And so we ask you: "What kind of change would you like to make in the world?" We hope you will share your plans for change below!
Thursday, July 31, 2014
The change YOU will make
The Stowe Center is undergoing the process of reinterpretation, the exciting re-imagining of the visitor experience in the Stowe House. While prototyping some ideas and experiences yesterday, we asked a group of teenagers to consider: "What kind of change would you like to make in the world?" We asked them to write or draw their responses on a table in Stowe's kitchen, while reflecting on her impact and their experience in the house. One 14-year-old boy from Hartford said:
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
The rising criminalization of #homelessness
What if it was illegal to sit down?
This poignant question was posed by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty in the 11th iteration of “No Safe Place,” the advocacy group’s report on the criminalization of homelessness. The report found that in cities across the United States homeless individuals are criminally punished for being in public even when they have no other alternatives.
At a time when nearly 160,000 individuals experience homelessness on a given night, U.S. cities have increasingly created laws that ban sleeping in public, loitering, panhandling, and sleeping in vehicles, effectively making it illegal to be homeless. For example, over the past three years, bans on sleeping in vehicles have increased 119%, while laws against begging have increased 25%, and laws against camping in public have increased 60%. At the same time, resources for individuals who are homeless appear to be decreasing: affordable housing resources have decreased about 13% over the past three years. These policies have steadily crept up in cities and rural areas all across the U.S. In February, we published a blog post on Osceola County in Florida, who spent roughly $5 million dollars arresting homeless individuals over the past nine years.
These laws sharply juxtapose recent housing initiatives in Vancouver, where local organization RainCity Housing has created pop-up roofs to add to benches for homeless individuals to use on rainy nights (check out our recent blog post on this topic).
Why do you think cities propose these types of laws? Why isn’t there more political will to create policies and adjudicate resources to alleviate poverty? What laws would be better alternatives?
This poignant question was posed by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty in the 11th iteration of “No Safe Place,” the advocacy group’s report on the criminalization of homelessness. The report found that in cities across the United States homeless individuals are criminally punished for being in public even when they have no other alternatives.
At a time when nearly 160,000 individuals experience homelessness on a given night, U.S. cities have increasingly created laws that ban sleeping in public, loitering, panhandling, and sleeping in vehicles, effectively making it illegal to be homeless. For example, over the past three years, bans on sleeping in vehicles have increased 119%, while laws against begging have increased 25%, and laws against camping in public have increased 60%. At the same time, resources for individuals who are homeless appear to be decreasing: affordable housing resources have decreased about 13% over the past three years. These policies have steadily crept up in cities and rural areas all across the U.S. In February, we published a blog post on Osceola County in Florida, who spent roughly $5 million dollars arresting homeless individuals over the past nine years.
These laws sharply juxtapose recent housing initiatives in Vancouver, where local organization RainCity Housing has created pop-up roofs to add to benches for homeless individuals to use on rainy nights (check out our recent blog post on this topic).
Why do you think cities propose these types of laws? Why isn’t there more political will to create policies and adjudicate resources to alleviate poverty? What laws would be better alternatives?
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
What message do #Barbie dolls send to young girls?
Toy manufacturing company Mattel reported that sales of the iconic Barbie doll plummeted 15% worldwide in the last quarter, reflecting the trend of dropping sales in 8 of the last 10 quarters. Mattel has tried to use various publicity campaigns to increase sales, including creating a LinkedIn account for "Entrepreneur Barbie," listing her career as “Dream Incubator...[helping girls] play out their imagination, try on different careers, and explore the world around them."
Earlier this year, Oregon State University announced that research showed "that girls who play with Barbie dolls see fewer career options for themselves than for boys." The research echoed a 2006 report by the University of Sussex which found girls exposed to Barbie from a young age had a desire for a thinner body and a lower self-esteem. Rebbecca Burn-Callander of The Telegraph recently proposed in "Note to Barbie: Sorry doll, it's a feminist world and not even Ken can save you" that these findings undermine Mattel's effort to change the image of the decades-old toy.
What message do you think Barbie sends to young girls today? Do you think Barbie's ideal body causes lower self-esteem in young girls? Share your reactions and thoughts in the comments section below!
Earlier this year, Oregon State University announced that research showed "that girls who play with Barbie dolls see fewer career options for themselves than for boys." The research echoed a 2006 report by the University of Sussex which found girls exposed to Barbie from a young age had a desire for a thinner body and a lower self-esteem. Rebbecca Burn-Callander of The Telegraph recently proposed in "Note to Barbie: Sorry doll, it's a feminist world and not even Ken can save you" that these findings undermine Mattel's effort to change the image of the decades-old toy.
What message do you think Barbie sends to young girls today? Do you think Barbie's ideal body causes lower self-esteem in young girls? Share your reactions and thoughts in the comments section below!
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