Profile of a Volunteer

One of the person's that admire for her continuous volunteerism is my co-worker named Gina. This young lady devotes a great deal of the time volunteering for numerous organizations. In her most reason volunteer efforts she participated in the Linking Hands for Life hosted by the National Foundation for Transplants. This  event celebrated organ donors and the organ recipients. As a volunteer for this event she coordinated with other organizations to place volunteers at various stations at the event. She also volunteers for the United Way of Greater Memphis as well by offering her service at local events by passing out flyers, manning tables, and serving.

I feel that her work has positively impact others in that by taking time from her busy schedule she has shown others that she really does care about what is going on with them. It is not all about how much money we can  spend or give, but through offering her time she continuously shows others that she cares.

As I observe her volunteer efforts, one thing that I have learned or can take away is the concept of simply being available. If I make myself available, I will be able to step up my volunteer efforts.

Using Social Media to Get Connected

In today's world it seems like social media is one the most frequently used technological resources. The use of social media helps millions of people all around the world to stay connected to love ones in various parts of the world, it is used to help spread awareness about an urgent cause, it is even used to promote businesses and organizations, and it is used to help long lost friends and relatives reconnect after many years of being apart. My past and present experiences with social media is that it has been a great way for me to stay connected to my family that lives in different areas of the country. It has also helped me to reconnected with old classmates as well. I have also used social media as a way to share with others about a cause that some of my friends support. For example, one of my friends who is affiliated with a literacy organization wanted to spread the word about a free book give away for children, so she was able to spread the word quickly using Facebook and their share option. With this option all of her friends were able to share the flyer to each of their pages. So this allowed many children and families to attend this free book giveaway.

I fee that social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube lend themselves to effective advocacy in that they are really user friendly apps and easy for the young and old to operate. They are also three of the most used apps as well. So if used as an advocacy tool many people will be able to learn about a cause that is near and dear to the heart. It's a great platform for this day and age.

I would use these tools to educate others by using random pictures of children and families and putting facts across the pictures. I have noticed this type of thing being done on Facebook. I notice that expressions will be made on pictures expressing a particular statement. So I would just take note of this idea and use it to spread the word about issues affecting children and families.

As my colleagues what suggestions would you offer me as I try to use social media to educate others?

Advocacy Messages

For this blog, I found advertising campaign messages that I felt were inspiring to me. The first advertising ad that I found to be inspiring was the Every Beat Matters Campaign which is a campaign strategy by the Save the Children organization. This ad was inspiring to me because children's actual heartbeats were used to inspire a very popular song in an effort to bring awareness to the need for children to have healthcare. The link to the website is http://www.everybeatmatters.org/.

The next ad that I thought was very inspiring to me because they took a simple everyday saying such as "No Baby" and turned it into an advocacy campaign to bring awareness to teenage pregnancy. This whole campaign was centered around the high number of teen girls that were pregnant at this one particular neighborhood high school in Memphis, Tn. Through this campaign teenage girls are taught about abstinence, safe sex, and how to effective use birth control to prevent unwanted teenage pregnancies. The girls are also mentored about staying focused on education and so on. The link to the "No Baby" website is http://www.nobaby.org

I believe that both of these messages are effective in creating action, because they use techniques that appeal to the senses. The Every Beat Matters Campaign, created a catchy song using the heartbeats of children. The website videoed the meaning behind the song and how it was created which was a great strategy to use, because if you're like me understanding the meaning behind the material is important and it opens the mind up to issues that we are often unaware of or don't really realize the severity of an issue and people were moved to action, because as they purchased the song, the proceeds were donated to the cause. The "No Baby" Campaign also used a catchy phrase to help spread the word about their cause. This "phrase spread like wildfire as it was broadcast over the radio, news, commercials, and billboards. More people were made aware of this issue once the news team aired a story about the high rate of teenage girls that were pregnant at Frayser High School. This news story moved many to action and the "No Baby" Campaign was created. Due to the way their messages were broadcast, I believe that they were effective in motivating people to take action.

My Own Capacity

The issues that fuel my passion as it relates to young children and their families are the issues such as the lack of help for the working poor. These poor individuals work relentlessly each and everyday at a job that pays low wages and often times cannot qualify for government assistance. The fact that young children have to attend childcare programs where the teachers lack the experience, knowledge, and skills to properly care for them fuels my passion. Low-income children not having access to quality childcare as their counterparts in the more privileged areas fuels my passion. The lack of accessible resources within in the community is another thing that fuels my passion. Many times families do not have the transportation to get to resources that are far out. They need access to resources that are within reach so that they can better help their families.

Specials skills that I believe that I have is my ability to serve others. I have a desire to help others and I do not mind rolling up my sleeves to help others find a happy ending. I also have the ability to make friends and allies quickly. My friends and family tell me that I am one person that has never met a stranger. I believe that all people have some good in them and it just takes open-minded people to see past the shortcomings. My awareness about free and public resources is also a skill that I possess. I utilize the internet daily and I make it a useful tool in my work with children and families.

The fact that I work for the government is a tool that I feel is beneficial, because I am able to learn about resources and upcoming programs that will be available to the community and state in general. Also in this capacity I am always networking and meeting new people from various agencies and organizations.

As I continue to learn  and grow from participating in this course, I hope to obtain the knowledge and know how that will make me an effective advocate for those causes that really tug at my heartstrings. I also wish to gain the ability to affect policies and even create new policies that will benefit others. I know that as I continue to learn in this class this will eventually happen.