International Civic Engagement

Official Debut: Congress in the Classroom Online

From the Dirksen Congressional Center:

This month marks the official debut of The Dirksen Congressional Center's new online version of Congress in the Classroom -- http://moodle.congressclass.org/ -- an award-winning course for teachers.

Do you teach social studies, American government, American history, or civics? Are your lessons about the U.S. Congress out of date? Is it hard to engage your students in learning about the House and Senate?  If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then Congress in the Classroom Online is the course for you!

Congress in the Classroom Online will help you understand today's Congress and suggest ways to teach about it. The self-paced online course is organized around the twin responsibilities of Congress members: representation and lawmaking. There are more than a dozen individual units on such topics as "What Makes for Effective Members of Congress?" "How Representative is the Membership of Congress?" and "Lawmaking: Understanding the Basics." All the information you need to complete the course is available with just a few mouse clicks.

This improved version of Congress in the Classroom Online uses a more interactive approach, featuring many options to engage you (and the instructor) in the course materials.

We welcome your participation!  Take a look -- http://moodle.congressclass.org.

Sincerely,

Cindy Koeppel
The Dirksen Congressional Center
2815 Broadway
Pekin, IL 61554

International Time Banking Conference

Time Banking is a system for promoting reciprocity--giving and receiving; sharing talents, skills and time--that goes beyond traditional volunteering. 

It is especially appropriate for reaching across cultural, socioeconomic, generational and other barriers because it recognizes that everyone has something to offer. 

Hundreds of campuses, communities and organizations are discovering that Time Banking offers a meaningful structure for mutual support.  Students, volunteer coordinators, instructors and community representatives are invited to come to the International Time Banking Conference Nov. 1-3 in Madison, WI and spread the word to others.  Topics will range from funding and marketing to asset-based community development, use of information technology and community organizing to innovative models for collaboration among campuses, youth courts, long-term care and just plain neighbors caring for each other. 

For a full program and registration, see: www.tbusaconference.org.  Scholarships, no-cost accommodations and student discounts are available.

Today's Global Challenges Aggravated by Intolerance - Ban Ki-Moon

Promoting tolerance is a vital part of tackling many of today's global challenges which, though mostly political in nature, are aggravated and rendered intractable by the distrust, and even hostility, among different cultural and religious groups, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a high-level gathering on bridging the divide between Islam and the West.

“Across the world, intolerance and cross-cultural tensions are on the rise,” Mr. Ban stated in his remarks to representatives comprising the “Group of Friends” of the global campaign known as the Alliance of Civilizations.

“Every day serves up new instances of the harmful impact cultural misunderstandings and religious prejudices can have on relations between communities, both within countries and across national borders.”

Facing these challenges is the “need of the hour” and demands a collective and broad-based approach that is at the very heart of the Alliance, he said.

Created in 2005 at the initiative of Spain and Turkey and under UN auspices, the Alliance seeks to tackle fear and suspicion, bridge divides and overcome prejudices and polarizations between Islam and the West.

Mr. Ban noted that at the national level, the Alliance is well-positioned to support initiatives aimed at improving cross-cultural relations. “In areas like education, media and the youth, it can help foster partnerships among Governments, international organizations, civil society groups and foundations. By drawing on its networks and expertise, it can bolster grassroots efforts to combat prejudice and promote dialogue among diverse communities.”

At the same time, the Alliance can serve as a “catalyst for joint action” at the inter-governmental level, he said, adding that the partnership between Spain and Turkey that led to the creation of the Alliance is, in itself, “a potent symbol of what dialogue can achieve when backed by strong political will.”

The Alliance can also help reinforce the work of the UN system as a whole by making a real contribution to the Organization’s efforts to prevent war and promote peace.

Mr. Ban said he was confident that, by working together, “we can create conditions that help communities choose the path of dialogue instead of confrontation; we can learn to engage with each other rather than ignore each other; and we can embrace our diversity instead of fearing it.”

General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim told delegates he knows from personal experience how important understanding between cultures is and the need to foster that understanding through dialogue.

“I myself come from a country that lies at a crossroads of different cultures and religions,” stated Mr. Kerim, a diplomat, economist, scholar and businessman from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The President stressed that progress in the Alliance’s four major priority areas – youth, education, media and migration – is indispensable for reducing tensions and polarization between societies which differ in their religious and cultural values.

“How better to enhance the dialogue on a daily basis but through properly sensitized media? How better to promote cross-cultural dialogue in the long-run but through youth and education?”

Highlighting some of the initiatives taken by the UN towards better cross-cultural understanding, he drew attention to a high-level dialogue on interreligious and intercultural understanding and cooperation for peace to be held in October.

In April this year, Mr. Ban appointed Jorge Sampaio, a former President of Portugal, as the first UN High Representative for the Alliance, to provide the campaign with vision and leadership.

The “Group of Friends” network – a growing community of over 50 States and international organizations that support the objectives of the Alliance – was set up to foster partnerships and deepen cooperation on a range of initiatives across different regions.

Innovations in American Government Award Winners Announced

From Government Technology:

The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government yesterday announced seven state, city and local government programs as winners of the 2007 Innovations in American Government Awards. The winners were honored at the Innovations in American Government Awards twentieth anniversary reception at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. Multiple foreign and national dignitaries were in attendance and former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill delivered the keynote address. This event launches a year long twentieth anniversary celebration of the Ash Institute's Innovations in American Government Awards Program.

The seven 2007 Innovations in American Government Award winners are:

• Automated Community Connection to Economic Self-Sufficiency State of Florida. Florida redesigned and modernized its process for determining eligibility for public assistance. The ACCESS Florida model is streamlined, cost efficient and nationally recognized for excellence.
• Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting (CLEAR). City of Chicago, Illinois. Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting (CLEAR) is the enterprise information system for the entire Chicago Police Department and one of the most sophisticated information systems in the nation.
• Climate Protection Initiative City of Seattle, Washington. The Climate Protection Initiative accelerates climate protection action citywide and in hundreds of other cities, catalyzing grassroots action around the country and promoting essential state and federal policy changes.
• Community Care State of North Carolina. Community Care is a physician-led Medicaid managed care program of local provider networks serving 750,000 patients. The networks improve quality and access to care while saving millions of dollars.
• Electronic Court Records King County, Washington. Electronic Court Records gives court case file users electronic access. Scanning and e-filing have eliminated paper files, resulting in faster processing, desktop access to documents and better security.
• Overt Drug Market Strategy City of High Point, North Carolina. The Overt Drug Market Strategy is a law enforcement/community partnership that collapses drug markets, reduces violence by directly engaging dealers and their families, creates predictable sanctions and offers a range of services.
• Urban Land Reform Initiative Genesee County, Michigan. The Urban Land Reform Initiative is a self-sustaining economic model which connects tax foreclosure with management and disposition of vacant and abandoned property to stabilize neighborhoods and improve the value of urban land.

The IBM Award in Transforming Government winner is:

• Institute of Technical Education, Singapore Formerly a last resort for low-achieving students, Singapore's Institute of Technical Education (ITE) underwent a 10-year reform plan revamping irrelevant curriculum, upgrading learning environments and instating new academic requirements for current teachers.

The Faith Club at Park University

I distributed the following e-mail message this morning:

Park University was so pleased to host The Faith Club on our campus last night.  We estimated the attendance at 300.  This was the largest University cultural event I have organized, and I am so grateful for your interest and support.

We distributed last night several handouts.  I do want to bring to your attention two important series of events:

* Park's 2007-8 Multicultural Calendar of Events - http://www.park.edu/outreach/multi.aspx

We will host a series of multicultural events on our Parkville campus during this academic year.  Our next event, an evening of entertainment and education with the performance of El Grupo Folklorico Atotonilco, will take place on October 9.  You can register for this free event by visiting http://www.park.edu/outreach/rsvp.shtml.

* Greater Kansas City Festival of Faiths - http://www.festivaloffaithskc.org

This 10-day festival (November 7-18) is dedicated to enhancing dialogue, building meaningful relationships, identifying commonly held beliefs and enhancing our own faith experience.

For more information about local interfaith events, visit Park's interfaith calendar at http://www.park.edu/interfaith/calendar.aspx.

We look forward to seeing you again on our campus!

Best wishes,

Erik Bergrud

The Faith Club Visits Park University This Evening

The authors of The Faith Club will visit Park University this evening at 7:00 p.m. to discuss their book and sign copies.  As I write this, a limited number of seats are available, thanks in part to a wonderful article which appeared today in the Kansas City Star.

You can still register for this free event by visiting: http://www.park.edu/interfaith/rsvp.shtml

New York Subpoenas Facebook Over User Safety

From Government Technology:

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that his office is investigating Facebook over representations the company makes about safety measures in place on its Web site. In a letter accompanying a subpoena for documents, Cuomo warned the company that a preliminary review conducted by his office revealed significant defects in the site's safety controls and the company's response to complaints -- deficiencies that stand in contrast to the reassuring statements made on the Web site and by company officials.

In recent weeks, investigators from Cuomo's office have conducted a number of undercover tests of Facebook's safety controls and procedures. Posing as underage users, the investigators found they were repeatedly solicited by adult sexual predators on Facebook and could easily access a wide range of pornographic images and videos. Even more disturbingly, Facebook often did not respond, and at other times was slow to respond, to complaints lodged by the investigators - posing as parents of underage users - asking the site to take action against predators who had harassed their children.

"My office is concerned that Facebook's promise of a safe Web site is not consistent with its performance in policing its site and responding to complaints," Cuomo said. "Parents have a right to know what their children will encounter on a Web site that is aggressively marketed as safe."

During the course of the review, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) set up several undercover Facebook profiles representing users between twelve and fourteen years old. Consistent with its current open policy, Facebook did not require verification of a high school e-mail address or any other identifying information in order to register the account.

Within days of opening these accounts, the OAG received numerous sexual solicitations from adults sent to several of the underage profiles.

When undercover OAG investigators lodged complaints with Facebook regarding the inappropriate -- and illegal -- solicitation of the underage users, Facebook in many instances ignored the complaints and took no action against the reported sexual predators. The OAG made these complaints to Facebook posing both as underage users as well as parents of underage users.

OAG investigators also lodged several complaints with Facebook about inappropriate content or communications on the Web site. In response, Facebook took down many inappropriate images within a week of receiving our complaints. On the other hand, other complaints reporting user groups that hosted hardcore pornography were ignored by Facebook, and the content remains available to all users -- including underage users -- to this day.

Perhaps most alarmingly, Facebook ignored several -- and repeated -- complaints from the undercover investigators concerning persons who made inappropriate sexual advances to underage users. For instance, on August 30, an OAG investigator created a profile for a fourteen-year-old female high school student from New York. Approximately a week later, she received a Facebook message from a 24 year old man, asking "do you have any nude pics?" The investigator lodged a complaint with Facebook as the student's mother complaining that her daughter was being solicited by older men. The next day, Facebook sent a response saying that Facebook "will review the reported material and remove anything that violates our Terms of Use." To date, however, Facebook has taken no further action, and the 24-year old's profile is still available on the Facebook site

In subpoenaing the company, Cuomo has asked for complaints received by Facebook regarding inappropriate solicitation of underage users and inappropriate content on the site, as well as any responses by the Web site. The subpoena also calls for all Facebook policies on user safety and all representations made to consumers about the safety of the site.

Global Leaders Show Will for Climate Change "Breakthrough" - Secretary-General

World leaders have demonstrated the political will necessary to make a breakthrough on climate change, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday as he wrapped up the largest-ever meeting of heads of State or government on the issue.

“This has been a groundbreaking, historical event,” he told reporters following the conclusion of the gathering at United Nations Headquarters in New York, which he also characterized as a “sea-change in the response to climate change.”

Mr. Ban convened the event in an effort to forge a coalition to accelerate a global response to climate change and build international momentum for the major summit to be held in Bali, Indonesia, in December.

That meeting seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012.

“Today I heard a clear call from world leaders for a breakthrough on climate change in Bali,” Mr. Ban said in his closing remarks at the day-long event, which drew top officials from over 150 nations, including 80 heads of State or government. “And I now believe we have a major political commitment to achieving that.”

Stressing that a post-Kyoto agreement must be in force by the end of 2012, he called for “comprehensive and inclusive” negotiations to take place in Bali.

“We have come a long way in building understanding and a new consensus this year. More remains to be done, but this event has sent a powerful political signal to the world, and to the Bali conference, that there is the will, and the determination, at the highest level, to break with the past and act decisively.”

Four plenary sessions on the themes of adaptation, mitigation, technology and financing were held simultaneously at the event, entitled “The Future in our Hands: Addressing the Leadership Challenge of Climate Change.”

In summarizing the adaptation session, Mr. Ban said that participants voiced solidarity with the most vulnerable nations – in particular, the so-called small island developing states and least developed countries – to the consequences of climate change. Such nations have contributed least to the state of the planet, and yet are most impacted by it.

Those who attended this session also agreed on the need to reduce disaster risk and bolster community resilience to extreme weather events through planning and capacity-building, he said.

Speakers at the mitigation plenary noted the need for long-term plans of action, with many participants calling for legally binding emission targets.

“There is a broad recognition of the need to tackle the root causes of the problem and reverse its effects through decisive action,” the Secretary-General noted. “The current level of effort will not suffice.”

On technology, Mr. Ban said that many participants pointed out that technological solutions for pushing forward the goals of adaptation and mitigation already exist. “Effective policy frameworks and cooperation mechanisms can greatly accelerate the deployment of these solutions between and within the North and the South,” he said.

Global collaboration must be urgently increased to help developing countries to move towards low carbon and renewable energy, which can in turn spur economic growth, he noted.

Additionally, since fossil fuels will be ongoing sources of energy for the foreseeable future, energy efficiency must be improved and new technologies – such as carbon capture and storage – must be sought out.

Finally, regarding financing, many participants suggested that tackling climate change need not curtail economic development, the Secretary-General said. Developing countries should be provided with resources for investment and for cultivating their ability to identify and implement the necessary policies to promote sustainable growth.

Several speakers called for an enhanced carbon market in developed nations that offers flexibility, allows for a cost-effective transition to low-emissions economies and ultimately provides incentives to developing countries.

Mr. Ban also said that the attendees noted that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the only forum to devise solutions to the challenges posed by climate change. “All other processes or initiatives should be compatible with the UNFCCC process and should feed into it, facilitating its successful conclusion.”

Also speaking at the event’s closing, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, which is hosting the upcoming summit, noted that the plenary sessions were “marked by a strong sense of commitment and urgency.”

Regarding the upcoming Bali meeting, Mr. Yudhoyono said “there is a public demand for concrete and bold action. Thus, we are looking forward to their principal outcome: a bold global decisions addressing climate change without significantly jeopardizing development efforts.”

First-Ever Global Assembly on Measuring Civil Society

A global assembly of statistical officials and civil society leaders from 34 countries will meet in Bonn, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 25, through Thursday, Sept. 27, to assess progress being made in measuring the civil society sector, volunteering and philanthropy through the implementation of the United Nations Handbook on Nonprofit Institutions in the System of National Accounts.

Guidelines in the handbook call on national statistical offices to prepare regular "satellite accounts" on the nonprofit sector, philanthropy and volunteering as part of their official economic data-gathering and reporting. Published by the United Nations in 2003, the handbook was developed in cooperation with the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies and an international team of statistical experts.

Already, 28 countries have committed to implementing these guidelines, including both developed and developing countries. Eight of these countries have already produced the satellite accounts called for in the handbook.

"This assembly marks an important milestone on the path to create and institutionalize the capability necessary to generate timely and reliable statistics on the civil society sector for comparable analysis," noted Paul Cheung, director of the United Nations Statistics Division.

"The work being done to implement the handbook will provide the first authoritative picture of the enormous scale and economic contribution of volunteerism, which is a major contributor to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and a significant form of civic engagement," said Ad de Raad, executive coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers program (UNV).

A new report from The Johns Hopkins University, which examines initial data from the completed satellite accounts and demonstrates the importance of nonprofit institutions, will be released at the meeting on Sept. 25. "Our analysis reveals that nonprofit institutions account, on average, for a substantial percentage of gross domestic product, which puts them ahead of the utilities industry and on a par with the construction and finance industries in these same countries," noted Lester Salamon, report author and director of the Center for Civil Society Studies at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies.

The "Global Assembly on Measuring Civil Society and Volunteering" is being convened by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies in cooperation with the UNV and the United Nations Statistics Division, and will be held at the United Nations offices in Bonn. Speakers at the event will include the president of Germany's Federal Statistical Office, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, the executive coordinator of the UNV, the director of the United Nations Statistics Division, the director of the Statistics Bureau of the International Labor Organization, the director of the Statistics Division of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a senior program officer of Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation, and senior statisticians from the United Nations Statistics Division and statistical agencies in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

The full text of the Johns Hopkins report, "Measuring Civil Society and Volunteering: Initial Findings from Implementation of the U.N. Handbook on Nonprofit Institutions," will be available online at http://www.jhu.edu/ccss on Sept. 25.

Students’ ‘Evolving’ Use of Technology

From Inside Higher Ed:

Stop the presses: Today’s college students are using more technology than ever.

That may not be the most surprising finding from a report released last week by the Educause Center for Applied Research, the analytical arm of the nonprofit group that promotes effective technology use in higher education. But it certainly provides a jumping-off point for an investigation into how students use information technology in college and how it can be harnessed to improve the learning experience.

In at least one central respect, proponents of technology in the classroom are on to something: Most students (60.9 percent) believe it improves their learning.

The changes in technological habits aren’t revolutionary per se, as the authors point out; rather, students are making “evolutionary” gains in access to the Internet for everyday uses, inside the classroom and out. Perhaps the most visible of these changes is the continuing increase in the proportion of students with laptops, which has grown to 73.7 percent of respondents (while an almost-total 98.4 percent own a computer of some kind). More surprisingly, over half of laptop owners don’t bring them to class at all, with about a quarter carrying them to lectures at least once a week.