International Nonprofits: Questioning What Our Country Really Cares About if Anything

This week we read material covering information about international nonprofits and had a speaker as well as a few students share their experience with international nonprofits. “These organizations focus on international understanding, cultural exchange, student exchange and aid, relief services, agricultural and economic development, peace and security, human rights, migration and refugee issues, and the like. Relief and development agencies account for 41 percent of total expenses in the subsector” (O’Neill 170).

The following few statements are for some general background about international nonprofits based in the United States. “In 1998 U.S. foundations gave $1.6 billion to international causes” (O’Neill 171). For most international organizations, they get most of their funding from fees for services, which is very different then those of nonprofit health, education and arts organizations. International organizations also attract a unique type of volunteers that differ from other nonprofits; including doctors, nurses, teachers, and those who can give a year or more to volunteer work over seas. There is a very underestimated number of employers stated by O’Neill, but it is known that number of volunteers in this area are high. Over time the focus of our international nonprofits has shifted from ‘implementing’ to ‘enabling’, there has been increasingly open regional and worldwide trade, problem solving has become more bottom-up, and technology and the role of women increased.

I am a huge advocate of the statement “think globally, but act locally” so my first response to reading that CARE annually serves 25 million people in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America was: but what about 25 million of our own countries poor and suffering?

Because the list of the main focus points of many international nonprofit groups include more long term issues such as food production, public health, education, economic development, and conflict prevention it is hard for me not to consider how these long term affects will benefit the U.S. Increasing education and public health services no doubt is needed in developing countries and our help is greatly appreciated, but what about food production, economic development and conflict prevention... Is there there a limit to how much food production expands and limits to exporting goods to only certain countries? I can not help but wonder if this truly is being done with the other countries best needs in mind, or ours. The amount of food imported from other countries into ours in enormous and wasteful. The U.S. is close to consuming more food products from outside of our own bounders than in, not to mention that we already heavily exploit developing countries natural resources for other production. So on top of that we urge them to use more of their land for food production that will most likely be exported to make profit for the country. This does not seem ethically right, even though yes, one could argue that all in all they are making money and therefore a steady flow of economic growth is happening. In talking about economic growth though, are these nonprofits using their knowledge of what Americans have been brainwashed into thinking economic growth is to help them? This being of course that any kind of good growth or positive movement in a country must be from economic growth, from big business corporations growing off the exploitations of third world countries producing products that our ‘consumers’ (not citizens) are manipulated into thinking that the only way they will be completely happy is if they buy one more thing.

I realize that some of my thoughts about alternative motives by international nonprofits might stir some in an unpleasant way, and I have in fact just ran with my thoughts and taken a chance in that I know some and maybe most will not agree with me. I am not searching for agreement however, I am just asking the hard and complicating questions that most do not want to consider. In no way do I think that international nonprofits are a bad part of the nonprofit sector here in the U.S., I am simply questioning some of the intent behind some of them. Some of the work other than education and public health care that I was enlightened to read about was that O’Neill states “the threat of nuclear holocaust and the devastation of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and numerous regional conflicts stimulated more nonprofit work in war and peace studies, conflict prevention and management, and nuclear arms control” (174). Along with peace movements, human rights organizations have pressured international governments to give basic freedom rights to women, prisoners, and religious and racial minorities. This is by far where the greatest achievements in my eyes have happened.

“Of the twenty-one donor nations in the Organizations for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States is the lowest in terms or percentage of gross national product devoted to foreign assistance. Only 0.25 percent of the federal budget goes to foreign aid” (O’Neill 175).

This was completely a shocking statistic that I only had a slight awareness of before reading this. It is hard to think that our government does not take care of our own poor, sick and needy, and also can not put aside moneys to help those in need around the world. This is because our military and those big corporations that our country has often seen kissing the shoes of, are so much more important. Exploiting third world country’s natural resources and and killing billions of people to war is of course more important than caring for those humans in need that we share our world with... right? This is what statistics and history are proving to be the correct thought pattern of our government. This decline in governmental support results in a greater emphasis put on immediate needs being met like disaster relief for example, but at the cost of longer term development projects and programs. This does not make sense when looking at the whole picture because the latter could possibly reduce the short term crises.

At this point in time, addressing transnational problems have in fact grew in popularity, but in my opinion not enough. Transnational problems are the only real problems that should be on every countries top priority list. There has been this notion that many (too many) businesses have become contributors instead of partners with nonprofits especially international ones. Of course it is much easier to just say you support a cause than actually implement plan and follow through with how you are actually going to support it, and do something in advocating it! The U.S. is easily recognizable as one of the military top dogs and has the world’s largest economy, and yet that seems to be all we care about.... The time to change this has been long over due.

In recently noting the importance of advocacy in our country, and talking briefly about environmental problems... I thought I would share this video that a friend had shared with me. It just adds on to my theory that change can happen, as long as it starts within ones self, with one person.

Research Question

For my research project in this class, I want to address the following question:

What environmental non-profits are addressing the issue of global warming and exploitation of our planets limited resources, and how are they doing so?

I am personally very interested in the answering this question because I hold the issue at hand close to my heart. I am an environmentalist who strongly believes that the way humans continue to grow in numbers and economically is being done in a way that is extremely detrimental to our planet. Our Earth only has a certain amount of natural resources available to be used up at the wanting hand of humans. These natural resources are not renewable, and will be gone in the near future if we do not stop and change our ways of consumption from exploiting these precious resources. The Story of Stuff is a film I have seen four times now, and yet the facts blatantly laid out never fail to both shock me and scare me at the same time. Being an Environmental Studies major I am forced to come face-to-face with statistics and facts about what has and is continuing to happen to our environment. This knowledge has become depressing in more than one way. I have indeed studied the counter actions being taken to stop this mass destruction of our world, and future pro active plans that could be put in place to stop the chaos we are in, however I do not feel like it is enough. Our government can often have other agendas of more importance in their opinions, and that most for-profit businesses care more about their profit (and therefor consumerism) that the don't have the time or just simply don't care what happens in years to come to our planet. In studying environmental non-profits who work towards bettering our environment, our lack of natural resources, and our Earth; I hope to gain some hope for an even better future than that I can imagine now.

The Conservation International non-profit addresses this exact issue on a world wide level as seen in their description of 'about us'.

"People depend on nature for many things. A stable climate. Clean air. Fresh water. Abundant food. Cultural resources. And the incalculable additional benefits the world’s biodiversity provides. Conservation International (CI) works to ensure a healthy and productive planet for us all. Yet economic and infrastructure development, which are so necessary for human well-being, can also have serious impacts on nature. That is why CI is working at every level – from remote villages to the offices of presidents and premiers – to help move whole societies toward a smarter development path.”

Some other websites of non-profits that have been helping me include the following:

• Resources for the Future that conduct research in economics and other social sciences on the environment and natural resource issues.
• Friends of the Earth who focus on protecting the Earth from environmental degradation and encourage economic and sustainable growth.
• Container Recycling Institute does research and promotes "increase in recovery and recycling of beverage containers, and shift the social and environmental costs included with manufacturing, recycling and disposal of container and packaging waste from government and taxpayers to producers and consumers."
• Second Nature deals with universities and colleges and encourages and supports them in creating environmentally sustainable spaces to learn in.
• Next Step Recycling is a local organization here in Lane county that collects recycled items, especially electronic items.
  

Advocacy- The Heart of America

Even though advocacy is one of the smallest in the non-profit sector in number of organizations, employers, and revenue, it has and continues to shape America by changing laws and organizational policies because and while changing attitudes of people. America was indeed founded upon the act of advocacy (in the form of organized protests and reform) in that people fought to have freedom of choice in which religion they chose to worship and for that choice to be separated at any level from the state. The biggest and most important events in American history have truly been shaped by two main actions: wars and advocacy- social movements. With some of the most important in the 19th and early 20th century being abolition, child welfare, workers' rights, women's suffrage, and temperance, the later would shape the US even more with what O'Neill stated as the new 'golden age' of advocacy.

"The principal advocacy movements during this period include the African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American civil rights movement; the women's movement; the anti-Vietnam War and anti-nuclear weapons movements; gay and lesbian rights; and others" (O'Neill 141).

Advocacy has few ties to government and businesses because it often targets the way both do things. This in itself is probably one of the reasons why advocacy organizations receive the majority of their revenue from individuals and foundations who agree with what they are fighting for. This revenue profile is very different then most other non-profits including education, health, and social services. Another huge difference in the advocacy non-profits is how they impact society. Most non-profits have a specific audience in which they directly serve: for example schools on students, hospitals on patients. However advocacy organizations affect society by working through other institutions to actually create a change in policies or laws.

Advocacy groups play a highly important role in society because they challenge the way things are at a current time that are usually put in place by the actions and policies made from government, business, and other large non-profits. Personally I believe this is one of the most critical aspects of how things get done in America. In providing critical feedback on the happenings of a higher power (government of big businesses) it enables power to be distributed more evenly throughout society. Other counties do not have a set up in which people can congregate by what change they believe in, and fight to make it happen. Instead they are forced to follow the laws and ways of their society put in place by a government or higher power. Think for a second of what America would still be like if there was no change put in place by the voices of the people.... it is a scary thought for myself. Of course criticism usually is not highly looked upon and often angers those higher in power, but because we live in a country where free speech is allowed, those angered can not punish up for the criticism given. The following is a quote from a Douglas (1983, p. 24) who O’Neill stated in his book, which gets to the root of what I am explaining:

“By organizing themselves into a pressure group, the members of a minority who believe that some course of government action would infringe values or freedoms that they regard as fundamental can articulate those beliefs in a way that enables legislators and other agencies of government to take account of them and thus avoid the need for more desperate or violent forms of protest.”

O’Neill states that the success rate for the societal impact of the work done by advocacy groups “has been far from perfect” (O’Neill 141). He states that the after effects of many social movements by advocacy groups are unclear, so yes I guess that would categorize as imperfect. However to me this does not mean ineffective or not beneficial in any way. It is even noted to be difficult to pin point how many volunteers and members have been active in advocacy work over the years. Yet many studies of social movements throughout history “make it clear that at least hundreds of thousands, and probably millions, of Americans are involved in some form of advocacy volunteering” (O’Neill 140). History proves to be right here!

Those involved in advocacy work tend to “circulate in an extensive network of social action” (O’Neill 148). This I have always observed, yet really never came to the realization that it was in fact true until now. When I look upon my own experience I find that this is almost always true. Those who are involved with the Women’s Center on campus are usually involved in other organizations fighting for justice or awareness on other issues besides women’s rights. For me, being involved in Native Hawaiian reforestation movements came first; then I joined different environmental advocacy groups along the way; and participated in different events for women’s rights, sexual abuse awareness, and the discrimination against racial minorities when I got to college. Today I would proudly call myself an environmentalist, feminist, and anti-racist equal rights advocate; with all that I fight for having equal importance.

In conclusion to this lengthy post, I would encourage my readers to think about what they believe in.... and if change is needed in that area to better our society. Then think about what you currently do to fight for that change. Do you do anything? If yes great, you are a part of history! If no, then I challenge you to fight for what you believe in. Change is what this country was founded on, and is what will continue to shape the United Sates of America.

Responce to Obama's Education Agenda

I thought that I would add an addition post about education in response to learning the agenda behind Obama's Education Plan, because It stirred up a lot for me.... So here it goes.

Obama's education plan is based around three major 'policy vehicles', as Sarah our classes GTF would say. These being 1- Race to the Top Fund, 2- investing in Innovation Fund, 3- re-authorization of ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act). Narrowing down what exactly this means, Obama is focusing specifically on enhancing college & career readiness, common core standards, increasing charter schools, effective teachers &leaders, longitudinal data systems, and increasing STEM skills. To me some of the most important of these are having common core standards initiatives that will define the level of skills and knowledge students should be at through there K-12 schooling no matter what school they are attending, and going along with this would be having longitudinal data systems. These would provide a data base where each student's progress throughout their K-12 school careers could be traced so that when a student transitions into a new school or with a new teacher, there will be no repetition of what they already learned or the techniques of teaching that were already tried and didn't work.

Of just as much importance to me are the increasing of Charter schools and increasing of STEM skills in the Obama education plan, yet highly controversial even within myself at times. Charter schools to me really outline what America is all about, freedom. We should have a right to chose where our children get educated and the way in which they do it. There is no questioning whether or not parents want their children to receive to highest, most qualitative education they possibly can to help them be prepared and succeed in their future careers. Yet usually this means that it would come in the form of private schooling, which most are very pricey indeed. Charter schools give an alternative to either pricey private schools, or often inadequate overpopulated public schools. This alternative can come in many different forms, and this is where I think the controversy behind these schools is founded. For example there can be charter schools that extend their hours of a school day and work load, and there can be those that meet less or focus on hands on field work instead of in class work. The line to be drawn between a public, private, or charter school are often misunderstood by many. A charter school is in fact a public school in that it does not charge a pricey fee to attend the school, yet often there is an application process maybe with an interview or viewing of one grades that students go through to get into the school. I personally found that there way a lack of charter schools in Hawaii (well at least on Maui where I am familiar with the education provided) and the only real options where private schools you pay a lot of money for or public schools that were often just categorized as, well a joke. An alternative school I attended for two years in middle school called Hui Malama Learning Center was a small private non-profit school. When I attended I only went to classes from 8am -12pm on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays and attended a special class on Tuesdays that focused on career building and real life skills. In general Hui Malama Learning Center charges a lot less than most private schools yet offers this alternative to middle and high school, as well as GED preparation programs, and tutoring. They focus on hands on project based learning, small classes, sustainability themes, youth engagement strategies, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills. Hui Malama Learning Center could very well be a charter school if they had a set agreement with the government to be one. The reasons why they are not are unknown to me, but my guess it that they offer services that a school would normally not, but a learning service could. I wonder though that if this school program was a charter school if it would have more student attendees.

The fact that Hui Malama's emphasis on STEM skills is clearly outlined in their program, brings me to the next controversial matter in Obama's education plan. STEM skills are stated to be lacking in America, and flourishing in other countries especially Europe and Asia. It seems to me though that this lack of STEM skills has no more need emphasis than any other part of our curriculum, all areas of public education seem to be lacking in America. This need to emphasize STEM skills is purely driven by history changing what is known to be important to know in the work force after ones educational career is over. What is now known as working class to low class jobs such as carpentry, auto shop, art classes and others used to be basis necessity skills to learn in school because there was a great chance you would end up working those same jobs. Today those classes are purely emphasized as extra curricular activities and instead the emphasis is on the STEM classes where one would be directed to become a doctor, scientist, engineer, and other higher paying, higher education needing careers. All K-12 students can not afford to go to undergraduate and then graduate schooling, and some may find a passion in wood working or art that they want to pursue a career in. I find that while there is definitely a need for STEM skills to be taught to all students, it should be done in a way that does not take away from the humanities courses at the same time. History in America is taught usually from a very narrow viewed perspective of a white male, and then only what they think should be taught with emphasis on the glorifying moments in American history and not on the down falls. If this is how history has been and is still being taught, then what will happen with a higher emphasis on STEM courses bringing a lack in the humanities courses? Will history not matter anymore? Will creative outlets for students in schools not be offered?

I think it is important for me to state why exactly these questions were brought to my attention, and then maybe they will be worth pondering yourself.
[As a side note- credit goes to our GTF Sarah for the statistics about to be listed]

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest in the world, has a $33,300,000,000 endowment. Of this money they spend around $2000 million per year on the American education system. In addition to the moneys being given, the Education Secretary Arne Duncan's chief to staff and deputy secretary both used to be Gates education program directors. With all this money being given and inside heads with past Gates experience, there is no doubt that the Gates Foundation have some say in what is happening with the education system itself. So I ask you this, what kinds of jobs does the Gate Foundation offer? Yes a wide range of jobs, but is there no doubt that those with these STEM skills would not flourish within this foundation with all the research being done, statistics being gathered, new buildings being designed and such? So who's then, best interest in really in mind here? Just to note once again that I do personally agree that an emphasis on STEM skills is needed in our education nationally, however I do also believe that their is an extent to which the education system can push a student to study in a certain area. All students will not flourish with the same types of education, some will become politicians driven by the history of American politics, others will make more than doctors utilizing their acting skills and passion for the arts, yet of course their will be those that do become scientists, researchers, mathematicians, doctors, and engineers that got to where they will be in the future because of this emphasis on STEM skills being taught in our schools.