Category Archives: Intentional Communities

District now touts four state and national schools of character, two honorable mention

Published Jul 22, 2017 at 6:22 am (Updated Jul 20, 2017)

Photo provided Members of the Paradise Knoll staff celebrated the state School of Character designation.

Maple Road students and staff show their support on Red Nose Day.

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Each year, Character.org (formerly The Character Education Partnership) and its state affiliates select schools and districts that demonstrate a dedicated focus on character development programs and a positive impact on academic achievement, student behavior, school climate and their communities. To earn a School of Character designation, schools must demonstrate accomplishment of the 11 Principles of Effective Character Education. (Character.org) The 11 Principles of Effective Character Education are: The school community promotes core ethical and performance values as the foundation of good character. The school defines character comprehensively to include thinking, feeling, and doing. The school uses a comprehensive, intentional, and proactive approach to character development. The school creates a caring community. The school provides students with opportunities for moral action. The school offers a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners, develops their character, and helps them to succeed. The school fosters students self-motivation. The school staff is an ethical learning community that shares responsibility for character education and adheres to the same core values that guide the students. The school fosters shared leadership and long-range support of the character education initiative. The school engages families and community members as partners in the character-building effort. The school regularly assesses its culture and climate, the functioning of its staff as character educators, and the extent to which its students manifest good character. (Source: Character.org)

BY PATRICIA KELLER

WEST MILFORD West Milford Township Public Schools have earned three new designations as state and national schools of character, and two new honorable mention awards for 2017.

Maple Road, Paradise Knoll, and Upper Greenwood Lake elementary schools were all named National Schools of Character by Character.org and the New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional, and Character Development (NJASECD).

West Milford Township High School and Apshawa Elementary School earned honorable mention designations for State Schools of Character for their character education endeavors for the 2016-2017 school year.

Teaching the whole child academics as well as social and emotional health is important every day in every one of our schools, stated Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Alex Anemone upon learning of the schools earning the state-level School of Character designations.

The principals of Maple Road, Paradise Knoll and Upper Greenwood Lake were thrilled with the achievement.

We are proud and humbled by the distinction of National School of Character," said Jennifer Miller, principal of Paradise Knoll. "I would like to formally acknowledge and thank all of the teachers and staff that work so hard to create an environment at Paradise Knoll where Character Matters! I would also like to thank all of the PK parents and families who constantly support our students on this character journey.

"Maple Road School is tremendously proud of the honor of being selected as a National School of Character, said Maple Road School Principal Bill Kane in a comment to The Messenger. This distinction is a credit to the hard work and quality character of our staff, students, and parents. To become a National School of Character, the entire Maple Road School community worked together to weave Character.org's 11 Principles of Character into the fabric of our school's climate and culture. We are so proud to be recognized for this hard work. Go Mustangs!"

Dr. Greg Matlosz, principal of Upper Greenwood Lake Elementary School

UGL is very proud to be recognized as a National School of Character," said Matlosz. "I would like to thank Mrs. Johanna Archer, Mrs. Mindy Turner, the Character Education Committee, staff, students, and the community for all of their hard work in making this become a reality. It is fantastic to see our school district move even closer to becoming a School District of Character.

Macopin Middle School also previously earned the honorable mention designation in 2016. Once a school earns the designation as a state School of Character, they hold that designation for three years.

District schools also received 19 additional Promising Practice awards for their various character education programs.

In total, 83 schools and four districts from 21 states were named as National Schools and Districts of Character for 2017 by Character.org and the NJASECD. Seventeen of the schools named in 2017 were former National Schools of Character reapplying for the national designation.

Accepting their awards and recognitionKane, Miller and Matlosz represented their schools, along with other fellow district administrators and staff at Rider University to be recognized at the state level for their achievements and accept their awards.

Character.org will honor the designated schools and districts on the national level at its 24th annual National Forum on Character Education event to be held the weekend of October 20-21, 2017 in Arlington, Virginia.

Anemone said the district representatives will not only be attending, but will be also be giving a presentation at the prestigious National Forum of Character Education in the fall, and that a showroom-type of display will then be presented for public viewing at the November 2017 Board of Education meeting.

About Character.orgCharacter.org, a national nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., was founded in 1993 with the mission to provide leadership and advocacy for character worldwide. The organization is committed to helping people everywhere in becoming educated, inspired and empowered to be ethical and compassionate citizens.

National Schools of Character are schools that have completed an in-depth and rigorous evaluation process including site visits, and were found to be exemplary models of character development; having demonstrated that character development has had a positive impact on academics, student behavior, and school climate. National schools of character hold their designation for five years and become part of a national network of Schools of Character serving as models and mentors to other educators nationwide.

This distinction is a credit to the hard work and quality character of our staff, students, and parents... We are so proud to be recognized for this hard work. Go Mustangs!"

Bill Kane, Maple Road School principal

Read more:

Three new 'Schools of Character' - The West Milford Messenger

What happens to a dream deferred, does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore, and then run?- Langston Hughes

Time and time again, there is a call to action that demands new voices and new perspectives to emerge in efforts to create new solutions. The evening of Friday, July 14th, was one of those times. A group of young black women, under the counsel of a community organization, a student movement, and two community driven activists, sought to impress upon their communities knowledge about an issue--Food Deserts. A message that is not new, just the voices speaking it. For the last ten weeks, the young ladies and those behind them have taken time to perfect the ageless teach-in. A product of young adults mobilizing, this form of demonstrating is meant to disperse information in a way that would allow for the audience to not only grasp what is happening, but also motivate them to become involved.These young ladies have devoted energy to this program and have found that the love for change isnt always reciprocated as promised.

In their attempt to make this impression, they experienced the ultimate suppression of their efforts. The ladies were understood that they would be able to share their knowledge on Food Deserts, in the form of a teach-in, to the youth at Black Expo via the Youth Leadership Summit program. They were intentional about communicating their plans with leadership of the event, they were diligent in the planning of the demonstration, and were passionate about bringing this much-needed information to the table for their peers to digest. When time came for the event, suddenly the plans changed on these young ladies. Their platform to speak was revoked, and their support from adult leadership within the Summit was met with a statement excusing the incident. Those in positions of leadership came forth and met the disappointed young ladies with statements that alleviated the leadership of all blame and preached a misogynistic form of agreement. Knowing that they had a message that needed to be heard, the young ladies were visibly upset, to which the reply to their dismay was a lesson on how to control their emotions, explaining that the feelings and emotions they had been facing in this moment were ones sent by god and that they needed to fester on them but remain calm in doing so. This was all in a tone that was unbefitting of anyone who is to be leading youth; the eyes of the young ladies filled with tears.

These young ladies understood this was not a moment to lie down in peace, for that would almost defeat the purpose behind ten weeks of action that demanded their presence in the first place. Instead of lying down, they took action, in the form of this letter. They wrote this letter to you in hopes that you might do three things. First, they wanted to raise awareness for the demonstration they'd prepared for over the course of ten weeks. Secondly, they wanted to express their dismay in the lack of content from the leadership within the Youth Summit. And lastly, these young black women wanted to convey how disheartening it was to experience such a distress at the hand of their own community. In life, these young women will face hardships beyond the events that occurred on the evening of July 14th. If we, as a community, cannot uplift them and nurture their dreams, how do we expect the world to?

What happens to a dream deferred, does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore, and then run?- Langston Hughes

Read this article:

Letter to the Editor: Black Expo Youth Summit - Indianapolis Recorder (blog)

The advocacy group that successfully lobbied the campaigns of both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to self-report their diversity data has a new report out on diversity inside Democratic state campaigns.

Inclusv, the group founded in 2015 to promote racial diversity and inclusion in national politics, says that 32% of all staffers employed by 40 state parties (and the DC Democratic Party) are people of color.

According to Inclusv's data, white staffers make up nearly three-quarters of all staff in state parties. Latinos made up just 8% of staff inside state parties, while black Americans made up 14.5%. Almost 40% of the staffers of color came from either Florida, California, Ohio, North Carolina, or Virginia.

The group views state parties as a key area for talent development at the national level, from campaigns to candidates themselves, and holds that state parties with more diverse staffs are more attentive to the needs of constituency groups. It comes off the heels of the Democratic National Committee establishing a $10 million fund that would allow state parties to compete for grants to bolster their efforts, and an added commitment that all state parties would receive $10,000 monthly from the DNC through 2018.

Sabrina Singh, deputy communications director for the DNC, said that Democrats are committed to hiring diverse and talented staff that reflects the diversity of the Democratic party. As we continue to rebuild the party, we know this is a top priority and we are happy to work with Inclusv to further diversify our state parties.

Alida Garcia, executive director of Inclusv, told BuzzFeed News that although the group is enthused by the state parties' willingness to participate, it's more interested in the implementation of its recommendation. Their roadmap will help build state parties that are "more structurally accountable to communities of color," said Garcia.

"Demography is not destiny for the Democratic Party, and our communities deserve intentional decisions from the state parties to include us at all tables deciding our futures," she said.

State parties that did not participate in the study include Nevada, Mississippi, Kentucky, and New Jersey.

Its an urgent matter that the party improves upon these numbers and increase the depth of its reach into communities of color," Garcia said. "Our communities sometimes feel as though Democrats treat us like an ATM, stopping by every two to four years to withdraw our votes, time and money. If Democrats want to get the turnout they need from non-white voters in an increasingly diverse country, they must seriously devote themselves to building a corps of leaders that better reflect the breadth of a big tent party.

See more here:

New Report: About A Third Of Democratic State Party Staffers Are Minorities - BuzzFeed News

Rabbits pose for a picture to send to Aurelia, whos away at camp. Photo by Aaron.

Saturday morning I went out for my normal Ultimate engagement with my many friends who like to chase flying plastic, but had to sign a couple releases before I could play. Rae and Aaron, who play Ultimate with us now and again, as well as serving on our Outreach committee and running a private business engaged in the production and good use of video and audio content related to community, had arrived with gear. Rae with a digital camera took video from the sidelines as we played. A drone flown by Aaron took aerial footage at the same time, which required us to ignore a flying thing in a game focused on a different flying thing. I found this surprisingly difficult, but Im always excited to be able to review our play. Theyll be taking more footage of village activities over the coming days.

Ted here with the news from this past week at our fair ecovillage here in steamy northeast Missouri.

Ive lately come to realize that Ultimate (formerly known as Ultimate Frisbee, but then shortened owing to the specific brand-name reference) is a great reference for community living as a whole. I cant play Ultimate unless at least five other players show up, and that only gets us a three-on-three game, which is tiring owing to so much running (seven-on-seven is regulation). So for a fun game of any length, Im hoping for eight or more people to show up when we play. I rely on that many or more for an essential part of my happiness a couple times a week. And that is just in one realm- most other parts of my life also rely on others, like those that milk and tend goats at pasture, without which I could not make cheese. Thanks to all my compatriots!

For the second year, a group of students and their group leaders from Earth Dance Farm in Ferguson, MO came to Dancing Rabbit early this past week for a variety of learning sessions, including natural building and food preservation. I spoke with them for a couple hours Tuesday, during which we worked with a basic goat cheese at several different stages, and also made sauerkraut from start to finish, including the students harvesting the cabbage and walking away each with a pint-full of kraut ready to begin fermenting. Sort of like bringing home a pet, those ferments It was great to deepen that relationship with the organization and the students, and felt great to connect with them around the many things were trying to do to live lightly on the earth.

My own child Aurelia has been away at camp a week now, a place called Camp Kupugani in northwestern Illinois, which bills itself (and does feel very much like) a multicultural camp. That was one of our hopes for her first camp experience, and were pleased to find it not so far away.

In dropping her off there last weekend, there inevitably came the moment when I had to say goodbye for two weeks to my kid whod never been without some family or close friends for more than a day in her life. She started with whispers soon after arrival of Do I have to stay?, which soon became I dont want you to leave!, and ended at that moment we both knew was coming, when she tried hard to smile at me and say goodbye while crying as she stayed at her cabin and I started to walk away and I forced myself to keep walking away, looking over my shoulder a few times but never seeing her running after me as I half-imagined. I had a lot of time for thought and some tears driving home alone for five hours. Very excited to pick her up again this coming weekend and carry her home again, and to see what she carries home with her.

The camp posts several dozen pictures of the campers each day, so that weve been able to catch glimpses of Aurelia with a smile on her face, having fun, and know shes ok. She does not have the same ability to check in in return, but she seems like shes doing alright with that. I know I survived and loved going to camp (even though there was no internet in those days), and Im sure it is a good thing for her sense of independence, but I have new respect for my parents for letting me go back then.

At our Sunday meeting here in the village we gathered a bunch of us together for a photo to send Aurelia for the next mail day (which includes the ability to send emails with photos), and I wish I could be a fly on the wall when she receives these reminders of home.

The weather round these parts has been consistently warm, though I felt grateful this past week for a low-likelihood 2 rain that fell all night long, and a few nights in the mid-60s that allowed us to throw open all the windows during the dark hours and recharge the coolth of our homes interior mass. I shouldnt be surprised by hot summer weather, and indeed I do enjoy the relief of jumping in the pond to cool off most days, sometimes repeatedly.

Chelsea and Kelsey, Ironweed work exchangers through early August, helped me this week to get our four newer, bigger solar panels lifted onto the tracking rack we have behind the kitchen, taking down two smaller ones to make space. The rack passively tracks the sun through the day with the aid of sun-activated hydraulics, boosting the effective efficiency by up to 30%. Ive had to dig out some long-stored bits and pieces to get everything wired out and back, and meanwhile relied solely on the original eight panels we put up in 2004. We have acquired a lot of additional uses of power in the meantime the motivation to complete the wiring is high.

We also mixed up some earthen plaster, and they each worked on plastering some earthbag walls in our root cellar that had never been finished. It is one of the few places that feels truly cool without air conditioning on these hot days, so it was a good fit with the weather. Also in the cellar we built another set of tall and deep shelves for carboys, winter veggie storage, and more, significantly increasing the functionality of the space.

Saturday the 15th marked a year since our friend Dennis left the physical plane, to commemorate which we all gathered in the evening out on Mullein Hill where he is buried to remember him, to hold Sharon and each other, and to witness the unveiling of his grave marker. Thomas, in creative consultation with Sharon, has built a beautiful marker that incorporates a bicycle wheel (Dennis was a tireless bike advocate) into a carved wooden monument that perfectly meets the space and the need we each have to remember. We miss you, Dennis.

If all that wasnt enough for one week, Sunday morning a handful of folks met with an archivist from the University of Southern Indiana who is interested in acquiring historical materials related to the founding and growth of our ecovillage. USIs Communal Studies Collection already contains photos and documents from all kinds of communities historical and contemporary, and includes documents from both the Fellowship for Intentional Community and the Federation of Egalitarian Communities. Now our various decision-making bodies will engage in identifying all the sorts of things wed feel good about sharing with this research-oriented collection, with an eye toward preserving our documents for the long term and furthering the understanding of intentional communities in the wider culture.

To close out the week we held the second of two plenary meetings to select the community members wholl next serve on the Village Council alongside the three mid-term members Mae, Cob, and Tereza. Newer villager Christina will now join for the first time (cheers for new village governance energy!), and I will return for a second two-year term. We had a longer list of willing candidates this year than usual, which bodes well for our collective future.

Heres hoping July, historically our wettest month, chooses to drop some more substantive rain on the village to keep our gardens chugging along. Javi had the first tomatoes for sale at our weekly meeting on Sunday, and Im looking forward to ours. May your gardens also grow vigorously wherever they may be!

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and educational nonprofit outside Rutledge, MO, focused on demonstrating sustainable living possibilities. We offer public tours of the village on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month, April-October; the next is this Saturday, July 22nd at 1 pm. Reservations not required. Tours are free, though donations to help us continue our educational and outreach efforts are gratefully accepted. For directions, call the office at 660-883-5511 or email us at dancingrabbit@ic.org. To find out more about us, you can also check out our website: http://www.dancingrabbit.org.

Visit link:

Relying on Others - Memphis Democrat

Even though Philadelphia spends $60million a year on antiviolence programs, homicides are up 21 percent over last year and shooting victims are up by more than 4 percent, according to police.

Its totally unacceptable, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson said. If youre spending $60 million and shootings are increasing and homicides are increasing, then something is wrong with the strategies.

On Tuesday, Mayor Kenney announced the establishment of the Office of Violence Prevention, which willgauge the effectiveness of the dozens of existing antiviolence programs in the city that receive a portion of the $60 million in city funding.Individual evaluations of programs have been conducted before, but this is thefirst citywide and coordinated evaluation, according to mayoral spokeswoman Lauren Hitt.

We felt the need to assess whether all that money was being spent well and whether we were measuring the outcome of our investments, Hitt said.

The new office isalso charged with researching the latest trends and innovationsinviolence prevention, andit will serve as an umbrella for all other city-run violence-prevention programs. Similarinitiatives are already in place in New Orleans and New York, Hitt said.

Johnson, who applauded Kenney for forming the office, said hes glad itwill look at violence-prevention strategies from a coordinated perspective in a city where oftentimes the left hand doesnt know what the right hand is doing.

He said he hopes agencies on the groundnot currently receiving city funding might have the opportunity toobtain funding under the new office and he hopes those research groups that do receive funding but never set their feet on the ground are reevaluated.

I know for a fact you have some hardworking antiviolence activists out on a daily basis who dont have a chance at funding and you have organizations that are great at analysis, but theyre not actually out in the community touching people, he said. Lets make sure were being effective and intentional with our strategies of reducing gun violence.

Kenney appointed Shondell Revell, 48, who most recently served as the executive director of the citys Youth Violence Reduction Partnership, as the executive director of the new office. Revell, who will be supported by four staffers, said his office will reach out to antiviolence groups currently receiving city funding and to the communities they serve.

This office doesnt believe that throwing money at violence prevention is the answer, Revell said. We have to do a really complete evaluation of the programs in the community. A program can be great, but if the community doesnt gravitate to it, it wont be effective at all.

The announcement of the creation of the office comes less than three weeks after Inquirer and Daily News columnist Helen Ubias called for the city to hold antiviolence programs accountable, butHitt said plans for the office have been in motion since January.

According to police, 1,222 people have been shot in Philadelphia as of July 16 this year,up from 1,169 at the same time last year. As of July 17, the city had marked 169 homicides this year, up from 140 at the same time last year.

Published: July 18, 2017 5:53 PM EDT | Updated: July 18, 2017 10:30 PM EDT

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Originally posted here:

New office to police $60 million Philly spends on antiviolence programs - Philly.com

Two weeks ago, the world didnt end.

Despite some fears that releasingdemographic data on Senate Democratic staff makeup would result in a backlash, offices are still standing. Senators and staff still have their jobs. Perhaps it shouldnt surprise anyone that fear long prevented the collection and public release of this data. Confronting a problem is always difficult. But, just like being sick, ignoring it doesnt make it go away.

But this is just the first mile on the road to fixing the problem. We need more data. Senate Democrats have acted, and Senate Republicans and the House of Representatives should follow suit. At stake is the fundamental understanding of the extent of the unacceptable and even dangerous lack of diversity among staff and how we can respond. Although the Joint Center is currently working on a House top staff diversity report that mirrors our 2015 Senate report, it is incumbent upon leadership to begin collecting comprehensive data on how well staffs reflect the communities they are elected to serve and make it public.

We need data on the kinds of jobs that minorities hold, because not all positions are created equal. An office that is 35 percent people of color -- which is far better than the average -- still has a major problem if all of those individuals hold an entry level position. In addition, we cannot forget about staffers back home. We need to know the demographic breakdown between district staff and D.C. staff, as the respective office employees have different responsibilities. District staff are often the front-facing representatives for their member, helping constituents work through problems, attending community meetings and reporting back to their boss, and more. It is a clear problem when the diversity of the communities served are not reflected in a members D.C. staff, and an equally damaging problem if the district office does not reflect it.

It may be difficult to see now, but we are poised to remember this period as the moment Capitol Hill finally underwent a needed culture change. Only eight months ago, when I started this movement for action as a Senate staffer, there were few offices that seemed to be engaged, let alone thinking, about making their offices diverse and their environments inclusive. In fact, the summer of 2016 and national unrest it brought may have been one of the worst in recent memory for staffers of color on Capitol Hill and most jarring to communities of color across America.

We have action, including Rep. Barbara Lees (D-Calif.) amendment addressing implicit bias and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) staff diversity initiative announcement. Today, there are more offices on both sides of the aisle being intentional about ensuring that people of all backgrounds and experiences have a seat at the decision making table. Not a token position. Not some quota. A meaningful and equal opportunity to be heard.

We are not there yet. Many more elected members need to act, and more Americans need to demand transparency and thoughtfulness on a subject that affects us all. The march toward making the most democratic branch of our government truly representative has begun. Change is happening. There is no turning back.

Don Bell is director of the Black Talent Initiative at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and a former president of the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus.

The views expressed by this author are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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Congressional staff should represent America - The Hill (blog)

Historic calendar photo of Riverview Hospital. It opened in 1913 and at one time had 4,500 patients and 2,200 staff. Vancouver Sun

We fret about the future of the Riverview lands as if they were an idyllic place fixed in time, where any change to the way we use the lands, or any imaginative idea for them, is hard to countenance.

We should instead ask ourselves how the lands can best be used to help those who suffer from serious mental illness the historical legacy of Riverview and take it from there.

With that as our imperative, were proposing, as the backbone of the lands, an intentional community in which those with serious mental illness, stabilized in acute and tertiary care, will live together with others without a mental illness in an integrated community purpose-built to help the seriously mentally ill flourish.

Weve named the proposed community Riverview Village. Its a new and innovative option for the future.

A little bit of clinical background will help to understand the rationale, because the introduction of antipsychotics for those with schizophrenia has changed the paradigm from the days of the old Riverview Hospital.

Before antipsychotics, there was no satisfactory treatment for psychosis, with its delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, and related symptoms like catatonia. Antipsychotics deal with these symptoms and in most cases stabilize people, after which they can be discharged from hospital. Its why we no longer need a huge, institutional treatment complex on the Riverview lands, with a correspondingly huge number of patients and staff.

What happens after discharge, though? Antipsychotics dont help reintegrate people into society or expand their horizons. And, indeed, theres a whole other range of symptoms, ongoing chronic symptoms, that for many of those with schizophrenia pose great difficulty. Profound loss of motivation often accompanies such illness (avolition its called, in clinical language). Poor social interactions are another difficulty, exacerbated for many by their having fallen ill in their late teens when social skills are usually developed.

Dampened feelings and responsiveness, trouble with rhythm and clarity of speech, slowed movement, and cognitive deficit can be other difficulties.

These problems do not respond well to existing treatments. Unlike antipsychotics for psychotic symptoms, for example, theres currently no effective medication for them. Also, unlike acute-care treatment which is relatively brief, these challenges may last for the rest of peoples lives. Many people end up isolated and languish, with limited activities and seemingly bleak futures. They are said to be in the community, which sounds nice, but theyre not of the community. As long as they dont cause trouble, we may in fact not have any contact with them at all.

The intentional community were proposing both recognizes and addresses this new paradigm, where antipsychotics allow for deinstitutionalization but continuing chronic symptoms endure.

In the proposed community, those with a mental illness will establish real relationships with those without a mental illness, breaking their isolation. A community centre will anchor the village and a wide range of activities. Meaningful work will be arranged for those who can manage it. An arts hub is proposed, with studios and retail shops, whereby the mentally ill can connect with artists and craftspeople, and where those with an aptitude become part of that artistic community and sell their work. Community facilitators will help bring people together and keep the community vibrant.

Most of all, Riverview Village will give those with serious mental illness a true sense of belonging. It will bring the strength of community to bear, something already demonstrated in existing intentional communities with therapeutic objectives.

There will be critical clinical benefits as well from this community engagement and support. Relapses going through the revolving door in and out of acute care or the justice system will be reduced, with economic savings as a bonus. Acute and tertiary beds will be freed up, and also freed up by the increased access to housing.

Keep in mind what the goal is here: to help those with serious and persistent mental illness contend with their residual chronic symptoms and achieve a better quality of life.

Make no mistake, either, about how challenging those difficulties are and the degree of attention we should give to them. Even if theyre not dramatic and intrusive like psychosis, theyre every bit as serious in their own way. Dawn Velligan and Larry Alphs, two American specialists on the subject, remind us, in a clinical article in the Psychiatric Times, it may be that the negative (chronic, enduring) symptoms of schizophrenia contribute more to poor functional outcomes and quality of life for individuals with schizophrenia than do (psychotic) symptoms.

This is where the Riverview lands offer a unique possibility a community that those with a serious mental illness will be able to consider their own and where they will have the best chance to flourish.

Herschel Hardin is president of the Riverview Village Intentional Community Society.

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Opinion: Riverview Village aims to improve quality of life for mentally ill - Vancouver Sun

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Bethany Caruso, Emory University

(THE CONVERSATION) Imagine going through your day without access to clean, safe water in your home for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing whenever you need it. According to a new report from UNICEF and the World Health Organization, 2.1 billion people around the world face that challenge every day. And the task of providing water for households falls disproportionately to women and girls, especially in rural areas.

Water, a human right, is critical for human survival and development. A sufficient supply of biologically and chemically safe water is necessary for drinking and personal hygiene to prevent diarrheal diseases, trachoma, intestinal worm infections, stunted growth among children and numerous other deleterious outcomes from chemical contaminants like arsenic and lead.

I have carried out research in India, Bolivia and Kenya on the water and sanitation challenges that women and girls confront and how these experiences influence their lives. In my field work I have seen adolescent girls, pregnant women and mothers with small children carrying water. Through interviews, I have learned of the hardships they face when carrying out this obligatory task.

An insufficient supply of safe and accessible water poses extra risks and challenges for women and girls. Without recognizing the uneven burden of water work that women bear, well-intentioned programs to bring water to places in need will continue to fail to meet their goals.

Collecting water takes time. Simply to get water for drinking, bathing, cooking and other household needs, millions of women and girls spend hours every day traveling to water sources, waiting in line and carrying heavy loads often several times a day.

The new UNICEF/WHO report states that 263 million people worldwide have access to water sources that are considered safe, but need to spend at least 30 minutes walking or queuing to collect their water. Another 159 million get their water from surface sources that are considered to be the most unsafe, such as rivers, streams and ponds. Water from these sources is even more likely to require over 30 minutes to collect.

In a study of 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, UNICEF estimated that women there spent 16 million hours collecting water each day. Women in a recent study in Kenya reported spending an average of 4.5 hours fetching water per week, causing 77 percent to worry about their safety while fetching and preventing 24 percent from caring for their children.

When children or other family members get sick from consuming poor-quality water, which can happen even if the water is initially clean when collected, women spend their time providing care. These responsibilities represent lost opportunities for womens employment, education, leisure or sleep.

Water is heavy. The World Health Organization recommends 20-50 liters of water per person per day for drinking, cooking and washing. That amounts to hauling between 44 and 110 pounds of water daily for use by each household member.

And in many places, water sources are far from homes. In Asia and Africa, women walk an average of 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) per day collecting water. Carrying such loads over long distances can result in strained backs, shoulders and necks, and other injuries if women have to walk over uneven and steep terrain or on busy roads.

The burden is even heavier for women who are pregnant or are also carrying small children. Moreover, pregnant women worry that transporting these heavy loads will lead to early labor or even miscarriage.

Even when a household or village has access to a safe water source close to home, residents may not use it if they believe the water is inferior in some way. As one woman told my research team in India:

"

Tube well water quality is not good water is saline. Cooking is not good due to this water. Not good for drinking either. People are getting water from that neighbouring village. for cooking we get water from the river.

In this community, the neighboring village was at least a kilometer away.

Fetching water can also be very dangerous for women and girls. They can face conflict at water points and the risk of physical or sexual assault. Many of these dangers also arise when women do not have access to safe, clean and private toilets or latrines for urinating, defecating and managing menstruation.

Global demand for water is increasing. The United Nations forecasts that if current water use patterns do not change, world demand will exceed supply by 40 percent by 2030. In such a scenario, it is hard to imagine that womens and girls experiences will improve without intentional efforts.

When communities initiate programs to improve access to water, it is critical to ask women about their needs and experiences. Although women and girls play key roles in obtaining and managing water globally, they are rarely offered roles in water improvement programs or on local water committees. They need to be included as a right and as a practical matter. Numerous water projects in developing countries have failed because they did not include women.

And women should play meaningful roles. A study in northern Kenya found that although women served on local water management committees, conflict with men at water points persisted because the women often were not invited to meetings or were not allowed to speak.

Women who raise their voices about water concerns need to be heard. In Flint, Michigan, women were critical to revealingthe citys water crisis and continue to push for changes.

We also need broader strategies to reduce gender disparities in water access. First we need to collect more data on womens water burden and how it affects their their health, well-being and personal development. Second, women must be involved in creating and managing targeted programs to mitigate these risks. Third, these programs should be evaluated to determine whether they are truly improving womens lives. And finally, social messaging affirming the idea that water work belongs only to women must be abandoned.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called empowerment of the worlds women a global imperative. To attain that goal, we must reduce the weight of water on womens shoulders.

Editors note: This is an updated version of an article originally published on March 22, 2016.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/women-still-carry-most-of-the-worlds-water-81054.

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Women still carry most of the world's water - San Francisco Chronicle

Group far surpasses economic development goal

CHESTERFIELD A 10-year evaluation of Virginia's Gateway Region has found that the economic development group is among the best in the nation.

Sustained Impact of Boston, Massachusetts, an independent evaluator fully funded by the Cameron Foundation recently completed the study. The in-depth study was conducted to thoroughly examine the VGRs practices and procedures and construct a benchmark of the organizations effects on economic development compared to other economic development groups across the nation.

The study stated that the VRG had undergone dramatic transformation over the past decade effectively becoming a global outreach vehicle for the region. The International Economic Development Council, the largest global non-profit membership organization of its kind based out of Washington, D.C., has developed the most widely accepted standard of best practice guidelines for the industry. The Sustained Impact study determined that the VGR has utilized many of these practices.

The results of the study were presented to the public at a luncheon held at the John Tyler Community College in Chester. There it was reported that the independent group had thoroughly analyzed material generated from the VRG including publications, in-house tracking metrics and articles along with reviewing various articles pertaining to the VGR. In addition, Sustained Impact also conducted interviews with VGR representatives as well as hosting consultations with economic development, workforce development and community development experts, reviewed professional publications specific to economic development in an effort to compare VGRs efforts and performance to the industry nationwide.

The VGR reported 10,785 jobs were created in new and existing businesses; a number substantially higher than its 2,200 job creation target. Victor Branch, VGR Chairman and Richmond Market President of Bank of America said, This report verifies that VGRs practices, activities and results are among the best in the nation as benchmarked against three nationally-recognized regional economic development organizations. The intensive review of the organizations major investments from The Cameron Foundation, communities and private stakeholders has been in essence a game changer for the region and the organizational use of those funds was in line with other successful programs around the nation.

The three nationally-recognized regional economic development organizations Branch referred to were selected by Sustained Impact from similar markets in Virginia and North Carolina. The study also concluded that the VGR had reported more announcements, job creations and capital investments from 2014 through 2015 than any of the other economic development organizations reviewed. And the VGR had done so with a noticeably smaller budget and fewer employees; reinforcing the findings of the VGRs efficiency and effectiveness in regional economic development.

I would like to thank the Cameron Foundation for funding this study and for their long-term support of the organization. This is a unique opportunity that validates the commitment of our Board of Directors and our communities to our business climate and the support we must provide to our business base in our region said VGR President and CEO Renee Chapline. This report provides us with a sturdy business case proving that our work is intentional, effective, and most importantly, that what we do for our eight communities truly matters.

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Study: Virginia's Gateway Region among best in the nation - News ... - Jackson County Newspapers

While the U.S. economy continues to recover from the Great Recession, there are things to celebrate, most notably the drop in unemployment. Unfortunately, the kind of gains seen by some groups in certain parts of the country are not experienced equitably by everyone. While the nation moves forward, a large percentage of the U.S. population continues to be left behind, including here in Racine County.

In 2015, the black unemployment rate in the City of Racine was 16 percent, twice the white unemployment rate of eight percent and the Hispanic unemployment rate was just over 13 percent. While unemployment rates declined in 2016, racial disparities have persisted over time. The infant mortality rate for all women in the City of Racine, regardless of race, is consistently higher than county, state and national rates. Though it has improved, the rate for black mothers still outpaces that of Hispanic and white mothers. Locally, graduation rates for black and Hispanic students attending Racine Unified schools have improved over time, but more work needs to be done.

This reality has consequences. It negatively impacts the education, health and financial stability of our community. Research tells us that inclusive communities where prosperity is shared equitably across racial and socioeconomic lines are more successful communities.

At United Way of Racine County, we determine everything we do from our initiative work to our funding decisions on available data, including what we hear from the community during our community conversations. What the data clearly demonstrates, and what we have heard, is that more often than not blacks and Hispanics experience some of our biggest economic and social challenges.

United Way works with an incredible group of community partners to build an educated workforce. We do this by focusing on what we consider to be the building blocks of a good life: education, income and health. Too often, quality access to these resources is out of reach for the black and Hispanic communities.

This is why United Way of Racine County, along with other United Ways throughout the nation, chose to focus much needed attention on the issues of race, equity and inclusion. United Ways have never shied away from tough issues. This is why we have held a number of community conversations with diverse groups of people during the past several months in order to hear the communitys thoughts on race and equity. These conversations are intentional, kitchen table-style discussions focused on capturing the concerns, aspirations and solutions related to these difficult issues.

Were also engaging another group of community partners including Higher Expectations for Racine County, the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, the Racine Police Department and the Racine Unified School District, among others to help address the issues that arise from systemic racial disparities in our community.

Higher Expectations for Racine County was founded on a simple idea: those who care about our communitys future from parents and educators to civic leaders and local employers can accomplish more by working together, aligning efforts and sharing data.

Higher Expectations is working to build a fully capable and employed workforce here in Racine County. In order to accomplish that vision, we work from early childhood through post-secondary education and employment, with the goal of ensuring that every student regardless of race, zip code, age or family income can succeed.

This year, Higher Expectations in partnership with United Way of Racine County, the Racine Police Department, the Racine Unified School District and the Johnson Foundation, organized a local effort Race, Equity and Inclusion: A Leadership Program to Accelerate Results in Racine that brought 30 community leaders together to explore the complex challenges of race, equity and inclusion and develop action plans targeting the elimination of racial disparities from employment back through early childhood.

Together, United Way and Higher Expectations are learning more about how the community views these issues. People want to live in a community thats inclusive, safe and has a positive relationship between its citizens and law enforcement. They believe equal opportunity should exist for all races in the areas of education, jobs and housing, and participants would like to learn more about and work to directly and effectively address the racial and ethnic disparities in our community.

Later this month, Tiffany Jana will be the keynote speaker at United Ways Community Conversations Report Out event on July 25, where a report will be released sharing results from the most recent round of Community Conversations. Jana, co-author of Overcoming Bias: Building Authentic Relationships across Differences, will discuss her work in the area of diversity and inclusion management.

United Way of Racine County fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in our community by forging partnerships with groups like Higher Expectations to mobilize the best resources, find new solutions to old problems and inspire individuals to join the fight against a common foe: our communitys most daunting social crises. To live better, we must Live United.

Rodney Prunty is the president of the United Way of Racine County. Jeff Neubauer is the executive director of Higher Expectations for Racine County.

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Commentary by Prunty & Neubauer: Race, equality & inclusion - Journal Times