Towards Changing A Culture

One of the signboards that promotes better treatment of animals.

Sometimes, in order to make a better world, you need to change a culture. It might be hard for us to believe, but in some cultures it is acceptable to eat companion animals, like dogs and cats. Even more so, in those countries where poverty can lead to desperation and hunger can widen the selection of food choices.

In Liberia, it has been considered acceptable to treat companion animals as food commodities, as food choices. So, it takes a strong effort to convince people that what was once considered culturally accessible, is no longer. That is a campaign that has been undertaken by Morris Darbo, Executive Director and Founder, along with his team of advocates from the LIBERIA ANIMAL WELFARE AND CONSERVATION SOCIETY (LAWS).



Calling the program the ANTI-PET EATING CAMPAIGN, the animal welfare group sought to replace the culture that viewed eating pets as acceptable with a culture of empathy and caring, one that would lead to a responsible, compassionate, and just society. According to Mr. Darbo, "Education is the key to ending cruelty to animals and bringing about transformation. Every human has a natural tendency toward kindness, but needs awareness, honesty, and courage in order to translate that tendency into concrete actions."

The campaign began by reaching out into the community by raising awareness of this issue and asking people to give up eating pets, since there was no legislative support to provide a way to compel people to do so. They purchased educational and awareness materials such as 1000 printed leaflets, megaphones, and banners. The program went into 20 schools in Lofa county. Program leaders engaged with the public via media talk shows, and placed seven sign boards with their message in seven district cities.

As LAWS received more funds through grants, they were able to target their educational awareness programs to the younger generation, those still in school. Animal Kindness Clubs were started in fifteen schools and more than 800 students signed pledges to refrain from eating pets.

By the end of last year, LAWS was reaching out to dog owners, educating them about how to care for their companions. They were providing formalized training about responsible dog ownership and also provided blankets, food and water bowls, dog food, free veterinary care, along with safe havens. The group is noticing that more owners are valuing their dogs and providing better care.

Advocates are out in the community promoting better care for pets.

It's an ongoing effort to continue to make inroads into ingrained societal practices. The more education in more venues that is provided the more knowledgeable the people become. They can become extended into such areas as dog bite prevention, and even reach out to animal slaughterhouses, promoting more humane treatment of animals there.

Most of all, it is reaching the children, educating them, that makes a difference.

Thanks for information from this article on Pollination Project: http://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/morris-darbo-campaign-against-pet-eating/; and the above links.

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Raising Stroke Awareness

CV-RAPS, a program offered by Healings in Motion.

Can you believe it? In just a few days, April will be a wrap and May will be upon us. Besides having Nurses Week in it, May is also Stroke Awareness Month. Because of its ongoing work with people who have had strokes and other brain injuries and neurological issues, HEALINGS IN MOTION is holding the 2nd Annual Stroke Awareness Day in San Joaquin County on May 23 from 12 noon to 4:30 PM. This event is free and open to the public. For those who live in, or are visiting the area, it is being held at the San Joaquin Stockton Worknet Building in the 1st Floor Conference Center.

The featured speaker is Dr. Richard Atkinson, the Director of the Stroke and Neurological Critical Care Program at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento. Dr. Atkinson is board certified in the relatively new field of vascular neurology. He provides care to both pediatric and adult patients, while working with a multidisciplinary treatment team. Sutter itself, and its NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE (SNI) is known for providing the best care for those with central nervous system and spinal disorders in Northern California. The Center has an active clinical and basic research program and provides community and physician educational outreach programs.


While attending Stroke Awareness Day, visitors can sample SCAN Health Plan's "TRADING AGES" interactive sensitivity program. This program allows participants to experience what it is like to be someone who is a fragile senior or an adult with disabilities. It also provides the opportunity to participate in exercises and sensory perception education.

Cynthia Wilson, a Marriage and Family Therapy Counselor (MFT) and Creative Arts Therapist, is another speaker. Volunteers can experience a type of therapy that utilizes the creative arts and promotes positive mental health for all ages. She states, "Art therapy has been proven to reduce stress and increase confidence among patients with illnesses including: depression, developmental problems, addictions, social & emotional problems, violence, and neurological problems. The Unique Art Therapy Program that she utilizes, allows seniors, those recovering from strokes, caregivers, and others, to express themselves.

Another speaker, Michelle Mills from the Delta Blood Bank, will talk about the great need for blood donors and answer visitors' questions. According to Ms. Mills, "We provide services to 18 hospitals within the region and need to collect over 200 pints daily in order to meet the demand."

One of the reasons for raising awareness of strokes.

There are other speakers and exhibitors at the event, also engaged in the mission of promoting stroke awareness and prevention. There will be handouts and other materials available. With all that is planned, it is promised to be a most informative and educational day.

Healings In Motion connecting at International Stroke Convention.

Thanks to information from this article on Healings in Motion: http://www.healingsinmotion.org/healings-in-motion-presents-the-2nd-annual-stroke-awareness-day-in-san-joaquin-county-on-wednesday-may-23-2012-12noon-430pm-the-public-is-invited-to-attend-free/; and the above links.

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Neighborhood Vegan Cafe

Once the weather is pleasant, Chickpea Cafe has its bike rack set up.

She had been volunteering for a few years with VegWorcester, when she came up with the idea. At the time her research had shown that there were very few eateries that offered vegan cuisine in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. That's when Julia Cohn began establishing the CHICKPEA VEGAN CAFE.

Among the features of the cafe is its support of social responsibility. One hundred percent of its profits go to animal advocacy. And all of the foods featured on the menu are 100% vegan. Another feature is this cafe supports local growers by trying to obtain as much of its produce from them as possible. The cafe is also a venue for bringing people together, offering workshops and lectures.



Located in a low income neighborhood, Chickpea Cafe offers locals the opportunity to try vegan fare and also have access to fresh vegan foods. Those who are unfamiliar with vegan foods can try them in a friendly setting. That's something that Julia intended when she first became inspired to establish this cafe. She stated that her cafe "allow[s] them to see that [vegan food] isn't weird or scary, but delicious."

In addition, the Cafe offers regularly scheduled events, such as dance performances, outdoor movie nights (a bike-in movie series), and a birthday bash celebration. Organizations can book the cafe for public or private events. The cafe provides the food, with menu service or buffet style, and also provides AV equipment.

Chickpea Cafe offers catering; looks delicious!

Then there is the food. There two types of appetizers, a variety of sandwiches (with gluten-free options), salads (as side dishes or entree), and quesadillas with a choice of toppings. Then there are two options which are under the guilty pleasure (or dessert) category - ice cream and milkshakes that come in various flavors. The cafe is open every day, except Monday.

The Cafe posts events for the month.

Thanks for information provided by this article on the Pollination Project: http://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/julia-cohn-chickpea-cafe/; and the above link.

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A Way Back To The Water After Spinal Cord Injury

Brad Smeele was working at a Florida wake park when his accident occurred.

Sometimes, getting back on your feet can mean a more literal, physical challenge. That is true for wakeboarder Brad Smeele of New Zealand.

Now, 29 years old, Brad has no feeling in his body from the neck down. He had a severe injury in a wakeboard accident in Florida in 2014 that left him paralyzed from the neck down, a quadriplegic.

But this is one young man who hasn't left the sport he loves so much behind and forgotten in his life. Just recently, he was involved in opening a cable wake park in Auckland, on Lake Maraetai. For that event, he got on board a speedboat for a lakeside view of the action.



By being on board the speedboat, which provided the towline for the wakeboarders, Brad got a close-up view of the action. It meant he got to watch his friends pulling tricks on the towline. But, when you watch an event in which you are not participating, it can provide a mix of emotions, and that was also true for Mr. Smeele. He said, "It's always going to be bittersweet, but it's definitely more sweet than bitter,"

After the day full of action ended, Brad admitted, "Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself. Maybe it would just be easier to put wakeboarding behind me. I honestly never thought that such amazing times in my past could become such painful memories, But I guess I love it more than it hurts."

Of course, he continues to receive a large amount of support from his wakeboarding friends. It was they who had carried him into the boat and they also carried him out and placed him gently in his wheelchair, as he said, "I won't stop fighting for it."

That same determination has served Brad well in absorbing more ways to help himself. He recently learned how to control his wheelchair by using the joystick with his hand. He still can't really manipulate his hand and wrist, but shoulder movement is what helped him master the joystick.

Meanwhile, Brad still speaks the language and spirit of persistence, "It's going to be a bit of a process to transfer completely over from a straw in my mouth with the sip and puff control to the joystick...but it won't be long until I can talk, eat, drink, whistle, cat call, and commentate while driving."

Brad continues to live life as fully as he can.

Recovery from spinal cord injury can take that small step by small step ability to perform actions that had been so easy before the accident. But it is this spirit that can lead to inroads in assistive devices and work by technology developers to make better devices that help people like Brad lead fuller lives. And by remaining motivated, Brad will be able to take advantage of the latest advances.

Making his own advances in physical ability, requires a lot of hard work.

Thanks for information from this article on Spinal Cord Injury Zone: http://www.spinalcordinjuryzone.com/news/16509/quadriplegic-kiwi-wakeboarder-brad-smeele-back-water?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheSpinalCordInjuryZone+%28The+Spinal+Cord+Injury+Zone%29.

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Transitioning Between User Experience Projects

Aquilent employees at #Drupal4gov event.

AQUILENT, located in Laurel, MD, is an IT company with a large commitment to its stakeholders, including its employees and customers. The company, like many located in the Washington-Baltimore corridor, provides services to the federal government. With all of their IT services comes the culture of the Aquilent Way, involving a commitment to:
"*Solve problems for our customers
*Support and invest in our employees
*Collaborate with our partners
*Provide a reasonable return to our shareholders
*Demonstrate corporate responsibility to our community"

Recently, Ali Tobolsky, who is a usability specialist and information architect at Aquilent, wrote a post on the company blog about what to consider when switching from one project to another, as a web consultant. Some best practices when adjusting to change in general include learning your clients' needs, methods and styles of communication, and work culture. You have to know the mission and vision that the organization is presenting, along with how that interfaces with the technology platforms utilized.



Many of the above best practices can also apply to project transitions. There are three questions to consider.

Have you left your vision at your previous project?

In other words, at the end of this project, is your footprint visible? Do those clients know how to locate the information and assistance you were providing? In your departing e-mail to the involved parties, you want to leave documents, deliverables, correspondence, and strategy notes, in an organized fashion, with their locations clearly stated. It has to be enough that when you leave, they can continue the work without you. All lose ends should be tied up, with nothing left uncompleted.

Are you able to energize and advocate?

No matter what the client's experience has been with user interface, they have requested your services for a reason. Because of your expertise, you have to be able to educate your client's users, so they can work together and complement each other. No matter what the work environment, "it is your job to advocate for the user and energize your teams. This may be of particular importance in cultures that emphasize design over user research."

Do you Agile or not Agile?

Federal government strategy generally embraces the idea that delivery is the strategy, giving the consultant leeway to influence processes. So, ask yourself - How lean and mean do you make the user interface? Do you use iterative processes, relying on continuous improvement rather than documentation?

CTO Mark Pietrasanta speaking about evolving digital services with federal government.

Especially when working with the federal government, it is important to remember that you can take advantage of the commonalities that operate across offices. Some of the links to review include: HOW TO RUN AN AGILE PROJECT IN GOVERNMENT, and GOVERNMENT GOES AGILE,

Aquilent helps beautify the community by helping with roadside clean-up.

Thanks to information from this post on the Agilent blog: http://www.aquilent.com/blog/2016/03/three-questions-uxers-should-ask-themselves-when-transitioning-projects/; and the above links.

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Empowerment From Water

Members of the Rotary Club visiting a water kiosk that their donations helped to build.

Water is vital. Just that one word, vital, describes the place that water holds in our lives. It is life-giving and life-saving. It only takes three days without any water for a person to die. That's how vital water is.

In some cultures and countries, there is a lack of indoor plumbing. That means that the day's water needs to be fetched from the river to the home in buckets or other receptacles, and women must return again to clean the dishes after the family meal. Traditionally, that task has fallen to women. That is true for women in less developed areas of Kenya.



Sydney Gray met some of those women and grew to love them. As a storyteller and collaborator, she was in a position to spread the word about their lives and how much time and effort it takes for them to gather water. Brian Manning has a talent for communicating. Because his family was so mobile during his younger years, he has experienced many different types of communities. This twosome came together and formed MAMA MOJI, an organization that brings New Orleans and Kenya together in a common effort.

This organization has become a conduit for women from both areas to share information, resources, discoveries, tools, and funding. Instead of being a barrier to women's participation in mainstream life, water would become a way to empower those women.

Traditionally, in Kenya the women were the transporters of water, a burden and barrier to full participation. Men did the thinking and developed new processes. So, when Mama Moji came into the picture, it was to teach the women during community training sessions. Now, it was the women who were leading the development of new water project advancements. According to Ms. Gray, "water can transform the lives of women around the globe."

And that takes us back to New Orleans. There, Moma Moji holds seminars for local women, to train them to change the lives of women in another part of the world. They learn about water and sanitation, but also about public speaking, fundraising, motivating others, and managing nonprofits. They get a chance to work on projects that are international in scope, without having to leave New Orleans. Mama Moji has also developed a Catalyst Fellowship, details of which are on the website, for those who are seeking more in depth knowledge and would like to become involved in programming, marketing, or development.

Kenyan women have traditionally washed dishes in the river.

The overriding concept for both areas involved in Mama Moji is its vision of women as changemakers. In Kenya the program frees women from barriers and in New Orleans it opens up a world of possibility by helping people who need assistance.

Mama Moji holding a seminar on storytelling for change.

Thanks to information from this article on Pollination Project: http://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/sydney-gray-and-brian-manning-mama-maji/; and the above link.

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Food As Medicine In Eating Disorders

F.E.A.S.T.'s logo

When a family is faced with a member who has an eating disorder, it can be a confusing time. Health care professionals can attribute the disorder to issues involving the parents and the atmosphere within the family. But what causes the various eating disorders can be rather complex. Above all, parents and family member need to be aware that they are not to blame, although their concern about their loved one is quite understandable. An organization, FAMILIES EMPOWERED AND SUPPORTING TREATMENT OF EATING DISORDERS (F.E.A.S.T.) provides needed support and education for parents of someone who has an eating disorder.

Unlike treatment for someone who has an addiction, treatment of eating disorders involves food/nutrition, which is one part of the illness that is out of control. Food is needed for survival; too little causes starvation, dehydration, low blood sugar level.



So, when eating disorders are treated, the person's relationship with food and health must be addressed, bringing that relationship back to normal, or balance. The longer an eating disorder persists, the harder it is to treat. In anorexia, the sensations involved with eating become shut down; but in bulimia, not eating causes the person to eat large quantities of food, raising bodily discomfort, along with guilt, then purging to rid the body of the food consumed. Some people are more vulnerable to these types of cycles; about 50-80% of the risk to develop an eating disorder has been attributed to genetics.

As time has gone by, the symptoms that are associated with eating disorders have become to be understood as deriving from malnutrition. In the 1940s, the Minnesota Semi-Starvation Study observed young, healthy men who were placed on a calorie restricted diet. They were found to display social withdrawal, food hoarding, ritualized eating behaviors, irritability, bingeing, and paranoia, similar to symptoms encountered in eating disorders. Brain function and chemistry are also thought to be changed by minor dietary deficiencies, especially during adolescence.

Recovery generally involves higher calorie counts that are nutritionally balanced. Those foods most avoided by those with eating disorders - fats, higher calorie, nutrient dense foods - are the ones that restore nutritional balance and enable weight gain. This treatment can also increase the anxiety that patients feel around the consumption of food, making the process of re-feeding more difficult. But restoring healthy nutrition is essential. Once weight returns to an appropriate level and is maintained for several months, the symptoms of the eating disorder abate and the personality changes. This process of treating the eating disorder is so essential that it is helpful to view the food provided as medicine.

F.E.A.S.T. offers support to family members of persons with eating disorders.

Before psychotherapy can be effective, proper nutrition must be restored. It is, of course, difficult for persons in treatment to benefit from therapy until brain chemistry balance and development is restored by the nutritional interventions. Just reaching the lowest target weight is not effective and is associated with poor outcome; good results are only obtained with the restoration of healthy body weight and full nutrition.

An award give out yearly by F.E.A.S.T.

Thanks to information from this article on F.E.A.S.T.: http://www.feast-ed.org/?page=TheRoleOfNutrition; and the above link.

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