Response to my Obama Education Speech Post

I think the "stay in school" speech can be seen as a form of propaganda--some see schools as mechanisms for recreating inequality across generations and the way the poor/those with least power are taught that school failure and their low socioeconomic status is their own fault, not the fault of public policies and those who hold on to their own privilege so they can pass it on to their own children. Schools can become a way to socially certify and justify people's low s.e.s.--and to get children to participate in their own oppression.

These ideas probably won't be part of the discussion when students are given an opportunity to discuss and critically evaluate the President's message in class.

I'm with you on the way the Post overlooks young people's ability to think for themselves. On the other hand, when it comes to schools, how much can any of us think for ourselves when we were socialized within them 5 days a week for 16+ years to believe in their goodness and necessity.

My professor from college makes a valid point. However, I dont think we should underestimate life experience and the "non-school" arena as parts of our lives that inform the way we think and that shape our values. I can say with near 100% certainty that the curriculum in my public school did not lead me to have the values that I have today. My social studies classes, history classes and civics classes did not indoctrinate me with liberal propaganda. Rather I attribute my values largely to my life experience and family. For this reason, I do think that young people can think for themselves. Students have organized against systematic oppression at public schools, so I would not underestimate their capacity to think and act for themselves.

Strengthening Civic Participation

Do you have thoughts on how to improve civic participation? Send in your thoughts at the end of this post.

2009 Best Places to Work in the Government

This morning, the Partnership for Public Service released the 2009 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government. The rankings released today evaluate employee satisfaction across government in 278 federal agencies and subcomponents. Overall, employee satisfaction is up 2.4 percent, from 61.8 to 63.3, with 71 percent of agencies improving their Best Places to Work index score since the last rankings in 2007.

Top honors for large agencies go to:

1) Nuclear Regulatory Commission
2) Government Accountability Office
3) National Aeronautics and Space Administration
4) Intelligence Community
5) Department of State
6) Environmental Protection Agency
7) Department of Justice
8) General Services Administration
9) Social Security Administration
10) Department of Commerce

Top honors for small agencies go to:

1) Surface Transportation Board
2) Overseas Private Investment Corporation
3) Congressional Budget Office (tie)
3) Office of Management and Budget (tie)
5) National Science Foundation

The 'we-ness of politics'

Harry Boyte makes the case that President Obama has backed away from his message of 'we are all in this together to make change.' Obama's campaign was always about change that cane be made by all but now he has since been about him making changes through government:

On Wednesday night, at the news conference marking the first 100 days of his administration, Obama was asked what he intends to do as the chief shareholder of some of the largest U.S. companies. "I've got two wars I've got to run already," he laughed. "I've got more than enough to do."

The change has partly reflected the administration's adjustment to the fierce pressures of the Washington press corps. As Peter Levine noted as early as December 2006, reporters and pundits assumed that Obama's words about citizenship and involvement "were just throat-clearing." Journalists and pundits constantly demand that he explain what he is going to do to solve the problems facing the country.

But the general citizenry outside of government is not composed of innocent bystanders. In our consumer-oriented society, we too easily assume that government's role is to deliver the goods. Dominant models of civic action, as important as they are -- deliberation, community service, advocacy -- fit into the customer paradigm, as ways to make society more responsive and humane. The older concepts at the heart of productive citizenship -- that democracy is the work of us all, that government is "us," not "them" -- have sharply eroded.

Peace Corps Resumes Rwanda Program

After 15 years of absence, the Peace Corps returns to Rwanda. The Peace Corps left Rwanda in 1993 as civil unrest ignited the country.

Women Find Empowerment Through Digital Storytelling

At the 53rd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) held March 2 to March 13, in New York City, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) sponsored "Digital Storytelling," an event that highlighted the use of digital media as a powerful platform that gives survivors of gender-based violence the ability to determine how they are viewed and how their personal accounts are told. Reuters reports:

Through digital storytelling, youth and adults are able to use existing media tools to record, produce, and share stories from their lives in ways that promote artistic expression, health and well being, and justice.

"Digital Storytelling is a medium used to bring the stories of women's lives to the foreground through both video imaging, and still pictures," said John Torres, senior public relations manager for ADRA International. "These short productions express the many and varied experiences and challenges that women around the world face on a day-to-day basis."

Community Organizing is 'Sexy'

The New York Times did a spot light on community organizing and the rising popularity of it as a job preference among young people (I am sure Obama had something to do with it):

A job that has not been all that alluring to college graduates is in resurgence, according to leading community organizers and educators. Once thought of as a destination for lefty radicals committed to living lives of low pay, frustration and bitter burnout, community organizing is now seen by many young people an exciting career.

With their jobs, students envision helping communities address urgent issues — economics or the environment, education or social justice — while developing leadership skills. And these jobs, students say, can actually lead to ... well, you know.

But the turnabout in popularity is still quite remarkable. Two years ago, 250 applied for 26 paid summer community organizing internships at the Center for Community Change in Washington. Last summer, there were 1,200 applicants for 65 paid internships and fellowships.

Certainly, there is an Obama effect. Through his presidential campaign and in his memoir, “Dreams From My Father,” Mr. Obama managed to glamorize and, more important, explain community organizing. He wrote about meeting with people in their homes and churches, listening to their stories, the failures and small victories.

Congres Passes the 'Give Act'

Congress passed the GIVE Act, also known as the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which will expand AmeriCorps by 170,000 positions and direct much of the service toward three national priorities: reducing the high school dropout rate, conserving energy, and providing health care to needy people. Here is some analysis.

Here are some articles:
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
Reuters
AP
Chronicle of Higher Education
Chronicle of Philanthropy

Women in American Politics

This is a great summary of the numbers of women in American politics.

What to do Besides Start a Non-profit

Here’s a nice list of things you can do instead, excerpted from About.com:

1. Seek fiscal sponsorship from an existing NGO

2. Volunteer for a nonprofit that is doing something similar to what you have in mind.

3. Start a local chapter of a national non-profit.

4. Put together an unincorporated association to fulfill your mission without seeking tax-exempt status.

5. Form or join a giving circle.

6. Set up a donor-advised fund which makes grants to charitable causes of your choice.

7. Become a social entrepreneur by forming a for-profit social venture to accomplish your social goals.

8. Organize support for a cause at an online social networking site.

(HT: Blood and Milk)

The Serve America Act

Last night, the president spoke strongly and explicitly in favor of the Kennedy-Hatch Serve America Act, which would increase the number of paid national and community service positions and increase the quality of those positions.



Peter Levine has more to offer about this bill.

A Response to Adam Fletcher's Post on "Real Participation"- Humanitarianism and the Role of Young People in Conflict

I would like to take a moment to respond to Adam Fletcher's blog post entitled "Real Participation"

I wrote my master's dissertation on "Humanitarianism and the Role of Young People in Conflict: Challenges to the Current Normative Framework of Children's Participation." The central thesis argues that many humanitarian organizations do not recognize how young people in the global south participate in the context of structural, armed, and political conflict and that this non-recognition is rooted in organizations’ conceptual framework for understanding childhood. Organizations operate based on a set of assumptions that interpret childhood as a time to develop towards adulthood, a stage separate from the adult realm, and a period associated with certain behavioral characteristics. Although organization-sponsored participation emerged within the context of a rights based approach and the ‘localization’ of development, which suggest sensitivity to local contexts and to the agency of young people, actual participation has largely been limited by these conceptual assumptions about childhood. Young people’s participation that challenges these assumptions is not recognized or even delegitimized by organizations. I think this arguement can apply to most organizations that work on inclusion of children in programming through participatory activities.

I do not think that Adam Fletcher and I disagree, but what I am concerned about is that the paradigm in which children's participation occurs is one that is based on certain assumptions about childhood, whereas children are often forced due to structural problems to participate in a way that is not acceptable to society. For example, many young people who are exposed urban or gang life have had many life experiences that are beyond childhood, they have had adult experiences, and these experiences cannot be discredited when working with them to achieve a sense of liberty. I came to understand this fully when working with high school students at Ballou High School in D.C. Many could not focus on education because they had to support their families by working. Thus, when we worked with them on civic engagement projects, they wanted to be treated as adults who came up with adult solutions. For example, they wanted to change the school cell phone policy because many needed their cell phone in case of an emergency at home (which were frequent) or for work after school. However, the administration did not understand this because they did not see the students as having adult experiences, but rather as child becomings. (Ultimately, a deal was brokered)

For this reason, rather than a consultative process, or training programs that are based on who the child will become rather than who the child already is, participation should include direct action and voice so that young people can use their life experiences as a point of departure for change. And that is why real participation means recognition of how people already participate and using that to enhance their own personal liberty. It is a necessary first step for participation to ensure that we recognize young people for who they are not what they will become.

Participation in Development

Participation and empowerment are buzz words in the field of development. Bill Easterly gives us some insight:

The main function of buzzwords such as “participation” and “empowerment” is to paper over the ugly reality that there will be some battles of conflicting interests between “the poor and disadvantaged” and other more powerful groups like the World Bank and rulers of poor countries -- and that the poor will almost always lose such battles.

What is real participation? Sadly, I agree with Easterly that participation as done by development and humanitarian organizations is often just another check mark to go through as we work in other countries. Real participation means recognition of how people already participate and using that to enhance their own personal liberty.

Change.org

Go to change.org to vote for your favorite ideas! 

Some more on the Youth Vote and Minorities

The exit polls on the web do break down the vote by age and race. Among blacks, Obama won about the same among all age groups. Among Hispanics, Obama did 8% better among the young than the old, and among whites, Obama did 14% better among the young than the old.

There was an interaction between age and race: many more of the young voters were ethnic minorities. Among blacks and Hispanics, there were three times as many under-30's as over-65's. (By comparison, among whites, there were more old voters than young voters.)

So the age effect partly arose from lots of young ethnic minorities coming out to vote.

(HT: Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science)

More on the Youth Vote

CIRCLE reports:

• Youth Turnout Rate Rises to at least 52% with 23 million voters under 30
• 3.4 Million more Young People vote than in 2004
• Young Voters Account for at least 60% of Overall Increase
• 18% of All Voters were Young

Youth Voter Turnout

CIRCLE says:

• About 22-24 Million Young Americans went to the Polls: Up by at Least 2.2 Million from 2004
• Young voters favor Obama over McCain 66% to 32%
• 18% of all voters were young
  

New Era Colorado

I want to call attention to this new group and movement in Colorado that is "dedicated to reinventing politics for our generation through innovative social and political action": New Era Colorado.

"We believe that our country is on the verge of the next progressive era--a new era brought by a new generation. That generation--the Millennial Generation--is the most diverse and progressive in the history of our country and will prove to be the most powerful political force since the baby boomers. The numbers show it: By the year 2015, we will make up one-third of the US electorate."

Obama and McCain: Essays on Civic Engagement in Teaching Tolerance Magazine

On the brink of the presidential election, candidates John McCain and Barack Obama call America's youth to action and appeal for more community service in exclusive essays written for the Fall 2008 issue of Teaching Tolerance magazine. The magazine, which was released today, is being distributed free of charge to more than 400,000 educators nationwide.

Barack Obama writes in, "Choices for a Rising Generation:"

So at this historic moment, we must ask our rising generation to serve their country as Americans always have — by working on a political campaign or joining the military, by doing community service or relief work abroad. Because that's how real change has always come — from ordinary people coming together to do extraordinary things; from all those, young and old, black, white, and brown, who were willing to do what was risky and what was hard and put their shoulders to the wheel of history, and turn it towards opportunity and equality and justice for all."

John McCain writes in "A More Peaceful and Prosperous World:"

Young people understand the power that the political process wields as a force for change, and they are actively engaged in harnessing that power to bring about change for their families, their communities and their world. I see, in the efforts and enthusiasm of America's youth, that our nation's best days are ahead of us. I hear the message of young people loud and clear, and as President, I will honor the obligation of today's leaders to leave the next generation a more peaceful and prosperous world than the one we have today.

What strikes me about these two essays is the assumption that the candidates appear to know and understand the wide range of issues that young people are concerned about. The issues that are important to young people vary drastically, along party lines, by age (the concerns of people in high school are not the same as recent graduates etc.), and along personal ambitions. Thus, it is not fair to group young people together and assume that they have the same needs.

Second, there is a difference between listening to young people's voices and actually implementing their ideas. The former is represented in McCain's closing statement more so than in Obama's. McCain "hears" the voices of young people (the question is if this listening is selective) but will he incorporate policy ideas formulated by young people? Obama appears to make more of an appeal to young people in his closing statement, asking them to participate (this could come off as slightly condescending).

Lastly, neither candidates make reference to the young people who do not and cannot participate in "conventional" ways such as politically or doing community service. I am referring to the young people who must work to support their families, those who come from broken homes and are preoccupied with making ends meet in their own lives. They too participate, just not in the traditional sense of the phrase civic engagement. The candidates should not look down on these young people and discredit their participation, but acknowledge their resilience and support their needs as well.

Obama and McCaine on Higher Education and Service

An estimated 44 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 will be eligible to vote in the upcoming election, according to Rock the Vote. Of those 44 million, 17 million are voting-age college students, a large percentage of whom have ranked college costs and worries about student loans and their ability to pay for their education as among their top concerns. As a result, both McCain and Obama have made it a point to address issues of concern to college-age voters.

Both presidential candidates support increases in federal Pell grants, arguing for Pell grant award amounts that better keep up with the rising costs of college. As U.S. senators, McCain and Obama both voted in favor of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act last fall, which increased the maximum Pell grant award from $4,050 to $5,400.

While federal Pell grants target the neediest and lowest-income students, McCain and Obama have also attempted to address the needs of a college student population at large -- the 18 million students who enroll in college each year, and the 7 to 9 million who apply for federal financial aid.

Obama would like to see a scaling back of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), which allows borrowers to take out their federal parent and student loans from a third-party private lender and is currently used by the majority of families who rely on federal college loans to help finance their children's college education.

Instead, Obama has thrown his support behind the Federal Direct Loan Program, through which parents and students obtain their federal college loans directly from the Department of Education. Obama contends that the Federal Direct Loan Program is a less costly option for both borrowers and taxpayers, since the government isn't required to pay subsidies to third-party lenders as in the FFEL program.McCain, on the other hand, backs an expansion of the FFEL program.

Both McCain and Obama propose additional financial help for those students who participate in public service programs. McCain wants to expand the Teach for America program, which places college graduates in low-income school districts after an accelerated teacher-certification process.

Obama, for his part, has outlined a plan for a $4,000 education tax credit as part of his American Opportunity Tax Credit program. To qualify for the tax credit, a student enrolled at a public college or university must complete 100 hours of public service.

Two additional proposals round out Obama's higher education platform: a simplification of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a community college partnership initiative.