No Cheese Sandwiches!

Mothers from Wilson Middle School in Albuquerque have found their voice in the civic process. Fighting a controversial measure that singles out students living in poverty, the mothers as they are affectionately called, are mobilizing in opposition to the existing school lunch policy. Under current district policy, students with a delinquent lunch account are offered a cheese sandwich, a beverage and a fruit or vegetable.  Albuquerque Public Schools high school students can charge up to two meals, middle school students up to five, and elementary students up to 10 before they receive the alternate meal.  Opponents to the policy say it unfairly penalizes students for parent transgressions.    

Parent involvement in school policy is not that uncommon.  For generations, PTA groups have shaped district-level policy. However, strong PTA groups usually reside in well-funded, economically advantaged neighborhoods. Wilson has struggled with parent involvement in a school district where approximately 98% of the student population is living at or below the poverty line. 

What makes the mothers from Wilson Middle School so unique is that they are finding their civic voice for the first time. Through the Elev8 NM initiative, an initiative of the New Mexico Community Foundation, parents at Wilson are given basic skills to become strong advocates for their students.  Parents learn basic parenting skills, develop employability skills and are trained in the art of community organizing.  Program data suggests that their parent involvement efforts are paying off.  Wilson Middle School has grown their parent involvement component significantly.  There are currently 84 parents who volunteer at Wilson, which has a population of roughly 500 students.  Research demonstrates that parental involvement is one of the greatest indicators of student success.

Close to 1000 signatures from community members and students have been collected by the mothers in their first major community mobilizing effort.  They've followed this up by attending every APS School Board meeting since January 5th to get the Cheese Sandwich policy repealed.  Many of them had never set foot in an official meeting before.  But, here they were in unified opposition to a policy that directly impacts their families.   

On Monday, the mothers will see the impact of their efforts.  The APS School Board convenes on January 26th to see if a compromise to the controversial policy can be reached.  However, a large victory has already been won.  The muted voices of the mothers now have timbre and resonance.  They have a newfound confidence that they can be change agents in their schools and in their communities and will use this confidence to fight injustice in the neighborhood.    

  

          

The Day After Christmas

Well, history has been made.  The celebration was legendary.  Many of us are suffering from the inauguration hangover (minus the consumption of cocktails).  To sum it up:  It feels like the day after Christmas.

Much like Christmas, the anticipation for yesterday's inauguration was reminiscent of my daughter's beckoning to open gifts.....3 weeks before Christmas Day!  There were many highlights to remember from President Obama's reference to the ground that has shifted beneath us to the infamous line by Rev. Lowery:  "When black is not asked to go back; when brown is asked to stick around; when yellow can be mellow; and when red can get ahead' (I'm paraphrasing here so bear with me).  Again, in true Christmas spirit the celebration was tempered with:  "We really got some work to do tomorrow!"

So now it begins.  The shiny new toys have aged a day.  The 365 day countdown begins for next Christmas and the reality has set in that we have some major challenges to deal with.  

I wonder how President Obama feels today?    

   

Martin Luther King, Jr.

........I've seen the promised land...I may not get their with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land!--Martin Luther King, Jr. 

I get the chills every time I hear Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Mountain Top speech.  The raw emotion coupled with the prophetic vision of that speech reverberates with the same clarity today as it did on the day it was delivered.  On the eve of an historic presidential inauguration, it is only fitting that we reflect on the legacy of King and his vision of a morally and socially just society.  

To me, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most powerful orator this nation has ever seen.  His ability to use his voice as an instrument of justice--moving from the soft and reassuring to a crescendo of absolute anger of injustice--made him one of the most persuasive speakers of our time.  Aside from his words, King's commitment to Ghandian methods of non-violent protest channeled a collective anger into a focused commitment for social justice.  

The 60's images of peaceful demonstration in the midst of utter chaos have left a permanent imprint on my psyche.  I often wonder if I could've turned the other cheek like other King followers did in the midst of all the hate.  I recall the now famous scene at the diner where a protester has a milkshake hurled at him or the scene where innocent protesters were doused with a fire hose. Would I have been able to keep the same commitment to peaceful demonstration in those circumstances?  An eye for an eye is the doctrine most live by in the 'hood.  With that said, the fact that King was able to harness the collective anger brought on by the historical wounds of slavery makes his story even more legendary. 

Today, people have been called to service to honor Martin Luther King's legacy.  Faith-based institutions, community-groups, school children and their families will mobilize in record numbers to beautify parks, feed the homeless, provide clothing to those in need and to lend a helping hand to our nation's elderly.  The MLK Day of Service is a fitting tribute to a man that valued service to others as the greatest gift you could possibly give.  Through service and volunteerism, we are the keepers of King's legacy to lift others up through our deeds.  

Tomorrow, as President Obama takes the oath of office, I have a feeling Martin Luther King, Jr.'s spirit will be with our 44th president at the mountain top.  The promised land still awaits. However, we as a people will get there through dedicated service and a commitment to keeping King's vision for a morally and socially just society alive.     

    

Consultant Corner: The Powerful Force of Youth Civic Engagement

Frank Mirabal is the Founder and President of Contigo Research, Policy & Strategy, a national consulting firm that focuses on issues impacting the Latino community.

One thing we learned through the 2008 Obama campaign was the importance of youth engagement.  The mobilization of our nation's youth through advocacy groups like MoveOn, through social utilities like Facebook and through serious grassroots campaigns engaged young people in the civic process like never before. Youth voice is critical in any democracy because it provides a Socratic questioning of our nation's policies and provides a necessary idealism that counters adult bar
rier-driven thought.  In other words, youth voice has a specific resonance that cannot be reproduced by adults (because we have been somewhat jaded through our encounters). 

Nationally, youth have played a critical advocacy role in immigration reform and the Dream Act. In 2006, young people turned out in record numbers in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York to voice their concerns over immigration and the unfair treatment of immigrants. In 2007, over 300 youth from 15 states advocated for the Dream Act on Capital Hill.  Grassroots campaigns for the Dream Act also turned out significant numbers of youth.  Although immigration reform and the Dream Act did not pass, the sheer volume of youth turnout at rallies nationwide signaled a shift in youth civic engagement.   

Locally, youth in my home state of New Mexico have mobilized for; the protection of water rights on tribal lands; comprehensive sex education in our public schools; the expansion of School Based Health Centers; and for increased appropriations for engaging after-school programs.  Through effective mobilization, youth in New Mexico have been a major force in the passing of the Next Generation Act--a 2 million endowment that funds positive youth development programming; the expansion of School Based Health Centers (SBHCs)--the number of SBHCs in New Mexico doubled in 2006; and the Youth Alliance Act--which promotes youth voice and requires by state statute that the Lt. Governor and Governor meet with youth-led advocacy groups at-least once per year to hear their policy agenda.

Young people are often criticized for their need for immediate gratification--whether it be through material possessions or an insatiable need to be entertained.  Some of the criticisms are justified (our nation's young people have one of the highest obesity rates in the world).  However, young people are awakening from their civic slumber (as evidenced by the Obama campaign). In fact, youth volunteerism is growing at a much faster rate than any other segment of our national population.  Youth voice is necessary to balance our democratic process.  It is also a critical component--although often overlooked-- to any community-building, policy and advocacy strategy.  

The revolution will not be televised.......It will be You Tubed, Facebooked, mass emailed and text messaged.  And guess who will be leading the charge?      

  

Consultant Corner: Why Facilitation is Important in Complex Partnerships

The news continues to be grim:  Many nonprofits will not survive the current economic crisis. Others will have to scale down their offerings to the community or will have to partner with other organizations to meet the growing needs.  Even before this recent wave of economic downturn, the pervasive culture in the nonprofit sector is one of competition for limited resources which adversely impacts collaboration and partnership development.  The reality is one organization alone cannot effectively meet the needs of a community.  However, partnerships can be incredibly difficult to manage and sometimes are not very efficient.  Hence, the need for an outside facilitator.  

The most common issue encountered in complex partnerships--or any partnership for that matter--is communication.  How do you get individuals to share information and be transparent about individual goals and objectives in the context of the broader partnership?  It begins with building relationships and trust.  A skilled, objective facilitator can navigate this process by providing a space conducive to disclosure and relationship building.  The key is to have a facilitator that doesn't have a horse-in-the-race.  An objective voice that can focus on the issues and not the people involved can help move stagnation based on personality conflicts to shared understanding and collaboration.  Not to say that it is easy.  Often times there is historical conflict that permeates deep into the institutions that individuals represent.  In extreme cases, it is important to acknowledge the wounds of the past, but quickly get to a plan for restorative justice.

Second, facilitation can help to document the process of partnership development by defining goals, timelines and key outcomes that are agreed upon by the team.  Invariably, organizations and/or individuals enter partnerships with their own goals in mind.  Some people refer to this as an agenda.  It is incredibly important to invest in the planning of mutual goals and objectives and defining what group success looks like.  Clarity in the plan, specifically around how many people need to be served; hours of operation; identifying space for activities; clear roles and responsibilities and how resources will be distributed will help in the overall management of the partnership.  Also, the documentation of the partnership will allow decision makers to reflect on past thinking when issues arise (document, document, document!)  When partnership amnesia occurs, the documentation provides a history of how decisions and agreements came to be.  

Finally, an independent facilitator allows partner organizations to share leadership and decision making in a fluid way.  Typically, a lead agency assumes leadership in partnership/coalition building which automatically sets the tone for uneven distribution of decision making.  The lead agency is viewed as the authority and not a partner in this type of design.  With an outside facilitator, all agencies are active participants in goal setting and decision making processes which engenders greater trust and builds relationships on equal ground. 

Facilitation is not an exact science.  Make sure you take the time to get referrals for quality facilitation services.  Unfortunately, bad facilitation can set you back even further, so make sure to make informed decisions when choosing a facilitator.  

    

  

 

  

Latino Parent Involvement

One of the greatest indicators of student success is the involvement of parents in their child's education.  There is a broad range of parent involvement from very passive strategies, like showing encouragement to more engaged strategies, like assisting with homework and being actively involved in the PTA.  Moreover, there is evidence that parent mobilizing--based off of traditional community organizing models--have been effective in changing school, district and even statewide educational policies. 

Recent focus groups that my colleague and I conducted with Latino high school and college students suggest that Latino parents tend to be involved with their child's education in a more passive way.   Most of the responses we received from students indicate that parents are passively involved by showing encouragement to their students--meaning that parents give positive reinforcement when their children are performing well and give tough love to their children as a way of corrective action when they are not performing well.  When asked if (Latino) parents were providing help with homework or involved in a more engaged way the most typical response was "no."  So, what is the reason behind a general lack of engaged parent involvement?  The language barrier.

Most of the students we interviewed had monolingual, Spanish speaking parents that had difficulty interpreting homework assignments and correspondence sent home by the school. However, the most significant barrier to engaged parent involvement cited by students was the absence of Spanish speaking teachers and administrators at their schools.  One student suggested:  "My mom really would like to be involved at my school, but she has a hard time communicating with the teachers there.  They don't understand what she is saying, so she just stopped going (to the school)."  

Obviously, there are many other barriers to engaged parent involvement, such as stricter district-level school security measures; overwhelmed parents working 2-3 jobs to support their families; a failure of some Latino parents to learn English; and parental apathy.  However, the issue underscores the need to have more bilingual educators and administrators, specifically in schools with traditionally large populations of Latino students.  In line with President-elect Obama's plan at merit-based teacher pay, we need to look at providing incentives for bilingual educators and administrators to work in high-density Latino schools.  Even further, we need to promote bilingualism for incoming teachers entering our post-secondary institutions.  The Latino population in America is growing at an astounding rate.  This coupled with a global economy, places greater need for bilingual and multilingual workers.

So, hopefully we do not lose sight of the need for more bilingual educators as we seek to reform our public education system.  

    

No Child Left Behind????

As the auto industry rides into D.C. seeking yet another tax payer line of credit, the temperament of the American public for corporate bailout grows increasingly thin.  An article in today's NY Times describing the deplorable health conditions and relative lack of concern from our government to provide meaningful support to Hurricane Katrina victims 3 years after the fact only exacerbates public discontent.  What about these forgotten youth who are trying to find even the slightest bit of normalcy in their lives?  Has our collective short-term memory allowed us to forget that if we are going to bail anyone out shouldn't we be focusing on the innocent victims of this recent natural disaster?  

If we don't respond to the critical health care needs and provide a basic safety-net for victims of Katrina, like the article suggests, "what you're looking at is our future juvenile justice--our prison population.  According to a study by Columbia University, 42 percent of the children who lived in trailers laced with dangerous levels of formaldehyde had allergic rhinitis or an upper respiratory infection.  Additionally, more than half of children ages 6-11 had a learning problem, yet had to wait as long as 2 years to be tested for learning disabilities.  

 No Child Left Behind!!??