Category Archives: Intentional Communities

Teresa Wippel

In the 11 years Ive covered politics in our communities, Ive not seen a city election season start as early as this one.

The good news is, people are engaged in our local governement and want to take on the tough job of governing. And make no mistake, it is a hard job. Regardless of whether you personally like or dislike certain candidates or elected officials, they all work very hard on our behalf. And if you dont like them, well, thats what elections are for.

The bad news is, when elections start early, from my perspective, the rules of engagement change. Every candidate running for election or re-election who last year was tackling an important issue or fighting for a cause this year is viewed as doing everything for political reasons, at least in the minds of some.

So I thought Id provide some rules of engagement for how we will be handling this years elections, so that our readers, the candidates and their supporters can understand our decision-making process.

Candidate events: We will cover an announcement of a candidates candidacy as well as the official launch of a candidates campaign. Fundraisers or related events following those official announcements will not be covered, but we will run briefs announcing the time and place of those events ahead of time if they are supplied by candidates or their campaign managers via email. This does not include events of general community interest that a candidate or candidates happens to be participating in. We will cover those regardless.

Letters to the editor supporting candidates: You are welcome to send these letters until the date ballots are mailed for both the primary and general election. These letters must include the letter writers full name and city of residence. After the ballots drop, those letters will no longer be published.

Candidate advertising: Any paid advertising for candidates will be clearly labeled as such. Advertising is handled by ourAdvertising Sales Director Kathy Hashbarger and does not impact our editorial coverage.We will cover all candidates the same regardless of whether they buy advertising.

Our pledge of fairness: We do our best to provide fair and equal coverage of all candidates. We dont endorse candidates or ballot measures. If anyone feels this pledge has been violated, please email me at teresa@myedmondsnews.com.

Our commitment to correct errors or omissions: If weve made an error in our campaign coverage (or any coverage), email me. If you believe weve omitted important facts or viewpoints, email me. Despite what some people think (or have implied, particularly on our Facebook page), omissions of information are not intentional. Usually, its because our writers or the editor (me) are moving too quickly and overlook something. We always have and always will update an article by supplying missing information as soon as we learn about it. We are not perfect. We always strive to do better.

Speaking of missing information, Ive compiled some guidelines below outlining how to best send news and photos to us, to ensure we are as fair and accurate as possible in our coverage. Email is absolutely the most efficient way for us to receive submissions. Dont rely on us having a complete understanding of your event from a Facebook or Twitter or Instagram post. Chances are we will either 1) miss it entirely or 2) miss the pertinent facts that you want included. Having it all in one place, in an email, with a link for more details, if applicable, ensures better coverage.

As always, thanks for helping us make our publications the best they can be.

Teresa Wippel, Publisher

Our guidelines for submitting news and photos

If you have news of an event you would like us to publicize or if you have a story idea for us to follow up on, heres the best way to submit:

Our guidelines for submitting letters to the editor

If you have questions about other types of submissions not covered here, please email me at teresa@myedmondsnews.com.

(Note that these guidelines also live on our About page, for future reference)

Continued here:

From the Publisher's Desk: A reminder as we enter election season, and best ways to communicate with us - My Edmonds News

The University has formed a Land Acknowledgement Working Group, President Christina Paxson P19 wrote in a March 11 letter to the Brown community. The new group will develop recommendations as to how the University should formally acknowledge the shared history of the institution and the local Indigenous Peoples.

Russell Carey 91 MA06, executive vice president for planning and policy, and Rae Gould, associate director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative, will chair the working group. Graduate and undergraduate students, along with other faculty and staff, will comprise the group membership. Each of these individuals have personal and professional experience and expertise to bring to this topic, Carey said.

The group will function in consultation with local Native and Indigenous Peoples, as well as members of NAISI an interdisciplinary initiative of Brown community members which centers upon teaching and research to explore the cultural and political experiences of Indigenous Peoples.

Its really a priority and something consistent with the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, and to really care for the institution to be intentional about understanding and respecting the land on which (the University is) based, Carey said. The group wants to do so in a manner that is really respectful and cognizant of the Indigenous people and tribes in our area.

Gould further elaborated on the Universitys commitment to Indigenous involvement in achieving the groups goals. One central aim is to engage with and learn from the tribes, Gould wrote in an email to The Herald.

The group will be focused on following protocols to respect the knowledge, interests and concerns of the local tribal people connected to this place we now know as Providence and College Hill, Gould added. We are committed to dedicating the time needed to engage in the process fully and respectfully.

The group will hold its first meeting at the end of the month and is responsible for producing an interim status report by the end of the calendar year.

Beyond these parameters, there is no specific timeline set regarding when other meetings will take place or when certain topics will be discussed. As a critical piece of this work is to do it in consultation with the tribes and Indigenous people, its not necessarily our timeline to establish, Carey said. Gould and I are both committed to taking the time thats necessary.

Land acknowledgements are meant to serve as historically accurate ways to recognize the Indigenous land on which an institution sits. They are often presented verbally or visually in signage, theater presentations or simple spoken-word greetings prior to academic, civic, sporting and other university events.

The group will also have to consider logistics about the form of the Universitys eventual land acknowledgement, and how and when it will be used, Carey explained. The University will likely look to other higher-education institutions that have already begun the effort towards creating land acknowledgements, alongside the numerous organizations on campus that have already established acknowledgements. The John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage, for instance, has already created a land acknowledgement statement.

The groups formation is a continuation of the Universitys recent efforts to create a more fully diverse and inclusive Brown, Paxson wrote in the letter.

Gould emphasized a dedication to diversifying the Universitys academics as a key part of NAISIs work in recent months. The initiative also includes outreach to local tribes and the establishment of a Tribal Advisory Council that contributes to a number of efforts at the University, as well as the eventual development of a critical Native American and Indigenous Studies concentration.

We are really looking forward to next year and to bringing some of the most respected (Native American and Indigenous Studies) scholars to campus to share their knowledge and experience, Gould wrote.

The group will be closely tied to these other initiatives along with the second phase of DIAP, which will launch later this year.

Community members hope that the formation of the group marks the beginning of a movement, rather than the end.

Creating the Land Acknowledgement Working Group and working with the Indigenous community is a great step forward for Brown as they take accountability for their colonialistic actions that built their foundation, Leinani Roylo 21, who conducted a NAISI project focused on increasing Native Hawaiian voter turnout, wrote in an email to The Herald. However, much more needs to be done in order to rectify their detrimental actions and also uplift the Native American community.

Roylo recommends that the University examine its impact beyond just the land Brown sits on. A longer and more serious conversation needs to be had with the Narragansett tribe and other Native students and faculty to address what reparations and accommodations should be made for the Native communities Brown is tied to.

Originally posted here:

Brown announces Land Acknowledgement Working Group - The Brown Daily Herald

I love tossing around crazy scientific ideas things that might be nearly impossible or actually are impossible.

This scientific discourse has become an important cornerstone of my academic development as an MD/PhD student. While the vast majority of these ideas do not come to fruition, I derive a lot out of the practice and the few ideas that do develop. I can watch certain ideas grow and change as they eventually become important. Ideas that are important characteristically have relevance and foreseeable applicability.

Recently, I have been asking myself a lot of questions. How can I make my science important for everyone? How can we as a scientific community use this last year as an inflection point to better address current problems and future issues as they arise? What are the steps we can take to better serve our global community members during this pandemic and in the future?

Although there is no panacea for all of these longstanding questions and problems, it behooves us to not only tackle COVID-19 but to also begin to address the inequities that have been laid bare. How can the scientific community use this momentum to set a new precedent for science to be important and accessible to the entire spectrum of people?

As we build the necessary tools to respond to the pandemic, we must maintain concern and compassion for the disenfranchised. We must work to not only develop scalable solutions but to also ensure they can be accessed by those who need them most. We must make deliberate and intentional efforts to include our vulnerable populations in preclinical studies and clinical trials. We must not let marginalized populations get neglected or left behind and instead take action to ensure our science matters to all people. We can work to ensure our science is important for everyone.

With forethought, we can propose innovative and transformative solutions to overcome our current problems and address basic issues such as equitable access to drugs, vaccines and therapeutics not just for COVID-19 but also for other global health priority diseases. We can strive to develop approaches that prioritize our neglected and global community members and offer equitable healthcare to all regardless of race, age, gender, geography or family income.

If we learn one lesson from COVID-19, it should be that health is a basic human right for everyone, and it should not be an afterthought.

Research questions and hypotheses are our foundation for future clinical endeavors. Indeed, as health security emerges as an issue of pressing global concern, bold action is needed. We are capable of questioning, proposing and transforming our science to be important for all communities.

This will likely demand the unconventional and the nearly impossible ideas. This beseeches crazy scientific thoughts and unlimited speculation. We will ask and answer questions in uncustomary ways to tackle these monumental problems. We can foster our scientific curiosities and query the possible and impossible applicability to bolster our efforts in combating current and future issues.

Most importantly, we can evolve our science to matter for everyone.

Guest contributor: Jackie Turner, a CU medical student, graduate Hertz Fellow and Bill and Melinda Gates Summer Associate

Here is the original post:

Finding Ways to Make Science Matter to Everyone - CU Anschutz Today

HORSHAM, Pa., March 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) today announced a new initiative to combat racial inequity and injustice and create lasting change. As part of that effort, BBU, a proud member of the Grupo Bimbo family of companies, has committed $1 million to national and local organizations dedicated to furthering the education, financial well-being and health of Black and minority Americans. In addition, the company formed a Racial Equity Action Council and appointed Nikki Lang as its first Head of Diversity, Equity & Belonging.

Last year, the U.S. experienced a reckoning moment with racial equity and injustice, said Fred Penny, president of Bimbo Bakeries USA. BBU acknowledged our responsibility to do more within our organization and our communities. We have taken the last nine months to engage and learn from our diverse associates and thoughtfully consider how we could have the broadest impact.

Penny said the companys efforts have been focused on strengthening the culture of the organization by improving representation and retention of diverse associates, promoting racial appreciation and confronting explicit and implicit bias.

BBUs $1 million commitment includes $500,000 dedicated to UNCF (United Negro College Fund). UNCF is Americas largest and most effective minority education organization, empowering more than 500,000 students to earn college degrees since it was founded. Through the partnership, BBU will provide scholarships, create an internship program and participate in the UNCF Student Leadership Conference.

This generous gift will impact many talented and deserving students seeking to get to and through college, said UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax. We thank BBU for the investment and look forward to growing our partnership to support our students and historically Black colleges and universities. Support like this is critical, especially during the on-going health pandemic we are all facing.

BBU is also committing $500,000 to nonprofit organizations throughout the country. BBUs Racial Equity Action Council identified education, financial well-being and health as three key areas of focus and identified organizations that would benefit from BBUs investment while also providing an opportunity for meaningful associate engagement to make a real difference. Some of the organizations BBU will partner with are:

It is important to us that our partnerships extend beyond a financial donation. Our Racial Equity Action Council has been instrumental in identifying organizations where BBU and our associates can make a real difference. We look forward to identifying additional partners and beginning our work with these organizations, said Penny.

BBUs financial commitment also extends to its brands. BBU is allocating a percentage of each of its brands marketing budgets toward minority-owned media partners.

The companys Racial Equity Action Council, made up of Black and ally associates from across the country, is assisting BBU as it examines and evaluates its internal practices. The Council immediately got to work by:

The company also announced that Nikki Lang, a 14-year associate, has been named the companys first Head of Diversity, Equity & Belonging.

Over the last nine months, it became clear that creating sustained and meaningful change in this area requires dedicated leadership and resources, Penny said. Nikki was the ideal person for this role, and I look forward to the progress her leadership will bring.

Lang previously served as BBUs Director of eCommerce and has served on BBUs Diversity, Equity & Belonging Steering Committee for the past three years. In her new role, she will focus full-time on BBUs overall Diversity, Equity & Belonging (DE&B) strategy, lead the development and implementation of DE&B programs, and provide support and guidance to the Racial Equity Action Council and Business Unit DE&B Councils.

Lang will also partner and collaborate with leaders across BBU to ensure that the principles of diversity, equity and belonging are embedded in all of the companys decision-making.

Im excited to lead the Diversity, Equity and Belonging initiatives for BBU, said Lang. Our intentional effort to improve from the inside will help BBU continue to improve equity internally and in our communities.

These are important first steps on our renewed Diversity, Equity & Belonging journey, but this is a long-term commitment. We hope these steps will be a catalyst to encourage others to consider how they can contribute to racial justice and equity in their communities, said Penny.

About Bimbo Bakeries USA

Bimbo Bakeries USA is a leader in the baking industry, known for its category-leading brands, innovative products, freshness and quality. Our team of 20,000 U.S. associates operates more than 60 manufacturing locations in the United States. Over 11,000 distribution routes deliver our leading brands such as Arnold, Artesano, Ball Park, Bimbo, Boboli, Brownberry,Entenmann's, Little Bites, Marinela, Mrs. Bairds, Oroweat, Sara Lee, Stroehmann, and Thomas'. Bimbo Bakeries USA is part of Mexicos Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B de C.V., the world's largest baking company with operations in 33 countries.

About Grupo Bimbo Grupo Bimbo is a leader in the global bakery industry. With more than 135 thousand associates, in 2019 it reported 15 billion dollars in sales. The Group has 197 production plants and about 1,700 Sales Centers strategically located in 32 countries around the world, across 4 continents. It produces more than 13 thousand items under more than 100 prestigious and recognized umbrella brands in categories such as sliced bread, buns and toast. It also has a broad distribution network in the countries where it is present and one of the largest in the Americas. In 2020, for the fourth consecutive year, Grupo Bimbo was the only Mexican company recognized as one of the 135 most ethical companies in the world according to the Worlds Most Ethical Companies in 2020, a list prepared by The Ethisphere Institute. Grupo Bimbo is listed in the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) as BIMBO. For more information about Grupo Bimbo, visit: http://www.grupobimbo.com. Look for us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GrupoBimbo and Twitter: @Grupo_Bimbo.

About UNCFUNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nations largest and most effective minority educationorganization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports studentseducation anddevelopment through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 membercolleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and collegereadiness. UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective,awarding nearly 20% of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, andcurriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students atover 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadershipin education and its widely recognized trademark,A mind is a terrible thing to waste.Learn more atUNCF.org or forcontinuousupdates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.

Media Contact:John Reynolds610-228-0730 john.reynolds@buchananpr.com

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Bimbo Bakeries USA Pledges $1 Million Commitment to Minority Equity Organizations in Addition to Internal Focus on Diversity, Equity and Belonging -...

In the 1970s, in the spirit of back-to-the-land movements and intentional communities, a group of lesbian separatists in the United States decided to remove themselves from a society based on capitalism and patriarchy. They formed women-only farms, which began to crop up on small parcels of land in various rural areas around the United States, primarily near the two coasts. Their resistance to industrialization meant that many of them turned to sustainable and organic farming methods. They called their movement womyns land and sought farming as a liberation from an anti-environment, male-dominated society.

The womyns land movement was far from perfect. For one, these spaces were predominantly made up of white, middle-class women. Land access issues surrounding class and race did not disappear within the communes, and many of the women viewed farming as a means, rather than a crucial element, to living outside of the confines of society. Many found that the reality of farmwork didnt always match the idealism of the movement.

But despite the movements failings, the sociopolitical motivations behind the movement still exist and are now seeing a resurgence among queer youth. Queer millennials and zoomers have begun to echo ideas of the 1970s in farming and gardening, and while todays sub-movement is more informal and less homogenous, it seems that queer youth have increasingly connected queer oppression to environmental concerns.

[As a person] who is deeply concerned about climate change, I see the potential in farming as a way to make people connect to the land and heal the planet, says Marianne Olney-Hamel of Berkeley Basket CSA, an urban farm in Berkeley, California.

Of course, Gen Z has become known as a generation of viral moments. In an online culture, trends exist on social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok. Lately, queer subsectors of both platforms have been obsessing over a familiar idea: going back to the land to farm. On TikTok, the popular cottagecore aesthetic offers an idealized world where queer love can be visible in rural space, providing marginalized individuals exposure to ideas like self-sustainability and queer ecology.

The obvious question now is: Is queer farming another viral trend, or is this a second wave of queer back-to-the-land farmers?

I do think there is some truth to there being more queer farmers. With cottagecore, its somewhat imagined and definitely romanticized, but I dont necessarily think thats bad, says Lucy Bell, a farmworker who worked with Happy Acre Farm in Sunol, California. Bell explains that while the cottagecore trend has promoted an avenue for queer youth to explore a connection to farming and outdoor spaces, the online aesthetic often leaves out an important aspect of queer farming. The idea of wanting to be isolated and fully be yourself is romantic, but the communal aspect to me is truer to the queer culture and experience, Bell says.

In reality, todays version of the back-to-the-land movement goes beyond cottagecore, even if the movement has roots online. That [online] group isnt the same group thats actually going out and farming, but by creating the idea and romanticizing it is creating a generation of queer farmers that might not have existed otherwise, argues Max De Faria, a queer scholar, farmworker, and a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center.

There is a notably increasing number of queer people supplying the nations food. Unfortunately, there are no exact numbers for how many queer farmer are there in the US since census forms do not ask questions about sexuality and gender identity.

Its a fun dream, but the realities of [running a farm], logistically, are hard, says Dede Boies of Root Down Farm near Pescadero, California. It does seem like nowadays theres a lot of the same glorified Oh my god, youre on a farm, its so great! Come spend a day with me and tell me how dreamy it is. Its hard every day, all day.

Beyond this, there exists unique factors within rural areas that draw queer people to this lifestyle. In many ways, rural life has allowed queer farmers an opportunity to feel comfortable in their skin, both by dressing in more androgynous farmers fashion and having a more intimate connection with the natural world around them.

While the modern gay experience has largely been depicted as urban, queer people have lived and farmed in rural communities for longer than labels have existed. For many living in suburban and urban nodes, there exists a common conception of rural areas being more heterosexist and transphobic than their urban counterparts. Although queer people may experience challenges such as fewer queer-only spaces and structural and legal access to resources, the majority of queer farmers studied have said that they experienced far less overt discrimination than they had anticipated. A lot of queer people find community in the outskirts of communities, says Bell.

Though, that can change depending on where in rural America queer farmers are planting themselves. We live in this Bay Area bubble where we feel fortunate to feel safe most of the time, says Boies. We can very much have people who dont support us, but no one is telling that to our face. I know the rest of the country is not that fortunate by any means and that rural living can be a challenge for queer people.

Although it is impossible to categorize queer farmers as a whole, they generally align with alternative food networks and sustainability models. Here, its easy to see the parallels between todays queer farming movement and the womyns land movement from the 1970s. Both women and queer farmers have expressed motivations based on their sexuality and gender that led them to become interested in farming.

From a historical lens, queer farmers, especially AFAB farmers, were motivated by the clearly flexible gender expression and remoteness that came with farming. It would be easy to hide out in the middle of the land and do subsistence farming, says De Faria, who explains that today, like previously, motivations are largely rooted in anti-capitalist or anti-the System sentiments of everything is bad in the world and farming is the one thing I can control and give back to the world.

Todays queer farming movement, like womyns land and other back-to-the-land movements, doesnt escape criticism, however.

Rural communities face so many challenges, from underfunding to lack of infrastructure to climate change, and our voices are consistently ignored because of assumptions that were ignorant or conservative, says Hannah Wilson-James, a homesteader and community organizer from Davenport, California. I worry that these romanticized TikToks rely on existing tropes about rural Americans and do little to amplify the voices of people who are already there, doing the work in these communities, because it isnt glamorous enough.

But thats not always the case. There is definitely and crucially a big distinction between a queer farmer and a farmer that happens to be queer, says De Faria. I think the latter has existed longer in terms of visibility.

Read the original post:

From Womyn's Land to Cottagecore - Earth Island Journal

The academics, the athletics and the extracurricular there are many reasons to go to boarding school. Students flourish in the rich culture of learning, friendship, arts, athletics and intellectual discourse. Why? At these 24-hour, intentional communities, students growth and development are front and centre.

Students at boarding schools are often exposed to a multitude of activities. This ensures they have well-rounded education, complemented with pursuits such as fine arts, painting, sports, dance, drama, and so forth. With big classrooms hosting a smaller ratio of students, this ensures each and every child gets equal attention in class.

They naturally inculcate a sense of punctuality and discipline in pupils as they are made to follow and maintain a schedule as to when they wake up, study, eat, and sleep. There are rules both within the school and in the hostels that each student follows diligently. It all comes together to groom them into more responsible, independent and confident individuals in future.

Here are four well-rounded boarding schools that produce all-rounded graduates:

Source: Hargrave Military Academy

A Hargrave Military Academy graduate is instantly recognisable. He exudes leadership, character and quiet strength in his faith. He is prepared for the rigours of college and to face lifes journey with determination, perseverance and resolve. He goes on to be a leader in his home, his church, and his community.

At this Virginia-based institution steeped in history and tradition, regarded as one of the best college-prep boarding schools in the US for grades 7 to 12, boys grow into young men and form bonds that last a lifetime with fellow cadets, faculty, and staff. The academys distinctive four pillars of academics, sports/athletics, character and spiritual development are fully integrated into a challenging and purposeful curriculum.

Its military model combines structure, routine, accountability, leadership, teamwork, decision making and personal pride to holistically develop a young man to their fullest potential. Every Cadet has a team of genuinely concerned teachers, coaches and staff dedicated to their individual success, ready to invest time outside of the classroom to mentor, lead and engage with cadets. A robust athletics programme provides opportunities for physical development and to teach sportsmanship through team sports, intramurals, and extensive recreational activities.

The result? Cadets who realise their individual potential, owning their self-confidence through an appropriate recognition of achievements. All academy graduates progress to college, part of a brotherhood that endures well beyond graduation. An alumnus Rocky Billing says, Hargrave was one of the best gifts my father gave me. Looking back now 18 years later, I know Hargrave definitely helped in making me the man I am today. To learn more about how Hargrave Military Academy develops young men into leaders of character who are prepared for lifelong success, click here.

Located at the foothills of the Green Mountains in Saxtons River, a gorgeous corner of New England, Vermont Academy is where students are supported to be their best selves and are able to flourish academically, emotionally, and physically in preparation for college.

Source: Vermont Academy

At this private boarding school, over 200 students from 20 states and 21 countries in grades 9 through to 12 plus a postgraduate year get to take part in an empowering combination of experiential learning and outdoor experiences. Both the arts and athletics are embraced here this means students can hike, ski, compete in writing and poetry contests, star in a performance, learn a new instrument, and win regional athletic championships. An iconic centrepiece of the campus is the on-campus ski hill where many students enjoy a Sunday afternoon during the winter months.

Its small size and emphasis on relationships ensure every student is known personally by teachers which allows for tremendous academic and personal growth. Through its signature MAPS (My Action Plan for Success) program, students work on documents that allow advisors, teachers, coaches, and parents to give feedback to them and help keep track of their progress. These documents cover several areas, from student self-assessment of strengths and weaknesses to learning preferences and goal setting with action steps for success. My first week at Vermont Academy I began working with my advisor on my MAPS plan. It was a great way to start thinking and talking about my future and the classes that interest me, says alumnus Will Svensson. The MAPS program is housed in the Center For Learning at Vermont Academy which is the office responsible for student growth and learning.

The instructional approach here is guided by the following pedagogical values: student-focused, growth-oriented and active. With small and tight-knit classes, students receive the personal attention needed to discover their potential and develop a love for learning. Every day the academic program is challenging students to expand their thinking through active, hands-on learning experiences. To learn more about Vermont Academys Education for Life, click here or connect with the admissions office here.

Source: Blue Ridge School

As an all-boys institution in Virginia, Blue Ridge School (BRS) provides small class sizes and co-curricular programmes to help boys from 23 states and 17 countries, between grades nine to 12 reach their potential through personalised, structured, innovative learning practices in a college-preparatory, all-boarding community. A small student body of under 200 call BRS their home away from home.

The schools 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and an average class size of eight, allow deeper connections between students and teachers. BRS promotes a well-rounded education through their curriculum such as English Language Learners Program (ELL); Foreign Languages; Mathematics; Outdoor Education; Performing and Visual Arts; Science; Social Studies and Technology. The school also caters to students with learning disabilities and attention difficulties through its Fishburne Learning Center.

Blue Ridge has definitely made me a more well-rounded student. Being a scholar has always been a goal of mine, but Blue Ridge has also allowed me to participate in activities I most likely would never have had the opportunity to partake in, shares student leader Franck Germain.

The BRS experience extends to a wide variety of activities, societies, athletic fixtures and facilities on campus meaning students do not have to set foot off campus to learn and grow. Here, students are encouraged to express themselves through a choice of music, drama or visual arts.

Source: Forham School

Over 200 bright and motivated students with learning differences and 68 faculty and staff trained to equip them for college since 1930, the Forman School has been transforming lives. Located on New Englands prep school campus in Litchfield, Connecticut, Forman School attracts local day students and boarding students from more than 25 states and 10 countries.

Here, high school students and postgraduates with diagnosed learning differences such as dyslexia and ADHD learn by exploring abundant academic, artistic, athletic, and social opportunities. Open to any students entering grades seven to 11, Formans four-week summer programme is a coed boarding and day camp that provides insight into the Schools innovative teaching techniques.

Forman is a place where every student is known well, connection amongst students and faculty feels like family, big dreams and aspirations are fulfilled, and students are cared deeply about. I havent seen anybody on campus, teacher or student, who hasnt been transformed, said Bill Bucklin, Formans English teacher.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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Well-rounded boarding schools that produce all-rounded graduates - Study International News

This house is located at 314 Burr Oak in Albion. It will serve as the campuss first substance-free house for the 2021-2022 academic year (Photo by Sondra Sewell).

Albion Colleges Office of Community Living (formerly known as Residential Life) is working to develop intentional living communities on campus in order to fit the unique needs of individuals. One of these intentional living communities is the brainchild of Dr. Shannon ONeill: the implementation of substance-free housing.

Substance-free housing is designed for students who are committed to being substance-free in all aspects of their lives. While substances are currently prohibited in most residential buildings, substance-free housing will add an additional layer to that. It is a commitment to refrain from all substances both inside and outside the residence.

Ryann Kaplan, a senior at Albion College, has devoted time as a practicum student to help ONeill bring this idea to life.

I think this opportunity is going to be really beneficial for a variety of people because the college environment is not conducive to people who are substance-free, said Kaplan.

Kaplan explained that students choose to partake in a substance-free lifestyle for many different reasons. These include but are not limited to dedication to academic success, religious reasons, addiction recovery and family/personal reasons.

I think the statistics are that on any given college campus, at least 20% of the students will be substance-free, said Kaplan.

So far, a high number of students have expressed interest in the new substance-free house that will be opened for the 2021-2022 academic year. The house, which is located at 314 Burr Oak, will be able to accommodate up to 15 students, including one resident assistant (R.A.) who will also be substance-free. Based on a Google Form that was sent out in the daily news email, 28 students have already expressed interest.

Trista L. Geier, associate director of Community Living and operations, said that she thinks this one house may not be enough.

I think theres some potential to expand substance-free housing across campus in the future, but I dont know what that looks like yet, said Geier.

In order to be able to live in the substance-free house, there will be a low-stakes, one-on-one interview process that students will need to go through. Kaplan explained that oftentimes, students may feel pressured by their parents to choose a substance-free option, even if they do not truly want it.

The interview is really just to gauge how serious you are about it, how committed you are, if you really are substance free. Kaplan said. Other than that, its going to be kind of on a first-come first-serve basis.

For the 2021-2022 academic year, the substance-free house will be open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Some factors about the house are still up in the air, such as how much it will cost and whether it will be separated by gender. Additions to the house, including a firepit to host substance-free get togethers, are also being considered.

If students are interested in joining a substance-free living community, they can contact Dr. Shannon ONeill at soneill@albion.edu.

Read more from the original source:

College Introduces Substance-Free Housing The Albion College Pleiad Online - Albionpleiad

March 19, 2021

By: Beth Thomas, ANN, and Adventist Review

Global Youth Day (GYD), a mission initiative of the Youth Ministries department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, will be celebrated on March 20, 2021 around the world.

The theme of GYD for 2021 is Reaching Out: Colors, Cultures and Communities, which stems from the Bible story of the woman at the well and Jesus interaction with her.

GYD began as a day of mission outreach in 2013. During that inaugural event, only 12 service projects were organized world-wide. Over the past eight years, GYD has grown exponentially, touching thousands of young people and producing hundreds of creative service projects in local communities.

Its an opportunity for Seventh-day Adventist young people around the world to collaborate together and be the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus, said Gary Blanchard, Youth Ministries director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

How will Adventist youth accomplish this in 2021? By creating intentional opportunities for conversation, Blanchard said. Youth leaders in every region of the world church will cater outreach specific to their local communities on March 20.

Jesus is our example; we follow Him as His disciples. Its important for the church not to wait for people to come to us. We must go to them, Blanchard said.

Its also important to not stay within our own little groups, although its natural to do that, he added. If we do, we are never be able to reach the harvest. We need to reach out to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

The Youth Ministries department provides suggestions for outreach projects to do, such as:

Kicking off GYD this year will be three one-hour programs hosted on the General Conference Youth Ministries Facebook pageeach designed for different time zones to participate. The first show will air on Friday, March 19 at 5:00 p.m. EST, followed by programs on Saturday (Sabbath), March 20 at 5:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. EST.

At the end of each hour program, the various regions of the world church will have the opportunity to share what youth groups are doing in their areas. At the end of the Sabbath day, all participants are invited to join a 30-minute wrap-up show at 5:30 p.m. EST to share testimonies and encourage one another.

The whole purpose of GYD is not just to have another program or event, Blanchard said, but to get young people excited about making service a lifestyle. We hope that reaching out to different colors, cultures and communities doesnt just happen one day a week or one day a year.

Blanchard points out that GYD is a perfect lead-in to the global Youth Week of Prayer that starts on that Saturday (Sabbath) evening and ends with Homecoming Sabbath on March 27. The theme for Week of Prayer 2021 is I Will Go, echoing Isaiahs answer when he was called by God.

Yeury Ferreira, director of Hispanic Ministries for the Greater New York Conference in the United States, wrote the devotional materials for the Week of Prayer that are available for download. Ferreiras messages focus on spiritual renewal, personal healing and forgiveness, guidance, and empowerment for service.

For more information and to view GYD festivities, visit Adventist Youth Ministries Facebook page, or the Facebook page of the Adventist Church. Follow Adventist Youth Ministries on Instagram.

The original version of this release was posted by Adventist News Network.

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Global Youth Day to Reach Cultures, Colors, and Communities - Adventist Review

A coalition of California prosecutors, including California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, on Monday sued Brookdale Senior Living, which operates senior living communities across the country, for allegedly misrepresenting its quality of care and incorrectly discharging residents.

The lawsuit claims that Brookdale provided CMS with false data on Nursing Home Compare which were used to tabulate nursing home star ratings, which reflect nursing home care quality. Brookdale allegedly over-reported nursing staffing hours, which contributed to the facilities' four- and five-star ratings.

The lawsuit also alleged that Brookdale transferred or discharged residents without adequate notice in an attempt to make room for "residents who will bring in more money."

Becerra, President Joe Biden's choice for health secretary, said the state will ensure Brookdale will "face consequences for violating the public's trust."

"We are holding Brookdale accountable for artificially increasing its profits by cutting corners when transferring or discharging its patients. It lured individuals to its facilities through false promises about providing the highest quality care," Becerra said in a statement. "Choosing a skilled nursing facility is no simple task. Seniors, people with disabilities and their families rely heavily on accurate data to make that decision. Californians have been directly impacted by Brookdale's behavior."

A Brookdale spokesperson said the company is aware of the lawsuit, and related lawsuits against other skilled nursing providers, and "categorically den[ies] that Brookdale engaged in intentional or fraudulent conduct."

"We are disappointed in the allegations against the skilled nursing industry. Publicizing unproven allegations is reckless and undermines the public's confidence in a service necessary to the care of elderly individuals, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic," the spokesperson said. "Brookdale is dedicated to providing quality care to our residents and patients, and we take our mission of enriching the lives of those we serve seriously."

The lawsuit involves Brookdale's 10 skilled nursing facilities in California and the district attorneys of Kern, Alameda, San Diego and Santa Cruz Counties and the Los Angeles city attorney.

Brentwood, Tenn.-based Brookdale operates more than 700 senior living communities in 43 states, which can serve more than 64,000 residents.

"Residents of skilled nursing facilities are often our mothers, our fathers and our grandparents who are facing challenging times in their lives. Rules designed to protect nursing facility residents must be followed to ensure the dignity, respect, and compassion that residents deserve," Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer, who is leading the lawsuit, said in a statement. "When companies fail to comply with these rules, they create environments that subject the most vulnerable among us to unnecessary victimization, stress, and even physical harm. This case seeks accountability for offenders and is a reminder to all skilled nursing facilities of the importance of following rules designed to ensure the protection of vulnerable residents."

The rest is here:

California sues Brookdale Senior Living over quality concerns, fraud allegations - Modern Healthcare

LaShyra Nolen was spending time with her family in December when the first COVID-19 vaccines were approved for use in the United States. During her visit, the second-year medical student at Harvard Medical School found herself fielding questions and listening as her relatives expressed reservations about the newly approved vaccines.

For Nolen, who is the first Black woman to serve as student council president at Harvard Medical School, it cemented the idea that there was a need to create safe spaces for intentional community conversations where Black residents could get their questions about the vaccines addressed and answered.

It was clear to her that her own loved ones worries and questions were not being addressed by public health officials or news coverage of the medical developments in the fight against the coronavirus.

I was really like, OK, we need to create a program where were bringing people from the community with other people from the community and really having honest conversations about this vaccine and what it means for our community and our loved ones, Nolen told Boston.com.

To address that gap, she founded the We Got Us empowerment project, a collective of Black community members, students, and health care professionals dedicated to providing education about the COVID-19 vaccines and inequities in health care. More than 40 pre-med and medical students are involved with the project, which is led by a team of seven, including Nolen, who serves as the founder and executive director.

The name of the project, which launched March 4, takes into account the ways historically the Black community has come together when it has been let down by the government, Nolen said.

We are going to be the ones who are creating the information, creating the access, and making this experience survivable and bearable for ourselves, she said. Were going to get out of it, and were going to be OK. Because no matter what, our community always has one anothers backs.

The work Nolen and her colleagues at the project are doing also aims to provide validation for the concerns being expressed about the COVID-19 vaccines. As the vaccines have rolled out, individuals have brought up past examples of medical racism pointing to Henrietta Lacks as well as the infamous U.S. study of untreated syphilis in Tuskegee as having a role in hesitancy around the vaccine.

But Nolen said she wanted the project also to address that there hasnt been as much recognition of the present-day experiences Black people have with medical racism and the ways it has manifested during the pandemic. Those present-day experiences are also a factor that deserve recognition, she said.

[The project] was a way of creating a space for us to come together that was validating our struggles, both past and present, Nolen said. And helping us understand what this vaccine really had to offer us.

We Got Us is focusing its outreach and work around three pillars: empowerment through education, conveying information not convincing, and harm reduction through promoting public health.

The project holds what it calls empowerment sessions with members of the community, where leaders from the group give a presentation that delves into the history of medical racism. During the sessions, project members talk about the COVID-19 vaccines, the different side effect panels for the doses, and what the trials for the inoculations showed.

They then go over questions members of the community have about the vaccines.

The next pillar of ours is that we want to convey, not convince, Nolen said. So were not out to try to convince people to get the vaccine. But really we just want to convey the information that we found as health professionals, students, and pre-health students. Really just sharing that with folks so that they have the same amount of knowledge as everyone else and theyre on an equal playing field once they decide to make that decision about whether or not they think the vaccine is right for them.

Language plays an important and powerful role, the medical student said. Even vaccine hesitancy doesnt accurately represent what is occurring, since there is a history and reasons for why members of the Black community do not trust a system that has inflicted harm on them, she said.

Theyre trying to figure out, what are my options and let me figure out when this is going to be best for me, if its best for me, and if I should even trust these institutions that have traditionally harmed me, Nolen said. And let me just get all the information that I need first before I make my decision.

What individuals are really doing is deliberating, she said. And organizations like We Got Us are working to help fill in the gaps of information.

Paying attention to language within the context of history is an important part of the outreach and work the group is doing.

We shouldnt be going into communities and trying to convince them to do anything because they have the right to make the best decision for themselves, Nolen said. But lets give them the tools and the knowledge and the access necessary to make sure that they have the agency to make that decision.

For the last pillar, harm reduction through public health, the project is focused on making sure individuals understand the importance of mask wearing, social distancing, and washing hands. When out in the community, project members give away packets they call empowerment kits containing masks, hand sanitizer, and information about where individuals can go to get vaccinated.

The problem with the discussion around vaccine hesitancy, Nolen said, is that it doesnt fully account for how Black communities dont have access to vaccination clinics because of an unequal and inequitable rollout.

We want to make sure as We Got Us that we tell you why the vaccine is important and give you all the facts you need to know about it, but we also want to make sure that we empower you and support you by making sure that once you decide to say yes, that you know where you need to go, how youre going to get there, and making sure that were putting pressure on our government leaders to make this accessible to everyone in our community, she said.

Since launching, We Got Us has joined the Black Boston COVID Coalition, which was started in May 2020 to advocate for actions and resources to stem the spread of COVID-19, with the goal of leaving Black residents and Black businesses in a better place post-pandemic than we were before and during. The project is also partnered with the Boston Public Health Commission to visit various COVID-19 testing sites this month to provide pamphlets they created about the vaccines, share the services the group is offering, and help answer questions in-person that community members might have about getting inoculated. The organizers are also planning to set up similar efforts at grocery stores, barbershops, parks, and other locations in Boston moving forward.

Theyre also working with community leaders in Brockton, with a planned collaboration with 24 Hr. Power, a group that uses graffiti as an art form to help individuals in recovery from addiction, on April 10. The project is partnered with Teen Empowerment in Boston, too, working with eight youth members who are doing empowerment sessions for other young people and high school students in the community.

We Got Us already has almost 20 different community partners and is looking to expand into Greater Boston, Nolen said.

We want to make sure wherever there are Black people who have been impacted disproportionately by this pandemic, we want to get to them, she said. And that means also working to make sure that were connected with our Afro-Latinex communities as well in Chelsea and thinking about how we can make sure that the work that we do is accessible as possible.

The medical student said while We Got Us was launched in response to COVID-19, it is an initiative that she believes must exist beyond the pandemic.

She sees the coalition of Black medical students, pre-med students, and health professionals from across the state tackling the work of changing policy and influencing policy as the pandemic comes to an end, switching their educational outreach to other health issues, such as maternal mortality and prevention of hypertension and diabetes.

Seeing the momentum and work that has occurred already has been amazing, she said.

Thats always been my objective, just as a future healer finding ways to make really genuine connections with community members in a way thats really rooted in healing and love, Nolen said. And I think that oftentimes, being a Harvard Medical student, it can feel like Im a part of this institution and this ivory tower that isnt as rooted in wanting to give that love back to the community and trying to really put the community first.

But the efforts being spearheaded by all her colleagues with We Got Us is a really beautiful example of the work shes always wanted to see done with health and community.

Everyone is all hands on deck, and theyre all doing such amazing, inspirational work, she said.

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A coalition of medical students is working to provide education and empowerment to Black residents related to COVID-19 - Boston.com