The State of our Union

I’m a sucker for drama. I love it; love the intrique, the storylines, the passion, the risks. Throw in some humor and you have the ideal screenplay for my Friday night! It’s no wonder then that drama is what has attracted me to the profession I’m in – So many personalities, priorities and problems to go around that drama really is bound to follow and everybody has an opinion and much to the chagrin of our democracy, we have to listen to them.  

Keeping this in mind, watching the State of the Union last night was my version of the Oscars. I don’t know all the actors, but I know the biggie’s, I enjoy hearing their responses and torts and the partisan interaction. I also kinda like seeing the outfits.

Over and over again, Obama blows me away with his speeches. I’m not even American and I get emotional! I like the priorities they’ve set out and the pragmatic manner in which they’re hoping to solve their obstacles (or so he says). Of course, reactions follow and debate errupts all over the networks, but its dialogue. I also like that the event has given the American people a chance to once again understand their leader, what their values are and where they see themselves in the future.

I know that I cannot say the same about Canada.

Is there consensus in Canada about what our challenges are? Do we have unified national values? Do we have a common vision for what the future of this country will look like? It annoys me that important issues arise in the public domain because the media covers them, not a top-down approach that sees executive leadership explain the state of our federation and attempts to move it forward. Instead, we have a protracted view of the political system that sees much power delegated to the provinces, where debate over central issues is not widely discussed or analysed, and as a result, ignorance results.

Politics is not an easy game and its riddled with tactics, timing and Oh the drama! but it has to be open and transparant to the electorate otherwise we compromise the system. Squashing funding for research and development in numerous sectors may balance the books, but it doesn’t make us stronger, it just makes us rich idiots. Neglecting to collect census data makes our programming based on nothing more than campaign contributions and who our leadership likes in government.  What are we doing and what are we striving for?! A Statement of Our Union would help. So would active debate. After all, Knowledge is power and the Canadian people deserve not to be left in the dark.

The Inadequacies of Language

As a new member of the Quality Assurance Committee at my community Children’s Aid Society, I not only get a chance to learn more about the organization, meet new people and brush up on my skills, but it’s also a chance to hear stories that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

This time, we heard from one of my colleagues, who happens to be a nurse, describe a short documentary that she’d seen, ‘Just a Routine Operation,‘ narrated by a British man who had dropped his wife off at the hospital for a routine procedure and expected to pick her up later on in the day. However, the procedure did not go quite as planned and resulted in her loss of oxygen, brain damage and eventual death. The story itself is entirely heartbreaking. The irony of it was that this man has built a career on behalf of airlines to identify communication gaps, prevent human error and provide clarity where it may not be aparent in order to avoid tragedy in the air. 

Similarly, as reports out of Italy describe, human error is the cause for the capsizing of the cruise ship, ‘Costa Concordia’ and causing the death of too many. These two incidents really makes me think just how many lives could be saved by effective communication and cooperation.

In our culture, we’ve been lead to believe that experience should not be questioned and to do so is an insult and could lead to unemployment. By following this norm, though, those nurses did not question or intervene on the doctor with 30 years experience. No one did. Out of fear? Inexperience? I wonder what the co-captain of the Costa Concordia was thinking when it chartered off course; chancing fate or impressing the tourists?

Whatever the reasons for the team’s failure to intervene, both instances drive home the fact that they had the trust of their patients or passengers to lead them through to safety, be it the recovery room or the resorts. Such responsibility should be due cause for a questioning thought or an assertive action to ensure their destination and yet there was silence.  Language is one thing to master, understanding and overcoming culture, however, is more difficult.

In learning a bit more about culture and its influence on communication, I came across a corporate training organization, VitalSmarts, which seeks to help firms address the discrepencies that language sometimes highlight and particularly so in a multi-cultural environment. By making more of an effort to bring the same sort of clarity to organizations that the air industry currently employs can only lead to greater collaboration, understanding and responsibility and hopefully result in fewer human errors.

How Nonprofits Make Data Fun and Informative

 

Nonprofits have long relied on stories to help stir emotion.

However, as the nonprofit world has evolved, so, too, has the need to communicate more than just emotion. Foundations and corporate supporters increasingly want to see numbers that show that nonprofits are delivering results. Donors want to see metrics to help them understand why they should contribute to one cause over another.

Unfortunately, statistics about an organization’s work aren’t as emotionally engaging as a photograph of a child in need. Numbers and percentages don’t appeal to our sense of compassion, and looking at graphs feels too academic to be enjoyable for most people.

Put simply, data can be really boring. But organizations can find digestible and compelling ways to show their quantitative results.

Graphical representations of information, known as infographics, can help nonprofits weave anecdotes and rock-solid evidence into beautiful stories that appeal to both the head and the heart.

Well-designed infographics can convey complex information in surprisingly engaging ways, and their popularity is skyrocketing. Type “infographics” into a Google search and you will see them by the hundreds on topics as varied as the U.S. debt and how much you can drink at an office party.

Nonprofits are among the many types of organizations increasingly trying to present data in visually striking ways.

Voices for America’s Children, an advocacy organization, has created basic infographics that do a good job of bringing personality to topics such as health, education, and government spending.

Product (Red), which supports programs to curb AIDS in Africa, has produced more sophisticated examples. The organization’s Web site does a great job mixing data with maps, videos, and profiles of people its donations have aided. In an instant, you learn that Product (Red)’s sales have raised more than $180-million for its charitable efforts and have helped more than 7.5 million people.

Architecture for Humanity, which offers pro bono architectural and design services to building projects around the world, uses infographics to quickly convey its complicated mission. That came after it realized its constituents had trouble understanding the nature of the organization’s many activities and asked my company, Elefint Designs, to create an infographic that communicates details that would otherwise require long conversations or extensive passages of text.

Whether they are bringing attention to an important cause, explaining their internal operations, or demonstrating the impact of their work, nonprofits can use infographics to present data in a way that is far more engaging and efficient than what could be conveyed with words alone. Coupled with traditional storytelling, the use of infographics gives organizations a powerful tool to demonstrate their achievements in a way that will get viewers both emotionally and intellectually involved.

Matthew Scharpnick is a co-founder and the chief strategy officer at Elefint Designs, which recently started a new Web site, infogra.ph, that uses infographics to help nonprofits advance understanding of complex issues.

Article Found at : http://philanthropy.com/article/How-Nonprofits-Make-Data-Fun/130225/

 

In the Meeting House

I was recently invited to attend a Meeting House discussion at the Public Library. I’ve never been to a Meeting House discussion so I’m not too sure what to expect (is a Meeting House in Canada the same as a Town Hall Meeting in the US?), but nonetheless, I’m curious.  The topic of the night will be the community – how it’s developing, concerns, fears, worries and in general, how we’d like to see it develop.  This is a particularly interesting topic as I”m all for positive change and seeing progress, yet the thought of going to the Meeting House has me strangely anxious. My family has lived in the areas for almost a hundred years; suffice it to say, I know it fairly well. But my anxiety makes me question, do I really? I know buildings, roads, landmarks and friends, but I feel it lacks the same sort of community, the type of place that makes you want to be home and strive toward making it better. This, perhaps may be one of the items on the agenda – how to make a town, a community and a home.

Bringing together different members of the community and the people who can implement change is a great idea and I’m very curious to know what sort of issues will surface. Will it be a safe and open space to express opinions or will biases and intimdation silence voices?

I’ve learned that the tremendous and rapid growth of the region has already caused major problems, especially regarding affordable housing and food security. Knowing this, I became a little alarmed (!) to learn that there really was no social plan in place to deal with the influx of people; no services, infrastructure or preparation to deal with the problems that could surface. What’s worse is there is no data and no research mechanism to provide evidence to support the creation of infrastructure or services. Basically, the strategy is to sit back and wait until problems arise, until they’ve gotten so bad that some money, time and effort need to be thrown at the problem. Really? Is this the way to run a healthy community? It really is maddening to see this type of logic applied to the community where you live.

The Meeting House is a start, but the main actors running it are already swamped with their own (contract) work that takes up much of their day. Let’s face it, this is a full time job of an entire department to create, establish and grow the social infrastructure that’s needed.  However, funding allocations tend to favor activities that will provide a return (ie economic development) without acknowledging the social sector until it’s too late; the down side of politics… Reactions to the Meeting House to come soon….

The Path to Change

There is no time like the new year to start fresh and that feeling of renewal is precisely what some (myself included) need. New relationships, habits and ways of thinking are most tough to change, but with a little perseverance and encouragement, it’s possible to move forward in a positive direction *emphasis on positive!* 

I intended these words to be of a personal nature, but taking a second look at them,  that positive direction can be applied to any initiative that seeks change. 

The business of change is exciting, complicated and involves many actors, but when results are achieved, the work seems well worth it.  How to do this, however, is easier said than done.  How to find common ground between varying opinions, experiences and cultures, while leveraging  funding and expectations?

I’ve been doing some  reading over the holidays, some  fiction, some biographies, some professional development and what’s been striking a chord throughout many of the articles I’ve read is leadership development,  and its importance to achieving goals.

The Harvard Business Review recently published an article “Developing Mindful Leaders,” which advises; “If you want to transform an organization it’s not about changing systems and processes so much as it’s about changing the hearts and minds of people…Mindfulness is one of the all-time most brilliant technologies for helping to alleviate human suffering and for bringing out our extraordinary potential as human beings.” At the same time, Arlene Dickinson’s new book, “Persuasion” emphasizes the same message; “cultivating authenticity, honesty and reciprocity in every relationship so you not only get what you want, but achieve an outcome that works for everyone.”

What extraordinary words and advice for developing change and a compelling  message to governments, firms, communities, families and individuals. Of course, that message is subjective, but acting mindfully and authenticly in any interaction may just lead to the change that is sought after.

Importance of Relativity

Success! I’ve finally found employment!!! Wooooo0! I’m very excited and as a result, have rewarded myself with doing absolutely nothing! Well,  that’s not exactly true though either, because here I am blogging away – perhaps I’ll slow down later….anyways, what a great time to stop and let the heat of the sunshine drain out all your energy! Thankfully for me, 8 months in the tropics have adjusted my internal temperature so that this is wonderful Don’t get me wrong, I still feel how heavy the air is and yes, it’s hot, but I think I’m coping much better than others. I’ve always  loved the heat though. Remember a few years ago when Europe was suffering from heat waves and people died because of it? That was when I escaped the chill of Ireland to backpack around Spain – most Spaniards, however, had chosen the cool coasts of Barcelona, and there I was – the dumb tourist wandering around the deserted streets of  Madrid at 40 C degree heat at 7pm. Live and learn, or in my case, sweat! And at the end of my trip, back to my studies in Montreal, with arguably the coldest winters in Canada.

Point of the story? People adapt, everything is relative. The other day, we saw South Asians in full out cricket gear playing the under the afternoon sun. This heat must be nothing for South Asians, but for a place that is known for its snow fall, it is out of the ordinary. And so, hot topic of the day is, ironically the heat! And not just in Canada, but in the US as well.

The other day, the national news broadcasted a piece on the suffering of farmers who, with shortages of fresh water, were facing an ailing crop and having to sell cattle before their prime. While droughts are indeed awful, I reminded myself that 1) This is the US and 2) Farmers are not just farmers, but businessmen who control farms the size of small towns and who control the price of corn, much like the way that OPEC controls the price of oil. Silos are stocked to the brim full of supplies in order to control the price, instead of its former use to be dipped in to when supplies were low.  Knowing this, I was disgusted with the news piece to have neglected that point.

I’d like to think that people are good  people and  care about others when a crop dies or business is bad, especially in this economy. I suspect that’s why this news piece aired in the first place – to pull on the heart strings of the average Joe and to highlight the out of the ordinary heat waves.  But believing that Joe is inevitably good, he is not always educated to know that farming has joined the ranks with the rest of corporate America and so will pull up his socks, stop complaining and get back to work. What I find even more disheartening is that this made national news, but the droughts that the rest of the world experiences rarely makes the headlines.

I typed in ‘Somalia Droughts Heat’ in to the google search bar and the first news source, behind research studies, weather reports and alarms was a piece posted by ABC 5 days ago title, “Somalia Drought ‘One of the Largest Humanitarian Crises in Decades.’  Further on down the page, I found the CBC had declared, ‘Somalia drought aid hindered by armed groups.’ This to me, was more a more news worthy subject than farmers in the US.

Admittedly, my knowledge of Somalia and its history is little and I’m very humbled by an Eritrean friend who attempted the topic in her PhD thesis because it’s incredibly complicated and starts dozens of years ago. What I do know is that Somalia hasn’t really had a formal government for 20-30 years and are divided by half that wants independence. More North Americans are more likely to recognize the ‘We are the World’ song in the 80′s that brought Bono, Boy George and many other artists together to raise money for the droughts Somalia was suffering from then. Oddly enough, a remake is in the works!

Mobilizing international food aid is not as easy as it looks – think the forms, red tape and bureaucracy that you have to suffer through when renewing your license and then multiply it by 1000 and throw in a few more countries and disgruntled farmers’ unions that don’t like to part with their stocks. Furthermore, with no formal government, getting food and supplies to people that need them becomes very dangerous and difficult. How to reach the most vulnerable? is likely what is on the minds of most international relief agencies.

As a result, people leave and leave en masse; traveling by (mostly) on foot to neighbouring Ethiopia or Kenya where refugee camps provide an alternative to the already cramped streets of Nairobi or Addis Ababa. Knowing how precarious living standards and conditions can be in a refugee camp, my sympathies are with them. During my grad studies, I was fascinated by environmental changes and what it meant for societies and had written a paper on Environmental Refugees, much like the ones escaping Somalia, only to discover that International Law had yet to include them; to be a refugee, according to the Refugee Convention, doesn’t include the escape of environmental degradation and therefore claimants cannot obtain asylum status or rights in their new country. As a Canadian, I’ll never have to experience this and few Canadians even think of it, but really, what do you do when there is no food or water in your homeland (and therefore no jobs) and  have to migrate to a land that won’t allow you to stay or give you any rights?

Knowing the reality of many Somalis and East Africans, makes me think how stupid we are to complain about the heat, when water is in abundance and air conditioners blazing. Agreed, the plight of farmers is an obstacle, but really it’s a small obstacle that will likely vanish in a couple weeks or when stocks are let out and the weather changes. Is it something that we really need to focus our energy on, complain about or generate sympathy? It’s all relative, I suppose.

 

Lessons Learned

Mornings have never been a easy for me. I always dreaded the inevitable sound my alarm would make and wake me out of a blissful sleep. Even worse were those early winter mornings when the alarm sounded before the sun rose and subsequently showers often ended 30 min longer than they should have simply because the heat of the shower and lack of sunlight led my ever-too-sleepy self to fall back in to dream world while leaning against the shower door.

This habit, however, was successfully put to rest while living in the Caribbean. In fact, mornings become my favorite part of the day! Just before the dogs start barking, before the gardeners come out, I  lay in bed and listen to my fan blow cool air over my bed and around my room and realize just how lazy a person can be.  I had once thought it impossible to be able to work in a hot climate because of the countless distractions there were from prohibiting work getting done. So now, I got to test it!

My first few weeks were hectic – finding the house, starting work, getting stuff for the house, meeting new friends – and the heat was truly unbearable, like trying to swallow a  brick wall, and incidentally made me lazier and more tired. From about April to September, the islands are less tropical and more a hot and dry desert which makes fruit trees barren and vegetable patches bare. Thankfully, there was ice cream

My favourite part about my job was being able to understand and contribute to each and every program and track its progress. Granted statistics have never really been my thing, so I had been a little nervous when numbers suddenly appeared on the job. Slowly, though, I realized just how significant they can be in judging how a program is going and whether or not results are to be achieved.  So I approached data and tables cautiously and, with the help of an amazing mentor,  even began to develop my own! I learned how to develop indicators that were meant to track progress. I learned how to develop charts and analyze results (I knew Excel was good for something!). Ironically, reading data and understanding it was never a problem – perhaps my fear was all in my head?

Now, I can’t understand why I was ever nervous in the first place and more than anything, I understand the need for Research – both qualitative (i.e interviews, focus groups, observations) and quantitative (ie. surveys, case studies, correlational study) and why research inquiry should be done BEFORE decisions are made, both at the project level and the policy level. For instance, why should we implement a project when the root causes aren’t being addressed?

A really interesting case stuck with me throughout my time at UNICEF and was so exemplary of the importance of research; An HIV/AIDS campaign directed at adolescents had been running for some time, trying to raise the awareness of the disease, how to protect yourself and where to get tested. Simple enough, right? Before the next round of funding could be applied, it was time to conduct an Evaluation / Impact study to examine just how effective the campaign was – were infection rates dropping? were more people being tested? The study revealed the success of the awareness campaign – there was ample knowledge about what the disease was, symptoms and how to protect yourself. The study also showed that despite this knowledge, specifically girls were refusing to ‘say no’ or protect themselves. My reaction = huh?!?!?!?! A giant stigma is attached to HIV/AIDS throughout the Caribbean and this study exemplified that.  The point, which became so clear to me, was that the direction of the project should then shift from an awareness campaign to one that promoted self empowerment and respect.  Without the research, the project would have been addressing something that was entirely unnecessary – think of all the effort and funding that would have been wasted!

Now that I’m back in Canada, I’m trying to apply my knowledge, both from working with women & children’s issues and working in Monitoring & Evaluation, to another initiative, just as meaningful and just as rewarding as the last. It’s going to be tough to top a Caribbean island, but I’m certain there are loads of places that could use help in their project implementation and an oversight mechanism to ensure that research was being used and getting out to the right people.

I was recently discussing this disconnect between research and project implementation and policy with my local MPP, who completely agreed with me and referenced a recent example where the Ontario Ministry of Education has just unveiled a program to help graduating high school students with their applications to university and for OSAP…. Full Stop…Taking a minute to let this concept sink in, my first thought was “Well, if they can’t fill out the forms, how well are they going to do at University?” Was research actually done suggested that this was the best use of taxpayer funds?

Universities are by far the best and well-known centres where knowledge is generated and where anyone can go and obtain information about a  given topic, and if it’s not there, at least they might be able to tell you where to go.  In my ignorance, I expected a team or division to be housed deep within the registrar’s office of every university, working to do just that – bring research and studies to the public; make sure results are shared and findings revealed to those that could benefit.  Sadly, I learned differently when I attended a Knowledge Mobilization Expo for York Region a few weeks ago and was shocked to hear that University’s were just now developing ways to get their research out to members of the community, city and nation.  How disappointed I was (and a little embarrassed) to have assumed that this process had been long in existance – not only that, but also that this phenomenon is still in its infant stages and only a couple of universities in Canada are doing it (!) Tell me again, what’s the point of doing research if it can’t be disseminated to those that can most benefit from it?

Despite having had lunches on the beach, soaked in thermal springs and learned to play the steel pan, there was ample opportunity for professional development and I learned a great deal from my posting. My views on social change and how it can be achieved has certainly been influenced and I hope that I’ll soon be able to apply knowledge to practice while in Canada.

On Caribbean Time

There are no easy ways to convey just how relieved I am to have found work. And not just work, work that I think I’m actually going to enjoy AND in a new location! Really, what more could I ask for? I just landed a grant from CIDA to work with UNICEF Eastern Caribbean office in Barbados as a Monitoring & Evaluation Officer. I couldn’t be more thrilled and am slowly adjusting to my new life on the island.

First, there’s beach everywhere When hot, move closer to the ocean where winds (and the occasional shower) are sure to follow. People are genuinely lovely and although I’m exercising every precaution possible, it doesn’t seem that I’ll need to. They drive on the left, which you’d think would make crossing tough, but no, drivers politely stop traffic to let the random strangler find a way through. There is a lot of rum floating around the island, white, dark and coconut flavored are slowly making me like cocktails again. Vegetables are in short supply due to the  heavy rainy season and imports are pretty expensive, but my dismay at this has been replaced by the vast array of fruits that are sure to join my palate, paw-paw anyone?

As for work, it’s just been a few days, but getting to know the office and the work done here is going to be an uphill climb. I’ll be working with the M&E Specialist who is virtually instrumental in identifying the problems existing on each of the 10 states in the Eastern Caribbean and balancing that with the budgets we have to work with to direct programs and plan for action. I think I’ll have my hands full. The other officers work in Child Protection, dealing with child abuse, corporal punishment, juvenile justice etc and Early Childhood  Development, dealing with advancements in ECE, life skills advancement and HIV/AIDS – I’ll likely have more to say about each of these issues as time progresses and I learn the work more closely.

I’m truly excited to be working with a great group of people, along with my Canadian counterparts working in Communications, ECD and Sport for Development – who incidentally are my roommates! With the help of a German cum-Bajan lady, we were able to find reliable accommodations, in  a nice residential area of town, not too expensive and 10 min walk to the beach! Fruit trees in the back cinched  it for me and off we begin our life in the Caribbean.

Itchy Feet + Light Wallet = Innovative Travel

After a few long weeks of getting back in to the swing of my schedule, the sun is still shining, the birds still chirping and my mind is still wandering – where to go next? I never could figure out how people in warm climates ever got any work done? In my half-daydream / half-web search, I’ve found tons of neat concepts that help the average Joe wander the world on a budget.

First stop : CouchSurfing.org At first, I was a little put off by inviting random tourists to stay on your couch, but after reading through the details, I’m a little less hesitant. Basically, the site allows you to find locals in the places where you’re staying. It gives you the option to meet up and have a local take you around, have a coffee to practice your language skills or stay on the locals’ couch to save on hotel/hostel bills. The rating and feedback function lets you know others’ opinions of your surfer and helps you decide how much time you’re going to spend with the tourist. I like it, but I would approach it cautiously.

Next: I found an article about How to Swap Cities. Again, novel idea but I have my hesitations. Basically swapping is just as it sounds; you transplant yourself in to someone Else’s home and lifestyle for a designated amount of time. It’s a great way to get to really know another city for longer than just the 10-15 days that a holiday would take up and allows you to experience life in another culture/continent. It takes a lot of planning to make it work though – getting work to transfer you temporarily to another office location or convincing them to let you telecommute takes time.

Both of these options require a very high degree of trust between you an your guest and many would shy away from it, knowing since childhood to be weary of strangers. At the same time though, there’s recent studies to suggest that, in general, people are good. The Toronto Star’s experiment with stolen wallets is proof, but being cautious while abroad never hurt either.

Lastly, back to the ol’ faithful money saving tricks: Buy food at the grocery store, go camping, share toiletries, use your feet instead of transit and always, always have enough change to call home, just in case!

Pushing the Limits

I stood at the base of it, looking up and contemplating the outcome of what I was about to do. I hadn’t expected it, but now that I was here, I couldn’t turn back or otherwise face scrutinizing looks and a long trek back. What stood before me wasn’t a mountain or glacier, but instead a ginormous sand dune that formed a sort of cliff overlooking the sea, and which inevitably separated me from my vehicle. I know now, the accomplishment wasn’t so spectacular, but at the time it certainly was! I approached it cautiously, opting to take the slow route on a diagonal instead of the otherwise perilous path upward. Ten feet up, I noticed that my shoes that were meant to be supportive, were actually causing more distress to my climb than expected. I took a moment to untie them, take off my socks and let the sand rush through my toes and oddly enough, it’s my toes that made the journey easier. I glanced over at the sea, taking in the atmosphere, tying my shoes together and throwing them through my purse strap, and turned back to face the task at hand. With a few breaths and subsequent pauses, I finally made it with my friends cheering me along the way! A large bottle of water later and shoes safely back on my feet, I was able to take in exactly what I had done and enjoy the scenery from the top, thankful that I did it, but also relieved it was over! It was certainly a challenge and I’m not one to back down from a challenge, but in hindsight I can see why people push themselves to the very limit, despite the pain and agony that they put their body through, the result is exhilarating – something to tell the grand kids. Although my sand dune wasn’t the Iron Man or the Patagonian Expedition,  it was mine and something to use as a starting point – perhaps my next trek will include ropes and harnesses? Who knows, but anything is possible. And if amputees are known to have crossed the country and climbed mountains, then there is surely no excuse.