Friday, September 14, 2012

100 Black Men of the Bay Area, Inc. Opens New School To Help Black Boys


100 Black Men of the Bay Area 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, Inc. 
Opens New School To Help Black Boys

By Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle

In the first hour of the first day of school Tuesday, the sixth-grade Oakland boy was sure he was in trouble for goofing off. Bay Area School 1
His teacher, Peter Wilson, had stopped his lesson in mid-sentence and turned his attention to the African American preteen, who now wore an uh-oh expression as he braced for a rebuke.

"Did you eat breakfast this morning?" Wilson asked quietly as the confused boy shook his head no. "Your actions are telling me you're hungry."
The teacher, also African American, then promised to bring fruit and granola bars the next day and returned to teaching. The boy's behavior immediately improved.
That might not have been the result at other Oakland middle schools, where a third of black males were suspended at least once last year.
Curtis DrightBut at the 100 Black Men Community School, a new all-male public charter school, educators and organizers say they refuse to accept those odds - or any of the other statistics associated with black boys that include higher dropout rates, lower test scores and disproportionate placement in special education programs
The school, started and financially supported by the Bay Area chapter of the 100 Black Men nonprofit organization, is open to all male students, but it was created specifically for issues facing black boys - including difficult family lives, street culture, community violence and lack of male role models outside professional sports and the music industry.
"We know our children can perform as well as any other children," said Dr. Mark Alexander, an epidemiologist and chairman of the board for the local 100 Black Men. "We're going to create a culture that hopefully will be stronger than the streets."
Not About Segregation
While the idea of a black boys school might sound counterintuitive given the efforts of past generations to desegregate public schools, it's not about racial segregation, school organizers said. 
Derrick Bulles, of the Bay Area 100 Black Men. It's about recognizing that the status quo isn't working and identifying the specific needs of African American young men. Not all teachers are prepared to deal with those needs, said too often, African American boys get marginalized; teachers don't understand them or fear them, Bulles said.
Bay Area-Kindergarten StudentIt's about recognizing that the status quo isn't working and identifying the specific needs of African American young men. Not all teachers are prepared to deal with those needs, said Derrick Bulles, of the Bay Area 100 Black Men.
Too often, African American boys get marginalized; teachers don't understand them or fear them, Bulles said. 
At 100 Black Men Community School, most of the instructors, administrators and board members are black males.
"We don't have that problem," he said. "They're our boys. We are best able to manage that."
Organizers say the school will be rigorous while focusing on African American culture and individual identity based on a wide range of role models.
A Moment To Remember
Parent kissing son - Bay Area SchoolParent Dorcia White was among the parents snapping first-day photos Tuesday, even though her sixth-grade son, Drake, looked slightly annoyed. She looked at Drake's digital image on her phone and saw a leader, not a dropout.

"I decided to send him here because of the data on African American males in the district," White said. "I didn't want him to get lost in that."
Students arrived at school in their uniforms of khaki pants and white shirts, some looking excited, others looking sleepy.
Terrell Wrice, 11, was happy to be there.
"The school gives us a different feeling - equal in one environment," he said, adding that the only downside was a lack of girls.
The school opened its doors to 90 students, but expects to enroll 120 male students in kindergarten and first, fourth, fifth and sixth grades this year and eventually add grades to grow into a K-12 with 900 students.
 
Mentors will be an integral part of the school, which will offer pre-med, aeronautics, robotics and other math and science programs.
The Oakland school board approved the school's charter in the spring and housed it in the former Thurgood Marshall School in the hills above 106th Avenue.
Successful Model by Fellow NY Chapter
Student-Bay AreaEagle Academy for Young Men, started by the 100 Black Men New York chapter in 2004, where the graduation rate is more than 80 percent compared with 30 percent for African American males across New York City.  
Back in class, sixth-grade teacher Wilson was planting the seeds to produce similar statistics in seven years.
Several times throughout the morning, he asked students to repeat after him: "I am an intelligent student. I will act intelligently."
He also reviewed class rules and encouraged his students to take school and themselves seriously.
"It takes a lot of energy to be bad," he said.
"Intelligent students don't talk with these," Wilson said, as he balled up his fists before pointing to his head. "They talk with this."
Group of Students and Mentors - Bay Area
For more information on the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area Community School, visit: http://www.the100schools.com/

 

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Thursday, September 13, 2012

FEMA Corp Members Sworn In September 2012


National Service Banner
For Immediate Release 
Thursday, September 13, 2012 

CNCS Press Office202-355-2173

FEMA News Desk: 202-646-3272

Nation’s First FEMA Corps Members Sworn In to Begin Disaster Response Service


FEMA Corps members at induction ceremony
Sep. 13, 2012 -- CEO Wendy Spencer addresses the inaugural class of FEMA Corps members at the induction ceremony in Vicksburg, Miss.

Vicksburg, Miss. -- A historic new collaboration between two federal agencies to strengthen the nation’s disaster response capabilities was launched today as the nation’s first 240 FEMA Corps members were sworn into service at an induction ceremony in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

FEMA Corps is an innovative partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to enhance disaster response and recovery capacity while expanding career opportunities for young people.

Established as a new unit within the existing AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), FEMA Corps engages young adults ages 18 to 24 to provide ten months of full-time service on disaster response and recovery projects. Members will be deployed to assignments ranging from working directly with disaster survivors to supporting disaster recovery centers to sharing disaster response and mitigation information with the public.

At today’s induction ceremony, members of the inaugural FEMA Corps class took the AmeriCorps pledge to “get things done for America” and heard from agency leaders about the important work that lies ahead.  FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino and CNCS CEO Wendy Spencer were on hand to welcome the members and thank them for their commitment to service.

“When I visit communities devastated by disasters like Joplin, Mo., I always find members of AmeriCorps lending a helping hand to survivors,” said Serino. “Today’s inductees are taking part in an exciting new pursuit -- combining the exceptional record of citizen service at AmeriCorps NCCC with FEMA’s specialized mission of supporting survivors with their recovery after a disaster. I commend and thank every member of the inaugural class of FEMA Corps for their dedication to helping communities in need.”

“I commend you for answering the call to serve and making a difference for people and communities in need,” said Spencer.  “As the nation’s very first FEMA Corps members, you are helping write a new chapter in the history of national service.  With your training, backed by your team, and inspired by your passion, you will bring much-needed hope and assistance to disasters survivors. As you help others, this year will help you – giving you skills, expanding your opportunities, and setting you on a lifelong path of service to others.”

Today’s induction ceremony marked the end of one month of AmeriCorps NCCC training and the start of FEMA position-specific training. After completing training this month, members will be deployed to their first assignments. FEMA Corps will supplement FEMA’s existing Reservist workforce in assisting citizens and communities who have been impacted by disasters.

After completing 1,700 hours of service, FEMA Corps members will receive a $5,550 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to pay for tuition or pay student loans.  Members will gain significant training and experience in disaster services that can serve as a pathway to employment in the emergency management profession.

FEMA Corps members will be based out of five AmeriCorps NCCC campuses across the country: Sacramento, Calif; Denver, Colo; Vinton, Iowa; Perry Point, Md; and, Vicksburg, Miss.  The program will engage 1,600 members annually when fully operational next year.

To learn more about FEMA Corps or to apply (individuals aged 18-24), visit AmeriCorps' or FEMA's websites.

Photos from the induction ceremony can be found here

###


FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, Social Innovation Fund, and other programs, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

World: Humanitarian and Country Icons 2012


Download ZIP (1.71 MB)ocha humanitarian icons in png
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Download ZIP (1.45 MB)ocha country icons in png
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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA) has created a set of 500 freely available humanitarian icons to help relief workers present emergency and crisis-related information quickly and simply.
When a disaster strikes, it is vital that the humanitarian community can gather reliable data on the locations and needs of affected people and who is best placed to assist them. This often involves the need to present complex information in a way that everyone can understand.
“Clearly presenting and visualizing this information is the next step and hopefully leads to more effective and timely humanitarian assistance,” said Akiko Harayama, Head of OCHA’s Advocacy and Visual Media Unit (AVMU), OCHA.
OCHA’s icons are used throughout the range of information products it produces for the humanitarian community, such as maps, reports, infographics and websites (http://reliefweb.int/maps?sl=environment-report_listing%252Ctaxonomy_ind...).
”After the first set was released in 2008, we started to receive requests for new symbols from our humanitarian partners, including UN agencies and NGOs in the field around the world,” said Harayama. “In the midst of a crisis response, relief workers would not have the time or design skills to create useable symbols.”
The set of symbols has since expanded to cover everything from natural disasters, such as tsunamis and earthquakes, to relief supplies, such as water containers and shelter kits. It also includes complex humanitarian issues, such as access to people in need and protection of civilians. Countries and territories are also covered.
Sofya Polyakov is the co-founder and CEO of The Noun Project—a website that offers a crowdsourced collection of universally recognizable icons for visual communication. She explains: “Symbols are some of the best communication tools we have to overcome many language and cultural barriers. By making symbols easily accessible, OCHA is helping humanitarians, disaster responders and people around the world to quickly and easily communicate important concepts, no matter where they are.”
The symbols can be downloaded for free on ReliefWeb http://reliefweb.int/map/world/world-humanitarian-and-country-icons-2012 and The Noun Project http://thenounproject.com/collections/ocha-humanitarian-icons/. Whenever possible, credit as follows: “Source: OCHA”. We would appreciate a notification via email with a link to your work for our records. Suggestions and feedback can be sent to ochaavmu@un.org.
Also, the OCHA graphics style book that describes the OCHA visual identity (colour, font and logo), best practices in visual design and different ways to represent information (charts, maps, photos) is available onhttp://www.unocha.org/about-us/publications/thematic.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:

To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit http://unocha.org/.

BlogTalkRadio. Wealthy Sistas interview of Millicent West on 9/11

Interview of Ms. Millicent West, President of West and Associates on BlogTalkRadio.com's Wealthy Sistas program September 10, 2012 at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wealthysistas/2012/09/10/wealthy-sistas-homeland-security-expert-millicent-d-west, as she discusses remembrances of September 11, 2001,

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