Monitoring The Advocacy Intervention

By Janae S.

        Careful monitoring is one important components of the advocacy approach. Careful monitoring deals with paying close attention to your youth and your advocacy effects throughout the 18-week intervention. As advocates it's important the we determine the youth’s satisfaction with the changes that have occurred and also heck the specific effects of the change directly. For example, if your youth has a failing grade in a certain subject one possible solution could be to work out a plan to meet with his/her teachers, and find him/her a tutor. After implementing a strategy you would need to follow-up by checking up on the youth’s progress.

The key to monitoring in the advocacy efforts is to ask specific questions for your youth and other people that may be involved in the situation. As an advocate, you need to know enough about the situation so that you are able to assess whether anything useful has happened. For example, it’s not good to play 20 questions just to find out what happened. Whenever asking a question the response yes or no is not sufficient enough when you're trying to make a change effort. You would most liking get better feedback if you:

1.)Have established a relationship with your youth.

2.)If you are are informed about any changes desired.

3.)Can ask questions in a way that your youth can understand.

 4.)Lastly, if you can convince your youth that you know what you are talking about.

Similar to the regular monitoring process there is also a second advocacy effort approach, they include:

1.)You should allow enough time for the change to happen and to take place. When you have the patience to allow things to           change it then describes the position you should take next.

2.)Careful monitoring during the change process should provide you any other    information that you need to use in any other further step process.

3.)Most importantly you should always assess both with your youth and you professor whether if any additional effort in an area of unmet need is indicated.

Sources:

http://www.open.edu/openlearnworks/pluginfile.php/128097/mod_resource/content/1/Monitoring%20and%20evaluating%20advocacy.pdf

Images:

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Why Summer Camp?

By Emily T

Many of us attended summer camp as a child. For most of us that did, it is easy to say that camp had a very positive impression on our childhoods, and really on the rest of our lives. I attended camp 3 times as a kid, and I truly cannot put into words just how much those experiences helped shape me as an individual. So, why is camp so great? Why do kids always go back to summer camp?

To display the positive outcomes of sending a child to summer camp the American Camp Association sent out a survey to parents of children that attended a variety of summer camps across the country. The survey asked the parents to rate from a scale of 1-5 (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree). Here were the results of the top 5 outcomes parents saw in their children after camp:

My child felt successful at camp (Average score: 4.63)

My child made new friends (Average score: 4.60)

My child gained new skills (Average score: 4.39)

Camp encouraged my child to get along better with others (Average score: 4.35)

Camp helped my child have a better idea of what she or he is good at (Average Score: 4.20)

Summer camp allows a unique opportunity for children to learn, grow, and become more independent through educational experiences and recreational activities. Camps such as the YMCA Storer Camps have the children role play and engage in activities that pertain to historical events in a fun and educational manner. They also can teach children about science in regard to ecosystems because camps often have access to lakes, ponds, etc. And as for outdoor recreation, camps usually provide some combination of horseback riding, rock climbing, canoeing, hiking, etc. for children to participate in. Summer camp is where I learned how to do all of these things.

The positive outcomes of going to summer camp are something that truly cannot be put into words. If you attended camp as a child, you probably agree with this. I had the privilege of watching kids have this experience when I was a camp counselor last year. Even if you never attended summer camp as a child, I would encourage almost anyone to be a camp counselor for one summer. There is so much that can be gained from watching kids experience and grow at summer camp. As a Sustainable Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Major, one of my possible career paths would be being a camp director one day. I truly cannot think of a more rewarding career for myself.

Sources: 

"Benefits of Camp: Skill Development." Benefits of Camp: Skill Development. American Camp Association, 2015. Web. 03 Apr. 2016

Images:

"The Watershed Research and Training Center – Hayfork, CA." The Watershed Research and Training Center Hayfork CA. WordPress, 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

"Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet." Summer Camp –. N.p., 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

Why did I choose my field of study?

Abbie W.

It all started when I was in sixth grade. I joined the organization of 4-H by showing sheep. Over the next 8 years I would become as involved as physically possibly. I expanded from just two sheep to having cattle, pigs and soon would build my own flock of sheep. We now have a small herd of seven head of cattle and about a flock of twenty sheep. All purchases of these livestock have been made by either my sister or I. Which I believe makes it even more special to build this relationship of working with your family. While this is my sister and I's project, my parents are still very involved. I have been so blessed to have them as my cheerleaders, chauffeur, cook, helping hand, and even sometimes my therapist when I need reassurance. I think this family aspect probably the largest reason I chose this path. There are so many other factors that go with this though.

Up until I was a sophomore in high school my mindset was go to U of M and be a nurse just like my mother. Then it hit me one day, I am not a person who enjoys being inside all day especially when it is nice weather outside. In addition, I am not always the biggest people person or the most patient so I did not think this would be a position I would be happy with. I thought about it and decided to go the Animal science route as I considered becoming a vet. I realized becoming a vet could take 8-10 years of schooling and I knew I was not prepared nor did I want to do that.  Therefore, I opted to switch right before I attended AOP, I then switched to Agribusiness Management. It was a better choice in my eyes, it would open more doors for me if I chose not that working along livestock and agriculture the rest of my life. Also becoming a vet could take 8-10 years of schooling and I knew I was not prepared nor did I want to do that. However, knowing myself I have come to the realization I will always be happiest when I am working with livestock and those who are employed in the field. This fueled my decision to declare a double major next fall for animal science along with agribusiness management to open up more job opportunities after I graduate and find the path best for me.

I am so excited to see where this path will take me. In speaking to so many in the agriculture field I know I am on the right path. These type people are the ones I want to work beside along with educating those who may not have a clear understanding of all that agriculture workers give to our society. They always tell you find a career that you are passionate and will love. On the other side of that people say you can find something you are passionate about but you will not make a living off that. I think in taking the path I am on I will have the best of both. Which is a goal of mine is to make a living off of doing the one thing I thoroughly enjoy and that is putting in time with livestock.

Agricultural States

By Micalah B

In general, society tends to associate agriculture with the southern states in the U.S. Whether this is due to the stereotypes sung in country songs across the nation, or some weird mumbo-jumbo we pulled out of mid air, I'm not quite sure. However, what I am quite sure of is this;

Agriculture is not just big in the southern most part of the United States.

In fact, in 2014, the top ten agricultural producing states are in descending order as follows:


1) California
2) Iowa
3) Texas
4) Nebraska
5) Illinois
6) Minnesota
7) Kansas
8) Indiana
9) North Carolina
10) Wisconsin

With a view of the map posted, we see that these top agricultural producing states tend to be all over the map. But why is this so?

Different factors such as population, soil types, climate, weather patterns, and many others affect agricultural production success. A state dense with people is less likely to have the space to withhold large and sprawling farms within its boarders. Along with this, states like Idaho and Wyoming, where we find dry soil and intense heat, will not hold the right conditions to support the growth of agricultural commodities. Lastly, weather patterns vary all over the country. States on the coasts get hurricanes, states out west get long periods of drought. There are areas like Tornado Alley, known for the obvious; vicious tornados and Washington State, known for its long rains. Weather patterns are a strange, yet very prevalent thing, affecting where agriculture may prosper, indefinitely.

With this being said, we can better understand why we see no pattern, theme, or general consistency to these prospering state's locations. Therefore, I confidently correct the stereotype that agriculture resounds in the southern most part of the United States, showing it to be much more widespread than it is believed.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/faqs.aspx#10
http://www.myexperttravel.com/usmap.html

Cultural Diversity and Values

By:Janae S.

         Cultural diversity is the existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society. But if we breakdown the definition culture is a group of people as well as their behaviors, beliefs, values, and the symbols they accept, diversity is a range of different things. Culture diversity is a strong part of people’s lives, it influences their views, their humor, their hope and many more. Its important to remember that everyone has a different viewpoint and role when it comes to cultural.

Approximately 50% of the adolescents advocates work with minority youths. Many of our youths and families that we work with have a low-economic status. One important part of being an advocate is understanding and respecting the different racial and cultural experiences of our youth as well was the families within the program. Apart of the adolescent diversion project they stress the importance of each youth’s individuality. During the intervention process we tend to face two important challenges that involves the youth dealing with values and cultural diversity.

Understanding Values:

Everything that we do, every decision we make is basically based on our beliefs, attitudes, and values. Throughout the program advocates have noticed that values includes interactions with the youth. As an advocate it’s very serious to become more aware of the values we hold, the type of values they are, and to assess them if they are values we want to keep. They are a major part of who we are and they are extremely important to us. 

There are some values that are more strongly than other values, and some values we tend to believe they are the truth to us. When working with values a lot of people don't remember that our truths are not necessarily anyone else’s truth. When experiencinga value there may be some conflict, people would become very defensive, angry, or judgmental. These experiences can cause the relationship between your youth and advocates relationship to breakdown in communication.  

Sources:

http://www.ethnoconnect.com/articles/1-what-is-cultural-diversity
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/culture-and-diversity/mainImages:

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Prompt 6: America's Best Idea

By Emily T

I recently viewed Ken Burn’s documentary “America’s Best Idea”. This documentary is about the history, mission, and purpose of America’s National Parks. It displays the beauty of the parks, the unique opportunities they offer the United States, and the people that made them possible. Ken Burns created this documentary with Dayton Duncan, who actually did the writing for the documentary.

Watch the following video to get a preview of the documentary:

As you can see, this documentary was made to display the excellence behind the idea of the National Parks. The mission of the parks was to preserve the most unique and beautiful areas of our country for the benefit and enjoyment of all American citizens. The National Park Service does truly provide so many opportunities for Americans all over the United States.

Ken Burns clearly has a very positive attitude toward preserving land to be national parks. He believes that it should be a right as an American citizen to be able to enjoy these parks, as we own them as a public. Some may argue that the park system should be privatized instead. There are people who believe that the tax money we spend to preserve the parks could somewhere else, or that the taxes are just not worth it.

 

What is my opinion? Growing up going to the parks, I am going to have to side with Ken Burns. Hiking the trails and learning about the parks gave me a certain appreciation for the United States in general. The National Parks are truly treasures of the United States, and they have been part of our history for over 100 years. It is so important for us to preserve these for the sake of the history, ecosystems, landscapes, and opportunities they provide. Giving everyone ownership to these beautiful locations regardless of status, income, etc. is something that is so important to our country, and it was an idea that was originally unique to America.

Work Cited:

"The National Parks: America's Best Idea." PBS. PBS, 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

PBS. "THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA'S BEST IDEA | Americans Own ..." YouTube. YouTube, 30 July 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2016

Photos:

"Ken Burns America." PBS. PBS, 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

"Ken Burns, Director/Producer." PBS. PBS, 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.

The Next Big Thing

Abbie W.

Cover crops are the new up and coming crop being planted. The reason this is a big thing is due to they will help slow erosion along with improving soil health. This is so important since are soil quality is overtime becoming more depleted. Without quality soil we cannot grow crops and we need to have higher crop production than ever with our ever growing population. Cover crops also help enhance water availability. They control pests and diseases, while hosting numerous benefits to your farm.

           

Cover Crops increase the yield of the crop; yield is the amount of a crop that was harvested per unit of land area. Corn yields increased by 9.6 percent and soybeans is 11.6 percent, which is huge. Cover crops for legumes are great for reducing nitrogen fertilizer inputs that is left over from cash crops. Nitrogen is a huge contributor to environmental issues especially in water, therefore reducing nitrogen output is a huge improvement. No till farming has found this to be a great opportunity as these farms already are looking for ways to be conservative. While nitrogen is found less in legumes, cover crops actually help to increase nitrogen levels in organic crops. They manage weeds and mulch helps to conserve water.

            Economically cover crops are beneficial as well. You save on fuel costs and commodity prices. Increasing yield increases farmer’s income while decreasing prices for consumers as more are produced. Cover crops are currently a big discussion topic right now. But there are so many proven benefits to this that it is definitely something we need to start to use.