In my social justice class we discussed the idea of being an ally. We talked about what it meant and how people become allies. We all agreed that in order to be an ally you first have to ask people what they want from you, rather than coming in and telling them what you are going to do to help them.

Reflect: As social workers it can sometimes be difficult to resist the urge to jump right in and make changes that we believe will be helpful to others. However, this act can actually be off-putting to the very people we desire to assist. It can cause them to see us as outsiders looking in and it can also cause a lack of trust. If they do not feel involved in the changes that are happening then they won't always see the benefit of said changes. They may even feel like a charity case because they believe that we view ourselves as being better than them. We want our clients to feel comfortable with they changes that we help them create in their lives so it is extremely important to first ask our clients what they need or want us to do. We typically don't think about asking for help before giving it but in reality that is the best strategy we can take when working with our clients. They know their lives and their struggles far better than we do, so they are the experts on what changes are necessary. Once we ask what they feel needs to be done we can then help them connect with the resources in their area that will be able to help make the change that they desire. This type of involvement makes people feel empowered and leads to a positive (and equal) relationship between social workers and their clients.

Way to Give (Blog Post#4)

Observe: I received the September newsletter for the Center for Child Protection via email. It stated that  so far this year they have provided 3, 957 services to children, 3, 845 services to adults, and they have administered 605 forensic interviews.

Reflect: The Center for Child Protection, not to be confused with Child Protective Services, is an invaluable asset to children who have been abused and their families. The Center does work closely with CPS, however their jobs are very different. CPS receives notice that a child is/may be being abused or neglected and responds to the call with a visit to meet the child. If it is determined that the child has been abused they then come to the Center for a forensic interview and potentially for therapy as well. 

After interning at the Center last semester I was blown away by their dedication to helping children have better lives. Every single person (employees, volunteers, and interns alike) loved being there and truly had a passion for what they were doing. It is important that children, particularly after being abused or neglected, feel safe and welcomed and the Center ensures that this is the feeling children get while embraced inside their walls. I was in the program internship which meant not only did I get to help some of the fabulous staff members with projects they were working on, such as golf tournaments and Project Graduation, but I also got to spend some quality time with the most important folks there--the kids. These children inspired me with their positive outlooks and resilience. Before going into forensic interviews children are given time at the Center to play games, build puzzles, and do other fun activities with volunteers/interns such as my self as well as with a staff member. Almost all of the children I had the pleasure of meeting were energetic, smiling, and full of life. Sometimes it was hard to believe they had been abused, in other cases the signs were more obvious, but the children did not let their difficult experiences prevent them from going on with life and meeting (and trusting) new people.  I am so proud of the work I did at the Center and I hope to be able to volunteer there again when my schedule. The Center for Child Protection is an amazing organization that is making a difference in the lives of children and their families every single day.