Daily Archives: September 22, 2022

A new estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau asserts Hispanics make up a larger segment of the Texas population than any other groupa demographic reality particularly significant to Texas Baptists.

The Texas Tribune reported new population figures, based on the American Community Survey, revealing Hispanics made up 40.2 percent of the Texas population in 2021, while Anglos made up 39.4 percent.

Abe Jaquez, president of Baptist University of the Amricas, compares the exponential growth of Hispanics to a tsunami.

Tsunamis literally transform the landscape that they affect. With the winds of a continued population shift, organizations will need to consider how they will address the coming tsunami that is the growing Hispanic/Latino population, Jaquez said.

Those organizations include Baptist churches, as well as the educational institutions they support. Currently, of the 5,302 churches affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, 1,06620 percentare Hispanic-majority congregations.

Membership figures are more difficult to obtain, since not all churches complete the Annual Church Profile. However, the total membership of Hispanic Texas Baptist churches is estimated at about 135,0007 percent of the 1.9 million in all BGCT-affiliated churches.

Historically, BUA and its predecessor institutions have trained 7 out of 10 pastors who served Hispanic Texas Baptist congregations.

BUA is not the only solution, but it is a big part of the equation in responding to the tsunami that already has arrived, Jaquez said.

One piece of the puzzle is representation. Currently, 14 Hispanic individuals serve on the BGCT Executive Board, and 16 percent of the staff employed by the BGCT is Hispanic. The newly elected Executive Board chair for 2023 is Bobby Contreras from Alamo Heights Baptist Church in San Antonio, and Julio Guarneri from Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen is first vice president of the BGCT.

Sign up for our weekly email newsletter.

The BGCT reports more than 200 Hispanic churches have affiliated with Texas Baptists in the past 10 years. Since 2011, Texas Baptists have helped start 185 Hispanic churches and 237 multi-cultural congregations.

Josue Valerio, director of Texas Baptists Center for Missional Engagement, noted the census estimates indicate Texas may have passed a long-awaited milestone.

These new estimates are the first to reflect the foreseeable culmination of decades of demographic shifts steadily transforming the state, Valerio said.

Texas Baptists Center for Missional Engagement seeks to develop programs, initiatives and ministries to help churches reach newly arrived Spanish-speaking immigrants, as well as first-, second- and third-generation Hispanics, Valerio said.

That reflects a change in approach from earlier decades, since Baptists in Texas historically focused on starting churches to reach first-generation Spanish-speaking Hispanics, said Jesse Rincones, executive director of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas.

These churches were never taught, trained or exhorted to minister to, retain and incorporate the second- and third-generation English-speaking Hispanics, Rincones said.

Ive seen this scenario play out in rural communities and evolving urban areas. The predominantly Anglo First Baptist Church has the language, staff and other resources to minister to second generations. However, they havent historically made intentional efforts to reach them and continue to have a cultural disconnect with the group.

The Hispanic congregation on the other side of townalmost always literallyhas the cultural connection but has not developed ministries in English that minister to and retain the English-speaking children and grandchildren. They also dont often incorporate the next generation into service or leadership positions.

When that happens, English-speaking Hispanics who are assimilated into what has been the dominant culture in Texas fall through the cracks of Baptist outreach, he observed.

Victor Rodriguez, Texas Baptists Hispanic evangelism director and discipleship specialist, said the BGCT is seeking to make an impact through Hispanic churches by emphasizing local, strategic evangelism and discipleship training.

Since many of these Hispanic churches are surrounded by different communities, this yearlong training approach comes with a demographic study, selecting the best outreach effort, developing an evangelism community event and monthly coaching, Rodriguez said.

From the Convencin perspective, Rincones points to strategies he considers effective in reaching Texas Hispanics with the gospel.

Onestrategy that seems to be effective is the shift from having Hispanic churches isolated as mission churches to becoming holistically integrated ministries of the English-speaking church, he said. These en Espaol models put the Spanish pastor on par with the rest of the church staff. The Spanish ministry is in the general budget and shares all the support systems in the church.

The first-generation Spanish speakers have a ministry 100 percent in their language, while their children and grandchildren can be ministered to by the existing nursery, childrens and youth ministries of the congregation.

A similar effective strategy is for Hispanic congregations to offer both Spanish and English services and ministries. These are less common but can be equally effective.

New approaches for the BGCT Texas Baptists en Espaol initiative include regional training centers, developing a personal growth plan for pastors and helping the 200-plus Hispanic churches that are without pastors to move through the search process.

Rincones believes church health among Hispanic congregations is crucial for Baptists in Texas to respond to demographic changes.

Ive always told our Hispanic congregations that I dont get that excited about Hispanics becoming the majority in Texas. Sure, we bring our culture, food and many strengths. And we also bring our challenges. That requires, more than ever, for Hispanic congregations to be healthy and vibrant, he said.

Whether you are collecting taxes or tithes in Texas, we need the Hispanic majority in Texas to know Jesus and to be educated. Baptists in Texas are capable of meeting that challenge.

Texas Baptists launched a Hispanic Education Initiative about a dozen years ago to reduce the Hispanic high school dropout rate and make higher education more accessible to Hispanic students.

Next year, Texas Baptists are planning a church revitalization training event in Spanish that not only will involve Spanish-speaking pastors from across Texas, but also pastors of churches in Latin American countries where the BGCT works. Its stated purpose is to train pastors in principles and strategies of church health, so that they may return to their communities, implement those concepts and train other local pastors in their local context.

Valerio believes Texas Baptists should view demographic change as a prime opportunity to influence the states future.

We, as Texas Baptists, have a unique opportunity to shape what the future of Texas and the U.S. will look like, Valerio said. We need to continue to practice the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. We need to continue to do a better job in the development of missional leaders who will multiply and start new churches and new ministries.

We are currently working with college students, their parents and other workers who are Hispanic immigrants and are serving God in missions and church planting in every major city in Texas.

Immigrants that we are reaching today will come to know Christ, and their children will attend our universities and respond to the Great Commission by going to serve in missions in our state, the U.S. and the world.

Original post:

Hispanics believed to be largest group in Texas now - Baptist Standard

Not everyone is sold on the idea that virtual reality technology could or should bring higher education into a future of avatars and holograms.

But separate from that hype, virtual reality is already being used at colleges in ways that seem more mainstream, as a tool that has the potential to enhance teaching and learning. For example, at Columbia University, professors are creating and using virtual reality tools to help students gain empathy across racial lines, learn dentistry techniques and examine molecules in 3D.

Virtual reality could also create new career opportunities for students. As the industry that develops VR grows, it will need workers who are trained in how to build and apply this technology. A few institutions have degree programs dedicated to that kind of training, such as Husson University in Maine, which integrates classes in coding, design, math and communications.

But what will ensure that these opportunities for making the most of virtual reality arent limited to a select few educational institutionsor to the same groups of people who have made out best during past cycles of technology development?

Thats the question a team of researchers at the think tank Brookings Institution are asking, through a new project that will probe the opportunities and barriers virtual reality offers in higher education. For their first installment, the group published a report based on a roundtable discussion held with leaders from community colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions and historically Black colleges and universities.

Concerns about equity in virtual reality are especially salient now that corporations and colleges are racing to stake claims in the so-called metaversean interconnected virtual space where some digital prospectors believe they will strike it rich.

The universities that get on board with this quickest are going to have some of the biggest payoffs, says Rashawn Ray, a professor at the University of Maryland and a senior fellow at Brookings who is co-leading the research project.

A virtual reality headset costs hundreds of dollars. Thats a big price tag for the many students who already cant afford up-to-date computers or internet connections adequate for completing their college coursework. If the use of virtual reality in higher education grows without careful planning, it could make this digital divide even more severe.

Additionally, the same types of students who find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide enroll disproportionately at colleges that tend to have fewer financial resources, like community colleges, historically Black universities and other minority-serving institutions. And these colleges have been slower to adopt virtual reality technology because of the high upfront costs of investing in it, according to the Brookings report.

However, although virtual reality and simulation tools can indeed be costly, they also have the potential to be especially useful at the very same institutions that lack resources for traditional teaching equipment that is even more expensive, like advanced science labs or workforce-training technology.

Virtual reality tools also hypothetically could increase access to higher education by making it more possible to teach students who cant necessarily make it to a college classroom. For example, Finger Lakes Community College in New York offers an advanced manufacturing class that uses virtual reality welding tools, which enables students in rural areas to participate without having to travel to the main campus, as Open Campus recently reported.

So whether the spread of virtual reality edtech worsens or alleviates inequities depends on whether it followsor breaks withhistorical patterns. Because the technology is in its early stages, Ray argues its not too late to disrupt old habits.

We have a chance to correct it, he says.

Doing so could give a boost to Black, Latino and women students, groups who havent benefited as much from previous waves of tech evolution, Ray adds. And that could help employers hungry for more workers who have the advanced tech skills needed to build and use virtual reality tools.

You have to build a pipeline, a labor force, that has the skill set to be able to do this, Ray says. Community colleges are central to this.

At the University of Maryland, Ray runs the Lab for Applied Social Science Research, which uses virtual reality simulations to train police officers how to handle tough situations. The room has VR goggles, a large TV screen, a VR camera, enough open space for someone to walk around in while participating in an immersive experience, and what Ray calls suped-up computers that can handle advanced software.

Its the kind of setupworth many thousands of dollarsthat not every college can afford.

Thats why Ray believes universities that have the capacity for high-tech research should share their resources with other collegesalthough he adds that this kind of cross-institutional partnership is unlikely to emerge without intentional effort. So Ray argues that science grant-makers could create more incentives for well-resourced colleges to build authentic relationships with community colleges and minority-serving institutions that support joint research programs using immersive technology. As a model for how this might look, he points to the MPower program, which supports collaborations between two different branches of the University of Maryland system, as well as the social justice alliance that the University of Maryland has established with Bowie State University, a nearby HBCU.

Ray also would like to see more research incentives nudging colleges to invite members of local communities to engage with the virtual reality studies happening on campus. He says that might mean setting up summer programs for youthand getting someone with strong local ties to administer the program.

Or it might mean taking research off campus. Members of Rays lab take mobile VR tech tools into K-12 schools, where students and police participate together in simulations and conversations about how law enforcement officers interact with the public. Even students accustomed to using smartphones are often surprised and excited to try the immersive technology, Ray says.

That encounter just might be the spark that sets a student on a path toward a technology career.

To expose them to this, Ray adds, is a huge win for what were doing.

Go here to read the rest:

Is There Still Time to Build Equity into Virtual Reality Edtech? - EdSurge

City Hall, NY Today, Speaker Adrienne Adams and the Councils Black, Latino and Asian Caucus (BLAC) announced a package of bills to improve the diversity, equity and inclusion practices at the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY). The bills seek to address the historic lack of racial and gender diversity in the FDNY and were heard at an oversight hearing of the Councils Committee on Fire and Emergency Management. The legislation addresses the recruitment and retention of diverse firefighters, confronts exclusionary practices that undermine diversity, and increases transparency about FDNYs efforts. The legislation would require FDNY to develop a concrete plan to diversify, survey firehouses and ensure they are equipped to serve a mixed gender workforce, increase transparency on the demographics of members in a firehouse through public reporting; require ongoing training on harassment, diversity and inclusion for all FDNY staff and members; and submit a public report on complaints filed with the Departments Equal Employment Opportunities Office. There have been longstanding issues with the FDNYs lack of gender and racial diversity that the bills aim to confront. along with requiring the department to come up with a plan when it comes to outreach of potential FDNY recruits, retention of diverse firefighters and provide more transparency in its efforts and any issues that may arise.

No one can doubt the incredible work that New York City firefighters undertake every day. In addition to fires, our heroic FDNY firefighters respond to vehicle collisions, downed wires and floods, said Speaker Adrienne Adams. Unfortunately, the makeup of the FDNY is still not representative of our great city. This Council remains committed to efforts that ensure we make progress towards a diverse and representative FDNY. Despite previous efforts to boost diversity amongst firefighters, there is clearly much more work to do.

True equity in our Citys agencies extends further than the diversity and representation of its staff and leadership. We build trust and strengthen relationships when the entire New York City community can see themselves in those who serve and protect them daily, said Council Member Kevin C. Riley, Co-Chair of the Councils Black, Latino and Asian Caucus. However, it is equally important that infrastructure, resources, and work culture promote a safe and supportive work environment for all New Yorkers. This is why we, the New York City Council, are pushing a package of legislation that seeks to advance gender and racial equality within the FDNY. We appreciate the hard work of our heroes at the FDNY who sacrifice and put their lives on the line to keep our families safe, but this does not take away from the need for reform and oversight over an outdated system that clearly does not serve all. As it stands now, the Departments demographics, practices, and facilities systemically do not uplift our Black and brown communities nor does it support gender equality for all. Planning and partnership is the only way to produce outcomes that diversify the workplace. I am proud to lead with my colleagues and to partner with all stakeholders in a movement that requires a sustainable plan for enveloping equality for all FDNY members and expand opportunities that include underrepresented communities in our City.

Diversity in the FDNY has been an increasing concern. We have heard multiple complaints from minority groups stating that they have been overlooked for promotions and leadership positions. As well as being routinely discriminated against. Im proud to have introduced a bill included in this package that would require the FDNY to annually report on equal employment opportunity complaints. This will ensure that we are holding the FDNY accountable, and expect the department to take these concerns seriously, said Council Member Nantasha Williams, Treasurer of the Councils Black, Latino and Asian Caucus. I would like to thank Fire and Emergency Management Committee Chair Ariola for holding this important hearing as well as Speaker Adams for her leadership.

Theres importance in having our city agencies reflect the diversity of our city, said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. Intro 552 and 553 help to promote and protect this ideal in an agency so specific in its mission, which is responding to life-threatening fire emergencies citywide regardless of a persons race or gender. The New York City Fire Department provides a vital service to New Yorkers that must both be protected, while reflecting the many communities it serves. As a supporter of the bills in the City Council and now as Borough President, I am proud to join Council Member Riley in pushing this initiative forward. It is our hope that in reviewing the data and bringing firehouses often built in the early 1900s into the 21st Century, we can remove systematic barriers. I want to thank Speaker Adrienne Adams, Council Member Riley, and Council Member Williams for their advocacy and commitment to equity and to ensuring our agencies properly reflect the people of our City.

The FDNY has historically lacked gender and racial diversity among its firefighters. Though the department has taken some steps to address the problem, uniformed firefighters and officers are still predominantly white men. According to the Councils Committee on Fire and Emergency Management committee report, currently 76% of the departments firefighters are white, whereas 8% are Black, 13% are Hispanic, 2% are Asian, and 0.8% identify as another ethnicity. Less than 1% of the departments firefighters are women, amounting to only 137 of the FDNYs 11,000 firefighting force. FDNYs leadership is also predominantly made up of white men.

People of color have been firefighters since the early 1920s, though they have been forced to endure segregationist and discriminatory practices. These practices were experienced for decades, and a 1973 federal court decision ruled that the FDNY discriminated against racial minorities in its written test though 32% of New York Citys population was Black or Latino in that year, they were only 5% of the FDNY. A 2007 U.S. Department of Justice and Vulcan Society lawsuit against New York City contended the FDNYs administration of the firefighter exam discriminated against Black and Latino applicants, which the court concluded constituted intentional discrimination. The court appointed a monitor that oversees remedies to this problem to this day, and it wasnt until 2014 that FDNY settled the lawsuit for $98 million and agreed to make changes to its hiring practices, per the Councils committee report.

In addition, per the report, up until 50 years ago, only men were permitted to take the FDNY firefighter examination, a practice only changed due to a federal mandate. In the subsequent years, women faced continuing hardships in becoming firefighters, including the discriminatory impact of the firefighter exam. It was not until 1982 that a federal court ruled the exam discriminated against female applicants on the basis of sex.

The proposed legislation is as follows:

Introduction 516, sponsored by Speaker Adams, would require the Fire Department to develop and implement a plan for ensuring that the racial, ethnic and gender demographics of the Departments firefighters reflect that of the Citys population as a whole. The plan would include identifying and remedying existing obstacles in the recruitment and retention of firefighters from underrepresented backgrounds, targeted recruitment campaigns, and the employment of full-time outreach office to assist with the recruitment and retention of underrepresented firefighters. Additionally, the Fire Department would be required to publicly report each year on its efforts to recruit and retain female firefighters, and firefighters of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Introduction 519, sponsored by Council Member Ariola, would require FDNY to survey all firehouses to determine the permanent facility upgrades necessary to ensure a safe working environment for a mixed gender workforce. After issuing a public report on the findings, the department would be required to complete the necessary upgrades.

Introduction 552, sponsored by Council Member Riley (by request of the Bronx Borough President), would require the Fire Department to annually report on the gender and racial or ethnic demographic breakdown of the uniformed force at firehouses, and as well as the number of individuals who reside within the geographic area that each firehouse covers.

Introduction 553, sponsored by Council Member Riley (by request of the Bronx Borough President), would require the Fire Department to provide training and education to all members and staff regarding harassment, diversity and inclusion.

Introduction 560, sponsored by Council Member Williams, will require the Fire Department to annually report on complaints about equal employment opportunity.

###

Read this article:

Speaker Adams, Black, Latino and Asian Caucus Announce Legislation to Improve Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in FDNY As Council Holds Hearing on...

We want our services to be a place where people can express themselves freely and safely around the world. This is especially true in situations where social media can be used to spread hate, fuel tension and incite violence on the ground. Thats why we have clear rules against terrorism, hate speechand incitement to violence, and subject matter experts who help develop and enforce those rules. We also have a corporate Human Rights policy and a dedicated Human Rights team who help us manage human rights risks and better understand how our products and technologies impact different countries and communities.

As part of our commitment to help create an environment where people can express themselves freely and safely, and following a recommendation from the Oversight Board in September 2021, we asked Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) an independent organization with expertise in human rights to conduct a due diligence exercise into the impact of our policies and processes in Israel and Palestine during the May 2021 escalation, including an examination of whether these policies and processes were applied without bias. Over the course of the last year, BSR conducted a detailed analysis, including engaging with groups and rights holders in Israel, Palestine, and globally, to inform its report. Today, were publishing these findings and our response.

As BSR recognized in their report, the events of May 2021 surfaced industry-wide, long-standing challenges around content moderation in conflict-affected regions, and the need to protect freedom of expression while reducing the risk of online services being used to spread hate or incite violence. The report also highlighted how managing these issues was made more difficult by the complex conditions that surround the conflict, including its social and historical dynamics, various fast-moving violent events, and the actions and activities of terrorist organizations.

Despite these complications, BSR identified a number of areas of good practice in our response. These included our efforts to prioritize measures to reduce the risk of the platform being used to encourage violence or harm, including quickly establishing a dedicated Special Operations Center to respond to activity across our apps in real time. This center was staffed with expert teams, including regional experts and native speakers of Arabic and Hebrew, who worked to remove content that violated our policies, while also making sure we addressed errors in our enforcement as soon as we became aware of them. It also included our efforts to remove content that was proportionate and in line with global human rights standards.

As well as these areas of good practice, BSR concluded that different viewpoints, nationalities, ethnicities and religions were well represented in the teams working on this at Meta. They found no evidence of intentional bias on any of these grounds among any of these employees. They also found no evidence that in developing or implementing any of our policies we sought to benefit or harm any particular community.

That said, BSR did raise important concerns around under-enforcement of content, including inciting violence against Israelis and Jews on our platforms, and specific instances where they considered our policies and processes had an unintentional impact on Palestinian and Arab communities primarily on their freedom of expression. BSR made 21 specific recommendations as a result of its due diligence, covering areas related to our policies, how those policies are enforced, and our efforts to provide transparency to our users.

Since we received the final report, weve carefully reviewed these recommendations to help us learn where and how we can improve. Our response details our commitment to implementing 10 of the recommendations, partly implementing four, and were assessing the feasibility of another six. We will take no further action on one recommendation.

There are no quick, overnight fixes to many of these recommendations, as BSR makes clear. While we have made significant changes as a result of this exercise already, this process will take time including time to understand how some of these recommendations can best be addressed, and whether they are technically feasible.

Heres an update on our work to address some of the key areas identified in the report:

BSR recommended that we review our policies on incitement to violence and Dangerous Individuals and Organisations (DOI) rules we have in place that prohibit groups like terrorists, hate and criminal organizations, as defined by our policies, that proclaim a violent mission or are engaged in violence from having a presence on Facebook or Instagram. We assess these entities based on their behavior both online and offline most significantly, their ties to violence. We have committed to implementing these recommendations, including launching a review of both these policy areas to examine how we approach political discussion of banned groups, and how we can do more to tackle content glorifying violence. As part of this comprehensive review, we will consult extensively with a broad spectrum of experts, academics, and stakeholders not just in the region, but across the globe.

BSR also recommended that we tier the system of strikes and penalties we apply when people violate our DOI policy. We have committed to assessing the feasibility of this particular recommendation, but have already begun work to make this system simpler, more transparent, and more proportionate.

In addition, BSR encouraged us to conduct stakeholder engagement around and ensure transparency on our US legal obligations in this area. We have committed to partly implement this recommendation. While we regularly carry out broad stakeholder engagement on these policies and how they are enforced, we rely on legal counsel and relevant sanctions authorities to understand our specific compliance obligations in this area. We agree that transparency is critically important here and through our Community Standards, we provide details of how we define terrorist groups, how we tier them, and how these tierings impact the penalties we apply to people who break our rules.

BSR made a number of recommendations focused on our approach to reviewing content in Hebrew and Arabic.

BSR recommended that we continue work developing and deploying functioning machine learning classifiers in Hebrew. Weve committed to implementing this recommendation, and since May 2021 have launched a Hebrew hostile speech classifier to help us proactively detect more violating Hebrew content. We believe this will significantly improve our capacity to handle situations like this, where we see major spikes in violating content.

BSR also recommended that we continue work to establish processes to better route potentially violating Arabic content by dialect for content review. Were assessing the feasibility of this recommendation. We have large and diverse teams to review Arabic content, with native language skills and an understanding of the local cultural context across the region including in Palestine. We also have systems in place which use technology to help determine what language content is in, so we can ensure it is reviewed by relevant content reviewers. Were exploring a range of options to see how we can improve this process. This includes reviewing hiring more content reviewers with diverse dialect and language capabilities, and work to understand whether we can train our systems to better distinguish between different Arabic dialects to help route and review Arabic content.

BSRs analysis notes that Facebook and Instagram prohibit antisemitic content as part of its hate speech policy, which doesnt allow attacks against anyone based on their religion, or any other protected characteristic. BSR also notes that, because we dont currently track the targets of hate speech, were not able to measure the prevalence of antisemitic content, and theyve recommended that we develop a mechanism to allow us to do this. We agree it would be worthwhile to better understand the prevalence of specific types of hate speech, and weve committed to assessing the feasibility of this.

In addition, BSR recommended that we adjust the processes we have in place for updating and maintaining keywords associated with designated dangerous organizations, to help prevent hashtags being blocked in error such as the error in May 2021 that temporarily restricted peoples ability to see content on the al-Aqsa hashtag page. While we quickly fixed this issue, it never should have happened in the first place. We have already implemented this recommendation, and have established a process to ensure expert teams at Meta are now responsible for vetting and approving these keywords.

Underpinning all of this, BSR made a series of recommendations centered on helping people better understand our policies and processes.

BSR recommended that we provide specific and granular information to people when we remove violating content and apply strikes. We are implementing this recommendation in part, because some people violate multiple policies at the same time creating challenges to how specific we can be at scale. We do already provide this specific and granular information in the majority of cases, and we have started to provide it in more cases, where it is possible to do so.

BSR also recommended that we disclose the number of formal reports received from government entities to remove content that doesnt violate local law, but which potentially violates our Community Standards. We have committed to implementing this recommendation. We already publish a biannual report detailing how many pieces of content, by country, we restrict for violating local law as a result of a valid legal request. We are now working to expand the metrics we provide as part of this report to also include details on content removed for violating our policies following a government request.

BSRs report is a critically important step forward for us and our work on human rights. Global events are dynamic, and so the ways in which we address safety, security and freedom of expression need to be dynamic too. Human rights assessments like these are an important way we can continue to improve our products, policies and processes.

For more information about additional steps we have taken, you can read our response to BSRs assessment in full here. We will continue to keep people updated on our progress in our annual Human Rights report.

Read the rest here:

An Independent Due Diligence Exercise into Metas Human Rights Impact in Israel and Palestine During the May 2021 Escalation - Facebook

Epidemiologists around the world have sounded the alarm about the health risks of rising noise pollution, and called out cars as one of the largest sources of the crisis. In our quest to make cities quieter, though, noise researcher Dr. Erica Walker says were missing a critical conversation about how unique communities experience their local soundscapes, both in the streets and beyond and who we harm when we police decibel levels without listening to marginalized people first.

In this episode of The Brake, we sit down with Walker to explore not just why ultra-quiet electric cars wontactually turn down the volume on our neighborhoods much, but who gets to decide what our cities should sound like, how we enforce arbitrary auditory standards, and why a peaceful, walkable street is often the opposite of silent.

Tune in below, on Apple podcasts, or anywhere else you listen, and learn more about Dr. Erica Walker and the Community Noise Lab here.

// Autosize iframevar funcSizeResponse = function( e ) {

var origin = document.createElement( 'a' );origin.href = e.origin;

// Verify message originif ( 'embeds.streetsblog.org' !== origin.host )return;

// Verify message is in a format we expectif ( 'object' !== typeof e.data || undefined === e.data.msg_type )return;

switch ( e.data.msg_type ) {case 'poll_size:response':var iframe = document.getElementById( e.data._request.frame_id );

if ( iframe && '' === iframe.width )iframe.width = '100%';if ( iframe && '' === iframe.height )iframe.height = parseInt( e.data.height );

return;default:return;}}

if ( 'function' === typeof window.addEventListener ) {window.addEventListener( 'message', funcSizeResponse, false );} else if ( 'function' === typeof window.attachEvent ) {window.attachEvent( 'onmessage', funcSizeResponse );}}if (document.readyState === 'complete') { func.apply(); /* compat for infinite scroll */ }else if ( document.addEventListener ) { document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', func, false ); }else if ( document.attachEvent ) { document.attachEvent( 'onreadystatechange', func ); }} )();

Thefollowing excerpt has been edited for clarity and length.

Kea Wilson:The primary way your work intersects with the Streetsblog conversation, is that a lot of noise in our cities, frankly, comes from cars, and thats a really common talking point, among folks who want to see American cities become less car dependent. Tell me a little bit about your perspective on regulating road noise through the lens of your work.

Erica Walker:So road noise issort of how I cut my teeth in this in this field. Id initially wanted to start out by creating a map of transportation sounds in the city of Boston, where I did my graduate work.

[So I went around measuring] sound levels with my sound level meter and in that process people would come up to me and to ask me what Im doing and share their experiences with me. So as I traveled throughout the different neighborhoods that varied in terms of racial makeup, level of infrastructure repair, socio-economic status, all these things, it made me realize that we tend to only take a very superficial cut and when it comes to sound and a very punitive cut.

So yes, if you live near a major source of transportation noise, its definitely louder. But when you talk to people, some people are like, Hey, couldnt sleep if this I didnt have the highway sound to put me to sleep, or I cant function in a place where there isnt this background sound. Some found road noise very therapeutic; Others found it extremely bothersome.

So just in having those conversation with people and getting these sorts of different ideas about what transportation noise meant to people, I realized that, well, its important for me to understand the physical aspects of sound, but its also important for me to interview people and talk about how things like road traffic noise made people feel. Its one thing to understand the sound, but another to understand the community expectations.

I did see that poor communities were traditionally those that were zoned to be in places with major transportation networks. They were usually the ones that were closer to highways, or right off of very busy bus lines. There were some cultural practices where people like to drive to really loud cars with the mufflers or screeching their tires; there were some cultural aspects to that.

So there are some [problems with] urban planning and design where we do not consider the acoustical soundscape especially from transportation when were deciding where to put people. Or maybe we do [consider the soundscape,] and its intentional when we put people who probably arent able to stand up for themselves when it comes to these environmental injustice issues like inequitable distribution of sound.

But then there are these cultural, community expectationsfor sound that shouldnt be ignored. So if someone tells me that the most important sound in their community is transportation noise, or noise from a busy park, or noise from an industrial activity for me, thats where Im going to lead in. And Im not going to lead in that traditionally or overwhelmingly dont impact a neighborhood.

I find that a lot of these punitive measures [around sound] dont take those sorts of things into consideration.Somebody somewhere has this measuring stick for what its acceptable for a community that they may or may not live in [to sound like], and I think thats completely insane.

Read more:

Would a Car-Light City Really Be Quiet? - Streetsblog

Author Jennie Lopez teaches readers to discover their superpowers and authentic selves in her new book Intentional Unicorn: Bring your authentic self to thrive in life and career."

INDIANAPOLIS (PRWEB) September 21, 2022

Attending senior training leadership events was second nature for Jennie Lopez, an associate vice president for global talent acquisition for a major pharmaceutical manufacturing company and professional dancer. What made one training particularly memorable was an icebreaker exercise that led her draw a caricature of herself denoting her conservative corporate side and her colorful dancer persona with a high ponytail.

Looking at the ponytail, she thought of it as a unicorns horn. That was the catalyst and it opened the door to her delivering a motivating company speech, which eventually led to creating her own personal brand and messaging, and finally to becoming an author celebrating the launch of her new book called Intentional Unicorn: Bring your authentic self to thrive in life and career" published by Fig Factor Media.

The reality is that for the longest time I really thought I was that unicorn that was sticking out for the wrong reasons, explained Lopez, originally from Puerto Rico and has lived in Indianapolis since 2000. I tried to hide the horn, minimize it, and knock it down. However, once I realized that the horn was my superpower, what made me ME, it was my personal competitive advantage. I realized that the magic of meaningful success relies on embracing and leading with your authenticity. We must do this to build a fruitful and diverse reality everywhere we go instead of building the same type of professionals and leaders. All of us are unicornsWe must be intentional with it!

Through humor, honesty, and love, Lopez shares with readers her journey from living in Puerto Rico, attending grad school in the US, growing as an associate vice president in the corporate world, and starting her own business. In parallel, she developed a dancing and fitness career that includes NFL cheerleading and being a Zumba international presenter.

In addition, she also shares tools and best intentional practices such as maximizing time, protecting and nurturing mindset, discouraging impostor syndrome, and understanding success and how to drive it.

One of the topicsunderstanding superpowersis important because knowing them allows people to identify, develop and grow them as beneficial tools for life.

"When you lead with your superpowers, you lead with authenticity, confidence, and purpose, Lopez said. You may have many strengths and skills, but what are your top one or two skills? That one that is so powerful becomes the reason people want you to work with them. When you are aware and confident of your superpowers, then you can draft your journey with meaning where you can serve and lead at your best.

Lopez offers distinct and specific action steps for people to activate their objectives.

The book uses a framework that I have learned for any goals we set for ourselves, she said. We start with a DECISION, then we COMMIT, TAKE ACTION, ADAPT, INVEST, CREATE, AMPLIFY, so we can SHOW THE WORLD.

Intentional Unicorn is available on Amazon.

About Jennie Lopez:Jennie Lopez embodies "Bring Yourself to Work" in everything she does. She empowers diversity and engages employees and organizations to achieve new highs.

Her superpower? Her authenticity! She realized that her strengths are a combination of her Latinx heritage, passions, and learnings from being a mom. Intentionally using her strengths has been the secret towards her personal and professional successful growth journey.

An Associate VP of Global Talent Acquisition, Jennie is originally from Puerto Rico and moved to the US to complete her Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering. Her engineering career includes roles in both Manufacturing & Quality (including Site Head roles) and the business side (Sr. Leader & Chief Operating Officer). Jennie is also an executive board member for the Organization of Latinx at her company focusing on developing and accelerating Latinx talent.

In parallel, she has also found success in her dancing and fitness careers. Her experiences include: Back up dancer for artists like Julio Iglesias and Ednita Nazario, TV shows, Superbowl Winning NFL Cheerleader/Captain, Fitness Instructor, Presenter, and Zumba Master Trainer.

Jennie is frequently invited as a guest speaker at many local and national organizations and was awarded the 2020 Working Mother of the Year. She enjoys making intentional fun memories with her family: Brad, Izzie, & Ethan. They are the WHY and fuel for everything she does. For more information, visit https://www.intentionalunicorn.com/.

About Fig Factor Media:Fig Factor Media Publishing is an international publishing company with a "beeping" heart. Fig Factor Media has helped many authors achieve and support their dream of impacting their communities in the United States, Mexico, and Europe. Fig Factor Media is the official publisher of Today's Inspired Latina. For information, visithttp://www.figfactormedia.com. ###

Share article on social media or email:

Go here to see the original:

Energetic Author Encourages Readers To Discover and Unleash Their Superpowers, Step into Authentic Selves In New Book - PR Web

By L.E. McCullough

As a teenager in the 1990s, Mary Ann McBride-Tackett dreamed of making films that would change the world. As the Director of Film Education at WQED Film Academy, shes helping Pittsburgh middle and high schoolers put their dreams onto screens around the world.

Founded in 2003 by Ellen and Gregg Kander as Steeltown Entertainment Projectand acquired earlier this year by WQED Multimedia, WQED Film Academy teaches filmmaking and digital media arts classes to students in seventh through 12th grade. Each cohort produces a short film after absorbing 100-plus hours of hands-on collaborative learning from professional filmmakers using state-of-the-art digital media technology.

McBride-Tackett grew up in Alliance, Ohio, about 20 miles east of Canton; throughout her teen years, she actively participated in school and community theater.In 2007, she graduated from Point Park Universitys Cinema and Digital Arts program with a concentration in screenwriting and directing and a minor in child development.

She went on to work on several Pittsburgh-made films including Adventureland and Shes Out of My League and as a film tax incentive specialist for Entertainment Partners, a leading industry payroll and support services company.

In 2016, she joined Steeltown Film Academy, serving initially as community outreach manager and later as program director.

NEXTpittsburgh spoke with McBride-Tackett about the academys mission to shape the next generation of Pittsburgh filmmakers.

Mary Ann McBride-Tackett presents a Film Academy scholarship to the Point Park University Conservatory of the Arts cinema program. Photo courtesy of WQED Multimedia.

NEXTpittsburgh: When did you know you had a passion for filmmaking?

Mary Ann McBride-Tackett: Age 3. I remember watching my first film with my father and really watching with as much concentration as a 3-year-old could. He was a big film enthusiast and book reader, and my mother was very involved in local theater. I had a lot of stories around me at a young age. By middle school, I wanted to seriously study filmmaking because I wanted to tell my own stories. Film was a medium that brought together the things I loved visual art, music, storytelling.

NEXTpittsburgh: Was the storytelling element what attracted you to Steeltown Film Academy?

McBride-Tackett: I saw immediately they were the type of program I wished Id had when I was a teen. Through my Entertainment Partners work, Id met Lisa Smith-Reed and Wendy Burtner at Steeltown, and the more I got involved, I just fell in love with it.

NEXTpittsburgh: What would you say is WQED Film Academys chief benefit for students?

McBride-Tackett: It creates a space for students to feel like theyre less alone; theyre with peers who understand and see the world the way they do. Making film or video can be isolating, especially when youre young. Its gratifying to see our students find an artistic home, a space where they feel they belong among other students and teachers.

Mary Ann McBride-Tackett . Photo by Sebastian Foltz.

NEXTpittsburgh: Collaboration is an essential skill in filmmaking, but many students coming to the program may not have a lot of experience in this. How do you help develop that?

McBride-Tackett: The academy brings together students from all over the city, from all kinds of backgrounds cultural, racial, economic, educational, identities, abilities. We start day one with an icebreaker exercise. We put them in small groups and give each group a three-page script. They have the week to film it and edit and see what they come up with.

NEXTpittsburgh: Toss them in the deep end right away!

McBride-Tackett: Right. Then we pull back, sort them out into their respective levels and start digging into what were working on that semester. But it gets them speaking and interacting with each other. Every single thing we do is incredibly intentional.

NEXTpittsburgh: Do students choose their own film topics?

McBride-Tackett: Yes. They pitch their story to us, and we greenlight it or guide them to rework it to where it can move forward, just the way it is in the film business. Right out of the gate they have a sense of ownership and responsibility before a camera is even picked up. You get the best content when you tap into the students passion.

NEXTpittsburgh: Have there been any stories that really surprised you?

McBride-Tackett: One that had a really big impact was The Reel Queens of Pittsburgh, an episode of our Reel Teens web series. This was a look at the local LGBTQIA+ community with drag performers discussing their art form in quite thoughtful conversations. Rat Lover was made by a student who was passionate about animals and wanted to show that rats are amazing pets. The film portrayed him convincing a friend to accept a rat as a pet. It was shown at four film festivals, and he now works for a pet store producing videos about animal care.

NEXTpittsburgh: Four film festivals?

McBride-Tackett: We submit our student films to festivals all over. In the last three years weve had 15 accepted for festival appearances, including the All-American High School Film Festival in New York. And WQEDs resources allow us to send students to the festivals and learn about the film business in terms of workshops and networking. We also have outside clients commission students to film live events or create promotional or instructional films.

NEXTpittsburgh: Like a small-scale production company.

McBride-Tackett: Exactly. Weve worked with Pandora radio, Industrial Arts Workshop, Wilkins Township, Saltworks Theatre Company and New America, which is a Washington, D.C., think tank.

NEXTpittsburgh: Why do you think its important forthis programto happen in Pittsburgh with young people now?

McBride-Tackett: Were fortunate to live in a culturally diverse city, albeit one that has had friction or tension between certain groups. Filmmaking creates content for the community but also builds relationships in that community from the ground up. Getting youth to engage with each other is a huge benefit to the community, now and in the future. The film industry here is thriving, and we need to get students up to speed because theyre going to be our next media makers.

Mary Ann McBride-Tackett (right) works with a class. Photo courtesy of WQED Multimedia.

NEXTpittsburgh: What will WQED Film Academy look like in five or 10 years? Any new directions?

McBride-Tackett: Theres a really strong drive to reach more students. Were always trying to reach as many people in the community, all ages. The WQED education department has a stellar reputation for getting into the community and reaching people, especially with early childhood and elementary school programs. The Film Academy is striving to reach tweens and teens.

Its also vital to broaden our reach geographically, to grow the virtual space and offer our programs to a student living anywhere. We started our Virtual Program in 2020 out of pandemic necessity but quickly realized its a valuable tool to reach students who cant physically come to the studio. Students are shipped a film-at-home kit adaptable to their mobile device and take classes on Zoom.

NEXTpittsburgh: And they keep the equipment to continue learning?

McBride-Tackett: Yes. We have a terrific Harrisburg-based partner in Reach Cyber Charter School that connects us with students across the state. Reaching students in rural communities is part of our diversity-equity-inclusion commitment. I grew up in a small town and would have loved to have had this kind of access.

NEXTpittsburgh: And now you have the access and the technology to bring it to others.

McBride-Tackett: Were in a time when media is in every aspect of our life. Being able to create a space where every single person, no matter what their background, has a place and a voice is super important. The more diverse of a landscape we can create, the more tolerable and equitable world we can have. I think thats the academys biggest benefit providing a diverse landscape for content creators, because it does affect all of us.

WQED Film Academys in-person fall session runs Sept. 27-Dec. 22 with enrollment information here; scholarships are available.

L.E. McCullough is a Pittsburgh musician/writer/journalist with a lifelong curiosity about who, what, when, where, why and especially how.

film industryWQED

Excerpt from:

Mary Ann McBride-Tackett is inspiring the next generation of filmmakers - NEXTpittsburgh

The city of Atlantas development authority approved a massive infusion of public tax subsidies for mostly private developers to build and renovate nearly 1,900 affordably priced rental units last weekwhich City Councilmember Matt Westmoreland called a historic pivot by Invest Atlanta at the councils direction to fund affordable housing.

Invest Atlanta, the citys economic development arm, plans to award $342.1 million in tax subsidies to a dozen developers and real estate investors to build and preserve 13 multifamily complexes with a total of 1,981 unitsincluding 1,834 units to be priced as affordable by city standards.

The public funding is expected to support projects by local firms, like Columbia Residential and Stryant Investments, and national ones, such as Pennsylvania-based Pennrose, Ohio-based National Church Residences, and New Jersey-based Michaels Development Co.part of the team tapped to revamp the Atlanta Civic Centerto build or refurbish apartments on the Westside, Southside, Old Fourth Ward, and downtown, among other communities.

Other local players are: Smith Real Estate Services, Pansophy Capital, Gorman & Co. (with Chicagos Red Rock Capital), along with national firms Wingate Capital Associates and Woda Cooper Development. Atlanta Housing is partnering on some projects.

The deals represent the largest affordable housing agendain terms of the number of projects, dollars invested, total development cost, and the number of unitsin the history of Invest Atlanta, the development authoritys spokesperson Katrice Mines told Atlanta Civic Circle on Friday.

The total development cost is projected at $606 million, Mines said in an email. That means the city of Atlanta intends to help fund over half of that with the $342.1 million in tax subsidies. That includes: $325 million in tax-exempt bonds, $6 million from a relatively new housing opportunity bond program, $8.5 million in tax allocation district incentives, and $2.6 million in other tax credits.

During separate meetings Thursday, the boards of directors for Invest Atlanta and its subsidiary, the Urban Residential Finance Authority (URFA), signed off on 20 different development proposals, though items on the URFA agenda are subject to a second approval, Mines said.

The bakers dozen of affordable apartment complexes is expected to be ready for occupancy starting in 2025.

All of the 1,834 affordable units will be priced for families earning 80% or less of the area median income (AMI), or $77,120 for a four-person household. Of those, 118 will be priced for tenants earning 30% or less of the AMI, or $28,920 for a family of four.

When realized, these 13 new apartment developments will achieve about 10% of Mayor Andre Dickens campaign promise to build and preserve 20,000 affordable homes by 2030.

The citys massive new investment in affordable housing signals a new focus for Invest Atlanta, which is best known for skyline-altering mega developments like the residential and office towers sprouting up all over Midtown, said Westmoreland, an at-large city councilmember and former Invest Atlanta board member.

While its important for Invest Atlanta to prioritize economic development by helping fund high-profile commercial and residential projects, he said in an interview, there has to be an equal or greater focus on addressing Atlantas affordability and socioeconomic challenges.

Invest Atlantas move on Thursday was awesome, he said, because it signaled the intentional shift the council pressed its economic development agency to make in 2019 when the city reauthorized it.

The council passed an ordinance then directing the development authority to take a new approach and add affordable housing to the real estate deals it uses tax dollars to subsidize in an effort to mitigate growing inequities and opportunity gaps for Atlanta residents.

See the rest here:

Invest Atlanta moves forward with $342 million in subsidies for developers to build, rehab nearly 1,900 affordable rentals - Atlanta Civic Circle

Mandy Perez, a 6th-grade English and language arts teacher at Crittenden County Middle School, reacts in surprise as she is named the 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year atan in-person ceremony on Sept. 20 at the Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda. She also was named the Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year.Photo by Jacob Perkins, Sept. 20, 2022

Mandy Perez, a 6th-grade English and language arts teacher at Crittenden County Middle School, has been named the 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year.

I certainly wasnt prepared for that, Perez said. I recently watched a video from our superintendent on opening day that left me with an inspiring message that said theres a difference between wanting to be the best in the world and being whats best for the world. I know each of us wake up everyday and we walk into our classrooms and do whats best for our students.

She also was named the Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Valvoline, co-sponsors of the award, announced Perezs selection atan in-person ceremony on Sept. 20 at the Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda. Hopkins Countys Kelly Gates also was named the Elementary School Teacher of the Year and Woodford Countys Amber Sergent was named as the High School Teacher of the Year.

It was the first time the ceremony was held in-person since 2019. Also in attendance was Gov. Andy Beshear, members of the Kentucky Board of Education and legislators.

Kentucky Commissioner of Education Jason E. Glass thanked Perez, Gates, Sergent and all the Commonwealths teachers for devoting their lives to educating students. He said they continue to raise the bar higher every day.

We host this ceremony every year in hopes of honoring the hard work and dedication you provide this profession, Glass said. Kentucky has more than 42,000 teachers.

Perez has taught in Crittenden County Schools throughout her 18-year teaching career.

As a child growing up in Union County, she recalls asking teachers for extra worksheets at the end of the year to take home and teach her little sister.

Now, as the 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, Perez hopes to instill a love of reading in students across the Commonwealth.

I love what I do. I love kids and I love teaching, she said. Teaching is the best profession in the world and as teachers, you know that. Its tough. Theres a lot of days you dont know if you can go back in, but we do. And every single thing we do matters.

I promise to be the best spokesperson and role model I can be as your 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year.

Mandy Perez, center, a 6th-grade English and language arts teacher at Crittenden County Middle School, was named the 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year in an in-person ceremony on Sept. 20 at the Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda. Hopkins Countys Kelly Gates, right, was named the Elementary School Teacher of the Year and Woodford Countys Amber Sergent, left, was named as the High School Teacher of the Year.Photo by Shelby Stills, Sept. 20, 2022

2023 Elementary School Teacher of the Year Kelly Gates is a 5th-grade teacher at Pride Elementary in Hopkins County. She has been teaching there her entire 26-year career.

Gates works to shape the lives of her students, not just academically, but as future citizens that will lead their communities. She encourages students to participate in service-minded activities such as leading the schools gardening club, where students donate cultivated produce to local food banks.

As an Elementary School Teacher of the Year, I hope to advocate for my students and public schools because schools are the backbones of our communities, said Gates.

Amber Sergent, the High School Teacher of the Year, is an 11th- and 12th-grade social studies teacher at Woodford County High School.

Sergent is intentional with her students in preparing them for the world they will inherit after graduation. As Kentuckys High School Teacher of the Year, Sergent said she plans to ensure the stories of the staff who keep Kentuckys schools running are told.

My parents have taught of time and love, Sergent said. I know love. I know what it means. I know what it can do for a child. So when I walk into my room, no matter the content I teach, every child walks away knowing they are loved.

The 2023 Teacher of the Year will receive a $10,000 cash award, while the Elementary and High School Teachers of the Year each will get $3,000. All three of the Teacher of the Year winners received a custom-designed glass award commemorating their accomplishments.

Perez also will receive an opportunity to serve a semester-long sabbatical with KDE and will represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition.

The remaining 21 Teacher Achievement Award recipients each get $500.

The ceremony concluded with remarks from Gov. Beshear, who praised Perez and all Kentucky teachers.

By helping a child discover a love of reading or helping them realize their talents as an artist, as a leader or whatever path they discover, youre doing more than just teaching a subject, Beshear said. Youre changing lives. Youre building up lives. Youre breaking cycles of poverty. The way that you care is pretty incredible and its something I wish we could put in a bottle and share around our Commonwealth and around our country, that we could all emulate every single day.

The Selection ProcessThree elementary, four middle school and four high school teachers wereannounced Aug. 2 as semifinalists for Teacher of the Yearout of more than 300 applications received by KDE.

The semifinalists were chosen by a panel of veteran educators based on applications that included nominees teaching philosophies, experience and community involvement, along with letters of recommendation.

Each semifinalist had an interview and a classroom lesson review. The one with the highest cumulative score from the entire process was chosen as Teacher of the Year.

This is the 22nd year Valvoline, which is headquartered in Lexington, has partnered with KDE to honor Kentucky educators.

MORE ABOUT THE WINNERS

View post:

Crittenden County's Mandy Perez named 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Kentucky Teacher - Kentucky Teacher

Malaina Yoders career in peacebuilding was formed through her experiences with Taylor Student Organizations (TSO), her semester abroad in Ireland, and her Public Relations and English-Creative Writing double major. After graduating in 2018, she went on to her dream graduate program in Northern Ireland. Today, she works as Meditation Director at the Administrative Office of the Courts of Oklahoma.

Yoder was the first in her family to attend college. After learning she qualified for a scholarship that only applied to schools in Indiana within a month of having to make a decision, she frantically visited many schools. However, after visiting Taylor, she was overwhelmed by the presence of God she felt there and knew her search was over.

Being a first-generation student was difficult, and Taylor was a really healthy place to stretch some of those muscles and learn the things to do and say. I found Taylor to be a really beautiful and safe place.

While at Taylor, Yoder worked on The Echo, Taylors student-run newspaper. She also was a tutor in the Writing Center and a Personal Assistant (like an RA) in English Hall and Summer Institute, one of Taylors pre-college programs for high schoolers. During her sophomore year, Yoder spent a semester abroad in Ireland and fell in love with the island.

Yoder was also President of Global Engagement in Taylor Student Organization during a year when Global Engagement had many difficult conversations. Working through these conversations with a cabinet of students from diverse ideologies deeply impacted how she thought about the hard work of peacebuilding.

It's really hard, intentional work by everyone involved, Yoder said. We never agreed about anything, and yet, there was some really intentional programming that felt really beautiful that came out of their work.

Throughout all of it, Taylor professors had a deep impact on her. Shes been able to keep relationships with them since graduating as well. When deciding what to do after Taylor, Yoders experiences in Ireland, TSO, and a Peace, Reconciliation, and Justice class taught by Dr. Scott Moeschberger stayed with her. She said she experienced immense joy while learning in those environments.

I had professors who were very different from me and who challenged me. And I think that was such a gift, she said. They asked me hard questions and made me engage with hard things. They ended up really shaping me into the person I am today.

Yoder found a small graduate program through Trinity College in Belfast, Northern Ireland. While earning her master's degree in Peace and Reconciliation, she also worked with a community development agency and had an internship with the Four Corners Festival in Belfast under Rev. Steve Stockman and Father Martin Magill, both friends of Taylor University. The nine-day festival is a celebration of local Belfast Arts and Faith, where poets, musicians, writers, filmmakers and other creatives gather as speakers and panelists to reflect on what is happening throughout the week.

At Taylor, Yoder had been the editor in chief and designer for Parnassus, Taylors literary and art journal. She went on to use that experience to produce a similar journal for the Four Corners festival. She oversaw high school students writing poetry reflecting on the festival, helped them lay it all out with visual art, then had the book printed and distributed.

The first time Yoder attended the festival, the theme was Building the City of Grace, centered around celebrating the city. That lasting introduction to Belfast that made her fall in love with the place instantly.

It showed me the things that were happening to people across communities of Catholic and Protestant faiths, she said. It really modeled for me a different kind of deeper kind of love for a place -- one that really examines its faults, and is intimately aware of a place of pain while holding the beauty in the truth and the celebration that a place offers. I really hope to carry that with me wherever I go.

The event set the stage for what would become her thesis research. Northern Ireland has been marked by a long, tumultuous history between the Irish Catholic community and the British Protestants. It can be seen throughout the culture, traditions, and the boundaries of the city itself.

One of the traditions in Belfast, the Eleventh Night, is held by the British Protestants to commemorate the victory of William the Orange in 1690. The celebrations main focus is towering bonfires, often four stories high, that are lit every year at the dividing lines of the neighborhoods and communities. The commemorations often include the burning of Irish flags, Catholic symbols and in more recent years, symbols of various immigrant communities.

Yoder decided to write her thesis about the news coverage of the Eleventh Night, and community leaders and peacebuilders efforts to get the bonfires to have less sectarian connotations. Titling it Hot off the Press, many of her interviews were done with people who had been successful in lowering the temperature of the coverage.

I was struck by how 25 years since the peace process, the same questions get asked every year, said Yoder. Questions about the environment, sectarianism, and celebration, with very little forward movement. I see a lot of that in America as well. I'm really interested in what breaks that cycle.

Her findings included the importance of peacemakers embracing transparency and trusting the journalists they brought into the conversation, and the strengths of a diversity of communication styles.

Today, Yoders role as Mediation Director closely pulls in the skills shes acquired in managing conflicts and differing viewpoints from her work in Northern Ireland and as an undergraduate. Shes part of a team that offers free mediation services to seven counties, including a majority of the Cherokee Nation and part of the Muscogee Creek Nation.

A mediator doesn't fix your problems or tell people the best way to resolve conflict, said Yoder. We give people a structure and the questions to begin the process of reconciliation, but they're doing all the hard work. Choosing to deal with conflict is no joke. Our program does a lot of mediation for neighbors, landlords and tenants, families, parents working out custody and co-parenting plans, and natural parents and foster parent adoption plans.

As the program director, Yoder mediates cases, and she also recruits, trains, and supports a team of volunteer community mediators. Shes located on a college campus and works with students to create better systems for managing and working through everyday conflict.

"I think that college students have such a capacity to be adults, and also to explore like children, Yoder said. I felt that inside me when I was at Taylor, and it was cultivated by a lot of people. I hope to keep exploring for the rest of my life.

Learn more about Taylors Public Relations and English Creative Writing & Literature programs, student organizations, or study abroad opportunities.

See the article here:

From Northern Ireland to Oklahoma: Alumna's Work in Peace and Reconciliation - Taylor University