Reading Response #6: Whoops!

So I think the senioritis is really starting to get to me.  I did not even realize that I had not written the sixth blog post until this afternoon when I went on Blackboard.  Alas, I have returned from my mental vacation.  I am actually really glad that I did not do a blog entry that Wednesday the 19th of May, because it was that same day that our class was able to experience what was probably the best and most inspirational and informative guest speakers that the UO has ever seen.  The sad thing is, however, that I cannot remember his name and I even grabbed his card.  My purse is far too big.  I can never find anything!!  What I do remember is that he had previously worked with the PGA Tour and PeacePlayers International.

The dialogue and active way that he engaged with the class made for not only an informative session where we learned about nonprofits on an international scale, but it also opened our eyes to the social, racial, and health problems that are currently being experienced daily by millions of South Africans.  I had heard of the racial problems that previously dominated the social hierarchy of South Africa and I knew that race was still a large problem there, but I had no real knowledge of the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that is tearing lives apart.  It breaks my heart to hear what large percentages of the population are suffering, and what is even more disheartening is that among pregnant women about 38% are HIV positive (http://www.avert.org/aidssouthafrica.htm).  I so easily get wrapped up in my own problems and constantly complain to my mother that the world is ending when the amount of suffering I endure is inconsequential compared to the reality of so many South Africans.  Plus, now that I have been made more aware of the situation I can make sure that I stay informed and assist the situation, even if it is just with a few dollars here and there.

On to the inspirational part of his presentation. Wow! That is all I can really say.  That particular Wednesday I was feeling overwhelmingly uninspired about life and about attending class.  I decided to go in the end because I always feel better when I come to this class, and I have never been so pleased with a decision to attend class.  The passion and dedication that he clearly had for South Africa and for PeacePlayers International just seemed to emanate through him and he was truly on fire for the cause.  I also can appreciate his enthusiasm for wanting to combine sports with social change because it has always been an area that I have been interested in and that I had considered pursuing in my graduate and post-college life.  I have always loved playing sports and loved watching sports and my favorite part was and will always being the comradeship amongst the players and the fans.  People that may never speak to each other in the real world start high fiving and hugging and working together, and it is beautiful!!!!!

I once had a professor tell me that whenever you are having a terrible day and feeling uninspired you need only remind yourself of your heroes to be inspired.  For her, YouTube clips of Nelson Mandela provided all the inspiration she needed to get through the day.  So when life sucks and you are feeling down just pick up the work of your favorite author or check out YouTube for a little inspiration!

Reading Response #5:

The first thing I want to say is that I was beyond delighted to see that you had posted a link to NextStep Recycling under the readings for this week.  I spent a few months there earlier this year volunteering and when I saw that environmental nonprofits was the topic for this week, I immediately thought of them.  They do so much amazing work at NextStep, not only for the planet but for the community as a whole.  Many of the people I met while volunteering there were gaining a better understanding of the amount of waste that is produced whenever we throw away an electronic product that could be recycled, in addition to gaining valuable training in the use and assemblage of computers and essential job skills.  It was so wonderful to go in their every Saturday and see so many employees and volunteers working toward such a wonderful cause.  If anyone is interested in volunteering there, they have an open orientation every Saturday at 1pm with Janet Ellis who is quite possibly one of the nicest women I have ever met, and she is great at getting you to get involved with the cause.  In addition, I learned a valuable lesson about saving the planet while I was there and I was constantly amazed at all that could be recycled.  They even tear things apart just to get the little copper wiring out and recycle that.  It is awesome!  And now that companies are required to recycle their electronic devices NextStep has seen a great increase in donations, so hopefully this is a trend that can catch on.

I found the excerpt from Forcing the Spring to be most enlightening and extremely relevant in American society today.  It is true that most people think of food as an environmental issue only in its relation to pesticides and various chemicals used in agriculture; however, there are greater issues at stake that involve not only the health of the planet but also the health of the nation.  Issues of access, nutrition, and price seem to me to be the more pertinent issues when discussing food and the environment, as much attention has already been given to the issues raised by our system of mass agriculture.  There are millions of people living in veritable food deserts (an area with little or no access to foods that will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle, often found in the inner city areas with low income populations- I believe someone mentioned this is class one day) where their only options are convenience stores and fast food, and then we wonder why childhood obesity and instances of diabetes has increased so dramatically.  Not to mention the fact that when people in low income areas finally do make it to an actual grocery store they are confronted with astronomical prices for healthy, fresh produce, while at the same time they can buy a frozen pizza for a dollar!?!?!?!  What would you be more inclined to purchase if you had to feed a family of four on under $100/week?  I appreciate the discussion the author offered of the alternatives to our current system of food production such as, urban community gardens, farmers markets, and community-supported agriculture.  These all seem to be relatively inexpensive ways to bridge the health gap that exists in this country, yet I feel like there is not nearly enough attention given to these issues in the media.  Probably once every couple of months I see a fluff piece on the news about how an inner-city school created a garden and is teaching students to grow their own food, but this needs to occur on a much larger scale.

Final Paper Topic

Over the last year or so, I have become increasingly aware and disturbed by the health disparities that exist in the US between people of varying socioeconomic and ethic backgrounds.  The fact that shocked me the most was that an African American woman with a graduate degree is more likely than a white woman without a high school education to have a premature baby.  What?!?  While it would be nice if government did something in order to eliminate these disparities, and granted we are moving in a more positive direction now, I feel as though the main bulk of change in this area will come out of the nonprofit sector; specifically, from public-private partnerships.  I saw a presentation last term in my PPPM202 class from the former director of 100% Access Healthcare Initiative in Lane County, and I would love to delve more into this concept and see where the potential lies, and also where it may falter.

Reading Response #4: Making Sense of Healthcare

I found it interesting that the chapter in our book discussing healthcare, by far the largest element of the non-profit sector, seemed to be one of the shortest chapters.  I thought the author did an excellent job a summarizing the main points, but I wish there had been a more detailed discussion of the issues surrounding the non-profit status of healthcare organizations, especially hospitals.  I imagine the author kept the chapter so short because it is such a complicated issue and it is only an introductory text, but I am always fascinated with the way our healthcare system works and I would love to learn more.  I also wonder if the new healthcare legislation that has been passed is going to effect how any of the non-profit organizations run and the way they are funded.

The most disturbing fact that jumped out at me during the reading was that the total number of hospital beds in the United States declined 38 % between 1960 and 1997 (pg 103).  This seems absolutely ludicrous to me considering the fact that the amount of prison beds within the United States has more than quadrupled in that time.  This is a complete joke, or at least, I wish it were.  The most alarming aspect of this whole situation is that much of the decrease in hospital bed count has to do with the termination of programs within hospitals that are designed for long-term and rehabilitative care, or as the author calls it in the book “deinstitutionalization”.  To me it seems as though it is more of a hazard to not properly rehabilitate the mentally ill or recovering drug addicts because they are sick and can, through no fault of their own, be prone to violence and crime, further filling our prison beds.  And let’s not even get into the discussion of the rehabilitation services, or lack thereof, that is provided to those 2.2 million Americans that are currently incarcerated.

One issue that I found most pressing in the author’s discussion of healthcare was the factors that have contributed over the years to the astronomical rise in healthcare costs.  I suppose this issue is most relevant to me because every time I go to the doctor or I go to refill a prescription the cost has increased.  Over the last five years especially the quality and scope of the health and dental insurance we receive through my father’s employer has significantly decreased, while at the same time the cost continues to rise.  I understand that factors such as aging population, expensive new equipment and procedures, and the high rate of uninsured play a large role in the rising cost of healthcare, and I am not certain what the fix to this situation is myself, but I feel like there is something we are missing as a country.

In class last week I believe a few students hit the nail on the head when they began discussing the need to move to more preventative forms of healthcare, rather than waiting until something terrible has happened and having the costs be sky high.  I feel like a shift of focus like this is the only thing that is really going to solve the healthcare crisis in America.  We have got to stop being okay at being the world’s leader in medical treatment, and focus more and being the world leader in preventative care.  It seems like such an easy fix to me, but I understand that the benefits are not something that can be grasped financially, at least not right now, and for that reason the shift will probably never happen.

Reading Response #3: The Value of Education

Education is always a touchy subject with people, and rarely does it seem that people are fully satisfied with the education they have received or that their child is receiving (In the reading in Chapter Six the author mentions that only 61% of parents are satisfied with the education their children were receiving in public school, as compared to 83% of private school parents, p. 131).  Whether it be a lack of textbooks and new technology or the curriculum itself, people always seem to find something to complain about, and I cannot really blame them.  I, myself, went through the public school system my entire life and while the schools I attended were always well manicured and in predominantly white suburban areas, I still always felt that my education was somehow lacking.  From the time I was in second grade I can remember begging my parents to send me to private school (although, this was mostly due to my desire to wear school uniforms that I thought were pretty awesome).  I had this perception, and I believe many people in America still maintain this point of view, that private institutions, with their smaller class sizes and more direct teaching approach, provided a higher quality of education to their students and better prepared their students for the academic trials that lie ahead.  However, after doing the reading on education in Nonprofit Nation, I beginning to think that this assumption was not entirely correct.

The author notes on page 130, “Data on educational “inputs” would suggest an edge in favor of public schools. . . Data on educational “outputs,” however, suggest an edge for private schools”.  I find this interesting because in my mind I had always assumed that private institutions would be better in both categories, especially considering that in order to attend a private school you have to pay a yearly tuition (although, our parents paying property taxes is sort of like tuition for public school).  After doing the reading for this week I am now aware that private schools are the institutions that spend less money per student and they are also the institutions in which teachers have less stringent requirements on them to become educators.  I understand that part of this comes from the fact that there is very little government support given to k-12 private institutions and that majority of their budget comes from the tuition paid by students, but it makes the primary and secondary private school system seem like a bunch of smoke and mirrors to me.

All this being said, I still agree with the author that the availability of private educational institutions provides the public with the essential freedom to choose where they want to be educated based upon reasons of religious expression, pedagogy, and academic quality.  I also believe these institutions are essential in the urban centers that the book was discussing because the conditions of the public institutions in low-income, often high crime, urban areas can be deplorable (we have all seen Dangerous Minds, right?!).  I do not feel, however, that moving toward a voucher system or favoring charter schools is the right solution to the problem.  It seems like a great idea at first to invest directly in the students and not into the institutions that are educating them, but the voucher system especially will only serve to weaken the already suffering public school system.  Public schools receive funding not only from the property taxes of their districts, but also on a per students basis from the government.  If more students leave the public school system, then the conditions will only worsen because they will be receiving even less money than before from the government an they will be even less likely to make appropriate improvements.  The fact that we have options as Americans in where we want to be educated is fantastic, but it should not come at the expense of the ingrained right of every American child to receive an equivalent education (well, at least in theory).

A final thought, I think it is ridiculous the bias that is given to the private universities and colleges.  I understand that they were the first institutions of higher learning that helped to build this country, but with the multitude of public institutions providing solid education that we have now I think their prestige needs to be reevaluated.  My professor in public policy last term mentioned that having worked for Harvard and now the University of Oregon, he is much more likely to fail a student at the UO.  He claimed that the most difficult part about Harvard was getting in and that once you were in the grade system was so inflated that it was virtually impossible to fail a class because that would make Harvard look bad.  Doesn’t that make you feel great about all the Harvard grads that are currently serving in Congress.

Week Two Response: The Complicated Public-Private Partnership

Where to start?

I suppose I will start with the issue that made my blood boil the most while I was doing my reading and it, of course, has to do with money.  I learned about the long standing public-private partnership that exists between government and non-profit organizations, in particular health care organizations, for the first time in my Healthy Communities class last term.  It seems to work on paper that the government supplies that money and the non-profit organizations supply the services, providing the social service agencies with the freedom to handle their organizations without the added interference of government bureaucracy.  However, as O’Neill points out, there are often large inconsistencies in federal support for these programs, with some types of programs being overlooked all together.

The most alarming issue concerning these inconsistencies for me is the fact that the amount of money changes based upon changes in politics and public policy, and it has nothing to do with the changing needs of the people the programs support.  It is most unfortunate to me that this comes as no surprise to me because I expect this from the government, a system that so regularly changes based upon the wants and desires of a few in charge, rather than on the needs of society as whole.  I have felt very strongly since high school that social service organizations are essential to the proper functioning of society because in addition to providing food, shelter and emergency services, they also provide services like job training and life skill classes that provide people who have been stigmatized with confidence, while also making them into active members of our economy by providing them with jobs and income.

While federal spending on social service programs went up 770% (p83) during the 1960s and 1970s, the 1980s saw a change in federal spending with the Reagan and first Bush administration.  It is, perhaps, the Reagan administration that causes me the most grief regarding this situation, and I am glad that the author made reference to their policy and attempts to sway public opinion.  Ronald Reagan is often portrayed as the “Great Communicator”and I know many people in my life thought of him as a regal figure who epitomized presidency  (granted, I was raised by Republican Christians and spent all my free time surrounded by families of Republican Christians).  However, over the last seven or so years and especially last term in my public policy class, I learned that the Reagan administration sought to remove funding from the federal budget for social service programs and make it more a function of state, local, church and voluntary organizations.  Ronald Reagan produced this image of the “Welfare Queen”, a complete racial stereotype of an overweight African-American woman sitting on the couch, surrounded by 8 children, and watching T.V. while receiving government funds.  This flimsy “feminization” of poverty that became common practice throughout the following decades and led to a change in legislation that dramatically changed welfare policy in the 1990s.  As the author notes, in the 1990s the analysis of federal spending in the social service sector now began to place an emphasis on measurements that are more applicable in the for-profit sector.  It is so unfortunate that such stringent business requirements are placed upon organizations whose impact reaches far beyond the numbers.  An example of this that I found most moving in the book is Goodwill Industries.  “Goodwill Industries employed and trained 375,000 disabled people, welfare recipients, and ex-prisoners; their “alumni” earned $900 million in the marketplace,” (p80).  It makes you think.

Introduction to Me

What is the purpose of my blog?  It is a space for me to work out in writing the thoughts circulating in my head in response to our readings in the book, Non-Profit Nation by Michael O’Neill.  I have only recently begun volunteering for some local non-profits and I feel as though this is the direction I am supposed to move in following graduation in June.  I am hoping to gain a better understanding of how non-profits operate so that I can be involved on the board or in the administrative of a local non-profit dedicated to serving the health needs of their community.

There were many things that struck me as interesting as I began to read Chapter One in Non-Profit Nation. The first thing that struck me was the lack of a clear definition regarding exactly what it means to be considered in the third sector of our nation’s economy.  It seems strange that this sector is mostly defined by what it is not (i.e. family, business, or government) when it is the sector of our economy that contributes so much to society.  I appreciate that the other notes how there are 1.8 million registered non-profit organizations; however, the amount of organizations that are not registered with the IRS is far greater than this (~8.3 million).  I feel the non-profit sector is often overlooked by many individuals in our society because they do not believe it can make any money or that it is only an area for bleeding heart liberals.  This could not be further from the truth.  As the author notes, and I must completely agree, the small organizations not counted under tax code and the informal volunteer acts that we as citizens of the planet engage in on daily basis are far more important to the overall well being of society, and the benefits of the non-profit sector cannot simply be weighed in the amount of money it brings in.

Another area of note that I found most pressing was his discussion on page 32 regarding the general age trend of people of volunteer.  He notes that more people volunteer in the teens and twenties and in old age, but that the middle aged portion of our population only continues to decrease.  This passage reminded me of a technique that I learned in the Careers in Social Change class from my outstanding and effervescent professor Lola Bloomberg.  Lola claimed, as does Michael O’Neill, that because careers in the non-profit sector are often service oriented, they are also more physically demanding.  In order to combat this and to sustain oneself it is therefore essential to focus on self care (ie. eating right, sleeping enough, exercise, even touch).  How can you make a difference in the world if you are sleep deprived and constantly stressed and over caffeinated.  We need to be on the top of our game in order to best affect change in our society, but I think a lot of people allow this to fall by the wayside and that is why they do not volunteer during the middle years of their life.  They are too concerned with bills and various other obligations to take time to take care of themselves, and so sink into a pattern where they do not have the energy to even think about volunteering to help other people.  It is a sad cycle and one that I hope to never fall into.

Overall, I have enjoyed the first two chapters of the book and I have gained a great deal of background information regarding the sector.  I look forward to reading all the class blogs and learning from each other in this open community forum.

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