Daily Archives: May 14, 2020

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Tara Lee, a nurse at Providence Sacred Heart, recounts a time when "I didn't feel safe going to work."

When nurse Tara Lee went to work on March 14, she felt like there was an enemy coming that she wasn't prepared to fight.

Lee, diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and depression, could feel her anxiety building up. It wasn't just that Spokane confirmed its first cases of coronavirus that day. It wasn't just that the week had been a whirlwind of news about school closures, canceled events and deaths adding up in Seattle.

What overwhelmed her was logging into a patient's chart and seeing a banner that said her patient might have symptoms of the coronavirus. There weren't enough resources to test for it. And having recently recovered from pneumonia, Lee felt vulnerable.

"I didn't feel safe going to work," Lee says.

She hasn't been back to work at Providence Sacred Heart hospital since. She had to call in sick for her next shift because, as she puts it, "I woke up with the worst depression I've ever had." For weeks she took medication every night just to be able to sleep. She repeatedly called a suicide hotline. It took weeks for her to feel like herself again.

Since the pandemic hit Washington, most front-line workers in health care, mental health and public safety have been expected to keep working despite the risks to their own health. Yet, as the public looks to those workers to protect them during the pandemic, many don't feel protected themselves. And local experts say it's taking a toll on their mental health.

While Spokane hasn't seen the mass deaths and overrun hospitals that have traumatized health care workers elsewhere, there could be "between 2 million to 3 million" Washingtonians whose behavioral health will be adversely affected by the pandemic in the coming months, projects Kira Mauseth, a clinical psychologist and instructor at Seattle University. And front-line workers, she says, remain "uniquely exposed" to situations causing anxiety, stress, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"There are higher risks any time we're talking about a situation where personal safety might be threatened," Mauseth tells the Inlander.

THE UNKNOWN

In 2011, two years after Lee became a nurse, she'd begun to lose weight and have trouble sleeping. When her friends pulled her aside and urged her to get help, she did. But she didn't tell her co-workers.

"There was so much shame and guilt surrounding my depression because I had such a good life," Lee says. "I didn't feel like I deserved to be depressed."

Then she started developing anxiety. She was diagnosed with a panic disorder, a type of anxiety disorder that causes panic attacks. As a nurse, she'd watch patients die. She'd talk to parents who just lost their child. Yet, through the years she realized she could manage her anxiety with therapy and the right medication. Usually, however, her anxiety is the worst when it's tied to her own physical safety driving in cars, heights, wind storms.

And that's what was different about COVID-19, she says. Weeks before that day on March 14, she had pneumonia. So when coronavirus came to Spokane, she didn't know if she could protect herself.

"Now I'm back at work with compromised lungs, and I'm working with co-workers who were also compromised," she says.

As she tried to recover from her depression, she would see the signs around town thanking health care workers and calling them heroes. And that made her feel guilty.

"A huge part of my depression was my guilt for not being on the frontlines," she says. "Every time I saw things that they were doing for health care workers I would start crying. I was like, 'I should be there for my team.' I felt so guilty."

Ryan Pursley, an emergency medicine physician in Spokane, says he relates to what Lee might have felt in mid-March. He's used to compartmentalizing the disturbing things he sees in the emergency room and working under intense stress. But the coronavirus felt different.

"That fear of the unknown was a big factor for everybody," Pursley says. "If you know what it is and what you're dealing with, you go into normal work mode and deal with it. Not knowing how contagious it was, how much it was going to accelerate, all those unknowns were very stressful."

After a while, Pursley says, he came to accept that this is the new normal at work. But he still worries about spreading it to his family. As a precaution every day, he changes his clothes in the garage multiple times and showers before seeing his family. Some health care workers and firefighters have isolated themselves completely from their family.

"As far as the fear of catching something, I've never felt that level as with the coronavirus," Pursley says.

On top of that, front-line workers have lost coping mechanisms to manage their stress, just like the rest of the population. Similarly, the restriction on elective surgeries cost many local health care workers their jobs.

"Not only has their ability to manage stress been compromised," says Dan Barth, director of business development for Inland Northwest Behavioral Health, "but they've been enduring financial duress just like everybody else is."

THEY HAVE EACH OTHER

Patients may not come in seeking medical care for coronavirus at the Inland Northwest Behavioral Health (INBH) intake department. But the workers there are on the frontlines of the crisis nonetheless, says Julie Hall, director of intake for INBH.

In isolation at home, people may be too paranoid to leave the house and get their medication. That can lead them to INBH, where employees wearing cloth masks screen patients at the door. Lately, the psychiatric treatment center has seen a surge in acute psychosis, with a 12 percent increase in patients involuntarily committed there in the last six weeks, Hall says.

"We're not designed like a medical hospital to treat patients," she says. "But the exposure is still there."

And experts expect behavioral health issues in Washington to increase over the next year. It's similar to any natural disaster, says Mauseth, the clinical psychologist in Seattle. Except the pandemic keeps happening.

Mauseth projects it to follow a pattern over the course of the year. In March, it was common for people to feel anxiety or panic about the unknown. Now, it's common for people to act out becoming aggressive, using drugs or breaking the law or act "in" with increased feelings of hopelessness. She expects rates of depression to increase over the next three to six months, and suicide rates and domestic violence to subsequently increase as well. By March 2021, we might see behavioral health impacts get back to normal, if the coronavirus cooperates, of course.

That makes behavioral health providers as important as ever. And while some moved to phone appointments only, that was never an option for Compassionate Addiction Treatment, a nonprofit in downtown Spokane.

"If we closed, our clients would not have access to us," says co-founder and recovery program manager Hallie Burchinal.

Much of their clientele are people who are homeless, she says, and other services for the homeless have shut down. Yet working every day around people has brought up feelings of anxiety that Burchinal says she hasn't experienced in years.

Co-founder Trudy Frantz says they have enough trouble finding time to treat all their clients, let alone think of their own mental health.

"We talk to each other," she says. "We might step outside and have a rough time."

HELPING THE HELPERS

Maintaining mental health for front-line workers isn't just important on an individual level, says Keri Waterland, division director of behavioral health and recovery for the Washington Health Care Authority. It's also important to ensure medical and behavioral health systems respond properly to the coronavirus crisis overall. And there's a simple reason for that, she says.

"Folks who are not able to feel supported are not going to be able to do a great job of supporting another individual," Waterland says.

RESOURCES

24/7 Regional Crisis Line: 1-877-266-1818

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Trevor Lifeline (LGBTQ): 1-866-488-7386

Crisis Text Line: 741741

Mauseth says things like reasonable work shifts, adequate rest and access to mental health providers can all help front line workers. But what may help the most as they battle this virus might be accurate information. That means knowing what to expect, knowing what's happening with personal protective equipment and having the proper training.

"It helps with providing a sense of power and empowerment when you know what you should be doing and what you need to be doing," Mauseth says.

After that day on March 14, when everything hit her at once, it took Lee a few weeks to feel better. The first time she fell into depression years ago she tried to deny it and hide it from others. This time, she says, she did the opposite.

"What helped me so fast this time was admitting it, acknowledging it, and being able to talk to people I trusted about it," Lee says.

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How the pandemic impacts the mental health of local front-line workers - Pacific Northwest Inlander

As millions across the U.S. prepare to return to work and maybe, a level of normalcy the phrase, Were all in this together, heard constantly in the media, turns out to be both true and untrue. Yes, the pandemic is a global experience. But its also very much an individual enterprise.

Your race, age, socioeconomic status, where you live and whether or not children are in the house all have a dramatic impact on how youre responding to the pandemic. For many, aside from the isolation, life has changed little. But others have lost family, friends, a paycheck or a business. For some of them, any sense of security has vanished.

Much has been written about the need for personal protective equipment, or PPE. But now, as we face reentry, its time to develop our EPE emotional protective equipment. And theres no better time than May when the National Alliance on Mental Illness observes Mental Health Awareness Month to begin the conversation.

As health and medical educators at Michigan State University, we research, counsel and teach about wellness, resiliency and support, particularly for vulnerable populations. After a tragedy, whether natural or man-made, we know that an increase in stress, anxiety, depression, substance use or post-traumatic stress disorder often follows. But there are things individuals can do to help themselves, and things organizations can do to help others. Lets look at a few of them.

We can practice skills rooted in stress management, mindfulness and self-compassion. First, we must recognize the current circumstances are legitimately stressful. Exercising, eating right, regulating sleep and keeping a routine as best you can will strengthen your body and mind to manage these very real stressors.

Next, we must practice self-kindness. If youre an adult, youve already dealt with uncertainty and survived. Perhaps youve even thrived. Thinking I cant cope and This is too much for me not only makes you feel worse; the thoughts are usually incorrect. Instead, research suggests that talking to yourself the way a friend would talk to you, with accurate and helpful phrases reduces anxiety. Say to yourself: Ive been through scary and uncertain things in the past and made it through. Or These past few weeks and months have been filled with uncertainty, but Im still surviving.

Another strategy that works: Find distance between yourself and your thoughts, the essence of mindfulness. For example: When experiencing an anxious thought, notice it, name it, then release it. You dont need to buy in to the thought; instead, stay focused on the present moment.

Granted, its easy to get pulled into worrying about the future, or for that matter, dwelling on the past, particularly while bombarded by anxious thoughts or negative news. Truth is, no one knows whats going to happen over the next few months. Staying in the present helps you detach from depressing or anxiety-provoking thoughts. In turn, youll feel a greater sense of control over the here and now.

Finally, be mindful of the quality and quantity of information you take in. In uncertain times, we try to calm our fears by gathering as much information as we can. But research has found the more media we consume, the higher the toll on our mental health. Be aware of whats going on, of course but dont let yourself lose hours every day to news or social media.

Organizations can use well-known principles to help employees and clients heal. First, they have to be physically safe. If youre an employer, follow guidelines to protect them from COVID-19 as they return to work. And tell them what precautions youre taking.

Make sure employees are psychologically safe. Listen to the people who work for you. Dont dismiss their thoughts, concerns, feelings or experiences; ask them what they need. You may not be able to do everything they ask, but do what you can. Be trustworthy, transparent and do what you say youre going to do.

Foster collaboration, mutuality, empowerment, voice and choice. Some decisions, like following safety procedures, are not optional. But provide choices whenever possible and give a voice to everyone. Recognize, particularly during reentry, that not everyone will be back to normal at the same time. By sharing decision-making with your employees, an organization can empower its workforce and promote a safe and collaborative environment, even during a pandemic.

Finally, acknowledge cultural, historical and gender issues. Crises such as this are typically hardest on groups already marginalized. Real voice, influence, power and equity for minorities and women are especially critical right now.

The collective trauma of the pandemic is not yet behind us. The messy prospect of reopening and processing is ahead. We cant predict precisely whats next, but we can fortify our collective resilience and mental health. As individuals, we can develop our emotional protective equipment. As institutions, we can support our people. As a society, we can reflect on the gross inequities highlighted by the crisis and rally around the worthy cause of addressing them.

[You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read The Conversations newsletter.]

Continued here:

As reopening begins in uncertain coronavirus times, you need emotional protective equipment, too - The Conversation US

MAY 14, 2020

THREE MUSLIM GIRLS two sisters and their cousin stood in the sunshine on the grounds of the Diggi Palace Hotel in Jaipur, where the worlds largest literary festival took place over five days in late January. All around them, young people streamed into the sprawling compound, before a pandemic changed the world, girls in skinny jeans and sunglasses, college boys with a casual swagger. Friends huddled together for selfies, then swept across terraces and lawns in the tens of thousands to join Delhis literary establishment, Mumbai socialites, provincial Rajasthani gentry, readers, writers, academics, and international visitors to listen to some of the best minds in India and the West deliberate the issues of our times. Who are we? What has become of our world? Do we have any recourse? These anxieties prevailed against an array of programming about war, culture, casteism, Gandhism, climate change, big tech, poverty, history, fiction, poetry, and politics.

Shazia Khan, the elder of the two sisters, a radiant young woman with a passionate manner of speaking, was a B.Tech student at a local engineering college many of the students I spoke to planned a future in technology, pursuing the same B.Tech, or Bachelor of Technology, degree. Shazia had come to attend a talk by a fashion designer to the Bollywood stars, Manish Malhotra, whose couture draws on traditional Indian craftsmanship. Shazia herself wore a leopard-print hijab of multi-colored hues. Her cousin, a student of Urdu literature, let her thick, wavy hair cascade down her shoulders. I wondered at the difference between them. The decision to wear hijab was a personal one in their family, Shazia explained. I asked why she had chosen to wear one, wanting to understand her attachment to the traditional head covering since it was paired with modern attire a quilted jacket and leggings.

These are fraught times in the secular republic of India. Just a month before this years Jaipur Literature Festival, the ruling Hindu nationalist party passed a controversial amendment to the nations citizenship law, fast tracking Indian citizenship to undocumented immigrants from three neighboring countries as long as they are not Muslim. The amendment has been condemned by opposition parties as a violation of Indias constitutionally-defined secular identity. Indias Muslim minority 200 million people fears the amendment is part of a larger government initiative to deprive them of their rights. Deadly violence erupted in New Delhi in February, instigated by supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A proud Hindu nationalist, schooled in right-wing ideology since boyhood, Modi conveys his anti-Muslim sentiments in blatant code. You can tell who troublemakers are by the clothes they wear, he has said, in a clear attempt to other Muslims.

When I asked Shazia about what her hijab meant to her, she looked at me with luminous brown eyes and said in the most heartfelt manner, It is my identity. I understood. I understood in an immediate, emotional way that is perhaps the most powerful way to apprehend anything. Her answer prompted me to reflect on my own sense of self. Why was I wearing a bindi on my forehead? It wasnt really a part of my identity. I had left India as a child and grown up in Connecticut, where my familys cultural traditions withered like neglected plants in the suburban landscape. Returning to India, to a quiet provincial city like Jaipur, I felt closer to the languorous atmosphere of my childhood than I did in a teeming city like Mumbai. Here in Jaipur, through my scarlet bindi, I imagined I could reclaim the self I had left behind.

In a world marred by upheaval, identity becomes a central dilemma. The collapsed colonial empires of the 20th century created large populations of rootless immigrants and refugees who transformed the Western world. In its early years of independence, India struggled to remake itself, as two centuries of British tyranny had left the nation impoverished, illiterate, and barely industrialized. When the country was torn apart in 1947 to create Pakistan, over three million Hindus and Muslims were killed or went missing, and at least 18 million more were displaced in the largest forced migration in human history, according to new research by Harvard South Asia Institutes Partition Project, which revises previous estimates significantly upward. This was the bloody birth of modern India. Some 70 years later, the country has sunk to Modi, who is sowing religious discord to amass political power.

Since its inception in 2006, the Jaipur Literature Festival has become an unexpected occasion for national self-examination. Were making sense of our changing times, making sense of our fractured society, the writer Namita Gokhale told me over tea in the inner courtyard of the noblemans palace that serves as the festivals home. An accomplished novelist and independent publisher, Gokhale co-directs the festival with the Scottish historian William Dalrymple, a longtime resident of India. Collaboration has been the key to their success, she said, also mentioning the festivals producer Sanjoy Roy. Last year, crowd size swelled to half a million people, surpassing Woodstock. Young people, ravenous for knowledge and new ideas, accounted for more than half the visitors. Indeed, India is a young country half of the nations 1.3 billion people fall under the age of 25.

For provincial youth, I imagined, entry to the festival might feel like slipping through the looking glass into a space where worlds collided India and the West, past and present. The palace compound was festooned with dazzling Rajasthani decorations. Traditionally dressed vendors dispensed snacks and tea, evoking rural India, the artistry of the environment recalling an old-fashioned fair or wedding. Meanwhile, speakers brought in a breadth of knowledge and brilliance, opening up a multitude of new horizons.

Although Indian authors, journalists, and intellectuals dominated the programs, almost every major contemporary writer in the world has appeared under Jaipurs colorful tents: Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, J. M. Coetzee, Colson Whitehead, Patrick French, Ben Okri, Orhan Pamuk, Jhumpa Lahiri, Mohsin Hamid, and Michael Ondaatje, among others. In 2015, V. S. Naipaul publicly reconciled with his protg Paul Theroux at the festival after a bitter 19-year feud. Salman Rushdie was kept away from a visit in 2012 by threats of assassination from the Muslim underworld.

Gokhale recognizes that cross-cultural dialogue can pollinate exciting ideas and connections. But, for her, the festivals significance lies in the interrogation of India by Indian writers and thinkers. I didnt want this to be a Club Med for Western writers to come in and tell us about ourselves, Gokhale said. Were looking for ourselves in our own mirror.

At the festivals opening ceremony, held under an enormous tent on the front lawn, Gokhale began by welcoming an audience of a couple of thousand people in Hindi. I was surprised, accustomed to Indians speaking English in the presence of foreigners and the elite. Gokhales welcome in her native tongue was a natural way of asserting her identity, signaling to Western visitors they were being given seats at Indias table. Her commitment to Indian languages and literatures is reflected in a thread of popular vernacular-language programs at the Festival showcasing regional writers. After a brief address in Hindi, Gokhale switched to English.

The Festival has become an incredibly influential platform in India, a local TV journalist told me as we listened to Gokhale. We were perched above the tent on the Press Terrace, the palaces expansive rooftop, where journalists hunched over their laptops. Dalrymple had told me that the festival was originally an offshoot of a local heritage event, and in its first year, it attracted only a handful of tourists. But it quickly developed a reputation as a showcase for the best Indian and Indian-American writers, flourishing alongside a sophisticated new publishing industry, which emerged during Indias economic boom at the turn of the millennium. This year, 35 literary festival directors from around the world converged on Jaipur to study the workings of the literary juggernaut. Everyone wanted to speak here, the journalist said, knowing their words might be transmitted around the country.

The chief minister of Rajasthan state, Ashok Gehlot, who lit the ceremonial lamp to inaugurate the festival, told reporters he hoped authors and intellectuals would use this platform for free speech to discuss the burning issues [] and send their message across to Modi. Their collective voice of sanity might inspire a new beginning for the country, he said. Then the American ambassador, arguably the most important foreign official in India, stepped onstage for a moment to declare that literature is one of the most effective forms of cultural diplomacy, before introducing the popular writer Elizabeth Gilbert. (Gilbert proceeded to win over the women in the crowd with her stirring paean to female sexuality and cutting rebuke of marriage.)

The next afternoon, a massive crowd assembled under that same tent and spilled across the lawn, anticipating political fireworks. Shashi Tharoor a member of Parliament, prolific author, and one of Indias most outspoken intellectuals was onstage. Should religion be the determinant of nationhood? he exhorted in the clipped tones of an English aristocrat. Muslims who believed that created Pakistan. The vast majority on the Indian side said, No! Religion does not determine our identity, our nationhood!

Tharoors Congress Party, crippled by losses in the 2019 election, offers feeble opposition to Modis Hindu nationalist party. But the politician carried on exuberantly before the crowd, pointing out a fascinating semantic distinction: the Indian Constitution defines India as a territory and the Constitution as a document applying to all the people of that territory. But Hindutva the political ideology of Hindu nationalism posits that a nation is a people and the people of India are Hindus. So, is the nation of India a people or a territory? The founder of Hindu nationalism, V. D. Savarkar, had once called for the Indian Constitution to be torn up. In the 1920s, Savarkar formulated the Hindutva ideology while he languished in a draconian British prison during the dark days of colonial rule. Hindutva imagines a prelapsarian India, before the waves of Islamic invasion, where Hindus reigned supreme. Tharoor lamented that Indias current rulers Modi and his cronies were steeped in this warped worldview. This is the first time Im starting to worry about the disintegration of the country, he confessed, his bravado slipping for a moment.

At the festival, many journalists raised the alarm about Modi. Nobel Laureate and MIT economist Abhijit Banerjee steered clear of politics but still offered a brilliant lesson on good governance that was in direct contradiction to Modis heavy-handed approach: bend your ideas to people to their needs and proclivities instead of trying to bend people to your fixed ideas. Banerjee, co-winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Economics with his wife Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer, spoke of his and Duflos experimental approach to improving development programs undertaken by various Indian state governments. The reason poor children werent learning in school, they discovered in one such project, was the hallowed syllabus to which educationists unswervingly adhered. Their simple solution was to ask teachers to take a few hours each day to teach children what they most needed: those who couldnt add, should be taught to add; those who couldnt read, should be taught to read. Learning outcomes increased dramatically.

Another long-term project revealed that microfinance failed in alleviating poverty, because the abject poor used small loans to pay off debts. Banerjee and Duflo found that a better approach was to provide a poor man or woman a simple asset like a cow or a few goats along with some encouragement they took psychological needs into account which resulted in many more successful income-generating activities. India is many countries in one, Banerjee said. The key to development was devolving power to the states. Authority is an illusion, he continued. I hoped those words would reach Modis ears.

Among literature festivals of international stature, the Jaipur Literature Festival stands out for the intellectual heft of its programming. Dalrymple has compared the festival to a university pitching its tents for five days; his network of international contacts draws in many of the European and American literary prize winners. Gokhale personally designs a large number of the 250-odd programs on offer, a creative act in which she is perpetually engaged. When I met her, she was already jotting down ideas for next years panels. The Indian-American writer Akash Kapur, whose 2012 book on Indias economic transformation, India Becoming, has taken him to renowned literary conferences around the world found the quality of discussion at Jaipur exceptional. Its a festival of ideas, he said.

Programs that might read as academic, such as Intersections: Caste, Colour and Gender, could be startlingly revelatory about areas of darkness within Indian society. The journalist Yashica Dutt spoke about the shame of being born in the lowest of low castes, in the scavenger subgroup among Dalits. Being Dalit meant being Untouchable and talentless, she confessed. It is a deeply ingrained sense of inferiority. Though affirmative action programs had lifted her family out of poverty, they remained secretive about their caste identity for fear of being shunned. Dutts groundbreaking memoir, Coming Out as Dalit, grew out of conversations about equality she had as a graduate student in the United States. Stigmatized groups in India were poised for toppling hierarchies in the quest for equality, suggested feminist activist Ruchira Gupta, and the first step toward that might be publicly proclaiming ones identity.

A young woman in a maroon blazer stood to ask Dutt why she had written her book in English, to which Dutt replied that it was empowering to use a language previously monopolized by the elite. English was now being democratized across India. Later, I spoke to that young woman, a PhD student in English literature, who was writing a thesis on Dalit activism. She herself was a Dalit The inferiority is there, she conceded. I glimpsed her ruled notebook covered in neat, squared Devanagari script, and, in that moment, the gap between her lived reality as a Hindi speaker of the lowest caste and her aspiration to transcend the fissures of her disadvantage became poignantly clear.

There is a new India! journalist Rajdeep Sardesai proclaimed during a talk titled The Democracy Index. It is the most aspirational society in the history of the world more aspirational than the United States! I listened from afar, milling around in the garden. You cannot be part of the privileged elite in India and talk down to people anymore. That was true, I thought. This India, the India represented by the several hundred thousand students who poured into the festival grounds, bore little resemblance to the India my parents left behind. Many of the youth here would have once been referred to as the masses members of the lower middle class or even the poor; or low-caste, tribal, or other disadvantaged groups for whom affirmative action programs reserved 50 percent of all university seats. Entrance to the festival was free to those who registered online, so many came to lay their claim to knowledge and beauty, congregating where their parents might have once been afraid to enter.

The festivals essential power, the power of its words, lay in its influence on the youth of India. What other book festival in the world attracts over a quarter million students? India is in the midst of an intellectual boom. In the 12 years since the Jaipur Literature Festival began, 300 literary festivals have sprung up across the country and in the surrounding nations of South Asia. The desire for self-examination now appears limitless. The new festivals have knit together a vast community of writers across India, Gokhale told me, where none had existed before. I wondered how many young people the other festivals attracted. Did youth in every part of India now have access to some kind of marketplace of ideas? Those ideas might offer a defense or alternative to the impoverished, narrow-minded Hindutva ideology that the prime minister was peddling to the nation.

If Modi idealizes an antediluvian, hegemonic Hindu culture, then the youth of India aspire to capture something new new ways of seeing, thinking, articulating. One boy I spoke to marveled at the extraordinary variety of books available at the festival bookstore; he had wandered through the aisles, admiring all the books by so many foreign writers. No bookstore like it existed in all of India, he said. A college girl who volunteered with a Teach For India program that helps underprivileged students prepare for the job market had picked up ideas she could share about effective communication in English by observing festival speakers. The lesson one 18-year-old engineering student took away from the seminars hed attended was how to represent yourself.

Identity politics is the new template for India, bellowed one journalist during a talk. People now defined themselves as Hindu, Muslim, or Dalit first, he insisted. I wondered, was it true that Indians identified themselves primarily by their religion? I asked a pair of young men standing in the front lawn, behind a row of seated policemen in khaki uniform. (Security at the festival was a heavy yet unobtrusive presence.) From the boys halting English and humble appearance, I gathered they were from modest homes and wondered if they might be drawn to Modis message of Hindu empowerment. Modi is trying to make us think like that, one of them said. Hed been a supporter of Modis political party until Modi began using anti-Muslim rhetoric. He said he was driven away when Modi declared that you could identify a Muslim by his topee, using the word hat as a kind of mocking slur for skullcap. I turned to his friend. A shy boy with a smattering of beard around his jaw, he shook his head and looked down, embarrassed by my question. Were educated people, Maam.

There was a compassion and hopefulness among the youth I met that was lacking in the sharp, impassioned, and sometimes explosive onstage critiques of Modi and his inner circle. Anger and fear dominated those discussions, just as they do many conversations about Donald Trump in the United States pummeling, exhausting emotions. The young seemed to assess the situation with both a sense of justice and an air of grace. I asked Shazia Khan if she felt discriminated against in the current climate. No, she said. It was Modi who wanted to create a Hindu rashtra a Hindu nation but shed experienced no bigotry from her fellow students at college. We are united first by our humanity, she said with a brilliant smile. She and her bashful younger sister and her cousin formed a line, and I leaned in, because she had asked, Do you want to take a selfie with us, Maam? Her cousin extended her arm and tilted my phone at just the right angle to take a good picture, capturing the four of us in a single frame.

Parul Kapur Hinzen is a fiction writer, journalist, and literary critic living in Atlanta. Her writing has appeared in a number of publications including Guernica, Slate, Esquire, and The Wall Street Journal Europe.

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Can Words Help Heal a Fractured Nation?: A Visit to the Jaipur Literature Festival - lareviewofbooks

Last week, the Isle of Wight a small island on the south coast of the UK, known for its music festivals and dinosaur fossils began testing and tracing Covid-19 exposure amongst its citizens with a controversial new NHSX Coronavirus Contact Tracing App (NHS App).

Most contact tracing apps run on decentralised systems, and there are concerns about the use of centralised systems such as the one trialled on the Isle of Wight. With centralised apps, peoples health data is held in a government database that is more vulnerable to cyber-attacks and potential misuse such as state surveillance.

But would this second contact tracing app really be more secure? Are these our only two options? As the government cautiously begins to ease the lockdown in the UK, we need a clear route forward and a contact tracing app that truly preserves our privacy. Only this will ensure there is sufficient take up amongst the population to make the technology effective.

Only 40% of the Isle of Wights 141,000 residents downloaded the app.

The Isle of Wight trial didnt go smoothly. Only 40% of the islands 141,000 residents downloaded the app, and many of them reported technical issues. That might mean its curtains for the NHS App; it is increasingly likely that the UK government will switch to another app already rumoured to be in development. The most likely alternative is a less privacy-invasive model endorsed by Google and Apple, along with other governments across Europe including Germany, Italy, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland.

That means the NHS is tasked with building an application that it can get on to smartphone home screens. As weve seen in the past week, this is a very difficult challenge. There may be 8m people in the UK who dont have a smartphone at all, which means 75-95% of people who do have smartphones need to download it to get to a critical mass overall.

75-95% of people would have to download the app for the system to work.

The main challenge facing the NHS and governments around the world is that unless tracing applications are downloaded and used by the majority of a countrys population they simply wont work. And because no one is (yet) proposing that European citizens be forced to download one of these apps, people need to want to use it.

The discussion around app functionality and security typically follows that you can have richer, and more useful features, or privacy, but you cant have both. This is a myth.

That comes with its own challenges: it means the user has to always have the device turned on, and it means information cant be synced between multiple devices. On-device information cant survive wipes to the phones memory either, so they cant survive being dropped in the sink. And any features that need to be able to access lots of users data repeatedly such as algorithms that identify or predict coronavirus hotspots simply cant operate on-device. Lets take a look at the Google and Apple solution for a moment. It keeps all the information required to run contact tracing applications private to the user by storing it on the mobile device thats running the app.

The idea that you cant have both rich features and privacy is a myth.

The Google and Apple architecture will strictly control exactly what information is made accessible to any contact tracing apps developers, including NHSX. If NHSX were to build its app on this framework, it may, in future, be blocked when it wishes to release a new feature, as access to some of the information it needs to build it is subject to the approval of the tech giants. Thats why NHSX avoided this path in the first place. Remember, Apple and Google see healthcare as the next frontier and will be looking to protect the in-roads they have already made in this market.

That means that the app would gain privacy from decentralisation at the cost of the freedom to develop seemingly, too steep a price to pay.

The UK has been a pioneer in technology designs that dont compromise privacy for functionality, and its time we embraced them. Leading universities in the UK, like the Centre of Digital Economy in Surrey, alongside US partners Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, champion a solution for privacy and functionality in contact tracing applications that keeps data private by having it owned by the app users, instead of the NHS, GCHQ, Apple or Google.

A better solution is having the data owned by the app users rather than the NHS, GCHQ, Apple or Google.

Users download the app and create a personal data account that only they control. This account holds all the information the app needs the history of contact with other app users, any symptoms theyve had, their locations all information that the user would consider to be invasive were it to be exposed. The user has full control over this data, and can grant access to it to the apps developers Sharetrace in this instance to power the application. Anyone who wants it (including the government, Sharetrace and the operating systems of the devices providing signal data) needs to explicitly ask the user for the legal right to do so, and this right can be revoked.

The data in this type of architecture is made accessible to contact tracing applications and can be revoked as needed, allowing a full-featured application without compromising privacy. Sharetrace, a contact application jointly developed by these researchers with the support of the Cleveland Clinic and public health experts on both sides of the Atlantic, uses these personal data accounts to make information used by the app both private to the individual and accessible to the app.

Systems like this are built on trust and citizen empowerment, but they do not significantly limit functionality. They cant, if they are going to succeed the worlds technology is never going to get less intimate just because we ask it to.

We need to innovate our way into a more private, less invasive society, and moves from government bodies like the NHS and GCHQ are a huge part of making that happen.

Lets demand more of our trusted institutions.

Professor Irene Ng is chief executive of Dataswift, a sponsor of the open-source technology Sharetrace.

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Contact tracing apps: What's the least worst option? - Sifted

Triona Carters birth of her first son, in a county jail in Alabama, was one of the most hurtful things to ever go through. The pain was both physical and emotional. She was handcuffed to the bed, aware that she would soon be separated from her child. [I was] holding him, knowing that I dont know when Ill be able to hold him again, Carter said. But the birth of her second son during her 20-year stay in Julia Tutwiler Prison was even more devastating because I didnt have much time to hold him: You had your child that day, the next day youre going back to the prison you dont have time to heal at the hospital.

Giving birth to her two sons while in the carceral system left Triona emotionally broken. Triona was one of approximately 1,300 women who give birth while incarcerated every year in the United States.

The number of incarcerated women has increased exponentially in the last four decades, with a rate over eight times higher than it was throughout most of the 20th century, according to a 2019 study by the Prison Policy Initiative. In prisons in particular, incarceration rates for women have more than doubled since 1978, compared to the rate for men. There has also been remarkable growth of incarcerated women at the state leveland as the incarceration rate of women continues to rise, so will the incidence of pregnancy behind bars.

Mothers define the carceral landscape of women in the U.S. Yet health standards for pregnancy care in prison remain inconsistent at best.

Dr. Diane Morse, an internal medicine physician and associate professor in psychiatry and medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told me, Most prisons and jails do not give people birth control, even though the rate of unintended pregnancies is much higher among women who have been incarcerated. The rate of unintended pregnancy is as high as 83 percent among recently incarcerated women, in contrast to the national rate of 45 percent.

According to an American Public Health Association study, Pregnancy Outcomes in US Prisons, 20162017, which studied 22 state prison systems and all federal prisons, [t]hree quarters of incarcerated women are of childbearing age (between 18 and 44 years) and [t]wo thirds [of incarcerated women] are mothers and the primary caregivers to young children. In other words, mothers define the carceral landscape of women in the U.S. Yet health standards for pregnancy care in prison remain inconsistent at best.

While prisons are constitutionally obliged to provide health care to those in their custody, no mandatory standards to guarantee health care provision exist. As a result, there is tremendous variability in pregnancy care in prisons, writes the American Public Health Association. When I asked Triona if she had any support after giving birth to her eldest son in prison, or received any prenatal care, she was quick to reply, We had none of that. A 2004 Bureau of Justice Statistics study found that 54 percent of pregnant women received some type of pregnancy care, but does not articulate the scope of such care.

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Yet over the course of Trionas 20 years in prison, a number of nonprofit pregnancy support organizations have been filling the gaps in the system. When Triona was in Tutwiler, Aid to Inmate Mothers facilitated the strengthening of her bond with her sons through visitations and recording bedtime stories, and encouraged personal development through book clubs and parenting classes.

More recently, over the last decade, nonprofits that specifically connect women who are incarcerated and pregnant with doulas have emerged. The Alabama Prison Birth Project (APBP) began providing support to pregnant women in Tutwiler in 2016. The organization offers weekly visits to the prison, during which they provide support and information about childbirth and the postpartum experience, and provide a healthy meal for expectant mothers. They also match pregnant women with a doula who provides informational, physical, and emotional support throughout pregnancy, labor, and the immediate postpartum period. This allows for continuity of care.

APBP was also instrumental in the establishment of a lactation room in Tutwiler. In 2018, a room that previously served as an isolation cell was turned into the Serene Expressions room, where women can pump breast milk that will be delivered to their newborns. Once a week, Chauntel Norris, one of APBPs doulas, retrieves the stored bottles of milk and delivers them to the respective caregivers.

In creating a space for breastfeeding, and in serving as a constant presence from pregnancy to the postpartum experience, the doula supports mental health, well-being, and maternal empowerment among women in prison.

Maternal health outcomes in the carceral system map onto maternal health disparities writ large in the U.S.

Similar organizations have emerged in other states, such as the Minnesota Prison Doula Project, founded in 2008; Motherhood Beyond Bars, founded in 2013 in Georgia; and the Michigan Prison Doula Initiative, which was founded in 2017 and officially launched its program to support pregnant women in Womens Huron Valley Correctional Facilityalso the states only womens prisonin February 2019. The mission of the organization is to provide compassionate birth and parenting support to incarcerated people, Kate Stroud, the doula program director for the Michigan Doula Prison Initiative, told me. Since launching, they have provided support to about 30 women.

Maternal health outcomes in the carceral system map onto maternal health disparities writ large in the U.S. According to the American Public Health Association study, black women are incarcerated at twice the rate of white women. The interaction of poverty, substance abuse, and limited access to health care prior to incarceration means that when women enter the carceral system, they bring with them pre-existing health vulnerabilities that can only compound in the prison environment. And what passes for health care within prison is often the provision of over-the-counter medication rather than serious attempts at diagnosis and adequate treatment.

When people are released from prison, poor health trails them. A 2007 study by The New England Journal of Medicine looked at formerly incarcerated people who were released from 1999 to 2003 from the Washington State Department of Corrections, and found that the mortality rate among this population was 3.5 times that among state residents of the same age, sex, and race.

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Research shows that the pairing of pregnant women with doulas results in positive health outcomes, from shorter labor with fewer complications. In the setting of prison, doulas also help new mothers navigate the grief that comes with the inevitable separation from their newborn.

While these different doula initiatives operate in their respective state-specific contexts, we do work together, and bounce ideas off each other I am in touch with Amy Ard [of Motherhood Beyond Bars] down in Georgia, and Rae Baker [of the Minnesota Prison Doula Project] up in Minnesota in the 20 years that Ive done doula work, its always been a collaborative effort, Stroud told me.

As women typically take on child-rearing responsibilities, when the mother is removed, it upturns the whole system of the family, Stroud told me. This upturning, which in many prisons occurs only 24 hours after birth, has tremendous implications for the long-term mental health and well-being of women behind bars.

In working within the maternal care gap, the doula initiatives and parenting support organizations operating in states across the U.S. are trying to bring both health and humanity to women in prison. Triona credits Aid to Inmate Mothers Storybook Project for the strong bond she has with her sons today. She recorded storiesoriginally through cassette, then videoup until her last day in prison in February 2018. When she was released and reunited with her sons, she told me, it was like I never left home.

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Filling the Maternal-Care Gap in Prison - The American Prospect

This is the third of several upcoming feature articles we are publishing which were written by Boothbay Region High Schools AP Language students. According to BRHS AP Language teacher Mark Gorey, the articles are a different incarnation of their Champions of Change proposals. One of the requirements for this assignment was to cite research sources.

A schools culture has more influence on life and learning in the schoolhouse than the president of the country, the state department of education, the superintendent, the school board, or even the principal, teachers, and parents can ever have. Roland S. Barth, The Culture Builder.

In the 2008-2009 school year, the student enrollment for Boothbay Region High School was 256. 10 years later, in the 2018-2019 school year, the number of students had dropped a notable 29% to 183 students (Student Enrollment). But the students that have left are not the only ones who are unhappy with the Boothbay Region High School. A significant population of the students in our high school have, at some point in their high school career, expressed a wish to leave (Figure 1). I was one of these students. This should not be the case and must be changed. Students should not feel they have to leave our school system in order to fulfill their needs. In order to dig down to the roots of the problem, we must ask one simple question: why? Why are students leaving our school system without anyone batting an eye, or trying to change the reason(s) that pushed them away in the first place? Although it is not the only reason for Boothbays declining enrollment, one of the major contributing factors is the culture at Boothbay Region High School.

School culture is the system of beliefs, values, norms, and expectations that governs the feelings and subsequent behaviors of all school constituents (Fiore). School culture strongly influences, not only students, but staff and faculty members alike. To put it simply: a positive culture will have a positive impact on a school. Conversely, a negative culture will have a negative impact on a school. If a school has a strong and positive culture, Students learn and enjoy learning, teachers teach and enjoy teaching, principals lead and enjoy leading, and parents support and enjoy supporting (School Climate). Though some may say that school culture should not have the priority over students academic achievement, we can not graduate accomplished students in an environment that does not allow for their success. As it stands now, our culture is inadequate. Bonds between students are being ruptured by a sense of unhealthy competition, student voices are not being heard or respected, and the overall aura of our school on a daily basis is that of unhappiness. In walking through the hallways alone, you can hear remarks from all types of students about wishing they were elsewhere and not at school.

To make a change for the better, I am calling for the creation of a positive school culture within the Boothbay Region High School. If we create more positive connections and relationships between students and staff, establish a Student Advisory Board, and create more school-wide involvement and engagement, we will begin to see students rising to their full potential because the culture around them finally enables them to do so. Students will then begin staying within our school system and flourishing like never before.

Over the last decade, the number of students that have left our school system has been far too many to count on just two hands. Mentioned earlier was a 29% decrease in student population over ten years, but this disadvantageous percentage is only growing. In the 2009-2010 school year, the student enrollment for Boothbay Region High School was around 260. Now, in the 2019-2020 school year, the enrollment is around 177 (Welch). That is a 32% decrease in the student population. Though there are many possible factors that could have resulted in such a drastic decrease, a major contributing aspect to this decrease in enrollment is school choice. For students who do not live directly in a town with a high school, the town in which they live helps to pay for these students to attend high school wherever they would like. This puts school choice in the hands of these students and their families. I am one of them. I have lived on Southport Island my whole life and attended Southport Central School from kindergarten through sixth grade. As soon as I entered high school, I was unhappy, so I did not let my school choice advantage go to waste. I researched, inquired, and even toured other schools. I wanted to leave because I was dreading coming to school every day. I wasnt happy at Boothbay Region High School, surrounded by unhappy students that were tearing each other down as an outlet of their own misery at Boothbay Region High School. So I explored other options. But now there are others experiencing these same feelings I had, feelings that I wouldn't wish on anyone. According to a survey answered by 120 members of the BRHS student body, 43.3%-- 52 of the 120 students-- agree with the following statement: the culture of Boothbay Region High School is stifling, or keeping me from reaching my full potential in some way. 43.3% of students feel the same way I felt. It is only a matter of time before they explore other options as well. Who knows whether they will stay, like I did, or leave like the handfuls of students that have been unsatisfied with BRHS. These students that have left our system did not only disperse to public schools but private schools just the same. The variety of schools to which BRHS has lost students ultimately proves that it was the aspects within the alternative schools that Boothbay Region High School just could not compete with. Whether it is the academics, the people, or just the overall aura of the other schools, it was BRHS could not offer that drew our students away.

Even though the students that left could not see them, I stayed because I realized that there was the potential to make a change. Boothbay has amazing and qualified teachers, a variety of course offerings, sports and extracurriculars, resources that can be utilized by every type of student and, most importantly, a lot of room for improvement. BRHS has the potential to start attracting and keeping students. These students could begin to blossom, as people and academically within our school. We arent reaching this now, as our declining enrollment has proven, but that does not mean we cant start. So, rather than leaving and taking advantage of my school choice, I began looking at it as the starting line for improving our schools culture. We, as a school community, have the power to change something as drastic but as simple as the environment in which our students walk into every day. So what can we do to make students start choosing Boothbay?

The first thing when looking at school culture is taking a step back to observe the overall school dynamic and how all members interact with one another. School culture is all about building positive connections. It is about cooperation from all aspects of a school system, and building comfortable gateways for communication to flow (Shafer). Progress will come from creating these constructive relationships within the school system. Presently, there is a sense of detachment and disengagement within our school that has been recognized by students and staff, and is preventing this constructive collaboration. The interim principal, Mrs. Campbell, acknowledges this: I do have a sense at times that we can be a little disconnected, and so one of the things that I get excited about is, how can I help to make better connections and relationships? Let's bring folks together. Right now, were all sort of in our own different... I guess boxes, our own sort of areas, and I'd like to see an opportunity for folks to really come together to celebrate the school. Maybe some folks might eye-roll, but I truly believe, I genuinely believe, that a school is a family. it's its own community.

Campbell shares that a positive school culture, like any end goal, can only be reached in small steps. More specifically to the topic, she suggests creating common experience, common language. Bringing the students and staff together through common experience and opportunity is a major change that can be made in order to create these positive connections. Currently, the only common ground that students and staff share is getting up in the morning and going to school for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. In creating a new and engaging platform for common ground, students and staff will be united in a whole new light. One example of common ground that BRHS is beginning to see is the practice of First Friday activities. On the first Friday of every month, students are encouraged to sign up for one

staff-run activity to participate in. These activities take many different forms such as finger painting, basketball, kickball, board games, jewelry making and even academic study. This wide range of activities that appeals to all types of students helps to engage the entire student body. This is the type of common experience that sits at the base of a positive school culture. A collaborative and engaging experience outside the typical classroom setting that tailors to all students, because, a positive school culture is going to look different for each student (Crocker).

When these positive connections are made and the school becomes more collaborative, students will feel comfortable expressing their ideas or concerns to leaders among the student body. These student leaders will convey these ideas or concerns to staff members, and the staff will inform the decision-makers within the school system. One example of this system in action is student government. Currently, our student government prioritizes dance organization and fundraising. Though students may have ideas for improving our school, these ideas are not expressed. Our student governments preoccupation with short-term ideas drowns out the long-term improvements for our school. If a new group within our student body was created, prioritizing ideas and concerns that deal with improving our school, our school could have the potential to change aspects that, through the students eyes, are in need of improvement. This type of group is called a Student Advisory Board. This type of leadership group would consist of all types of students ranging in social status, academic status, grade, and gender. This board would discuss ideas or concerns that have surfaced from either within the group or within the student body, and convey these to the staff advisory group-- a group consisting of administrators and one representative from each discipline. Mr. Crocker, BRHSs dean of students, adds that a school reflects its leaders. When strong leadership is established by the administration of a school, it will have a trickle-down effect. Presently, the leadership in the Boothbay Region High School has been inconsistent with the changing of the principal several times this year. Mr. Cherry, an English teacher within our school, acknowledges that presently there's a lack of clear leadership at the top. Leadership is something that is learned, so another major change that needs to be achieved is establishing a clear and strong system for the students to emulate. Once this change is made, the Student Advisory Board will be able to succeed.

Mrs. Campbell agrees that a group like this is imperative. Mr. Crocker recognizes that, If kids are given guidance and opportunity they will run with it. He understands that the school needs to consist of more student-given guidance and opportunity instead of [administrators] just saying what to do and how to do it The more voice you give to students, the happier they will be. The more buy-in you have [from students], the more likely it is to continue. This necessary student-given guidance will be created by this Student Advisory Board. When such a group is created, it opens up a line of clear and constructive communication between students and staff: a positive connection. This will leave the door open for students to continue expressing themselves, and the school system will begin to see positive outcomes.

In Plainfield, New Hampshire, there is a private high school called Kimball Union Academy (KUA). They have built their foundation on trust and belonging, and see students both doing well in school and doing good in the world because of these motives. The Head of Outreach at KUA, Kevin Ramos-Glew, is a strong believer and advocate for this type of positive foundation. Its the core of who we arethe safety, inclusivity, diversity, the sense of belonging. A large contributor to their schools positive principles is a special initiative at Stanford University called The Belonging Project. This project strives towards emotional health and wellbeing through the creation of positive connections, in order to see students success in all aspects of life. This project is built on four main goals, which have been adapted both at Stanford as well as Kimball Union Academy. We have done research into Belonging through Stanfords Positive Psychology studies and firmly believe that when kids/people feel safe and a strong sense of belonging/contribution/value, they can learn. We simplify it to top brain vs. bottom brain...which says that you cant access your top brain (learning) if your reptilian (bottom) brain is activated in search of safety (Ramos-Glew).

This known principle at KUA helps to foster a sense of belonging, which is an absolute necessity in a successful school. If students feel a sense of safety and belonging in the classroom, they will be able to thrive. Individuals develop a sense of belonging when they feel connected to other people, especially those who share their distinct life experiences, interests, or goals. University activities that foster a sense of belonging promote mental and physical health and help individuals to flourish in all aspects of their lives, (Department of Psychiatry). Students and faculty share these types of distinct life experiences, interests, or goals. This common ground is school.

As well as prioritizing The Belonging Project, KUA also practices the previously stated concept of a student-run leadership group: Ten years ago we shirted to a student-centered leadership program in which they generate and execute a great deal of the planning, programs and even school [meetings]. We support and offer ideas, but really encourage the kids to take it and run with it (Ramos-Glew).

This student group has created a foundation of trust, empowerment, and comfort among the students of this high school knowing that their voices are being heard. At Boothbay Region High School, we are seeing the opposite of this: student voices being stifled, not being heard, and not being respected. This school year, BRHS made the decision to change the failing grade from a 60 to a 70. This new standard will be enforced starting in the 2020-2021 school year. Before this decision was made, however, a survey was sent out by the administration to gather student input on this topic. The results of the survey showed clearly that the majority of students wanted to keep the failing grade at a 60, and not change it to a 70. Nonetheless, their ideas were tossed aside and the grade was changed anyways. The decision was made with disregard to the wide-held student beliefs that opposed this policy change. This is just one example situation of many in which student voices are trampled over by the voices of adults with more authority.

Changing this concept is more than necessary. When students know that their ideas are going to be heard, and know that their input is just as important as those of adults, it creates that sense of belonging that has so concretely been linked to success in and outside the classroom. This is the type of feeling that students should be carrying with them to BRHS everyday, not a feeling that their opinion is irrelevant.

While culture has a major impact on the atmosphere within a school system, that is not the only aspect it is capable of improving. Culture affects students learning just as greatly as it does the overall environment of the school. In fact, School culture is the secret to school successes (Demerath). Having a positive school culture is scientifically proven to improve students' academic achievement. The best grounds for student growth, in all aspects, is a positive climate in which we can flourish. A study conducted in 2012 by researchers at Yale University, spreading across 63 fifth/sixth-grade classrooms (1,399 students), observed how emotional engagement and a positive climate impacted students' academic achievement. Compounded with previous studies, it was concluded that, Classrooms high in positive climate and low in negative climate are characterized by a sense of connectedness and belongingness, enjoyment and enthusiasm, and respect. Prior research shows that students in classrooms with these characteristics engage more in learning (Furrer & Skinner)... (Reyes, Brackett, et al, 707). As well as higher student engagement in the classroom, positive culture has also been linked to higher student academic success. In one study, middle school students who reported higher levels of engagement were 75% more likely to have higher grades and attend school regularly than those with lower levels of engagement (Klem & Connell, 2004) (Reyes, Brackett, et al, 700). The grades achieved by students in a positive environment proved to be significantly higher than the grades achieved in a negative environment, as concluded by the study. Specifically, for every one unit increase in CEC [Classroom Emotional Climate], grades increased by 3.83 points, which corresponded approximately to half a letter grade higher (e.g., from a B to a B+) (Reyes, Brackett, et al, 706). Classrooms with a positive environment have a higher CEC, and classrooms with a negative environment have a lower CEC. Not only do students in a positive climate experience a stronger sense of involvement in the classroom, but their academic status is also far higher than students in a negative environment. In settings where a students idea can thrive, their academics will as well.

When a school community fosters a sense of belonging, students will be more motivated and comfortable to achieve new levels of success. But, here at BRHS, there is a strong sense of competition. When students are submerged in unhealthy competition, they will perform in the opposite manner. Unhealthy competition creates a negative environment.

The hunger to compete within BRHS when it comes to grades stifles our students, corrupts our sense of belonging, and crushes the common ground. Whether the result of this competition presents itself as a fear of being wrong, a fear of speaking up in class, test anxiety, or even believing that your B is not a good enough grade, this problem is prevalent enough that the BRHS administrators have disabled students access to their Grade Point Averages (GPAs) in order to prevent students from viewing and therefore comparing their GPAs with their peers. However, this is not unique to Boothbay. The college application process, the fight among class members for a top 10 spot in their graduating class, the contest for valedictorian and salutatorian; all of these are examples of how schools promote unhealthy competition. It is not specific to Boothbay, but to all high schools across the nation. In order to mend this break between reality and students perceived failure,'' everyone needs to be accepting of everyone. Everybody must be more empathetic towards everybody.

No matter the letter grade we are achieving, the competition should not be between each other. By prioritizing and developing this strong sense of acceptance, the bridge between students can be rebuilt. One way of doing this would be increasing school involvement and interaction. At the nearby Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, Maine, there are weekly assemblies that take place in order to increase the feeling of community and belonging within the school system. These assemblies are referred to as Community Meeting. These assemblies provide the opportunity for students, staff, and even members of the community to take center stage; whether this looks like a musical performance, a presentation, an announcement, a poetic reading, or the routine awarding of points to advisor groups as a continuation of the year-long game between advisors, this weekly practice brings the school community together in an admirable way. This type of activity could benefit BRHS just as it has Lincoln Academy. By creating time for a routine assembly (weekly, biweekly monthly, etc.) that promotes positive school culture through involvement, it will get the students, staff, and even community members on the same route to the ultimate end goal: an environment in which students are comfortable, and can succeed.

School culture is a subject that should not be taken lightly. The recognition of our desired objective, the creation of positive connections within the school system, and the prioritization of such an environment are the first steps to seeing a result that is beneficial to everyone within the school system. When a positive culture is created, students will begin to choose Boothbay Region High School. Enrollment will only grow with this cultivation of a better atmosphere, and the results will benefit all who are involved with the school system. A positive culture is the breeding ground for positive outcomes. Paraphrasing Thoreau, we must stop clipping the leaves of this problem in hopes of a change, and instead dig down to the roots.

Works Cited

Campbell, Tricia. Personal interview. 4 March 2020.

Cherry, Michael. Personal Interview. 3 March 2020.

Community Survey. 5 February 2020.

Crocker, Allan. Personal Interview. 5 March 2020

Demerath, Peter. School Culture Drives Student Achievement UMN CEHD. CEHD

Vision 2020, 11 Jan. 2018, https://cehdvision2020.umn.edu/blog/strong-school-culture/.

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The Belonging Project at Stanford University. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, https://med.stanford.edu/psychiatry/special-initiatives/belonging.html.

Fiore, Douglas J. Creating Connections for Better Schools: How Leaders Enhance School Culture. New York: Routledge, 2013. PDF.

Ramos-Glew, Kevin. Personal Interview. 2 January 2020.

Reyes, Maria R., et al. Classroom Emotional Climate, Student Engagement, and Academic Achievement. Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, American Psychology Association, 2012, http://ei.yale.edu/publication/classroom-emotional-climate-student-engagement-and-academic-achievement/.

School Climate Improvement Action Guide for Working with Students. School Climate Improvement Resource Package. National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments. 31 Dec. 2016,

https://eric.ed.gov/?q=improving+schools+&ft=on&id=ED580912%5D.

Shafer, Leah. What Makes a Good School Culture? Harvard Graduate School of Education,

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/07/what-makes-good-school-culture.

Student Survey. 3 February 2020.

Student Enrollment Data. Student Enrollment Data | Department of Education,

https://www.maine.gov/doe/data-reporting/reporting/warehouse/student-enrollment-data.

Welch, Dan. Personal Interview. 25 November 2019.

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Positive School Culture: Why it Must be Prioritized in Order to Improve the Social, Learning, and Teaching Environment of Boothbay Region High School...

As fans gear up to celebrate the spirit of Eurovision 2020 around the world, we want to appreciate the work of all the artists of this year by taking a closer look at each participating country's songs. From examining their similarities to acknowledging their languages of choice, these are the entries of 2020.

The Eurovision Song Contest always provides an eclectic mix of musical tastes and a melting pot of culture through its music. What do these Eurovision 2020 songs have in common, how many songs are sung in their native language and what overall themes have emerged from their lyrics? Without further ado, let's find out!

A number of Eurovision 2020 songs centre around life's difficulties and the process of self-development, self-discovery and growth. Benny Cristo's Kemama, for the Czech Republic, is based on his real-life experiences growing up with adversity. The same is echoed in Sandro's song for Cyprus, Running, that takes a looks at life's hardships and the storms we have to weather on the way. Moreover, The Roop's On Fire, for Lithuania, was inspired by others' lack of self-confidence and the idea that people underestimate and write themselves off too often and too quickly.

Finland's Aksel spoke about this feeling of inadequacy in Looking Back and asks whether the milestones we set for our lives have any real value or does achieving them even make us happy. In Gjons Tears' Rpondez-moi, for Switzerland, we hear him work through his personal story that addresses the themes of origin and self-questioning: "Everyone asks themselves why exactly we are here, where do we come from and where are we going... these are questions that I think about a lot".

Meanwhile, Belgium's Hooverphonic wrote Release Me from personal experience. It is about coming to terms with finality and saying goodbye, which everyone has to do, "at one point in life, to a friend, family or lover," said Alex Callier, member of the band.

Poland's song Empires, sung by Alicja, talks about human nature to "build and destroy"; how people tend to build empires, but ultimately become blind to what is important.

Despite some introspective heaviness, many of the songs sing lessons of empowerment, encouragement and optimism in the end. As Jeangu Macrooy's (the Netherlands) title suggests, the highs and lows that life brings ultimately allow us to Grow.

Lesley Roy (Ireland) embodies this message of resilience in her song, Story Of My Life, about overcoming things in life and getting back up again. "We dont speak often about the mental health problems our generation faces," says VICTORIA from Bulgaria, who's song, Tears Getting Sober, also tells a story about overcoming pain and then moving forward. With her entry, she hopes to inspire others to do the same.

Sandro further portrays this concept in his song which pushes others to keep on Running through such times of difficulty. Vincent Bueno's song for Austria, Alive, is also about change and draws listeners to action by telling the story of becoming alive through the release of one's own ego.

Many other Eurovision 2020 entries endeavour to encourage others to choose their own paths in life, like in Grow, where Jeangu hopes he makes people, "feel a little less lonely in their search for happiness". Gjons Tears' also wants to inspire others to take their own path in life with his song and Aksel wishes to, "make people understand that they should seize the day". This is a sentiment exemplified in the Danish entry YES, performed by Ben & Tan, in their upbeat, happy and hopeful entry that motivates everyone to say yes to life and love.

Azerbaijan's entry, Efendi's Cleopatra, is a song about not second-guessing yourself, trusting your gut instinct, standing up for yourself and being a queen - even when things get tough. With this song, she aims to motivate listeners to be proud of themselves. This is very much in line with the message from Lithuania's The Roop.

Stefania's SUPERG!RL (Greece) challenges teenagers to believe in themselves and chase their dreams, while Samanta Tina's Still Breathing (Latvia) similarly spreads a strong message of female empowerment. Both artists' songs reflecting their experiences with the struggle of juggling multiple projects and the expectation of "doing it all".

On a light note, YOU from Vasil (North Macedonia) invites us to connect, open up, dance, and celebrate the moment. The official music video embodies the song by portraying the moment someone shows you that it takes, "just one look, one connection, to make a difference and start a beautiful change for the better," says Vasil.

The class of Eurovision 2020 have shown that despite life's hurdles, we can always fight, learn from the experience and rise above.

While there are a large number of entries about confidence, resilience, and life's complications, there are also a few songs about love and relationships, from ROXEN's Alcohol You to Uku Suviste's What Love Is. And what is the Eurovision Song Contest without love songs, anyway?

Go_A's entry for Ukraine, Solovey, is about a strong girl who falls in love. When she realizes that she is no longer taken seriously, her strength enables her to turn the tables and handle the situation with dignity. Norway's Attention differs from this message, in that it is based on Ulrikke's personal experience of change ourselves to please others when it comes to love.

Australia's Montaigne depicts the 'enough is enough' phase of a relationship breakdown in Don't Break Me, in which she reflects on the situation, "where one person feels like they are putting much more time, energy and resources into the relationship than the other person and becomes frustrated and resentful".

Alternatively, Uku Suviste's What is Love is about the feelings that come with falling in love, while Ben Dolic's Violent Thing (Germany) is about "working on love". On the other hand, Senhit's entry, Freaky, is a song to celebrate life, freedom, love in all its forms. The San Marino artist reminds us that, "today, more than ever, we need to feel close to each other, to dance and to smile. Nevertheless, do not stop doing that."

Although some songs talked about the challenges of unrequited love, adapting ourselves to suit others and the ending of a relationship, the class of Eurovision 2020 also reminded us of the beautiful experience of new love and reminds us to acknowledge love in all its shapes and sizes.

WATCH: All the Eurovision 2020 songs' official video clips on our official YouTube page.

Many of the Eurovision 2020 songs were written, composed and/or produced by the multi-talented representative artists themselves. Gjon's Tears, for example, wrote and composed Rpondez-moi with songwriters Xavier Michel, Aliz Oswald and producer Jeroen Swinnen as part of a Swiss songwriter camp. As did Ana Sokli, with Bojan Simoni, for her song Voda for Slovenia.

James Newman from the United Kingdom also penned his entry, My Last Breath, himself alongside an all-star team of Adam Argyle, Ed Drewett and Iain James.

Norway's Attention was written by Ulrikke together with Christian Ingebrigtsen from the world-famous pop group A1 and Eurovision legend, Kjetil Mrland. The Norwegian representative wrote the song over a few sessions, spending a lot of time on the production. She said it was important that her "song sounded organic and raw" and did so by implementing live string players in the studio instead of computer-generated strings.

Latvian representative Samanta Tina produced her 2020 entry alongside producer Arnis Rainskis which was also co-written by Aminata Savadogo. Story Of My Life, Ireland's Eurovision song by Lesley Roy, was penned and co-produced by the artist in collaboration with some of her favourite co-writers in Nashville: Robert Marvin, Catt Gravitt and Tom Shapiro. Uku Suviste even composed his song What Love Is for Estonia as did VAL from Belarus for their song Da Vidna.

The Netherlands' Jeangu Macrooy provided all instruments and arrangements for his song, together with Perquisite, in addition to writing it himself. Similarly, Alex Callier from Hooverphonic (Belgium) wrote Release Me as well as composed their entry with Italian composer, Luca Chiaravalli.

Some of other artists involved in their song-making process include Iceland's Dai og Gagnamagni (Think About Things), Georgia's Tornike Kipiani (Take Me As I Am), France's Tom Leeb (Mon Allie), the Czech Republic's Benny Cristo (Kemama), Sandro for Cyprus (Running), Bulgaria's VICTORIA (Tears Getting Sober), Austria's Vincent Bueno (Alive), Australia's Montaigne (Don't Break Me) and Armenia's Athena Manoukian (Chains On You).

FIND OUT MORE: Check out the artist's participant pages to learn more about the development of each song and who contributed to them.

As reflected on a lot in recent years, most songs for Eurovision 2020 are sung in English: a total of 28 this year, including Moldova's Prison sung by Natalia Gordienko, The Mamas (Sweden) with their song Move, Fall From The Sky by Arilena Ara from Albania and Destiny's All Of My Love for Malta.

That leaves us with another 13 songs in other languages. Tom Leeb's Mon Allie (The Best In Me) is sung in a combination of English and French and, technically, Georgia's Tornike Kipiani sings in English, Italian, Spanish and German in Take Me As I Am.

While Russia's Litte Big adds a splash of Spanish into their largely English-speaking song Uno, Spain's entry, Universo, is sung fully in Spanish by Blas Cant. VAL performs in Belarusian, Damir Kedo's song Divlji Vjetre is sung in Croatian, Diodato's Fai Rumore in Italian, Ana Sokli's in Slovenian, Elisa, with her song Medo De Sentir, in Portugees and Hurricane's Hasta La Vista in their native Serbian.

This year, the artist with the most languages in a song goes to Israel's Feker Libi, sung by Eden Alene, which uses an impressive 4 languages: English, Hebrew, Amharic and Arabic.

Interestingly, Go_A's song Solovey, meaning 'Nightingale', is the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest that Ukraine has submitted a song entirely in the Ukrainian language.

LISTEN: Stream all the Eurovision 2020 songs on Spotify or buy the official ESC 2020 tribute CD in the Eurovision shop.

While many entries are not singing in their native language, some go on to incorporate their culture and background into the music itself.

Azerbaijan's Cleopatra from Efendi incorporates ethnic sounds with 3 traditional Azerbaijani instruments; an oud (a traditional guitar-like string instrument), a balaban (a wind instrument) and a tar (a string instrument added to the UNESCO's List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity).

Feker Libi, for Israel, is a colourful pop gem that fuses together African dance beats with an infectious middle eastern sound. Ukrainian folk instruments and ethnic vocals give a Ukrainian vibe in Solovey, while Vasil's YOU incorporates ethnic chants, bass, plucks, tarabuka and chords to enhance that cultural vibe throughout the song.

Can't get enough of the Eurovision 2020 songs? Be sure to tune in to the Eurovision Song Celebration 2020 on Tuesday 12 and Thursday 14 May, Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light on Saturday 16 May and your country's other alternative broadcasting shows.

Originally posted here:

Breaking down the songs of Eurovision 2020 - Eurovision.tv

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"I could so easily have written a jolly romp of a book without putting the real bits in it, says Vanessa Branson, talking on FaceTime from her garden in Sussex.

They may not all be jolly, but the rollercoaster revelations that Richard Bransons 60-year-old baby sister has chosen to include about her own life in this family memoir, One Hundred Summers, are nothing if not juicy.

The first part focuses on the lives of Bransons grandparents and parents. She paints touching portraits of her late, shy barrister father, and impish extrovert mother, now 96 and suffering from dementia, who raised Richard, Vanessa and their sister Lindy to be stoical, risk-taking and hard-working.

I was going to stop writing when we were born because that felt too scary and indulgent, Branson says, but then friends told me sharing my story was a generous thing to do and the memories just bubbled up.

Her brother has already written several volumes of autobiography, and her mother published Mums the Word in 2013, so you could say writing about the family runs in the family.

(Getty Images)

After an idyllic-sounding outdoorsy childhood, Branson writes about being bullied at primary school, failing her 11-plus she was dyslexic and being packed off to board at Box Hill School in Surrey at 10.

I thought Id stop there, but I really enjoyed writing about my own life and then I got to 16 and had that abortion, she says. I asked a friend if I should put it in, and she said, If you dont, then whats the point of writing a memoir, if its not for other people to empathise with you? So I thought, F**k it, and once Id written that down, there was no shame. I love that feeling of not carrying any shame about anything.

Branson has laid herself bare, literally, detailing everything from how she lost her virginity at school, My God, it hurt, to the story of her abortion after a fling with a racing car driver and having to pay for it using her childhood savings. I didnt need counselling and I certainly didnt want sympathy, she writes.

(Richard Young/Shutterstock)

In the mid-Seventies, she went to live in London with Richard, who had started Virgin Records, and felt utterly out of her depth among a seething mass of rock-and-roll eccentricity at a party until Mike Tubular Bells Oldfield, rescued her and they embarked on a brief affair, with Oldfield driving her around in his embarrassingly loud red Ferrari.

Attempts at self-improvement included a fruitless bilingual secretarial course, a Cordon Bleu cookery diploma, a course in interior design, and an immersion in art history in Florence that inspired her lifelong passion for the arts.

In 1986 she opened the Vanessa Devereux Gallery in London, and almost two decades later, restored the crumbling El Fenn palace in Marrakech into a beautiful boutique hotel, and founded the Marrakech Biennale arts festival. Tracey Emin has written poems for her. Grayson Perry has made an urn for her funeral ashes.

A terrible moment in the book came on her wedding day to the dazzling Robert Devereux, when he caught her smoking and threatened to divorce her if she ever did it again.

The culture of our marriage had been set, she writes. Sure enough, in spite of having four children, trouble lay ahead. She is remarkably candid about their problems, him leaving her for his 26-year-old assistant on his 40th birthday, and their subsequent marriage bust-up.

A year later, she got a boob job. It was such a folly. I call myself a feminist and then I go and do something like that! But at the time having beautiful perfect breasts had the most ridiculous effect of empowerment. Within two weeks, men were like bees round a honeypot, she says, explaining her insecurity at being left for someone so much younger.

But Im completely free of that now and its a very good feeling. Sixty is a great stage in life to be at. She is currently single, though various liaisons are woven through the book.

Remarkably, 20 years on, just as she was finishing writing it, Devereux emailed her an unequivocal apology, taking full responsibility for their failed marriage, having seen himself in a documentary made by their son Louis.

It took courage; it was a gift, she says, and has included it at the end. Everyone in her family was supportive. I asked Richard about writing the book and he said, Go for it, its really good.

Today, she is make-up free, her long grey hair in braids. She spends her days planting trees and is working on a novel featuring a female protagonist in the arts world, living in lockdown.

Shes no longer commercially involved in art, apart from running workshops on her Scottish island, Eilean Shona, where she operates a superior B&B.

(Mark Large/Daily Mail/Shuttersto)

Artists will respond to the crisis positively, she thinks. Theyre visionaries and this reset is no bad thing for the art world. Everything was going so fast before which wasnt good for creativity. Now theres going to be more connection with nature. Being able to see the skies and the clarity of the light is just extraordinary. Not having the persistent noise of aeroplanes in the background is such a joy, even in Sussex.

That doesnt stop Branson, who sits on the board of Virgin Unite (Virgins social responsibility arm), from defending her brother after his recent pasting in the media for asking for a government bailout for Virgin Atlantic. One journalist called him a wizened tycoon worth 4billion begging for 500million of taxpayers cash.

She says: It was mean and misplaced. The wizened tycoon has been incredibly loyal to his family and friends and more. But he was such an easy target. Hes put himself in front of the press a lot and when people are down, its easy to kick them. He acknowledges his communication wasnt right. But he wasnt asking for a personal loan. It was just to keep [Virgin] going, because it employs a lot of people and is expensive to mothball. His companies have all paid tax in the countries they do business from. Hes got extraordinary spirit and hell push on.

As will she, clearly. Her children, their partners and her two-year-old grandson have all just gone back to London having been in splendid isolation with her. She believes the young are being made to suffer at the expense of the elderly and favours the Swedish model.

We cant just all wait around for a vaccine, weve got to get going again. A lot of people whove been dying would have died by the end of the year, so the number of deaths is not the relevant figure. Whats more important is that more people should have it. Young people are being severely damaged and sacrificed for our generation. They should all be out working, not locked up.

For all the glitz, I say, she seems to have suffered a lot, but the stoical Branson will have none of it.

Ive had a fabulous life and I dont want anyone to feel sorry for me, she laughs. And theres still lots more ahead!

One Hundred Summers: A Family Story by Vanessa Branson (Mensch, 22.70) is published on May 21

Read the rest here:

Vanessa Branson on family, her new memoir and why her brother Richard is no 'wizened tycoon' - Evening Standard