Moms Clean Air Force: Air Quality Concerns

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Dr. Janni Aragon | 1 Comment

The Moms Clean Air Force (MCAF) is a great example of a community-project that is fighting for the environment. The group is composed of mostly moms and some dads and they work in concert with the Environmental Defense Fund and other organizations to ensure that we don’t experience roll-backs in public policies that will harm people and the environment. Their mission is simple: Fight for clean air for our kids. After being in Southern California for a few weeks, I can attest to the fact that they have their work cut out. You can see the brown layer of smog driving into the Los Angeles Basin. Sure, it’s not as bad as it used to be, but there will still work to do.

The website provides a wealth of information about laws and efforts to protect the environment. For more information check it out here: http://www.momscleanairforce.org/. My favorite part of the website is the call to action–What You Can do. It is so common to feel powerless, but want to get involved and MCAF is a great example of a group who are taking it to the web, writing letters, and attending events in hope of making a difference. What this means is that the organization is part of a long history of parents taking charge in order to make a difference. We can look to other organizations like the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and even the The Woman’s Christian Union (WCTU) as sister organizations that attempted to instill change. MCAF is more akin to Women Strike for Peace, though, via their different efforts. I would argue that MCAF is a proto-feminist, environmentalist organization based on their mission–they are concerned with Human Security and Human Rights via ensuring clean air. I don’t think that this is too much of a stretch.

Funny enough–I wonder how many of the participants would even think of themselves as activists. What might happen is that the activism is so fluid, you want clean air and all the benefits that come with it. And, you might not think of yourself as an activist, but it just happens. MCAF is an activist organization that is fighting the fight at the grassroots level. Who said that social movements are dead?! As a feminist parent, I enjoy finding out about organizations like MCAF, so that I can connect with the organizations and also share the information with others. We can use social media for more than monetization.

Community Building Via Social Media

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Dr. Janni Aragon | Leave a comment

I am revisiting this post from the three years ago and want to comment on how positive my experience has been with engaging more in the local community and higher ed community in general. In the Fall 2009, I decided to make a concerted effort to get more involved in my communities. I have already blogged some about this, but this blog will speak more so to the consequences. What have I learned? Who have I met? And, has it been worth it?

Maybe I should first say that I enjoy networking and I’ve been pretty good and successful with networking within Women’s Studies and Political Science. I have lots of friends and contacts in the US and Canada and I really do feel like I am part of the academic community. Given the teaching focus of my job that I’ve had for almost two years, I have had a chance to meet others with similar interests in the Scholarship of Teaching and teaching and technology. But, I wanted more–I wanted to meet more people in different units across campus and in the city in general.

Somehow I came to this realization that I wanted to expand my networks in academe and in my local community in Victoria, so I joined FourSquare (I broke up with FourSquare eventually), Twitter, and stepped up my involvement in local community related events in Victoria. I also made a point of contacting others in Vancouver or other parts of British Columbia. I don’t want to be one of those academics that is so niche focused that I miss out on other opportunities and connections. This led to leading workshops and giving various talks in the community.

I’ll start with FourSquare. I like the game aspect of it–it’s fun. And, I’ve actually met people from the FourSquare hits. In a previous post, I noted that I’ve attended some of the High Noon Hump Day Meet Ups and these are usually focused on iPhone apps, FourSquare, iPad apps and the like. Frankly, these have been fun–lunches and chats about technology. I am such a nerd at heart and admit to it. Big smile. Well, this lasted for a few years and eventually I broke up with FourSquare, as I got a bit obsessed with it and there was no real benefit.

My Twitter use has been a two-fold win. I’ve used it in the classroom and personally. I have made more friendships than I can count and here I am referring mostly to the people that I have met in real life (IRL). However, to be honest, I have also “met” some wonderful people in higher ed, other Latinas, YA Lit readers, political junkies, and academics on Twitter, who I might never meet IRL. We have shared journal article suggestions, URLS, statistics, book suggestions, recipes, and gripes about everything. I connect with prospective, current, and former students on Twitter. I have also made professional connections with others.

I guess this post is my evangelism about social networking and social media. Yeah, I’m sold. Yeah, I’m an enthusiast. Professionally and politically stepping this up has led to blogging for Equality 101, the University of Venus, the Globe and Mail, as well as speaking opportunities. I have also found that my profile on my campus and network of friends and contacts is wider and it is rewarding.

Can you build community via social media? Yes. How are you building community? I am using the usual subjects–attending events and meeting people, but social media and social networks are definitely part of my arsenal.

Some Career Advice~ From the Undergrad Advisor

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Dr. Janni Aragon | 6 Comments

You’re in your last year of university and getting nervous as the school year starts, hits the half way point or is ending. But, for the sake of ease, let’s pretend it’s mid-way through your last year of university. I’m going to make some suggestions for you. And, these are my opinions alone and not endorsed by my employer. This advice comes from my own university experience, 14 years of teaching, and years of advising unofficially and officially.
1. Get yourself to the Career Center or the Career offices. Your campus should have an office with extremely competent staff who are there to help you. But, understand that they aren’t there to help you get a job, rather they are there to give you the skills so that you get yourself that job. They will empower you, but it’s all about your own skills and your own file.

2. Speak with your departments Undergraduate Advisor. Believe it or not, s/he might have some good advice to give you. The advisor might know of additional job boards in your area of interest.

3. Speak to trusted peers who are in your situation or who have recently graduated. Your peers are a useful resource, too.

4. Confer with other faculty or mentors that you have in the campus community or community at large. Now is not the time to feel shy. You have to reach out and make some effort.

5. If it works for your field (and which fields does it not work for?) get on social media. Yes, join Linked in and establish your profile there and meet others on the platform. Ask people questions—especially those in the industry that you’re interested in.

6. Are you blogging or on Twitter? Will these platforms be useful for you? If so, then do it. But, always be very careful with your digital footprint. Google yourself and see what is out there. That photo of you in residence engaging in naked beer sliding—might need to be deleted! OK, you really don’t have compromising photos, but do take a look and see what photos and status updates you’ve had so that you won’t have a future employer “creep” and find something that they don’t like.

Particular to Victoria, I suggest to students that they not only look at the local job boards (BC Public Service, municipality job boards, and UVIC’s U-Hire, but also VIATEC’s. You never know what you might find in many of these. I also explain to students that they most likely won’t get hired right out of their undergrad as a senior policy analyst. The truth is that you’re going to have to work your way up and this might mean that you’re working in a position that requires data entry, filing, and “gofer” work. You have to cut your teeth in a job and be prepared for this.

If you’re interested in working in Victoria, I suggest that you keep abreast of when there are Chamber of Commerce events (Victoria or Westshore) and attend some of the events to network and meet local members. Note that members of this organization aren’t only local business owners, but government types, elected officials, and just regular people who are interested in the community. Also, attend other local events and get to know the community. This might mean registering with Meet Up and looking for events that will allow you to meet other like minded people. The thought of doing this might make you feel uncomfortable, but you need to get out and meet more people and realize that the limited discomfort can pay off with a mentor, community building, contacts, and possibly a job connection.

I have seen students take 4-8 months to find work after they graduate and this is pretty common. The students who are willing to take risks or start at the entry level position are the ones who have been the most successful. What are you doing to do?

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this: