Monday, April 13, 2009

Additional website

I was looking through Dani's research and came across a website in which UNICEF helps women with FGM.

www.zonta.org/Member_Resource_Center/Committee_Materials/Status_of_Women_Service_Commit/Service/zontafgmscript.pdf

Thanks Dani

Yesterday was a liberating day.




Yesterday we shaved my moms head and got prepared for her long road with cancer. Thought maybe I would share a few pictures with you guys.

Global Girlfriend Site

While I was searching for Mothers Days gifts I came across this site that helps send money to women all over the world.

http://shop.thebreastcancersite.com/store/category.do;jsessionid=E63E3E38C8E9EB5735C5705941505F36.store-d?categoryId=2662&siteId=224

Monday, April 6, 2009

Linking UNICEF and Big Brothers Big Sisters

Working with children for the past two and half years of my life has made me find an appreciate for their lives. I don't necessarily want children of my own but to me I think it is more important to help those children who are in desperate need of an adult role model. When I was in high school I worked for Arbys and every year we did a fund raiser for BB BS at a golf course and it amazed me to see the positive improvement on these kids lives.

Now I work at a Juvenile Court and teach the areas felons how to improve their lives and teach them the right skills. One outlet that I use now is BB BS. Most of these kids have no idea what its like to have fun in their lives with out using drugs and alcohol to get them by. It is so rewarding knowing that these kids will at least give the group a try.

The way that I will link these two is based on the reasons that they started. Both groups help out children and their mothers. BB BS concentrates on helping mothers and children from low income housing or mostly single parent families. If the child lives in a low income community he is more likely to be invited to join the program. UNICEF also concentrates on helping children and mothers who are in need. I can compare the two different communities because families in developing nations are also on extremely low income housing and income. These people need the help of assistance from these groups to continue to survive.

Differences between the groups include that UNICEF concentrates on a much broader scale of children and hits a bigger area of kids. UNICEF concentrates a lot on medical reasons to help children as well and helps remove them from abuse for example. BB BS just helps out children who come from low income housing and need adult guidance and better role models in their lives. Both groups work to better the lives of people in this world that need it the most.

more on UNICEF

Unicef started in 1946 on a temporary basis but quickly grew into something people knew they would need. Always concentrating on putting needs of children first over politics. It was first developed to help children that fell victim of WWII with emergency food and health care. It also provides assistance to children and mother in developing countries. It runs on contributions from government and private donors. Unicef is run by many people around the world such as interns, workers and volunteers. Some volunteers are even young children. They try to seve children in developing countries along with their mothers. Managment and head quarters take place in New York. Some strategies they use for promotion and donations is to have children collect money on halloween for "Trick or Treat for Unicef". They as well have sponsership through world-class athletes. The target of the group is to help promote health and well being of children who need it the most. They have been helping saves lives of children and bring awarness all over the world for years.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Self Reflection on BBBS

When it comes to thinking about this organization it makes me happy. I think that we need more opportunities for youth to be involved in a positive way. Since I work in a field that is so depressing on most days and seeing again and again how youth can continue to make mistakes and have set backs its good to know that there is hope out there. I know that as a child it is possible for children to make tons of mistakes as it is part of growing up and getting to know yourself. That is why I chose this organization BB BS. I think that if at all possible children should become involved within this program because it has great benefits in the long run.

Like I've mentioned in my blogs before my goal is to help one child a year improve their lives in a positive way. I think that this organization is very useful and could benefit more than one children on a much broader scale. For the adults that work in the organization it can benefit them as well. Just knowing that someone could change the life of a child just by being their friend is so powerful. I love this group and hope that many other people do to. These are the kinds of groups that we need to see more of. Youth now a days get to caught up in doing the "cool" things like drugs and alcohol and forget that they are still kids. So since I see mostly all these kids it is nice to know that there are still outlets out there to hold on hope to.

Crystal

A deeper look into Big Brothers Big Sisters

WHO:

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a group of volunteers set out to mentor youth of America and teach them to live better lives. The "Bigs" are any adult volunteer who wants to work with youth. The "Bigs" range in all kind of backgrounds and races. The "Bigs" are ordinary people from all kinds of backgrounds from various spots in their life wanting to make a difference in the lives of a child. The only rule that Big Brothers Big Sisters has for someone who wants to be a "Big" is that they be a good role model for the children.

The "Little's" are any child between the ages of 7-15. "Little's" come from all different backgrounds as well and different race categories. No body is discriminated against when wanting to be involved in this program. The differences between the two groups would be their ages. Similarities between the two groups are matched by the interview process that happens for the "Big".

When someone wants to be involved and volunteer they go through an interview process so that way the organization can get to know the person and be able to set them up with the perfect child. The BB BS of North East Ohio sets monthly programs for the groups and daily programs as well. One of the programs are after school mentoring programs that target children grades 3 - 5 so that way they can learn that their is positive ways to handle their life. The goal of this organization is to give every child a mentor that wants one. Community programs are set out specific to the child and the adult volunteer.


WHAT:

The goals of this this organization is to partner every child that wants a mentor up with a respectful volunteer "big". I think that Big Brothers Big Sisters is similar along with other groups that want to better the lives of other young individuals in the world. For example like the UNICEF that also wants to better the lives of children. These two different groups have the same goals just on two different levels. Everyone involved in the group has the same goals and attitudes towards the subject.


HOW:

This groups goal is to target every child between the ages of 6-15 who wants a positive peer mentor in their lives that it is OK to have. The children are recommended by their parents or guardians. Mostly the children come from single parent homes and or children who live in lower class neighborhoods. The following expert is from their website on their misson and values.

Our Mission:
To foster the development of children in reaching their highest potential as responsible and caring adults. We do this by providing quality volunteer mentoring relationships with a supportive adult, and educational programs which are supervised by our professional staff.

Our Vision:
Guided by our mission and core values, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Ohio will be the premier mentoring organization for children. We will establish high standards and programs to meet the constantly changing needs of children. We will accomplish our goals throughout the organization

and will be the model against which other organizations gauge their success. We will work together to create a legacy of services to children and, in so doing, recognize and celebrate the contributions of clientele, staff, volunteers, Board members, donors and other funders.

Our Values:
For Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Ohio, children have intrinsic value. Through recognition of their potential and improvement of their lives, we build a responsible, caring future generation.

above information came from following website

http://www.bbbsneo.org/About%20Us.html

Some strategies that the group has to recruit new members and fulfill their needs to pair up every child is through advertisements and schools. Working within this organization is great for a resume and looks good on applications. For the children they can be recruited from schools or through word of mouth. Billboard signs are also seen across Ohio every where.

Crystal