Join Organizing for America -- and help make sure the change we voted for becomes a reality. This training is designed for volunteers who want to be effective organizers in their neighborhoods and communities.This is a unique opportunity to apply the skills we learned during the campaign to the critical fight for health insurance reform and other upcoming policy initiatives. Join OFA-MA staff and volunteers from across the state to learn how to make change in your own neighborhood and beyond, utilizing the same tools that helped bring President Obama to the White House.Topics include: Working as a community organizer · Storytelling as an organizing tool · Creating and working in organizing teams · Campaign structure and strategy · Issue advocacy for health insurance reform · Using social media for organizing · Phonebanking and Canvassing · Event planning
OFA Volunteer Training in Northampton, Sunday, December 6th: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpc8km
On Sunday, July 19, OFA had a table at the Turks Head Festival in West Chester, the county seat of Chester County, PA.
We had anticipated doing a canvass in parts of the town that day, but given the number of volunteers and the expected size of the crowd at the festival, we decided to table instead. So we had to postpone our canvass volunteer training using Hassle Lines (see the July 17 entry in this blog). Flexibility!
We had two volunteers initially: one remained at the table to engage passers-by and the other walked through the festival grounds clipboard in hand for the same purpose.
It would be interesting to research which way is the more effective at 1) gaining declarations of support for the President’s three principles, and 2) the next step, signing up volunteers for the OFA effort.
What is your organization’s experience with this? Please leave a comment.
This Sunday, July 19, OFA will canvass for the President's three health care reform principles in West Chester, the county seat of Chester County, PA.
If we have new volunteers who have never canvassed before, we will do a brief training. We will, of course, hand out the printed materials and make sure everyone understands them. But, after that, we will do an exercise called Hassle Lines.
Hassle Lines
The group makes two lines facing each other--like a Virginia Reel. The members of one line take the role of OFA volunteer, knocking on a door. The members of the facing line take a different role, usually a person opening the door who we would like to talk to about health care. We give each line a few moments to get into their roles and then ask that they begin the conversation. We let it run for only 30 seconds or maybe one minute.
“Tech Assimilation and Warehousing of Talent” byGregory V. Boulware
The other day, I received a call from a state representative regarding the information posted on my web site. I was questioned about its content. The woman on the telephone was totally non-communicative, arrogant, and oblivious to the answers given in response to her questions.
Having been formally unemployed for more than a year, the last thing that I wanted was to jeopardize my UC bennies. The content of my web site(s) are not only meant to profoundly convey information to visitors, but to display my particular skills and talents. The woman wasn’t having any. The more she spoke, with defiance, the more it became obvious that she was not an IT Person. Her telephone cadence ended with her assuring me of forthcoming follow-up contact from an investigator.
The site content not only speaks for itself, but it is very clear that it does not generate revenue for my personal gain. Albeit, revenue generation of family, friends, and acquaintances is the sole benefit to the business and activities pertaining to those particular individuals. The posted data is primarily intended to aid people in educational, current and past events, and employment connections. The site also aids my job search and exposure to perspective employers. The intent is to make an impression.
Computer Science Students of color are highly underrepresented in the IT Workforce.
People of color with degrees are the least represented group prepared for IT jobs in the information technology industry. The implication displays serious dissention for higher education as well as with the IT industry. The limited number of IT workers is not only limited to people of color. The attraction and retainment by employers of a particular group represents a major deficit to the information technology workforce. Underrepresented groups, i.e., African Americans, Latino Americans, Women, and Older workers would profoundly benefit the expansion of information technology workforce needs. The 1998 report by Herman D. Hughes, a professor at Michigan State University said, “Studies have shown that if those underrepresented groups were fully participants in the IT workforce, there would be no IT workforce shortage.
“New Legislation, White House policy, and a Cyber Security Czar should help the situation. The lack of centralized leadership has hindered information sharing on vulnerabilities and uncertainty about government security policy remains to be done in opening up data silos”, according to Mr. J. Nicholas Hoover of TechWeb.com.
Federal agencies reported that various intelligence agencies had pieces of information about the U.S. attackers of September 9, 2001. This non-communication faux pas aided to gaps in information sharing among these pertinent agencies. Mr. Hoover also said that no agency had all the pieces needed for a complete information package. However, “there has been progress since then, from multi agency information sharing agreements with the adoption of wikis and blogs.” Albeit, rifts and gaps remain, terrorism information sharing has become a government wide approach to data sharing. “Information sharing mandates and training programs have been implemented by fewer than half of the affected agencies,” says Hoover. The Markle Foundation finds “old habits die hard!” All agencies are required to disclose details of their stimulus spending as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This includes all states involved and the jobs that have been created. Consistency is sought by the Treasury Department with regard to its financial reports with government wide treasury accounts. Improvement within the White House Office of Management and Budget is expected to create cohesive financial management systems in its improvement efforts, according to Hoovers’ report.
The question is why is it that redundant non-interoperable systems remain normal within government agencies? Hoover states, “Many agencies insist on maintaining their independence and those that want to open up face technical obstacles in sharing information.” He cites the Department of Defense as a case in point. Military branches resist utilizing Defense Information Services Agency (DISA) or the Defense Business Transformation Agency (BTA).
Siloed Information has proven to be the DOD’s biggest challenge while slowing in the modernization of the departments business systems as recorded by the Government Accountability Office. More than 3,000 disparate financial systems are replaced and/or connected to 12 ERP systems (Short for enterprise resource planning, a business management system that integrates all facets of the business, including planning, manufacturing, sales, and marketing. As the ERP methodology has become more popular, software applications have emerged to help business managers implement ERP in business activities such as inventory control, order tracking, customer service, finance and human resources.) with a spending allowance of one billion dollars annually. Countless interfaces require the connectivity of reconciliation errors within these governmental systems.
“It is clear, the future of information technology is inextricably tied to how well underrepresented students are prepared,” says Bob Reed, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Cingular Wireless Systems, as reported by Mr. Fred Green Jr., NNPA Technology writer. “The path to success begins long before a potential employee completes a job application.”
This reporter’s collegiate study has spanned more than 10 years. Attending Philadelphia Community College, starting in the fall of 1996 with Management and Technical Studies and Berean Institute College of Business Administration and Computer Science in Philadelphia PA, Accredited By: The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, etc. The later institution is an “HBCU”(Historic Black Colleges and Universities).
A challenge was given to three HBCU Campuses. The three historic colleges were Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA; North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.; and Florida University in Tallahassee. The business students of the three campuses were charged with the development, implementation, and marketing plan to reach their campus peers and faculty membership. Cingular Wireless Systems made this challenge, says Mr. Green. The rewards are scholarships, grants, and company products. Cingular’s challenge provides an opportunity for the business students to present their abilities to show capable balance and theory with teamwork concepts as well as individual creativity. (The challenge results are to be announced at a later date).
Employers are constantly seeking new skills, training, and learning. Why is it so difficult for IT and BI (Information Technology and Business Intelligence) students to acquire the sought after jobs and career paths that they seek? (Especially within the government agencies!) Why are entry-level positions of employment riddled with red tape when it’s obvious that applicants have the skills and abilities to perform IT tasks and responsibilities?
An IT Labor Shortage? Please!
IT skilled laborers tend to not have their skills on idle format. They, (we), need to keep up with the information trends and changes. We are constantly encouraged to continue educational pursuits even while the costs have risen to unreachable heights for the average person. We are encouraged to build and maintain on-line profiles and resumes’ that will attract employer viewings. We are encouraged to display our skills and talents on the Internet, only to have them scrutinized, ridiculed, disrespected, misread, and misunderstood. Our competition is not of our country and yet we are constantly encouraged while being discouraged from attaining the goals of our government – “The American Dream!” The competition constantly nurtures it’s home grown (and not home grown – but – returned home) trained and competent talents that places their IT productions to greater heights! That particular talent (in most cases) does not endure the pressures of financial stress, not to mention medicals, with the knowledge that the nurtured talent is intending to serve the government to which it calls home…motherland: for at least one to two years. The competition looks back at us and smiles. The competition grows with the changing technology trends and changes while we sit and scream “IT Workforce Shortage!” The competition goes home with the trophy and we are sixth and seventh place in the world competition IT and BI platform(s). Take a look at the Beta Max, VCR, Home Computer(s), Electronics, etc. Is it not time for us to ride high in the saddle, to be first, to lead? We did it with the Presidency, didn’t we? So why can’t we find a way to fill the “IT Workforce Shortage” and utilize all of our talent…throughout the Land of the Free…the Home of the Brave? Inclusion is the only way to complete and utter freedom and release from our technological binds. We do not have to settle for runner-up, either!
Are employers viewing your web site, profile(s)? Are they drawing the wrong conclusions? Is the employed contractor/vendor adept to the current challenges of the IT World and it’s technologies? Is the investigator capable of understanding simple IT Language and its meanings and symbols? Or is it once again “Big Brother” announcing who’s really in control?
What’s on your web site?
Til next time.
Acknowledgement(s):The Final CallFred Green Jr., NNPA's Technology Writer, Technical Training Specialist for a National Communication Company.J. Nicholas Hoover, TechWeb Article - Government IT, "Data Silos, pg. 35-36, Information Week June 1, 2009.
Hello Mr. Alan Grayson
Who wouldn’t want 30 days vacation time off like the Congress gets?
Your proposed Paid Vacation Act is a winner with me. I couldn’t turn that down and thank-you Rep. Alan Grayson for suggesting that idea.
I’d just like to offer another scenario and pro-active solution to add to your vacation idea.
How about joining me and others to introduce this Parent-Participation Time Off For School ACT or add this time-off to your Act?
Please see my Congresswoman Donna Edwards and join in drafting our Parent-Participation Time Off For School ACT.
I’d really prefer to make it a complete separate Bill. it can aslo work if we add this section to your Bill. SO PLEASE READ MY BILL BELOW:
=============
In addition to the already recognized programs called “Take Your Child To Work Day, Job Partnership and Adopt -A-School and other Partnership Programs, there needs to be an allowance for a parent to volunteer in schools and assist with their child’s education.
This program would eliminate truancy, unruliness and disrespectful behavior and create a serious learning environment because kids would seek to control themselves and concentrate more on their academics knowing that their parent and their friend’s parents may show up at school at any time.
Grant paid time off of work per month to parents to participate in their students school activities from tutoring, hall monitoring, class-room assistance, substituting to chaperone for field trips.
Grant 3 days off work per month to be spent in school just as the Adopt-A- School, Mentor Programs works today by allowing Federal Workers to volunteer to take off work at their Agencies Adopted School.
Federal workers and other business’s employees already take paid time off during the day to spend at adopted schools during the day per week to assist and tutor kids. Let’s make this allowance to parents all across the USA.
Benefits includes the economy be stimulated by the Parent-Participation in Schools that involves travel, food and other type shopping. The presence of someone’s parent in school will help eliminate peer pressure and negative influences from occurring on students. Parents would assist Teachers, Staff and their Student with the academics and curriculum, the learning environment, behavior modification issues and social and development skills.
On any given day, there could be 100 to 200 parents in a school building with 600 or more students.
PROGRAM PROCEDURES AND GUIDE TO BE USED BY ALL BUSINESSES:
1. Grant 24 hours Parent-Participation School Leave per month to parents with children in grades K thru 12.
2. Grant 24 hours Parent-Participation School Leave to be used in any intervals of time that parent needs, (example 4 hours one day, 8 hours another day or two hours on a day, etc.)
3. Grant no less than two hours per use that month.
4. Grant hours under Administrative Leave or Excused Absence.
5. Schools can make a Request of Parent-Participation Schedule available to the Parents
6. Parents can just volunteer to pop in at their own choice depending on their own work schedule or go by the School Teacher’s Request Schedule given to them.
Proposed Drafters: Donna Edwards, Esther Mayberry and Alan Grayson
The California Democratic Council is offering a free workshop covering a variety of different topics that activists should learn about if they want to become more involved with the party.
Whether you are a candidate or a volunteer, these topics will help prepare you for rising in the ranks of the Democratic Party.
The next workshop is on March 21, 2009 and will be held in Folsom, CA.
For full details, check out the event listing:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gptp5l
Please not that you must register here: http://www.cdc-ca.org/Training/
Don't miss out!
INTERNET USER TRAINING
If you are interested in community service and would like to learn how you can network with others utilizing the Internet then register here.David Apperson will be traveling the country promoting USAservice.org Registration while helping state coordinators organize community leaders, advocates and volunteers in the use of grassroots Internet interaction.Training with be in 48 continental United States from 25 May 2009 through 3 Sept 2009, with a party and celebration on 11 Nov 2009. see INTERNET USER TRAININGLocations for training and celebration yet to be determined but will be posted on usaservice.org once the schedule is complete -Facebook - USAservice.org Registrationhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=58917909520
source: http://go.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxLzF
Last week I facilitated a strategic planning session for the board of the National Council for Continuing Education and Training (NCCET). This is a group of leaders in community colleges who are involved with continuing education and short-term workforce training. I led them through a "visioning" exercise that resulted in some wonderful creative thinking. First I asked everyone to switch off the Blackberries and I-phones, close their eyes, and listen to this statement as I read:
"It is now January 28, 2016, and the U.S. Economy is booming! NCCET is being honored with a special award by the U.S. President for our important contribution to the recovery of the U.S. economy. Please write a press release describing what NCCET has done over the last 7 years and how NCCET contributed to the recovery of the U.S. economy."
They then wrote individually for about five minutes. The pens were flying, and the ideas that came out of this visioning exercise were very exciting! Sometimes when times are tough, it's helpful to see a positive vision for the future, and the leaders of this organization did just that. They developed some very creative ideas that we can follow up -- including working with community colleges across the country to develop successful new models for workforce development that provide the training needed to get people back to work in new occupations for which there are increasing needs.
The National Council for Continuing Education and Training (NCCET) is a council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) which supports community colleges in providing high quality short-term continuing education and training programs. These will be important groups involved in the education and re-training of America's workforce. To learn more about these organizations, please visit their websites:
NCCET: www.nccet.org (NOTE: new website will be launched in April 2009)
AACC: http://www.aacc.nche.edu
AACC - community college statistics: http://www2.aacc.nche.edu/research/index.htm
Here is my story
Hi, my name is kid. A year back, I lost my parents. We were a normal middle –class family and I had everything then , they provide me every luxury they can afford, and I had a great life too. But things changed , and my parents died at a tragic accident. My family’s relatives had always an eye on my parents hard-earned money, and as they got the news of my parent’s death, they just all came to our house and started living there .
I just turned 17 then , and also I don’t know about my parents money, their accounts and the money I might get from their insurance. With passing days, they made my life a living hell so I just left everything and now, I am working in a friend’s father factory, earning Rs.4000 i.e $100 per month. I met my friend through Facebook and his father has really helped me a lot.
I have never asked a favour from anyone in my whole life, if there is anyone who can help me with this money , I will really appreciate and definitely gonna return all the money back, when I am worth it.Even, I am ready to pay 5 times of it. All, I need is just one chance And I am not gonna die without returning your money and one thing, I am assuring you that I am fully 100% confident if I get this last chance and these two months, I can certainely break the track record . Plzzzz, If u can help me , plz help, it would be too generous of you. Please contact me at boyonthetrack@gmail.com and ya sure, I will return back your money, THANKS
AIR FORCE * ARMY * COAST GUARD * MARINES * NAVY
If you are going to be in Washington DC during the Inauguration you may want to attend the Blogfest event to Help Wounded Veterans. see http://www.usaservice.org/page/event/detail/4jqt3
Where were you when the world stopped turning?
“If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But, recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ebenezer Baptist Church, 4 February 1968.
HELP WOUNDED VETERANSSource: David Apperson, LIFE CLOUD
http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxFK9
About a month ago, I signed up to attend a "Camp Obama" training weekend in Los Angeles. The campaign office's response is making me a little nervous.
I received several phone calls from the campaign since submitting my application. The first came a few days after I applied. The caller said space for the training session was extremely limited, so they could only accept volunteers who were prepared to make a major time commitment. Was I able to spend five weeks in Nevada as an unpaid intern? My answer was, sadly, no. Despite having just been laid off, I still have my girlfriend and kids to look after, and I need to start generating income as soon as possible. The caller hung up, and I assumed I'd been rejected.
I don't know all the different ways in which the campaign is using the blogs. There are many different ways they can be used. I hope that among the many ways they are using them, one is as a sort of brainstorming session to gather possible ideas in dealing with different aspects of the presidential race.
Example: As a simple example, McCain has used the phrase "on the job training" repeatedly without a good rhetorical comeback phrase. He used it again in the first debate. The issue has been well addressed, but the phrase is still being used, and still has some emotional resonance with the audience. The phrase needs to be countered.
One possible counter phrase would be "on the job REtraining." Most teacher know that REtraining a skill, once it has been learned incorrectly, is much more difficult than teaching the skill the first time, as is shown by educational studies. This country can not afford the "on the job REtraining" it would require to get McCain to RElearn what he needs to relearn to quit following the ideological ruts he has been following for a long time.
That is just an example. The point is that I hope the campaign is pouring through blogs, and culling out gems of wisdom, be it ideas, quips, phrases, retorts, etc. When a group puts their heads together to braistorm, you generate power. When that includes thousands of people you generate a lot of ideas, and hence a lot of potential gems of power, even if they are scattered and buried.
If one strips away the milage and momentum McCain has from the effective use of PHRASES, the outcome of this race is pretty clear, The percentage of his current momentum that is coming from rhetoric is considerable. If you listen to the first debate you can find him striving to insert his magic phrases. The big weakness he portrayed is that they have been so over-used that they lacked new punch. But they will continue to have some strength and continue to be used until they are countered at the rhetorical level, so that in the minds of the audience the responsive phrase comes to mind as soon as McCain uses his magic words.
Brainstor people. Brainstorm. =)
I'll write more about the details of the Camp Obama training in later posts. For now, I wanted to share with you the pride I felt upon seeing the incredible DIVERSITY of the group that showed up. Check this out:
- A man who emigrated from Nigeria and now works for General Motors as an engineer on the Chevy Volt project. - The son of a single mother from Haiti. - A Native American freelance writer. - A middle-aged WASP whose families were here in the mid-1600s, whose five-times-great grandfather was a Colonel in the American Revolution, and who has a great-great-grandmother that was a Passamaquoddy Native American (me, Chris Orcutt). - Several politically active African-American women, ages 21 to 80. - Two or three white male "recovering attorneys." - Seven or eight current professional women and former soccer moms, ages 30-60. - A white male college student majoring in Political Science. - Three or four hippies who campaigned for Robert Kennedy. - A disenchanted Republican who is also a retired Wall Street broker.
THAT is America, folks! More to come.
Finally got contacted by the NY for Obama folks. Will do my training this weekend, in Rockland County.
For some reason, they chose the city of Suffern, NY as the meeting place. I don't know about you, but I think there's something inauspicious about the name of that city.
"So, Chris, where's the training again?"
"Suffern."
"No, where is it--not how it's going."
I'll pop in again when it's over. Later.
There is a lot of talk about "training" to be president. Well, I don't know about that training course. I don't believe there is training for the position of presidency. We select a president based on his training, knowledge, education, experience, beliefs, temperment,history, etc.. There is no specific traing. A candidate must know how to get legislation through the U.S. Congress. A presidential candidate must have congressional support in order to get things done.
McCain is an outsider in the Republican party. Palin is also against many Republicans. Palin has no friends in the U.S. Congress. I don't think Palin or McCain could be very effective as president. Congressmen will also not like Palin to set a precident that presidential candidates can come from anywhere and don't have to pass through the Congress.
Obama and Biden have served in Congress and have political friends in their own party, so Obama and Biden could be very effective in the White House.
......
Sept. 8, ETA: Event is now closed -- we're at capacity!
Greetings, neighbors!
On Tuesday evening, Sept. 9, I'm going to a GOTV (Get Out the Vote) training session near Diversey and Halsted. Can you come? I hope you will -- just send me a friend invite via this site and mention the GOTV event, and I'll reply with a link to more information about it. I'd love to meet some more people from the neighborhood and this group! There will be snacks and you can meet others who are committed to helping get Obama in the White House. It doesn't matter one iota if you've never done anything like this before -- that's what the training is for.
I believe that if each of us volunteers even just a couple of hours a week, we can put Obama in the White House. (Plus, once you volunteer an hour or two a week, I bet you will want to do more.)Congrats on the success of your party at Joe's. Now let's guarantee success for the Democratic Party!
Please join us (bring a friend if you can) -- it'll be fun and you'll feel great for helping to get our country back on track and focusing on the issues we care about.
Democracy Is Not a Spectator Sport.
Today + yesterday: Made 21 calls.
"Under the weather." and completely sleep deprived but excited. Ready to get empowered! I'm off to Camp Obama in South East San Diego. It's a driving hike from North Escondido but I don't want to miss such an opportunity to gain more skills to help the Obama and other local campaigns.
In '04 I attended DemocraticGAIN training http://www.democraticgain.org/ in Boston during the convention, then Camp Wellstone training http://www.wellstone.org/ in San Francisco. Lemme tell ya... the experiences were fantastic beyond words! When "camp" in S.F. wrapped, I left straight from my hotel for Ohio! Made my contact calls on the way from the car. Oh yes we can! : )
I can't say enough about these training's and what came out of them. Starting out, I didn't know what I was getting into and I'll admit that I was *really* nervous to sign up. But I decided to "Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway" ( great book! ), and "stretch" my comfort zone. I'm so glad I did!
In case you missed the posting for this weekend's CAMP OBAMA in "Events" and you happen to be up early enough to get this in time, here's the event posting:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gplgc2
Meanwhile, this is completely unrelated (officially) but a really inspiring video from Camp Wellstone about ORGANIZING! : ) Wellstone's story is amazing and heart-wrenching. If you don't know about it, you can read about it on their website. These are powerful words, Yes We Can! : )
Watch this!: http://www.wellstone.org/our-programs/camp-wellstone/video-introduction-camp-wellstone
Barbara
McCain Adviser: McCain Will Live Long Enough To Teach Palin Foreign PolicyHere's what long-time McCain political aide Charlie Black told the New York Times about concerns over Sarah Palin's inexperience: "She's going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he'll be around at least that long."
OOOOK, "AT LEAST THAT LONG"UUUM, AND WE ARE TO DO WHAT? WHILE SHE IS IN TRAINING...WHAT FOUR MORE YEARS? SACRIFICE MORE OF OUR TROOP LIVES? JEPARDIZE OUR SECURITY EVEN MORE? LOSE MORE JOB? ECT ECT ECT...AAAH I DONT THINK SO WE NEED CHANGE NOW, NO YESTERDAY!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30veep.html?_r=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin
