Prosperity Turned Upside Down in House Budget Proposals

By Catalyst Miami President/CEO Daniella Levine

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget proposal at the end of March, ironically titled "The Path to Prosperity." Chairman Ryan from Wisconsin, the architect of this wrongheaded proposal, recently spoke of trying to help those living in poverty with this budget. Unfortunately, the budget proposal does the complete opposite. It slashes education, training, nutrition and health care, weakening both protections for people in need and the help that can lead to employment and a more secure future.

Although the economy is starting to recover, people in Florida are still struggling. Unemployment here peaked at 11.4 percent in January 2010 and still remains unacceptably high at 9.6 percent today. If you count the number of people who have given up looking for work or can’t get as many hours as they want, the rate rises to 18.2%. Almost 1 in 7 Florida residents and almost 1 in 5 children are living in poverty.  We need to see budget solutions that respond to our needs. We need to invest in jobs for unemployed workers, protect low-income people in our communities, and raise fair revenues instead of balancing the budget on the backs of our most vulnerable. Our recent report published with the Coalition on Human Needs outlines some of the choices our Members of Congress are facing in Washington.

Interns for Impact: ALEJANDRA SALGADO

ALEJANDRA SALGADO

Hey! My name is Alejandra Salgado and I am a summer intern at Catalyst Miami. As an intern, I contribute to the Catalyst Miami's blog by writing of events I have attended or different articles and websites I personally come across and would like to share. So far, I have blogged about the Miami-Dade County Mayoral Forum, a recent hike in Florida’s minimum wage and there's more to come! I often come across many interesting articles that relate to social justice, social services or human rights that I share with my friends on Facebook or Jumo, and now the Catalyst Miami blog. My hope is that people will read what I share and either learn something new, share with others, or even change their opinion on something.

I graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations. I also completed a minor in History and a certificate in European Studies. Recently, I completed a Masters degree in Politics from New York University. While in New York I had the amazing opportunity to intern at Amnesty International USA, my first nonprofit experience. This past March I moved back to Miami to get involved in nonprofit work in the city I grew up in and love. Daniella Levine and Catalyst Miami has given me the opportunity to meet other professionals in the nonprofit field and attend events which helped get me back in the loop of Miami’s politics and human services scene. I have also had the opportunity to intern at The Education Fund, helping with their annual art auction, and exposing me to a new side of nonprofits for me.

In the future I hope to continue to be involved with nonprofits, specifically ones that address issues of poverty, whether that is education, maternal health care or housing. I am soaking in everything I learn from Catalyst Miami so that I can use it in my future career at a nonprofit.



Daniella's Hot Topic: Harvard Advanced Leadership Seminar visits the University of Miami

By: Viviana Mauri, Communications Intern

            Last week on June 17^th, 2011, our President and CEO Daniella Levine attended a prestigious leadership conference by Harvard University called the Advanced Leadership Seminar at the University of Miami’s Newman Alumni Center. The program was opened by Thomas LeBlanc, Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Miami, and Dennis Scholl of the Knight Foundation. 

           Themes of the conference included understanding what it takes to adapt in a changing environment, determining how to pick the right causes compatible with your skills and connections, how to help grow a good idea, dealing with conflicting stakeholders, and learning to think in both the long-term and short-term simultaneously.

            Within Daniella’s wonderful notes from the event, there was one particular section I felt worth sharing with our amazing supporters and readers here at Catalystmiami.blogspot.com: the “7 Leadership Skills”, presented by program designer Rosabeth Moss Kantor, a Harvard School of Business professor. Check them out and see how they can help you in your life!

1. Learn to Listen: Tune into your environment.
2. Be dissatisfied. By looking for the thing that is not working, you can improve your situation and work.
3. Communication. It’s important that one not only has a vision and passion, but the ability to communicate clearly what it is you want to accomplish.  
4. Coalition building. Two heads think better than one. Believe in the power of teamwork.
5. Perseverance. Know how to deal with unexpected obstacles. Everyone loves a beginning and the finished end goal. But it is often the middle, the hard work, the “sweat, blood, and tears,” if you will, that requires from us the most sacrifice. Move from rhetoric to action
6. Face your critics! With a positive, proactive approach, stand up for yourself, but at the same time, listen, to know where you can improve, and the most important word in any environment: accountability.
7. Last, but not least, celebrate your success! You deserve to be happy in all of the amazing things that you do!

          The workshop was attended by diverse leaders from twelve countries and four continents, including top representatives of South Florida’s institutions of higher education, President of the University of Miami, Donna Shalala, and President Emeritus of Florida International University, Modesto Maidique. Also present were Florida State Senator for District 33, Oscar Braynon, Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education at UM, William Green, Florida House Representative, Frank Artiles of District 119, Jim Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables, and former Mayor of the City of Miami, Manny Diaz, who served as a featured panelist to the event. 

 

Interns for Impact: JAZMIN LOCKE

JAZMIN LOCKE
Photo by: Viviana Mauri, Communications Intern.

Hi there! My name is Jazmin Locke and I am the first intern to be featured on Catalyst Miami's blog, this is exciting! I must then be responsible for paving the explanation of what an intern at Catalyst Miami may be doing. Primarily I'd say it is being patient and receptive of the different assignments thrown at me and holding my breath to not exclaim, "Wait are you sure you want me to do this?" In just these two weeks I have noticed that Catalyst Miami places great confidence and enthusiasm in their interns, both believing in our creativity and our initiatives.

As a student in Environmental Sustainability at Mount Holyoke College, I am excited to get the opportunity to work with Lynn Fiala in improving Farmers Markets' efforts to reach people across Miami. While reading Request for Proposals, paying close attention to local politics and countless e-mails, I am gradually learning the steps it takes to bring Farmers' Markets from across Miami together to collaborate with one another, share resources, and increase the availability of locally grown food. Locally grown food is not easy to find across the county, particularly in designated food deserts where supermarkets cannot be found within a 10 mile radius. This collaborative is to work toward closing these gaps.

Here with three other Posse Scholars of Miami, I have the support of my peers in a new professional setting, where I can learn what it means to be myself in a progressive environment. This opportunity is providing me the experience that I will use in the environmental field in the future.

Public Allies' Presentations of Learning

By: Bianca Mijares, Catalyst Miami Intern
Cheryl Mizell, Communications Director

Yesterday June 16^th 2011 was the first of two days of Presentations of Learning put on by the Public Allies to illustrate what their experiences with the program have been in the past 10 months. Eleven Public Allies presented. Their presentations ranged from performance pieces to singing to dancing. All were extremely moving and insightful.

Laselve Harrison, Communications Coordinator with Catalyst Miami, launched the day by presenting his Public Ally learning experience through the template of the Voice, the e-newsletter, drawing parallels to the organization’s values while highlighting a transformative path to finding his own voice. Anne-Valerie Pierre-Canel gave a stellar performance worthy of an Oscar by spotlighting her star experiences and allies in best supporting roles in award winning films. Autumn Romer from Take in Stock Children, a scholarship program that pairs children with a mentor and an advocate and gives them the opportunity to receive a scholarship for college upon completing a set of requirements, did a performance piece about her personal transformation, growth, and discovery. She is a Leader! Jalyssa Whitaker spoke emotionally about her professional and personal growth and later expressed the same feelings through a choreographed dance to “Pieces of Me” by Ledisi. Diana Pena Rojas wrote a letter to her fellow allies detailing the struggles of her troubled life and everything the program has done for her. Then she had everyone plant their very own peanut plant.

All of the allies who presented spoke about one or more of these things: adapting difficult sometimes chaotic situations, realizing you are a leader, learning from experiences no matter the outcome, redefining success, and finding happiness. The event was inspiring and provided an opportunity to spotlight these wonderful people and to reflect on oneself and on the value of service.

Restorative justice training gives voice to kids

Power U wants school discipline to be less arbitrary and more proactive. Judging by the comments made in a restorative justice workshop Power U led at HSC the other day, a lot of kids and teens agree that "zero tolerance" policies in schools are creating hostile learning environments.

Sitting in a circle, the youth shared stories about unfair punishments they had witnessed and kids missing school or important tests while suspended. Meanwhile, the underlying problems are frequently not addressed by counseling and intervention.

Workshops like this one, which give voice to the people directly affected by the issue at hand, are the first step to transforming our education system. Hopefully we will continue partnering with Power U in the future.

Read more about Power U's "Keeping Youth in School" initiative.