introduction to volunteering in miami: online tutorial

Introduction to Volunteering in Miami:

Online Tutorial

Butler Center for Volunteer Service and Leadership Development

1306 Stanford Dr.Whitten University Center Room 240Coral Gables, FL 33146LC 6923(305) 284-GIVE/4483

Click to begin.

Click to go to next slide ►

Welcome to the Butler Center!

In this tutorial, you will learn about:

Social issues in the Miami area The history behind these issues How you can help The resources and services we provide


Social Issues in Miami AIDS/HIV Substance Abuse Domestic Violence Poverty Homelessness/ Affordable Housing Health Care Immigration Education Animal Welfare Environmental Welfare Elderly Citizens Disabled Citizens


AIDS/HIV According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention AIDS data (2004),

Miami FL has the fourth highest rate in the country for AIDS/HIV cases with 25,357 reported.

AIDS (or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is a chronic and life-threatening condition caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV disrupts the body’s ability to fight off bacteria, viruses, and fungi by damaging and destroying the body’s immune system. Consequently, the body becomes more vulnerable to attacks, cancers, and infections.

Thus, AIDS patients usually die from single or multiple system infections, such as respiratory, gastrointestinal, nervous, and/or skin complications as a result of a debilitated immune system.

AIDS was first recognized in 1981 and since then more than 25 million people all over the world have died of AIDS.

Every 15 seconds, a young person between the ages of 15-24 becomes infected with AIDS/HIV.


HIV/AIDS: How Can I Help?Educate! Facts:

• HIV can be transmitted several ways:• Sexual transmission

(Through vaginal, anal, or oral sex, the HIV virus can enter the body via blood, semen, or vaginal secretions.)

• Sharing of needles and contaminated blood• (Infected) mother to child

• HIV/AIDS cannot be transmitted through ordinary contact like:• Tears and sweat• Sharing food, utensils, bedding, toilets• Donating blood• Hugging and kissing

(In fact, natural inhibitory substances in saliva help prevent HIV transmission!)


Substance Abuse In 2005, about 25,000 people in the state of Florida

entered treatment for substance abuse, ranging from alcohol to heroin.

Substance abuse is the overindulgence in and dependence on a stimulant, depressant, chemical substance, herb, or fungus. These may include alcohol, cocaine, ritalin, marijuana, and even caffeine.

Substance abuse requires that the individual’s abuse results in “seriously interfering with health or occupational and social functioning.” Neglect of children is specifically listed as a potential symptom of substance abuse.


Substance Abuse: How Can I Help?Educate!

Myth: Addiction is a bad habit, the result of moral weakness and overindulgence.

• Fact: Addiction can be a chronic, life-threatening like adult diabetes. Addiction has roots in genetic susceptibility, social circumstance, and personal behavior.

Myth: If an addicted person has enough willpower, he or she can stop abusing alcohol or other drugs.

• Fact: Most people addicted to alcohol and other drugs cannot simply stop using them, no matter how strong their inner resolve. Most need one or more courses of structured substance abuse treatment to reduce or end their dependence on alcohol and/or other drugs.


Domestic Violence Domestic violence includes spousal abuse, child abuse, and elder abuse. It is estimated that a domestic violence act occurs every 15 seconds somewhere in

the United States, translating to over 2.5 million victims per year. Secretary Donna E. Shalala, Dept. of Health and Human Services, and current UM

president, has called domestic abuse against women: "An unacknowledged epidemic in America".

Children are involved in 60% of domestic violence cases. Possible long-term effects include:

• Hypertension and heart disease• Job loss and loss of friends and family because of absenteeism due to illness

and embarrassment. • Children show significant behavioral and/or emotional problems, including

psychosomatic disorders, stuttering, anxiety and fears, sleep disruption, excessive crying and school problems.

• Boys who witness their fathers' abuse of their mothers are more likely to inflict severe violence as adults. Girls who witness maternal abuse may tolerate abuse as adults.

The elderly female's abuser may be:her spouse (58%), her son (16%), or her daughter (8%).


Domestic Violence: How Can I Help?Educate!

Myth: Domestic Violence affects a small percentage of the population and is rare.

• Fact: National studies estimate that 3 to 4 million women are beaten each year in our country. 1,500 women are murdered as a result of domestic violence each year in the United States.

Myth: Domestic Violence occurs only in poor, uneducated and minority families.

• Fact: Studies of domestic violence consistently have found that battering occurs among all types of families, regardless of income, profession, region, ethnicity, educational level or race.

Myth: Alcohol abuse causes domestic violence.

• Fact: Although there is a high correlation between alcohol, or other substance abuse, and battering, it is not a causal relationship. Batterers use drinking as one of many excuses for their violence and as a way to place the responsibility for their violence elsewhere. Stopping the abusers' drinking will not stop the violence. Both battering and substance abuse need to be addressed separately, as overlapping yet independent problems.


Poverty The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than $1 per

day, and moderate poverty as less than $2 a day. It has been estimated that in 2001, 1.1 billion people had consumption levels below $1 a day and 2.7 billion lived on less than $2 a day.

Miami used to be the poorest city in the United States, with 31% of the residents having incomes below the federal poverty line. In 2004, Miami moved to third in the rankings, ahead of Detroit, Michigan and El Paso, Texas.

Miami is also one of the least affordable places to live, with 69% of its residents spending at least 30% of their household income on home ownership.

Miami ranks first among least affordable cities for home ownership. As of 2005, the Miami area is witnessing its largest real estate boom

since the 1920’s, which is driving housing prices further up and making housing less affordable.


Poverty: How Can I Help?Educate!

Myth: The vast majority of the poor are African Americans or Hispanics.

• Fact: The majority of those living in poverty in both urban and rural areas are not minorities. 48% of those living in poverty in America are white.

Myth: Most people are poor because they do not want to work.

• Fact: Many of those living in poverty are not of working age. Many of the poor are elderly and even more are children (about 40%) or have a work disability. More importantly, many people living in poverty who are able to work are indeed already employed. Nationally, about 30% of the working-age population living in poverty in 1994 were already working.


Homelessness and Affordable Housing… nearly every city in the survey cited the lack of affordable housing as the primary cause of homelessness. “I believe homelessness is actually not the problem, but it is a symptom of an affordable housing crisis,” said Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle, Chair of the Conference's Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness. "Despite being in a period of unprecedented economic expansion, low-income wage workers and their families are finding it increasingly difficult to locate decent, affordable housing …”

US Conference of MayorsA Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness

in America’s Cities 2000

Nearly 65 million low-income people – 24% of the entire US population – are experiencing housing problems including cost burdens, substandard conditions, overcrowding, or homelessness, according to a 2004 report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Many are seniors and people with disabilities, and a greater share than ever are working families.

These are renters with no housing assistance making tough weekly choices between paying for housing, healthcare, childcare, food, transportation, etc.


Homelessness and Affordable Housing: How Can I Help? Educate!

Myth: They're to blame for being homeless.• Fact: Most homeless people are victims. Some have suffered from

child abuse or violence. Nearly one quarter are children. Many have lost their jobs.

Myth: Homeless people sleep in the street.• Fact: Only a tiny proportion of homeless people are on the street.

Most stay on friends' floors or with family, sometimes in precarious arrangements that can go wrong.

Myth: Homeless people are anti-social or otherwise undesirable.• Fact: Only a tiny proportion of homeless people have lost their

accommodation because of anti-social behavior. The vast majority have lost their accommodation because their living arrangements with family or friends have broken down, or because there's been a dispute in the household. Many people become homeless after being discharged from the armed forces or from a hospital.


Healthcare In 2003, health care costs paid to hospitals, doctors, nursing

homes, diagnostic laboratories, pharmacies, medical device manufacturers and other components of the health care system, consumed 15.3% of United States’ GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

Number of Americans without health insurance: 45,000,000 Number of Children that lack health insurance: 10,000,000 People age 18-24 that lack insurance: 28.9%

The uninsured often cannot afford preventive care. They wait until their minor symptoms become serious before seeking care. This leads to:• Postponement of care, unfilled prescriptions, or skipped recommended

treatments

• Death caused by lack of insurance


Healthcare: How Can I Help?Educate!

Myth: Only poor Americans and the young are uninsured.

• Fact: Most uninsured are low-income, and 60% in 2001 were younger than 35, including 8.5 million children and teens. Four of five of the uninsured work at least part time or have a spouse or parent who works full or part time. And a third in 2001 lived in households with incomes above $50,000. In 2001, 28% of 18- to 24-year-olds were uninsured.

Myth: The uninsured get access to care when they really need it.

• Fact: One third of uninsured women in 1998 who should have gotten a mammogram did not vs. only 11% of insured women. Likewise, 40% of the uninsured who should have had their cholesterol checked in 1998 did not vs. 18% of insured people.


Immigration

"Nearly 70,000 foreigners arrive in the United States every day. Most of these travelers are visitors, not settlers. More than 60,000 are tourists, business people, students, or foreign workers who are welcomed at airports and border crossings. About 2,200 daily arrivals are immigrants or refugees who have been invited to become permanent residents of the United States. Finally, about 5,000 foreigners make unauthorized entries each day. About 4,000 of them are apprehended just after they cross the U.S.-Mexico border. But nearly 1,000 elude detection, or slip from legal to illegal status by violating the terms of their visas. Many will remain, while others will return to their home countries."

Immigration to the United States Population Reference Bureau

According to the United Nations Human Development Report 2004, Miami, at 60% Immigrant, has the largest percentage of immigrants of any city in the world followed by Toronto, Canada with 44%.


Immigration: How Can I Help?Educate!

Myth: Immigrants take jobs away from Americans.• Fact: Immigrants may expand the demand for goods and services through

their consumption; contribute to output through the investment of savings they bring with them; have high rates of entrepreneurship that create job opportunities for Americans; and they may fill vital niches in low and high-skilled ends of the labor market.

Myth: Most immigrants are a drain on the US economy.• Fact: All individuals who work in the US are required to pay federal income

taxes. Immigrant households paid an estimated $133 billion in direct taxes to federal, state, and local governments in 1997. Immigrants may add as much as $10 billion to the economy each year.

Myth: America is being overrun by immigrants.• Fact: The number of immigrants living in the US remains relatively small. Only

3 legal immigrants per 1,000 US residents enter the US each year. 22% of US counties lost population between 1990 and 2000 (US Census); thus, immigrants tend to help revitalize demographically-declining areas, mostly urban areas.


Education 92 million adults in the United States (almost 48% of the

population) have very low or low literacy skills. Due to the system of state government, there is no national

education system in America. Instead, State Education Departments set the guidelines, which can therefore vary from Florida to New York.

Florida lags behind the national average in the percentage of the adult population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.

4th graders in low-income communities are 2-3 grade levels behind their peers in high-income communities.

Only 60% of young adults in Miami even attain their high school diploma.


Education: How Can I Help?Educate!

Myth: Children fail in school, because they are lazy and don’t want to learn.• Fact: Children in low-income are often judged with low expectations before they are

given the chance to succeed. Teachers unconsciously “ignore and give up on” struggling students, and these children internalize the hopelessness.

Myth: Children fail in school, because their parents don’t care about education either.• Fact: Parents of struggling students usually do not have the time to care, due to

their preoccupation in maintaining several jobs. But when given the chance to meet with teachers at their own convenience, they are willing to work in improving their children’s education.

Myth: The fact that most bad students are poor and of Black or Hispanic background indicates that these minorities lack some inherent academic ability.• Fact: Blacks and Hispanics are usually found in low-income communities, but we

associate academic struggle with one’s ethnic background rather than one’s socio-economic status (SES). In reality, Blacks and Hispanics struggle academically because of environmental factors: lack of funding for local schools, lack of high-achieving role models in community, low expectations, high levels of crime and gangs, lack of after school programming, and low community focus on education.


Animal Welfare

There are nearly three times as many animal shelters in the United States as there are shelters for battered women and their children.

Animal cruelty includes acts of violence (overt animal abuse, dog and cock fighting) or neglect perpetrated against animals, where the animal is denied basic necessities of care such as fresh water and food or shelter.

In Miami:Animal control officers: 20Animals impounded monthly: 2,769Fines issued each year: 3,273Cruelty complaints received each year: 1,538Animals adopted each month: 389


Animal Welfare: How Can I Help?Educate!

FAQs about Animal Welfare:• Animals don’t reason, understand their own rights, or respect our

rights, so why should we apply our ideas of morality to them?• An animal’s inability to understand and adhere to our rules is as irrelevant as

that of a child or mentally challenged person. These people may not able to comprehend rules, but that does not negate the obligation of a civilized society to protect them. Animals are not always capable of choosing to change their behavior, but human beings have the intelligence to choose between behaviors that hurt others and behaviors that do not.

• Aren’t conditions on factory farms and fur farms better than conditions in the wild, where animals die of starvation, disease, or predation? At least the animals on factory farms are fed and protected. Right?

• This argument was used to claim that people were better off as slaves being taken care of on plantations than as free men and women. The desire for freedom and to control one’s own life is as strong in animals as it is in humans. The fact that they might suffer in the wild is no reason to cause them to suffer in captivity.


Environmental Welfare Facilities in Miami that:

Produce and release air pollutants: 300Have reported toxic releases: 81Have reported hazardous waste activities: 2710Have permits to discharge to US waters: 320

Pollution of freshwater (drinking water) is a problem for about half of the world's population. Each year there are about 250 million cases of water-related diseases, with roughly 5 to 10 million deaths.

More than 2/3 of the earth's known plant species are located in the tropics and many of these are disappearing faster than they can be collected or studied. It's a race against time, as more and more species disappear forever.

The U.S. is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.


Environmental Welfare: How Can I Help? Educate!

Myth: There are no viable alternatives to wood products.• Fact: Less waste and more recycling could easily replace the 4% of the wood products

that come from national forests. U.S. farmers annually generate 280 million tons of excess agricultural fiber suitable for paper making, which produce higher fiber yields than wood and require fewer chemicals, less water and less energy to be processed.

Myth: The global warming crisis is a hoax.• Fact: There is overwhelming scientific consensus that the earth is warming, that this

warming trend will worsen, and that human activity is largely to blame. Physicist Stephen Hawking, in a 2006 interview: "We have to reverse global warming urgently if we still can. The earth is in much more danger from human action than from natural disasters. This is not a prediction of doom but a wake up call. We have to recognise the dangers and control them. I’m an optimist and I believe we can.”

Myth: There is no way we can stop global warming. And this doesn’t affect me anyways.• Fact: We can stop the use of conventional fossil fuels, which contribute to global

warming, and look for alternate energy sources that are renewable and sustainable for future. This issue affects us all. We are already witnessing climatic changes (more hurricanes in Florida) and destruction of natural habitats (placement of polar bears on the endangered list).


Elderly Citizens 36.3 million:

The number of people 65 and over in the United States on July 1, 2004. This age group accounts for 12% of the total population. Between 2003 and 2004, 351,000 people moved into this age group.

10.2%:Poverty rate for people 65 and over in 2003.

9.7 million:Estimated number of people age 65 and over who are military veterans.

17%:Percentage of Florida's population that was 65 and over on July 1, 2004. Florida led all states in this category.


Elderly Citizens: How Can I Help?Educate! Myth: The elderly control all the nation’s wealth,

because they are rewarded with pension after retirement.• Fact: 11.5 million elderly Americans live on the edge as marginal

members of society. This accounts for 42% of the total American elderly population.

Myth: The elderly live their “golden years” since they no longer hold responsibility.• Fact: The elderly often are haunted by problems such as being

widowed which results from the death of a spouse, lack of purpose in life, exacerbated health problems, and difficulty in paying for hospital bills.


Disabled Citizens Experts indicate that 3% of the population is diagnosed

with intellectual disabilities. It is 10 times as common as polio, cerebral palsy, and diabetes; 15 times as common as blindness.

People with an intellectual disability are those who have shown: • Significantly below average intelligence level (based on an IQ test)

• Significant difficulties with the personal skills needed for everyday living (identified before they are 18 years old).

Autism is not a mental illness nor is it psychologically caused. The impairment is present and identifiable in the first two or three years of life. It is not outgrown, therefore, autistic children will be autistic adults.


Disabled Citizens: How Can I Help?Educate!

Use correct terminology:• “Physically challenged” or “disabled” NOT “crippled”• “Visually impaired” NOT “blind”• “Hearing impaired” NOT “deaf” or “deaf mute”• “Disabled” NOT “special” or “retarded”

Myth: A handicapped person with one disability has multiple disabilities.• Fact: Most physically handicapped people are not mentally impaired.

Similarly, only a small percentage of people with intellectual disabilities have physical limitations.

Myth: Institutions give the most appropriate care for people with intellectual disabilities.• Fact: Research indicates that institutions tend to be less effective than the

common alternatives that are offered. Many people with intellectual disabilities live in group homes, independently or with their families, and benefit from the community as a whole.


Butler Center: Resources & Services

Visit our website at: www.miami.edu/leadandserve• Search for Volunteer Opportunities!• Learn how to develop your leadership skills!

Check out what’s new in the Philantropic Newsletter!• On-campus and off-campus opportunities• Released bi-weekly

Home to over 30 Student organizations • Service organizations• Advocacy and Awareness organizations

Placement Assistants• Work with your interests and skills to best pair you with volunteer and

leadership opportunities on campus and around the community Director: Keith Fletcher Assistant Director: Valerie Jones


Next Steps

Come in to the Butler Center (UC 240) to:• Take the Butler Center Tutorial Quiz• Fill out the Interest & Skills Assessment• Talk to a student employee (Placement

Assistant) who will:• Review your interests and skills• Match your interests and skills to meaningful volunteer

opportunities • Introduce you to on-campus student organizations and off-

campus agencies

Lead and Serve!


Please notify the Placement Assistant that you have completed the tutorial.

You may now take the Butler Center Tutorial Quiz and the Interest & Skills Assessment.

Thank you for your time!


References http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm http://www.metrokc.gov/health/APU/epi/aidskc.pdf http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/subabuse99/chap2.htm http://www.wikipedia.org http://www.healthcareforall.org/facts.html http://sandiego.indymedia.org/en/2005/07/110140.shtml http://www.famlit.org http://www.pittcountyhumanesociety.com/Cruelty.htm http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/mapd/about/asu.html http://peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=129 http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/SeniorStats/5-04-25SeniorFacts.htm http://www.sofl.org/PDFs/Fundraising/2006LETRManual.pdf#search='myth%20%20intellectual

%20disabilities‘ http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/ http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/07-26/water-pollution-facts-article.htm http://www.epa.gov http://www.gopwing.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=187 http://selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/aging/mythnfacts.html http://www.pewclimate.org/press_room/speech_transcripts/transcript_swiss_re.cfm http://info-pollution.com/myths.htm http://www.dasis.samhsa.gov/webt/quicklink/FL05.htm

introduction to volunteering in miami: online tutorial

Documents