Profile of a Volunteer

Describe the volunteer efforts of the person you have elected to profile.

There is a woman who volunteers every week at my job.  She often brings art supplies to donate to the school such as ribbon, yarn, and paper.  This allows the school to earn inkind or money off of her generosity.  Kathy is a retired school teacher and a stay at home grandmother.  She loves children and looks forward to working with the children.  She is very excited to enter the classrooms and often looks for extra projects to do while she is there.  Kathy sits at the tables with the children and helps them with whatever art project the teacher has set out for the day.  She is very eager to help and finds ways to contribute to the lessons whether it is through supplies or explaining different activities that may work with the day’s lesson plans.

Identify how you feel this person's work has positively impacted others.

Kathy’s efforts have made a positive impact on other members of the community as well as her friends.  We often have parents who watch Kathy and see how often she volunteers in the school.  As a result, we have had a higher number of parents and guardians come into the school asking how they can help.  It has been nice to see how the work of one person can impact many others. Kathy has also helped the school by talking with her friends outside of the school setting about ways in which they can help without having to enter the school.  The local organizations have come together and donated teddy bears to the school around Christmas time.  They ensure that every child receives one and even spend the time to crochet clothing for each one.  They do not look for any recognition but simply a picture of the children smiling with the bears.

Describe what you feel is a vital "take-away" message relative to this work in terms of your own volunteer efforts and advocacy work in fostering the well-being of children and families.

The most important take away message relative to this work in terms of my own volunteer effort is that spreading the word of how people can help is very effective.  Kathy spreads the word to her friends about her efforts working in the school and as a result they have found ways to volunteer their time in a setting that makes them more comfortable.  This helps spread the message about the well-being of the children and how they struggle around the holidays.  This will help my advocacy work and volunteering.  I know can see how a community, even a small one such as the school, can be impacted by the dedication of one individual.  I want to strive to be a strong volunteer like Kathy who looks forward to giving back to the community, even if it’s through cutting out shapes for the classroom.

Using Social Media to get Connected

Provide a brief overview of your past and present experience with social media.

I utilize different forms of social media such as youtube and facebook.  I have often found both useful tools for different reasons.  Youtube has allowed me to share short clips in my classroom to my students about topics that we had been discussing.  It allows me to show them the topic in a different approach helping the more visual learners understand.  Facebook has also introduced me to local business that I could use as well as keep in touch with old friends.  I have not used it for any educational purpose but do know that many useful organizations are beginning to use it.

Describe what social media tools you feel lend themselves to effective advocacy.

The tools that lend themselves to effective advocacy are newsletters and facebook.  Since many people are on facebook now, it would benefit many organizations to create a page and keep it current.  They could post about upcoming events as well as important information that they want others to know.  Newsletters would be a useful tool for the individuals who do not like to utilize the computer to find information.  Some people still utilize newspapers and handouts to find their information.  Using both resources will help reach more people.

Identify how you might use these social media tools to educate and inspire others in your advocacy work.

I have many professionals on my facebook page.  I would be able to post information that pertains to them on there to help promote important causes and organizations.  This will hopefully inspire them to pursue more advocacy work and help find a cause that they are passionate about.  By me posting information about steps that I have taken to help others and children, hopefully people in the field will take what I am doing and use it to help others as well.

Ask your colleagues for their suggestions and/or their help with using social media as a tool to promote advocacy efforts.

Many of my colleagues have also suggested utilizing facebook as a means to get the most information about advocacy efforts out to the public.  Out of the 4 people I asked, all of them said that since many people and companies are on facebook, it would be the fastest way to get the message and information out to others.

Advocacy Messages

One of the most recent advertising campaigns that I believe to be inspiring actually comes from the beer company Guinness.  The commercial is about six men who are in wheel chairs playing basketball.  When the game ends, five of the men stand up and one remains sitting.  It shows how they were all able to come together and not use anyone’s disability as an obstacle.  The slogan that can be heard is “The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character.”

Another inspiring advertisement is from the United Negro College Fund.  Their message is “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.”  This reminds everyone of how important it is to think things through and to think for yourself.

Though you most likely won't be able to find research data, your analysis of why these messages are so effective in creating action

These messages are effective in creating action because they are clear to the point.  They express that we must think for ourselves and not base someone by their appearance.  The first one regarding the men in the wheel chairs truly shows how people should not be judged based on what we see.  The guys were helping a friend and participating in an activity that they all enjoyed.  The second message explains how important it is to think for ourselves and not to waste our brains. We must use it or we could lose it in a sense.

My Own Capacity

Which issues impacting young children and their families and/or the field of early childhood fuel your passion?

One of the major issues impacting young children and their families that has fueled my passion is the lack f people willing to speak up.  I work in a community that is composed of a large amount of illegal immigrants.  Because of their current status, many people feel as though they do not deserve the help and attention that legal citizens do.  I want to open everyone’s eyes about how this is impacting their children and their education.  Many of the families are unaware of how to help their children if they have any educational problems or even health problems.  People write them off as being needy and wanting too much assistance. This has fueled my passion into wanting to help those when others have given up on them.

What resources do you have at your disposal that can benefit your advocacy work?

One resource that I have at my disposal that can benefit my advocacy work is my current access to a wide range of professionals.  I work in a center that has many different people entering.  I work with people who have resources outside of a public setting that better help the children in my class.  The school psychologist knows a great deal of professionals that can help my student with ADHD and the doctor speaks multiple languages helping me communicate with all the families I serve.

In what ways do you hope to grow in order to be a more effective advocate?

One way that I hope to grow in order to be a more effective advocate is strengthening my list of resources.  I want to have information that is relevant to my community on hand at all times in order to better serve them.  Having the list available will help me provide them with fast information and resources about where to go to get the solution to any problems they may be having.

My Role as an Advocate

What motivated you to start advocating for very young children?

I work in a preschool setting and know how hard it is for the parent’s to get the necessary resources for their children.  They don’t feel comfortable reaching out to strangers and being their child’s teacher; I felt it was my job to help them.  What truly motivated me was seeing how difficult of a time the parent’s had when it came to help their children. 

Why is it essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro as well as the macro level?

It is essential to acknowledge and foster advocacy efforts at the micro level because it affects the people we work with directly.  We will be able to better serve the families we interact with directly by being their voice and helping them get anything that they may need.  It is also essential for the macro level because people from around the world will be able to shed light or offer different suggestions on problems that are occurring.  They could advocate in the other side of the country about strategies that worked somewhere to help other families.  Professionals can work together to advocate everywhere and help families that they may never meet.

What does it take to be a community leader on early childhood issues?

Being a leader in any community can be difficult and challenging.  To be a leader in the early childhood issue the individual must be aware of all the current problems and what is being done to help them.  They must stay current in both the state and country in terms of the issues that are coming up.  The individual must also be aware of what they can do to help the community they serve as well as their colleagues.  They must also be willing to speak up and have their voice heard about issues that see occurring.

What resources does it take to be a state leader on early childhood issues?

The resources that it takes to be a state leader on early childhood issues are people within the community as well as online sources.  By creating a list of people within the field who can help, the individual will know where to send the families for any additional resources that they may need.  Having a list of online sources as well will help anyone stay current and up to date on any new information or issues that may occur.

What tactics or strategies do you use to mobilize others?

One strategy that I utilize to help mobilize others is to ask them to put themselves in the family’s shoes.  Once they start thinking about what the families go through in terms of not speaking the language, not knowing what to do with their child’s education, they begin to realize how much the families need our help.  This helps motivate others to think of and find ways to address the family’s needs.  They would want someone to help them and that is enough to get them started helping others.

What advice would you give to someone who was interested in taking a leadership role in advocating for young children and their families?

Create a list of resources both online and within the community.  Since each community is unique in the needs, it is important to focus on the families that you serve.  Gather as much information as possible about the current struggles the families are dealing with.  This will help make the information ready and available if they approach you with any questions.

Personal Advocacy Reflection

I have seen others around me be a strong advocate for the children in my school.  They stood up for a family who was having a difficult time getting their children the necessary resources for his speech problem.  The social worker walked the family through the process and even took them to the doctor’s appointments.  The family was able to get the services for the child as a result of the social workers hard work and dedication.  The child now receives speech therapy twice a week and has made significant strides.  His family is extremely grateful because they felt that no one was going to help them.

Upon seeing this family’s experience, I decided to explore my own options for advocacy work.  This part in my career I feel it’s important to find as many ways possible to help every child that I come across.  By researching and keeping a list of the websites along with journal articles that I found useful, I am creating a broader spectrum of information helping me reach out to more children and their families.  After seeing the family’s smiles and hearing the child’s speech develop, it gave me the necessary motivation to pursue ways to help more children.  At this stage in my career, I have been able to provide families with information that will help them and their children with things such as housing issues and taking English classes.  Everyone is grateful when someone takes the time to listen to them and provide them with a little bit of assistance to help make their life easier.

When I Reflect About My Collegial, Professional Learning Community

Post at least three consequences of your experience being a part of a caring, collaborative learning community for your professional growth and development. Use any format you choose.

One consequence of being part of a caring, collaborative learning community for my professional growth and development has to learn information about families that I may not want to know.  If I find out a child in my class is having issues at home such as neglect from the parent, it makes it difficult to see past it.  I want to do everything I can to help the child.

Another consequence is not being able to help every child.  I have a few children in my class that need additional resources to help them succeed.  Due to their insurance or the resources being too far, many of them are unable to get the help.  It breaks everyone’s heart who is involved knowing that the child could get everything they need but due to the parent’s financial or transportation issues they cannot get their children there.

The final consequence is that too many people try to get involved.  When there are a lot of people involved, although they all have good intentions, it becomes too much for the family and the child.  They can become overwhelmed with information, especially if everyone is telling them something different.  It may be best for only a few individuals to be informed and understand the situation that a family is in or any problems that they may be having.

Post one goal for using this collegial experience to enhance your advocacy, policy, and/or system development work on behalf of young children, families, and the early childhood community.

One goal that I have to enhance my advocacy, policy and system development work is to become more familiar with the resources that are available in my area.  By doing this, I will be able to provide the families and their children with the information that will help them.  I will also be able to help them find additional services that they might not be aware of.  By advocating for them, I will provide them with a safe person to turn to whenever they have any questions or concerns.