Monthly Archives: July 2021

Manufacturing has a long way to go in terms of workforce diversity, but there are tangible steps companies, communities and policymakers can take to help close the gap. That's the conclusion reached by a new report, Industry and Inclusion: A Blueprint for Action. The report is part of the Industry and Inclusion 4.0 project, an ongoing collaboration between The Century Foundation in New York, the national Urban Manufacturing Alliance and a number of workforce development and manufacturing organizations primarily across the Midwest.

Locally, this includes MAGNET in Cleveland, which was named as part of the coalition last summer. Other partners are located in Detroit, Chicago, Buffalo, Milwaukee and Baltimore.

Manufacturing has long held a critical role in the U.S. economy and beyond, which the report describes.

"The linkage between manufacturing and inclusive economic development should come as no surprise, as communities of color have long looked to manufacturing as a source of well-paying jobs and a pathway into the middle class," the report stated. "During the first half of the twentieth century, the need for industrial workers helped fuel the Great Migration from the South to the North. Despite this history, many current media narratives link manufacturing with the experiences of the white working class, even though it was Black and Latinx urban communities that bore the brunt of late twentieth-century deindustrialization."

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the immediate need for medical and personal protective equipment it created, highlighted the importance of the U.S. having a strong industrial base. And manufacturing will be "central" to solving the climate crisis, the report stated.

There are jobs available in the industry, but work needs to be done toward racial and gender equity. Currently, almost 70% of people in manufacturing are white, non-Hispanic, the report noted, and about 70% are men. To create a more racially inclusive industry, which the report focused on, manufacturers will have to both recruit and promote more people of color.

"Such an effort will require manufacturers and their education and community partners to re-establish the bonds of trust between factories and communities burnt by previous waves of downsizing. To do so, they will need to take new approaches to recruiting, prepare and support youth and adults to succeed in manufacturing careers, and take action to make manufacturing workplaces more inclusive," according to the report.

Some major takeaways from the cohort partners, so far: industry-recognized credentials are helpful, but not enough. Education and training in manufacturing is changing, offering connections to degrees and moving away from a focus on skills to a "learning mindset," the report stated.

Some barriers to a more inclusive workplace include not only awareness, but childcare challenges and geographic distance, the report said, barriers of which industry partners should be aware. Being intentional about creating a welcoming environment is also critical.

The report also has a series of specific recommendations for companies and communities and for policymakers.

On the community and company side, those include pursuing credentials of use to local companies, committing to long-term racial equality and using trauma-informed approaches. For policymakers, the report suggests reforming the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act, creating a National Manufacturing Reinvestment Corporation and expanding data collection around racial equity and federal training.

More here:

Intentional focus on inclusion needed to increase diversity in manufacturing - Crain's Cleveland Business

Editors Note: This interview first appeared in Path Finders, a new email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Like what you see here? You canjoin the mailing list at the bottom of this articleand receive more conversations like this in your inbox each week.

Taylor McCabe-Juhnke is the incoming executive director of the Rural Schools Collaborative, an organization that is dedicated to building sustainable rural communities through focusing on place, teachers and philanthropy.

Coming from a long line of small-town educators, McCabe-Juhnke is very familiar with the myriad barriers to equitable education, especially in rural places where schools often serve not just as institutions of learning, but also as cornerstones of the community.

As the new executive director, McCabe-Juhnke has big plans to grow the Rural Schools Collaboratives network. She believes in the power of mobilizing locally, and has experience connecting community organizations, volunteers, and educators. Now, shes looking to expand the Rural Schools Collaborative nationally by building a team of young people from, and in, rural communities who can bring fresh perspectives to the national education dialogue.

Throughout our conversation, we focused on the idea of community building as a tool for progress, the role of schools in local infrastructure, and how we can all support the education community.

Haley Cush, Daily Yonder: Could you provide some background on Rural Schools Collaborative and how it was founded?

Taylor McCabe-Juhnke: The mission of Rural Schools Collaborative (RSC) is to build sustainable rural communities through a keen focus on place, teachers, and philanthropy. The organization started in 2015 based on successful programs led by the Missouri-based Community Foundation of the Ozarks, a rural philanthropy innovator. RSC is supported by a small staff and regional hub contacts. It works to build the social capital of rural schools and their communities and to grow strong rural teacher leaders, give them a voice, and provide them with supportive networks and resources.

RSC implements its mission through four signature programs: Grants in Place, which awards grants to rural teachers in support of place-based learning; the Place Network, a collaboration with Teton Science Schools and their work to build out a national network of place-centered schools; the Rural Teacher Corps, a learning community of intentional rural teacher preparation programs; and a Catalyst Grants Initiativeplanning grants to support rural development programs.

Finally, the I Am a Rural Teacher Campaign supports our efforts to give voice to teachers and advocate for rural schools.

DY: Often, when discussing education and teachers we tend to think of just the classroom setting, but in reality teachers do so much more than instruct students. What is a narrative youve heard recently that you think gives a holistic perspective on the impact that rural teachers have in their communities?

TMJ: It is important to remember that in many rural communities, public schools are the largest employers, and, often, these schools are the last vestige of public infrastructure that engages the people of a given community. Therefore, the role of the teacher in a small town is often outsized.

Michael Melton, a teacher in Whitesburg, Kentucky spoke eloquently about this phenomenon on our podcast: Weve got to be aware that not only are we an example, 8-3 or 7-4, whatever the time-frame is during the school day, but in a rural community, were an example for [students and families] away from school. Because they see us in the community. Their parents see us in the community, and that was always something that I have taken very, very consciously. That my behavior away from school reflects upon what happens to me inside the building of a school and how students respect you, how families respect you.

Michael makes an important and valid point, but we might add that the role of a teacher transcends that of simply being a visible role model outside of the school. Oftentimes, rural teachers truly are the builders of the commons. They are the social capital, or the community builders, that are sometimes lacking in rural places.

DY: A part of RSCs project involves social media networks for rural teachers. Why is connecting rural educators across the country, and the world, important for advocacy promotion?

TMJ: Our Young Educators Council is a wonderful example of why connecting rural teachers through networks is so important. First, there can be a sense of isolation for rural teachers, especially if those teachers are new to a community or region. Second, sometimes a teacher is the only science teacher in a school or even a small district. So, the connectivity can be both personally cathartic and important in terms of professional development.

DY: In recent history, teachers from various geographies have been making their voices heard, for example, through the Red for Ed strikes all over the country in 2018. In your experience, why is it crucial that we are specifically supportive of rural teachers and the work they do? What is the biggest obstacle rural teachers are facing right now?

TMJ: We believe that rural America is approaching a very tough intersectiona crossroads where the undermining of public institutions meets what is a very real rural teacher shortage. Not only do we have to encourage talented young people to become teachers and serve in rural areas, we also have to remind rural citizens and their political representatives just how important rural schools are to the collective futures of their communities.

DY: How can people who are not in the education sector or directly in these communities support rural teachers and programs?

TMJ: Get involved at the local level. Certainly, how you vote or how you give charitably makes a difference, but if more community members would truly immerse themselves in their local schools, better decision-making and stronger funding would most likely follow.

And we are not referring to simply attending sporting events. Volunteer in classrooms, graciously host new teachers, make school part of your life as much as possible. This truly is imperative.

DY: As the I Am a Rural Teacher campaign continues, how do you hope to expand your reach? Are there any projects in the works right now?

TMJ: This is occurring on two fronts. The first is that RSC continues to expand its national footprint. With the addition of an Iowa Hub, we have grown to eleven regional Hubs. This allows us to engage more and more teachers through the I Am a Rural Teacher campaign and its various programs.

In addition, we have received another round of funding from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to build on this work. This second phase, which is in collaboration with the National Rural Education Association, will build on the I Am a Rural Teacher campaign by developing regional rural teacher caucuses, creating a national website to connect future rural teachers to the school districts that need them, and continuing to enhance advocacy efforts with a strong emphasis on universal broadband.

This interview first appeared in Path Finders, a weekly email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each Monday, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Join the mailing list today, to have these illuminating conversations delivered straight to your inbox.

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Q&A: Taylor McCabe-Juhnke, Director of the Rural Schools Collaborative - Daily Yonder

Visibility Through Art is a community art initiative produced annually as part of CHIRPs Arts and Culture Program. Visibility Through Art is an intentional and informed collaboration between local artists and members of the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe. Each project year explores a theme or subject of importance to the Tribe, culminating in an annual exhibit. This year, artists were asked to center around Destruction of the Land | Destruction of the People. We are invited to consider: the impact humans have on the environment and the long-lasting impacts of the gold rush on the Nisenan people. Art opens the way for meaningful conversations around topics that are not always easy to have and sometimes can reveal solutions that may otherwise remain unseen.

UBA SEO Nisenan Arts and Culture is CHIRPs new gallery space in downtown Nevada City. UBA SEO is a new conduit for bringing visibility to the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe while fulfilling CHIRPs nonprofit mission: to preserve, protect, and perpetuate Nisenan Culture. The excitement continues to rise about this brick-and-mortar space in downtown Nevada City. It is an accessible place, very visible, a place where we can finally be seen. UBA SEO will be a destination for authentic: Native American art, Native-made retail, themed community art collaborations, educational workshops, Art Exhibitions, and more.

UBA SEOs identity will be malleable, reshaping as needed to best meet CHIRPs mission and raise visibility for the Nisenan. UBA SEO Nisenan Arts and Culture is another amazing step toward raising the visibility of the Nevada City Rancheria and their continued efforts to have federal recognition restored.

This art event was created to engage our community in conversation about this land and the Nisenan People. It also serves to raise the Tribes visibility. Shelly Covert, a Nisenan Tribal member who sits on the Nevada City Rancheria Tribal Council, is the spokesperson for her Tribe, and the Executive Director of CHIRP stated, The goal is to create conscientious art pieces that inspire dialogue about Nisenan history and culture. We were looking for a way to tell our collective story and this seems to be working. Art is an incredible platform to engage in difficult dialogue. And collaborating with local artists has not only been a pleasure, but it is helping us achieve our goals. Our deepest hope is to bring about awareness of local historic and current issues through the medium of art. The one-of-a-kind pieces created annually during this project have become the main body of CHIRPs expanding art collection. This year most of the artworks will be for sale as part of CHIRPs fundraising efforts to support our amazing programs.

The Nisenan are the Indigenous People who were here thousands of years before the gold rush. Despite the destruction of their homelands, broken Treaties, and forced assimilation, they remain here in their homelands today and strive to have their identity reflected in the fabric of the community.

Woodrow Wilson signed an Executive Order in 1913 that gave Federal Recognition to the Nisenan and the Nevada City Rancheria preserved 76 acres of land in trust as an Indian Reservation. In 1964 the Nevada City Rancheria was one of forty-four California Rancherias wrongfully terminated by Congress and today is one of three California Rancherias awaiting restoration. True and correct knowledge of the Nisenan and their ancient existence on this land, up until very recently, had been fully erased from history and the Tribe was nearly forgotten. The need for visibility as the Tribe fights to have their Federal Recognition and sovereignty restored has begun to turn the tide of historic amnesia.

Up until very recently, most of that education and change has had to be shouldered by the Tribe itself. Thus, the California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project, aka CHIRP, was created to assist the Tribe in areas of Federal Recognition, Education, Art, Cultural Resource Protection, Land Back, Community Education and Communications, Media, Fundraising, and more. CHIRPs mission serves the needs of the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe, guides and informs right- relations with Indigenous communities, stabilizes Nisenan Culture and community, all while bringing education and connection to the public through its charitable purposes. CHIRPs 501c3 status brings opportunities that as a terminated Tribe, the Nevada City Rancheria does not have.

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California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project presents 5th annual Visibility Through Art exhibition in new gallery, opening today - The Union of...

This article is sponsored by Bloom Energy.

The need to ensure local communities are resilient and ready to meet the environmental challenges of the future has never been greater. It will take a collaborative effort between all levels of government, utilities and the private sector to produce long-term solutions that make our grid and energy sector stronger.

That is why Bloom Energy recently convened leaders from the business sector, national and local governments for another installment of the Bloom Energys ASPIRE Summit Series in early June. Bloom started the ASPIRE Summit Seriessix years ago to bring esteemed professionals together for dynamic conversations exploring the global energy landscape in todays fast-growing digital economy. ASPIRE also generates discussion on how organizations are addressing social and environmental challenges the world faces today.

Junes ASPIRE Series, moderated by CNNs Fareed Zakaria, established critical thought leadership on the topic of Building Resilient Communities. It was an honor to participate in this critical conversation alongside a diverse group of outstanding leaders that included:

As the program proceeded through a keynote address, two panelsand a fireside chat, I learned many valuable insights. First, progress, including the passage of essential legislation, willbe made only through cooperative efforts with a shared goal. Elected officials across the U.S. should consider a vested interest in exploring solutions that promote carbon efficiency, including pathways to improve carbon capture utilization and storage, and the continued implementation of microgrids as sustainable energy sources. Initiatives agreed upon in the negotiations for the federal infrastructure bill will have a transformational impact on the U.S. energy landscape.

Granholm highlighted the need to exercise the muscles of solar- and wind-powered energy, installing clean technologies that will reduce carbon emissions and addressing the need to clean up natural gas production in the United States.

She also spoke about the need for grid resilience to prevent future blackouts on the scale of the Texas crisis and to secure the grid against cyberattacks. The Department of Energy is making key strides to protect American communities and families from future power deficiencies and promoting initiatives that create a clean, green-powered future.

Looking at resiliency through a broader lens, Coonsrecognized Americas energy and infrastructure needs as vital to our national security and global competitiveness, which is why he believes the administration has been so bullish on strategic investments. The intersection of grid modernization and stabilization will play a key role in getting the country to net zero by 2050.

Panetta calls this moment an inflection point that now is the time we must do all we can to invest in the technology and the resources that will affect peoples lives. He discussed his view of microgrids, as well as his proposal for a 30 percent tax credit for microgrids. The congressman sees them as a solution not just for towns and communities, but as a resource that will protect hospitals and individual homes during extreme power outages. He truly believes that we can find a way to be both sufficient and resilient.

There is a rising, global demand for clean energy, and industry is reacting. Good outlined Duke Energy'sbold carbon emissions goals and importance of reliable energy sources, furthering the companys position as a model leader in the clean energy transition.

Duke Energy already has reduced emissions by 40 percent and aims to be net zero by 2050. This coincides with a $60 billion investment over the next five years to double its renewable energy capacity and oversee the largest retirement of coal in the industry. This achievement will be possible through intentional and project-specific innovation, research and development.

Good shared that as Duke approaches 70-80 percent carbon reduction, it will look to new technologies such as hydrogen, carbon capture, advanced nuclear, long-duration storage and geothermal. Additionally, reliable energy sources including back-up power are imperative. The practicality of hospitals, schools, community facilities, retail and residential areas to continue to run undisrupted will strongly hinge on the dependability of the power sources.

Across the nation, community leaders are looking at the ways they can use their offices to drive local resiliency and increase the health of their citizens. I was struck by a comment made by Chavez. She reminded the audience that local governments have large purchasing power, and they can use the power of the purse to turn to clean energy alternatives. It doesnt replace working with the state and federal government, but it is yet another mechanism available to local leaders.

Broninhighlighted the need to act in small ways to yield major results. Hartford installed a microgrid to directly serve a library, a senior center, a neighborhood school and a community center. That microgrid, however, also has the capacity to support a nearby gas station and a grocery store in the event that the grid goes down. The microgrid provides environmental improvement, greater reliability and, in a time of crisis, it provides a significant amount of resiliency to the greater community.

"If we focus on the economy, I think we can create bipartisanship to focus on the things that are necessary to protect us and keep us resilient,"remarked Garcia.

The dialogue created throughout the event amplified the growing need to address the climate crisis and its effect on local and global communities. Bloom Energy is honored and humbled to be able to bring such esteemed participants together to drive national focus in the U.S. on one of the most pressing issues of this generation and generate a vision for ensuring that local communities are resilient and ready to meet any future challenge.

But talk is not enough. We must turn discussion into action and there is not a minute to spare.

In 2020, an estimated 8,200 wildfires equaling over 4 million acres of land scorched across California, doubling the previous record. It is no secret that our planet is experiencing dramatic and rapid changes in weather patterns. In the past decade, record heat, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and cyberattacks on the global grid infrastructure have been recorded, in both scale and frequency.

Communities around the globe have suffered through the consequences of these crises, including the loss of power and clean water. The climate is changing, and its impact on our way of life is one of the most complex and important issues of our time.

Our actions nowwill affect generations to come.

Continue reading here:

Clean, resilient communities must be our starting point not the end | Greenbiz - GreenBiz

Faculty, administrators, and staff from La Salle University participated in a virtual institute hosted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) aimed at dismantling institutional racial hierarchies and breaking down beliefs in the hierarchy of human value.

La Salle was among 77 colleges and universities nationwideand the only higher education institution from Philadelphiaselected to participate in AAC&Us Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) institute, a four-day virtual event held June 2225.

The aim of AAC&Us TRHT institute, said AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella, is to equip campus leaders nationally with new strategies and tools to promote racial equity and healing on their campuses and in their communities, and, eventually, bring TRHT centers to the campuses of its participating colleges and universities.

The TRHT Institute offered us an opportunity to envision what our campus community should look, feel, and be like when attitudinal and structural inequities are eradicated, said Br. Ernest J. Miller, FSC, D.Min., M.A. 95, La Salles Vice President of Mission, Diversity, and Inclusion, who served as the lead for La Salles participating team. Working together with other colleagues and students, we want to envision building a community of practice around the work of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). Becoming a community of practice implies becoming JEDI practitioners.

AAC&Us institute centered on the pillars of TRHT framework: narrative change, compassion, racial healing and relationship building, separation, law, and economy. It also offered opportunities to learn and collaborate as higher ed leaders work toward making change on their respective campuses.

The institute required teams from each participating university to develop a TRHT Campus Center action plan, detailing the necessary steps that will facilitate their institutions move toward creating a Campus Center. This included a vision summary, communication and engagement plans, barriers to sustainability and accomplishment, and other key strategies. Each institution created its work under the guidance of a TRHT mentor and presented its draft action plan to other colleges and universities in their respective cohorts.

The annual Institute reflects the intentional efforts and deep commitment of TRHT leaders from across the United States in addressing racism and eliminating racialized practices, systems, and structures, said Tia McNair, AAC&Us vice president for diversity, equity, and student success and executive director of AAC&Us TRHT Campus Centers Institute. Without their partnership and collaboration, the progress we have made and need to make in building just and equitable communities wouldnt be possible.

The racial healing circle method we learned during the Institute has multiple applications for us right now at La Salle, said associate professor of religion and theology Maureen OConnell, Ph.D. The premise is simple and yet profound: bring small groups of people together in a compassionate space, which is not the same thing as a brave space or a safe space, and then build up trust by sharing and hearing each others stories.

In addition to Br. Ernest and OConnell, the following faculty and staff comprised La Salles team:

La Salles participation in AAC&Us truth, racial healing, and transformation institute is the latest demonstration of the Universitys commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

In May, La Salles Joint Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion completed its work and offered a briefing to the Universitys Faculty Senate Executive Committee, Executive Cabinet, and Board of Trustees. Additionally, the Joint Commission delivered a detailed report with recommendations for consideration intended to enrich the campus environment at La Salle and facilitate institutional discernment and strategic planning in the Universitys pursuit of inclusive excellence and equity.

Participation in the TRHT Institute aligns wholly with the essence of the Joint Commissions report. said Br. Ernest. Drawing on the depth of our Lasallian heritage, with the spirit of faith and zeal, we can move forward together as a University community.

Read more:

La Salle selected to national institute on racial healing - La Salle University

Editor's note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave's On the Ground Battle Creek series.

Piano lessons, bus rides, and exposure to skilled trades are included alongside reading and STEM activities science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in summer learning programs that are underway in Battle Creek.

The Burma Center, R.I.S.E. (Reintegration to Support and Empower), and VOCES are each offering learning opportunities geared towards addressing the specific needs of students within the communities they serve. Input from parents and caregivers of these students weighed heavily into what each of these organizations is in the process of teaching, say those who are overseeing each of these summer learning programs.

We actually held parent listening sessions before we started planning for summer programs so we could find out what parents want their kids to have and what they want us to do, says Jenifer Pui, Education Engagement Program Administrator for the Burma Center. Some of the input came from last years summer program and what additional things students want to do more of or learn.

This included piano lessons that are being taught by teachers involved in piano lab programming offered through the Irving S. Gilmore International Piano Festival. The piano lessons have been going on since the summer of 2019 with virtual classes offered during this past school year.

Makyla Gibson, 12, listens to the instructor during a RISE summer program session.Lots of parents and students wanted to learn piano. I can see this piano portion of our program being expanded, Pui says. We would like to have a permanent piano lab in our building that could be used by other organizations.

On the more traditional academics side, there will be an emphasis on reading books that focus on the Asian and Burmese cultures and classes led by a Burmese language instructor who will teach students how to read and write in Burmese.

Most of our Burmese residents are Chin people and Burmese is not our first language however the Burmese language is the formal language. There are hundreds of different dialects and so many different languages that we speak, Pui says. Burmese is the common language used in meetings and another reason why parents want their kids to learn it. If they were to go back to Burma to visit they want their kids to be able to read and understand.

Students in grades 6-12 have exposure to this same curriculum and English writing classes taught by former Battle Creek City Commissioner Andy Helmboldt. They also make college visits.

They will focus more on college and career readiness, which will include doing research about colleges and listening to guest speakers who will come in to talk about what they do, Pui says.

A team of five, including two teachers, staff the program funded primarily through the Lakeview School District, Battle Creek Public Schools, and Catalyzing Community Giving. Additional funding also was provided by Duncan Aviation, the United Way of the Battle Creek Kalamazoo Region, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The Burma Center has been offering summer learning programs in different iterations well before Pui began working there in 2017. She says over the years it has expanded and this year has met its maximum capacity of 80 students in grades K-12. A fee per student is charged because Pui says she wants parents and families to feel like they have buy-in and to make sure those who sign-up will be here.

Fees for the six-week program, which concludes on Aug. 13, are $100 for students in grades K-5 and $75 for students in grades 6-12. The price differential reflects the number of days the two groups attend the program. The group of younger students meets for half-day sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with half-day sessions on Tuesday and Thursday reserved for the older students. This fee covers snacks and all of the learning materials.

Joshua Bawi, 9, concentrates on a summer school session at the Burma Center.Scholarships also were made available to ease the financial burden that some families have. Pui adds that she is not surprised that the program is full to capacity given the virtual and in-person learning experience students had because of the pandemic.

In the past, summer schools are for those who needed it and this year they have opened up to more students, Pui says. Lakeview and BCPS (Battle Creek Public Schools) have expanded their summer school programs because of having to go through the hybrid learning.

Concerns about ensuring that students are up to speed when they return to school this fall have prompted a more intentional focus on summer learning. It has become more important than ever this year as reflected in the number of students enrolled at the Burma Center, Pui says.

In general, our Burmese community really values education. Its summer but they want their kids to be doing something. They dont want them to just not do anything, she says. I see the community placing a high value on education.

R.I.S.E.ing to a Challenge

So many parents and schools were struggling with keeping kids on track and then there were kids who werent getting on virtually, this is what led to R.I.S.E. starting the Student Empowerment Program in November that has transcended into the summer program available to between 30 and 50 students, says Damon Brown, Founder and President of R.I.S.E.

The earlier program included a partnership with BCPS for students who were experiencing challenges with virtual learning or were suspended from school. Jacqueline Patrick-James, Director of the Student Empowerment Program and R.I.S.E. Board Treasurer, says this was an alternative learning option taking place in a safe and structured environment with the Social Emotional Learning component which serves as the foundation for everything R.I.S.E. offers.

Parris Bolden, a student at Davenport University and a Battle Creek Central graduate, works with Riyana Palmer, 12, during RISEs summer school program at Washington Heights United Methodist Church.In addition to students from BCPS, the school year program was working with students enrolled in Endeavor Charter Academy, Harper Creek, Lakeview, Marshall, and Pennfield schools. They each had different schedules and curriculum. Tutors working alongside Brown and Patrick-James worked with them and monitored their progress.

Once we got them logged in, we were making sure they were engaging in their classes and the big thing was missing assignments, Brown says. We were able to figure out what the missing assignments were and what they needed to do. A lot of kids grades were suffering. We had one young man from Marshall who was recommended to us through his probation officer. When he started with us, he had a 1.4 GPA and by the time he was out, he had a 3.3 or higher.

The summer program, which began on June 29, will continue to focus on individual needs under the direction of Patrick-James and Brown and instructors, including Reverend Dr. William Bell, pastor for St. Marks CME Church and science teacher, who will be teaching science classes incorporating STEM.

We did student assessments that whole first week, getting to know the students where they are academically, socially, and emotionally, Patrick-James says. The morning will be on academic and the afternoons will be more on social and emotional learning.

The Student Empowerment Program also has teamed up with Kellogg Community College to expose students to careers in the skilled trades.

We will take groups of kids and show them how to put up drywall. They will get in and learn how to do those types of skills, Brown says. Instructors from KCC will be coming here to teach them. This will give them exposure to other career pathways.

The Student Empowerment Program is divided up into a learning component with a maximum capacity of 30 students and an after-school extracurricular and recreational piece available to 50. From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday students receive instruction in literacy, mathematics, and STEM. The Battle Creek Community Foundation provided $8,000 to fund the program offered at no cost with some additional financial support from the United Way of the Battle Creek Kalamazoo Region. Brown says they are always in need of more monetary contributions.

Breakfast and lunch are provided during the academic part of the day and a snack is provided for the recreational component. Many of the families of these students are experiencing food insecurity and they receive boxes when they need them filled with healthy foods as well as personal hygiene items and cleaning supplies.

Theyre not only coming to get educational support, but also mental and emotional support, Brown says. Some of the parents may need clothes or counseling and we provide resources for that.

Built into the teaching is the Social Emotional Learning component which she describes as a wraparound service that addresses non-academic issues students are dealing with.

We did a lot of goal-setting, rooted in SEL (Social Emotional Learning). This summer learning program is about more than just adding, subtracting, and multiplying. These kids need to develop intrinsic motivation, Patrick-James says. Our goal to keep them engaged and nurture that love for learning. We had one parent who was concerned because her childs whole school year had been virtual. Our summer program will give him that in-person classroom feel again. He will be re-conditioned for in-person learning in a structured setting, something that was lost with virtual learning.

The learning loss during the school year had the potential to be compounded by additional learning loss during the summer break, Brown says.

The focus for R.I.S.E. is on five program areas: Social Emotional Learning, family engagement, inclusion and equity, and youth leadership. These are incorporated into the SEP framework.

Teacher Niang Siam shows a picture book to students during a summer school session at the Burma Center.We do that through SEL (Social Emotional Learning) skills which focus on eight areas that include personal responsibility, goal-directed behavior, social awareness, decision-making, relationship skills, self-awareness, and self-management, Brown says. We are focused more on the social and emotional learning piece. Our kids struggle with literacy and math and this is a way to address that.

Patrick-James says this is a way to level the playing field and empower her students. She says the reading list will include a lot of material illustrating the history and self-pride from the perspective of people of color, something they dont get through the schools.

It is targeted and culture-based, she says.

The ultimate goal is to support and empower the kids in the Student Empowerment Program, Brown says.

We want to prepare them for the upcoming school year in a way that they are at least supposed to be where theyre at. They have fallen behind at least a year, he says. We want to offer kids a safe, structured, and supportive environment so they have somewhere where they can grow and flourish.

Ready to Ride, Prepared to Engage

The focus at VOCES is on learning and the organization has come up with some unique ways to do that while ensuring that the youth they represent feel comfortable in their community.

Jose Orozco, Executive Director for VOCES, says the children need to do a minimum of one activity each week for a civic engagement component of his organizations summer program. They are doing this by riding the bus.

We want to demonstrate to our community that Battle Creek Transit is safe, he says. We want this to be as impactful as it can be. We want to take kids to whoever may be willing to host us, fire stations or city hall, or Full Blast. The idea is to get them there on the bus. We want to see our community partners calling us to say, How come youre not visiting our place? We want our kids to get plugged into the community as soon as possible.

Evilia Bautista, VOCES program manager, explains to a group of children how to board and ride a Battle Creek city bus.Orozco says he doesnt think the citys Latinx community has been exposed to or has awareness of bus transportation as a means to get around. He says this summer program could lead to future opportunities to translate signage and information on the BC Transit website.

If our kids are able to help with this, it will be a lot more powerful. This exposure is setting up opportunities like this for them down the road, he says. We want our programming to be more student-led. Often, its not very client-centered and it comes down to how we as an organization can model what were doing for our future leaders. Our mission is to provide resources for community transformation. If we start engaging our kiddos while theyre young and promoting these opportunities as a way to get from place to place, they wont be able to say, theres nothing to do. A lot of these places can be accessed right off of the bus. Weve eliminated this barrier by figuring out to make it welcoming on the bus.

In addition to mastering public transit, youth in grades K-5 are receiving boxes each week that are delivered to their homes containing STEM activities.

The kids are receiving boxes and that right there was a big win for us because the kids are realizing that these boxes of supplies are especially for them, Orozco says. At the end of the summer if our kids are making comments like, I cant wait to go back to school, weve done our job. If it gets them fired up, then as leaders we need to continue that conversation with school superintendents. We are recognizing that our main focus is to keep kids engaged.

My background is in education and thats my passion. If we can keep our kiddos reading and loving learning, the sky is the limit for that. Theyre always going to be hungry to learn more.

The younger children, like their counterparts in grades 6-12, are also participating in a reading program offered through Willard Public Library.

However, the reading program for the older youth is a bit more demanding with a reading log that they are being asked to keep. The group for older youth also is more focused on learning and refining leadership skills through Creative Leaders United and a Youth Council Group.

For the high school group, the main thing is to identify what this group is going to be. Weve got seven or eight kiddos around the table and were recognizing that once school starts we want them to be able to fully participate, Orozco says. The questions we are asking right now is will it be an open or set group and is there any other youth council that they can support. We want to see what they can present to the community from a youth perspective which includes the politics around re-districting.

This involvement is part of an overall emphasis on preparing these older students and their families for college.

We are trying to cover the spectrum to support families for the next step, college, and career readiness. We have six two-hour-long training modules called Exit to Education that is intentionally to support families around going to college, Orozco says. The idea is to empower families with knowledge. We want to support the whole family unit with kids going to college.

Abigail Hernandez-Aparicio, 7, introduces herself to a group of her peers at VOCES.Oftentimes it becomes apparent when these families come in to VOCES that they are in need of additional support or resources. As an example, they may come in to seek assistance with translation or housing and through this conversation, the staff at VOCES learns that they have a child in need of out-of-school support services.

That gives us a way to start a conversation, Orozco says.

The full-time staff of five and summer interns from Kellogg Community College, Western Michigan University, and Michigan State University wear many different hats and Orozco says one of his goals is to promote cross-training as a way to meet the needs of the Latinx community they serve.

You may want to be an office assistant, but we want you training to be an interpreter or know something about housing resources so that we all share that capacity, he says.

One year and four months into his job with VOCES, Orozco says one of the ideas he wants to get away from is that VOCES exists solely for Spanish-speaking members of the community or recent immigrants. He says he wants to see the Latinx community become more fully integrated and have representation on a broader scale.

The goal of VOCES is serving as a bridge to that next step in the future and whatever success may look like for members of our community, he says. We are a connector for our community. We have to be ready to be advocates.

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Burma Center, RISE, and VOCES offer summer learning opportunities for the communities they serve - Concentrate

Marti Crow| The Leavenworth Times

One of the downsides of getting information from the mass media is that we are likely to get a skewed story.These days we are hearing a lot about critical race theory (CRT) and some state legislators are pushing laws to ban any teaching on this subject in schools.CRT is not some new curriculum or movement.It originated in the mid-1970s in the writings of several American legal scholars.They questioned whether laws were being used to maintain societys unconscious biases against marginalized groups.Their goal was to enhance awareness of cultural stereotypes and unintentional prejudice.

I taught middle schoolers in the late 1960s against a background of civil rights and anti-war demonstrations.That was well before CRT but my students were eager to discuss the history of racism, the speeches of Martin Luther King and the riots in Kansas City in response to the assassination.My teaching method with those students, who were 14 to 16 years old, aimed at encouraging critical thinking about current events and American history.

My students were in Shawnee Mission, Kansas; there was little diversity in the building.We talked about how the history of the United States is a story of growing and maturing democracy.We also discussed how progress is uneven and cycles of intolerance and violence continue. In the beginning, despite the broad language in the preamble to the Constitution, our country provided full citizenship rights to only white male landowners.Over time, franchise and other civil rights has marched through our history like the pioneers marched across the continent.The expansion has never been easy and quiet.Our history includes massacres and marches, suppression and expansion.Abigale Adams urged her husband, our second president, to remember the women.The struggle over the original sin of slavery was debated long before the 13 states formed a union.America was founded by idealists who compromised in order to form an imperfect union, who described ideals that they failed to achieve.We are still struggling to make a more perfect union.

One evening last year, I learned about the 1921Tulsa massacre while watching PBS.I was astounded that I had never known about that event.Obviously, my education (in three high schools, majoring in history and social studies in college and studying constitutional law in law school) was lacking.Is the recent suppression of CRT aimed at keeping present students from learning about the less proud actions of our country?The goal, it appears, of some legislators who would limit the curriculum in todays schools is to deprive todays and tomorrows students of the ability to learn from our nations mistakes.

CRT theorists did not all share identical beliefs but their basic claim was not that explicit and intentional prejudices are what causes racial discrimination and marginalized communities.Because the culture and mores of racism are often unconscious and ingrained, CRT strives to open discussions of racism, equality, social justice and the history of race relations.If young people can learn to be bigoted, they can also learn to be broad minded about the attributes that make the human race so richly diverse.

Why has CRT become part of the culture wars?Do some Americans want to silence broader discussion of ongoing problems while our country repeats cycle after cycle of prejudice, demonstrations and division.Are we harmed by knowing that American history is rife with mistreatment of minorities and immigrants?Do you believe that Germany and Uganda and other countries with dark histories shouldnt encourage their youth to learn from the mistakes of the past?How else do we mature as human beings and live together in harmony and peace?

Its the word critical that rings out here.It is time for all Americans to find a way back to truth telling and openness.Perhaps we need more self-criticism and less condemnation of each other. Curriculum is not properly designed by legislators; there are education experts and authorities who are equipped in the field of instruction. Demagoguery has no place in deciding what is taught in our schools.

Todays students have the opportunity to find an immediate answer to almost any question.Our schools must, more than ever, teach students to question and investigate, to discuss and debate with each other, to form opinions and to question assumptions.Their instruction time must concentrate on the skills and tools they need to find the truth and form reasonable opinions.

Our public forum today is limited by tribalism and narrow-mindedness.As we resume, slowly, our national and community social interaction, I celebrate the rich diversity of our community.Not only is our part of Kansas beautiful and scenic, we live in a place that is rich in history.Best of all, we areprivilegedto live side by side with people who differ in race, color, religion and ethnic identity.We host military families from all over the globe and American families who travel worldwide but chose this place as their retirement home.

When I hear God Bless America I think about an experiment that over the last 245 years has struggled toward a dream. May it be so.

Marti Crow is a Leavenworth Times columnist.

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Struggling toward a dream of the American experiment - Leavenworth Times

Originally based in Seattle, WA, queer environmental organization Out for Sustainability aims to shed a light on how environmental issues affect the LGBTQIA+ community.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization is in a bit of a transformation. When it was founded in 2008, there were ten board members who came from a variety of professional backgrounds, from sustainability to tech industries. It's now a board of four who are working to reimagine Out for Sustainability's role in the queer and environmental movements.

"The pandemic allowed us to think about what we really wanted to do and how we really wanted to reset," said Lindi von Mutius, a board member of Out for Sustainability, director of Board Operations and Strategies at the Trust for Public Land, and adjunct Harvard professor. "We really like took a step back and reflected on what was happening at the moment, in the pandemic, and we recognize that where all of us really wanted to work was in supporting organizations that were helping the queer community with COVID relief."

The organization sent out a blast email to their 8,000 newsletter recipients and made their social media followers aware of the initiative. They raised $5,000 that went equally to 12 different organizations that provided financial relief for queer people affected by COVID-19.

Before the pandemic, Out for Sustainability was active in bringing together queer people to talk about environmental issues with LGBTQIA+ issues.

"It's not an either or, you know, ecology or social justice," said Vanessa Raditz, a board member of Out for Sustainability and Ph.D. student in geography at the University of Georgia. "They are intimately tied together."

Vicki Carberry, board member and emergency manager, said where the two movements intersect follows along with Dr. Martin Luther King's quote, "No one is free until we are all free."

"The LGBTQ community is a vulnerable community," Von Mutius said. "And like all vulnerable communities in this country, it's a community that suffers environmental injustice and harm as a result of its inherent vulnerability."

Carberry pointed to the impending destruction from natural disasters due to climate change.

"I obviously believe in climate change and things are just going to continue to worsen," Carberry said. "People are going to be disproportionately impacted."

Her opinion is that the most pressing environmental issue is climate change, and she worries about the impact it will have on marginalized communities.

"I was in the Peace Corps for three years out of undergrad and I was there during the largest ever recorded typhoon in history to make landfall," Carberry said. "I'll just never forget that it was such a marker of my time there."

She was referring to the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Super Typhoon Yolanda that affected the Philippines, Palau, Vietnam and China in the fall of 2013. The worst-hit region was the Philippines where thousands were killed. Many consider it to be the country's worst natural disaster.

Carberry isn't the only board member who has experienced a natural disaster. Raditz is in the midst of creating a film Fire and Flood based on their experience with the Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County in the fall of 2017.

Raditz said they are no strangers to fire, living in California. But when they were attending a permaculture convergence in 2017, they experienced the destructiveness of wildfires firsthand.

"I woke up in the middle of Hopland to the news of 13 fires surrounding us and three of the four evacuation routes were shut down," Raditz said. "They [the firefighters] had only cleared enough of the fire to hold open this highway for evacuees, as we were driving through we could see the fire on either side of the road."

The film will also touch on Hurricane Maria which took place in Puerto Rico the same year as the Tubbs fire. It explores the devastation of both natural disasters, but also the relationship between resource extraction and the creation of the gender binary.

"[The film] shows how in these moments of disaster, queer and trans communities are enacting resilience practices that are not just trying to get through the fire and flood at the moment," Raditz said. "It's a resilience that imagines a 500-year bounce back to a time when queer and trans people were celebrated and held in sacred roles and community, and in which the Earth itself, that we are as humans a part of, was held in that similar reverence and sacredness."

The film's sponsor is Out for Sustainability and it's raising funds for the completion of the project. Von Mutius said that half of the donated money goes toward completing the film, and the second half goes to organizations that are doing disaster relief work for queer communities.

"We've been very intentional about trying to use our organization as a mouthpiece, a loudspeaker and an amplifier in helping to relocate capital to places where it's needed," she said.

Out for Sustainability sponsors a conference called "Fab Planet." It's a "conference to intersect and discuss the unique role of the LGBTQ+ community in social and environmental justice and sustainability," according to its website.

Von Mutius was first introduced to the organization in 2016 when she was invited to speak. For her, speaking at a conference for queer environmental professionals was her coming out to her colleagues.

"It really was Fab Planet, that made me sort of like come out to my colleagues, and start to come out to the world a little more," Von Mutius said. "I would say I'm very fully out I talk and write about it, and I'm not shy about it it's something that feels really good for me."

She said that she's "privileged" to be accepted by her friends and her boss and she wanted to "pay that forward."

"It always felt like I have a responsibility to be visible because there aren't enough of us and those of us who are, are hiding or hidden or invisible in these organizations and in the environmental movement," Von Mutius said.

Another initiative of Out for Sustainability is Greener Pride. The project aims to address sustainable practices within LGBTQIA+ businesses and events. Greener Pride aims to encourage the queer community to move toward zero waste and carbon neutral pride events across the globe.

"Not to rain on anyone's Pride Parade we kind of say, we'd love it if you could celebrate responsibly and sustainably," Von Mutius said.

Some businesses capitalize on pride month, creating rainbow products and relaying claims of support to the gay community mostly during June. Interestingly, a slew of businesses promoting gay rights during the month of June has contrarily donated to anti-trans lawmakers, according to VICE.

"Another piece of Pride Month is like all the rainbow capitalism, which is so problematic for so many reasons," Carberry said. "It feels like every big corporation is capitalizing off of the month of June and beyond; I think if we're not having conversations about sustainability and capitalism, I don't really know what it is we're doing."

Carberry's fellow board member expressed similar sentiments on the corporatization of Pride.

"I think that Marsha and Sylvia would be appalled that we have police and banks, and major pharmaceutical companies, marching in the name of pride when Stonewall Riots were an uprising against state-sanctioned violence, and the violence of capitalism," Raditz said. "I think that for me, that's the heart of greener pride there are some easier messages for some folks which is just, there's no pride on a dead planet, people."

Carberry said that at any large event it's easiest to use convenient and disposable products. She said that a part of the greener pride initiative is "helping folks to understand that there are things out there little things that can be done in terms of lessening waste, especially during big events that can be cost-effective."

Carberry said if she could change pride, she would want to see "BIPOC Black Indigenous people of color to the front." She said that as a white woman, she is "incredibly privileged" and that creating a space for people with intersecting identities is important not only in the month of June but all the time.

"I think celebrating history is definitely important, but also remembering who led those movements and lifting up particularly Black trans women," Carberry said. "I think often things get so whitewashed, and I would like to see the community doing more of that work, dismantling, or looking at systemic racism."

Sophia Paul, board secretary for Out for Sustainability, said that during Pride month, the organization has focused on getting queer people outside to enjoy nature.

"The outdoors can be a really empowering place for a lot of queer and trans folks but it can also sometimes feel uniquely intimidating or stressful," Paul said. "You can be out there alone and you don't necessarily know who else is out there or depending on your background, you might not feel a lot of fluency."

She said that Out for Sustainability has been able to see the community claim a space in the outdoors for queer and trans folks through social media.

"With the pandemic, I have been getting outdoors more and really just feeling very grateful for the green spaces that I have access to," Paul said.

Another national initiative supported by Out for Sustainability is Earth Gay, a play on Earth Day, for the LGBTQIA+ community. It started in the Seattle area where queer people and allies would clean parks or help with Seattle Parks and Rec work, Von Mutius said.

Now, Earth Gay is a national program that supports volunteerism throughout the year.

As vaccines roll out, and people are able to gather again, Out for Sustainability is revving up to reimagine its mission and role in the environmental and LGBTQIA+ communities as an organization. What remains true for the organization is that it continues to highlight where and how environmental and queer issues intersect.

"I always say environmental issues are queer issues, and vice versa," Von Mutius said. "We can't really fix the environmental injustices in this country without fixing the systems that cause disparities in health, in wealth, in education, in the first place."

Audrey Nakagawa is the content creator intern at EcoWatch. She is a senior at James Madison University studying Media, Art, and Design, with a concentration in journalism. She's a reporter for The Breeze in the culture section and writes features on Harrisonburg artists, album reviews, and topics related to mental health and the environment. She was also a contributor for Virginia Reports where she reported on the impact that COVID-19 had on college students.

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Out for Sustainability: The Intersection of the LGBTQIA+ and Environmental Movements - EcoWatch

Marcus Austin used to run some of the same streets as a gang member he now walks going door-to-door to talk to residents in the 53206 ZIP code about the COVID-19 shot.

Sometimes it aint what you say to people. It is how you say it, but whats also important is who you use to say it, Austin said of a neighborhood whose demographics include people whove had contact with the criminal justice system.

I know the neighborhoods that I go in. I know what colors to wear. I know what colors not to wear. …You just have to relate to people.

Austin, who was released from prison last year, hopes residents in his old stomping ground who see him advocating for the vaccine will roll up their sleeves to get the shot. The 53206 ZIP code is among 15 that have high vulnerability to the coronavirus and low vaccination rates.

I bring credential to the vaccine because Ive been vaccinated, said Austin, who lost his best friend to COVID-19. Most people dont believe in the vaccine [and] the things that they believe is garbage, is hearsay. When you go in the hood you need people thats from the hood to communicate [that].

More: No, Dr. Evil did not put microchips in the COVID-19 vaccine. Here are the facts behind 5 other fears.

Austin is part of a team of residents or community mobilizers who workwith nurses from Alverno College to go door to door offering on-the-spot vaccine shots. They also use the time to have personal conversations with residents about any concerns or misconceptions they have about the vaccine.

The door-to-door COVID-19 community mobilization vaccine program is a partnership betweenJump at the Sun Consultants, the MilwaukeeHealth Department, Milwaukee Fire Department andother community stakeholders.

The goal is to build vaccine confidence in Milwaukees most underserved communities.

Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, along withhealth and community officials, unveiled the door-to-door initiative during a press conference Wednesday on the corner of 15th and Atkinson, not far from where Austins grandmother lives.

Thecampaign marks the next phase in community-focused efforts to increase vaccination rates in vulnerable populations that may face barriers to getting the vaccine.

The initiative began June 21 and has already reached more than 1,400 households. So far, 137 people have been vaccinated in their homesin eight days with the help of the citys fire and public health departments.

Barrett applauded the in trenches work that the community mobilizers and healthcare workers are doing to get residents vaccinated. Efforts like these and others have paid off, he said.

Deaths and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are down in the city, and the infection rate is down to 1.2%. But Barrett said vigilance is still needed against the Delta variant a strain of the coronavirus that seems to be more transmissible and result in more severe disease.

We do not want this community … to be devastated by that, he said.

Track COVID and the vaccine in Wisconsin: Track the latest data on cases, deaths and our pace on vaccines

Wisconsin vaccine FAQ: Who's eligible, where to get it and what's next

Community mobilizersgoing door to door meeting people where theyre at like in the yard cutting grass is key to getting the message out about the vaccines safety and efficacy, Barrett said.

We have to have individuals from our community who understand our community, who are trusted in our community to deliver the message as to why it is important to get a vaccine, he said.

Lorraine Lathen, of Jump at the Sun Consultants, a partnering organization on the campaign, agrees.Her organization has been intentional about hiring residents from the 15 targeted ZIP codes to be community mobilizers. Peopleare more open to conversations with people they know and see in the community, she said its about building trust.

"It is not a knock-and-drop literature," Lathen said. "It's really taking the time to have a conversation. You cant strong-arm people into getting vaccinated. You have to share the information in a way that they can relate to it and in a way that they can see a benefit beyond them as an individual, their family and the community.

While President Joe Biden during a Tuesday briefing on the coronavirus announced a more hyperlocal approach that includes door-to-door campaigns to get shots into citizens' arms, Lathen noted the work for the citys effort began back in February.

The president's shift in approach came after the country failed to meet his goal of having 70% of Americans vaccinated with at least one dose by July 4.

In Wisconsin, 50.5% of its residents have at least one dose while 47.7 are fully vaccinated.

We already had this in mind, she said. When we were looking at the undecideds, they werent going to the pop-up clinics. We werent able to get them out even to that. So even before the Biden administration, we had been planning this.

But "it took time" to bring all the different partners the city, the county, the health and fire departments together.

The next phase of this effort is to reach 12- to 17-year-olds as a new school year approaches, Lathen said. Some parents who are vaccinated may be hesitant to let their children get the shot. Lathen wants to start a teen squad to canvass neighborhoods to educate both parents and their children about the vaccine.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley credited the district's early use ofdata to track COVID-19 by races and ethnicity in the early days of the pandemic with having a more targetedvaccine distribution strategy. With this data, he said, the county can be more responsive to the highest-need ZIP codes.

More: Milwaukee put race front and center as it tracks COVID-19's toll, helping shape a national conversation on racism as a public health crisis

We have to get people vaccinated, Crowley said. The more people we get vaccinated, the less cases of COVID-19 we will see throughout our community.

Doing door-to-door outreach is among many pivots the citys health department has made in its vaccination strategies, Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson said. Initially, residents rolled up their sleeves at mass vaccination sites like the Wisconsin Center and then at mobile sites like churches. Now residents can receive the shot in the comfort of their own homes.

This initiative is in line with our strategy to really meet people where they are and to eliminate any and all barriers to access the vaccine, Johnson said.

Porsha Brown is among the health practitioners accompanying the community mobilizers onneighborhood canvasses. The campaign helps reach people in what the graduate nursing student at Alverno College calls the moveable middle: People who are on the fence about the vaccine, but with the right information to address their concerns can be moved towards getting the shot.

Some concerns are just misconceptions, Brown said. There are people who believe you are going to inject them with a live virus. There are people who just plain and simple dont trust the government. We talk through some of that stuff just by letting them know how important it is for them to be vaccinated and how it would reduce hospitalization.

The effort also makes the vaccine more accessible for people with hectic work schedules. Brown recalled a person saying he wouldnt have gotten the vaccine if she hadnt rung his doorbell.

Us coming out to his home was that opportunity that he was really appreciative of, Brown said.

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Milwaukee residents are going door-to-door in their neighborhoods to talk about the COVID-19 vaccine, give shots on the spot - Milwaukee Journal...