#advoacy

[ur-fave-hates-autism-speaks]

Fun fact: the $ we use for Autism Speaks isn't actually a form of censorship.

$$ It's an old-school autistic advocacy thing to make a jab at autism speaks and their money-grabbing bullshit. $$

[thesinsemillier]

Just went on my first 2-mile walk after being mostly bedridden for ~2 years while I waited for surgery. It's been a long and difficult recovery, but it was so lovely to finally get outside! However, this old bog witch's knees are creakier than I remember..

[americascomic]

My first year of transition, I really refused to engage in any trans literature, whatever theory, non-fiction or fiction. The exception is I read Andrea Long Chu's essay "On Liking Women" within days of coming out and I think I was still so close to just that raw rush of realizing that I am trans that it earnestly hurt to read and I had not nearly enough distance to really look at with a healthy perspective.

The trans community I first landed into at the time was this very urbane, overly white sorta vague Bushwick transbians types who engaged with trans authors as this sorta fixation on trans media - it felt very competitive and made me feel insecure and I couldn't keep up. Detransition, Baby was big at the time and everyone read it, everyone had a hot take on it and I was just getting footing with my queerness. I think this was sorta emboldened by a lotta of the girls around me "always knew they were trans" and were studying up on the issues beforehand it made me feel like I was coming into school mid-semester.

I think it was actually very much high school, and a lot of the girls (we kinda found ourselves and started transitioning at the same time, and at the same age - in our mid-to-late 30s) were insecure and I think wanted to look more confident going into this scary new world then they wanted to let on.

The books were really scary for me. Especially Whipping Girl and Detransition, Baby. I was terrified of my lived experience being talked over and feeling flattened and isolated and alientated.

Additionally, I experienced a lot of transmisogny in my first year of transition from other non-femme queer people and I sorta created this reflex for myself to be ashamed of self-advoacy and maybe even shame for my trans-femminity. And I retreated in something that I think is understandable, which is to focus on the racial aspect of queer liberation and read books on anti-racism and Black history. (I should say I'm white here)

Then, about a year and a half into transition I had family members do something incredibly painful to me. Like, it was such a shock from people that I thought I could trust and I would describe the experience as psychedelic in just how much it opened my eyes. Seeing that level of cruelty was just sobering and it made me come to terms with a lot of stuff in my transition that I was in denial about. It made me (somehow) admit to myself I was a lesbian. And it made me finally wake up and realize that I experience transmisogny, and that there is bigotry that is directed squarely at me and that I'm not somehow this proxy war for other intersecting battles, or that I need to give defrence to those who suffer more than me as some sort of token in order to speak on my own discomfort.

I told a non-binary friend about this, about how I basically "you know, I'm starting to think transmisogny is a thing I experience" and they put their hand on my hand and was basically like "this is why you should be doing the homework."

I don't know if Whipping Girl was right to have read right when I came out. Those self-protection measures were in part there in the reason. And I despise - especially as a trans woman - playing in games of woulda couldas. I just am happy that I am finally doing the homework and the book is opening me up to further revelations. Like taking ownership that i'm femme for femme. And that I'm a high femme and I should be proud of that, and take ownership that I am a high femme for it's own good and not as some consesion to a larger society.

I still have some contempt and nervousness over "trans homework assignments" but I read so much, and books ultimately are about letting another voice in your head and I deserve to have a trans woman in my head.

[lonita]

B roll - 2024 01 09

08 - A malapropism of a metaphor is a malaphor.

08 - I love the idea of those mini printers, but the idea of spending three or four times as much for something that fits in the palm of my hand than it would cost for a full-size jobbie, is a bit not on.

08 - Are payphones still a thing?

08 - It’s funny the things you think will be ubiquitous that end up not being so.

08 - There’s a Holy Spirit Board on the market now, a ouija board to allow you to talk directly to Jesus. I say they market it as the Ouijesus board.

08 - Rita Moreno and Animal doing “Fever” is still one of the best moments to ever grace a TV screen.

08 - Al jumma is the Arabic for Friday. I made note of that one because I was born on a Friday.

09 - I don’t have much sympathy, if any, for people who complain about protests inconveniencing their day. Protest should inconvenience you. It should be disruptive. And neither of those things is an advoacy for violence either. They aren’t mutually inclusive.

09 - Are bush parties still a thing?

09 - “Knowlege listens quietly.” - Unknown

09 - Someone should point out to Doug Ford that the LCBO doesn’t have long lineups - but hospitals and food banks do.

09 - Sometimes I wonder how much money accidentally ends up in landfills.

09 - I saw a thing that said the title of the book you’re currently reading is the new nickname for your hoochie - Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls. Oookey dokey then.

09 - “Things to say to men who are bothering you: You smell just like my therapist.”

Blast from the past (pre-2008)

There's only one way to find a needle in a haystack - the same way you find one you've just dropped on a shag rug - walk through it barefoot.

[newjerseyduilawoffice]

DUI Lawyer provides legal representation and advoacy for individuals who have been charged with DUI offenses. DUI lawyers play a critical role in helping their clients navigate the legal system and achieve the best possible outcome for their cases. Visit https://www.duilawofficenewjersey.com/ for DUI Lawyer NJ.

[from-me-2-u]

And we’re done! 

All of the activities with their detailed descriptions and own respective posts can be found below. However, if you would like to collectively look at all of the activities we have prepared, they are listed on the picture above along with their respective dates and themes for this entire month of September! Hopefully you enjoyed following along this monthly journey towards the betterment of our mental health during these troubling times; and have helped and brought you joy like it did to us <3

[sillybrownladycorner]

Murphy’s Law

“If anything can go wrong, it will.”

Murphy is not a very good motivational speaker. I can only imagine. 

Today’s my mental health talk. I can’t book an Uber. And the first thing this manong tells me in the morning is, “papaniwalaan ka ba nila e bata ka pa”. 

I am enraged. it’s 6 in the morning and I am furious. 

Furious that I can’t book a fucking Uber, Furious that I don’t have a very supportive father. 

Furious that the credibility of a person is measured by age. 

You want credibility?

Here’s my credibility. 

I am a graduate of BS Psychology in the Far Eastern University, Manila. I am an advocate of Mental Health. 

I am a person who as much as I hate to admit, genuinely CARES a lot. 

Yes, I am young. Yes, I am inexperienced. But that is not gonna stop me from getting up that stage and pick up that microphone and speak. Speak for my advocacy, speak for what I know, and speak for what I believe in. 

I am surrounded with people battling with mental health issues, while I’m battling with my own. 

This community I am in is in danger. I am not a superhero but I am not gonna sit tight and watch the world burn. 

Are they going to believe me? Are they going to trust me? That’s not up to me. That’s not up to my experience and that’s certainly not up to my age. 

When someone is drowning. It doesn’t really matter how young or how old the person who throws a lifeline is.

“papaniwalaan ka ba nila e bata ka lang?”

papaniwalaan ka ba nila e matanda ka lang?

[ruthisnotalone-blog]

For many people, there’s a sort of “a-ha!” moment when they realize a certain mental illness might apply to them. Of course, we need professionals to diagnosis and treat mental illness, but a moment like this can be the first step to getting better.

[Please do not repost without credit.]

[weedle-testaburger]

Me again. Just curious. What is the funniest or silliest controversy which South Park ran into? I know it’s had many controversies (didn’t they take a shot at Scientology? Fuck Scientology!). I’m just curious.

Yeah, those controversies range from the people they were dunking on very much being the ones in the wrong (like the Scientology episodes you mentioned or the Chinese government) to them being douchebags (like when they mocked trans people or Muslims not wanting people to depict Muhammad). I guess if I had to pick the funniest, it'd probably be either the one preceding Le Petit Tourette where the main Tourette's advoacy group basically prepped themselves for the SP episode to be really shitty only for it to be fairly sensitive, or how the episode making fun of the Chinese government's censorship actually got played at the Hong Kong protests.

[studentvoicescampaign]

YOU’RE INVITED!  Students from all over the state are invited to attend the Student Voices Summit & Screening on April 29th at Plaza de la Raza in Los Angeles. This event is free and open to all California public school students in grades 7-12 and their teachers and families. Space is limited and registration is required. Stipends are available to support travel costs. 

When: April 29, 2017,10:30 AM - 5:00 PM Where: Plaza de la Raza, 3540 N Mission Road, Los Angeles Register: http://StudentVoicesSummit2017.eventbrite.com  

The Summit is the culminating event of the 2017 Student Voices Campaign, which calls on students to make their voices heard in their school district by creating short original videos that share their vision for their education.  The Summit will feature student-led advocacy workshops, opportunities to learn about careers in the state's creative industries, and the chance to see student videos on the big screen. Students who participate in the 2017 Student Voices Campaign are eligible to receive travel stipends for themselves and a chaperone to travel to Los Angeles for the event. Click on APPLY FOR TRAVEL STIPENDS on this site to learn more.

For questions, email artsnowca@artsed411.org.

[temporary-ss]

@birkastan2018 Hi! First of all, I’m not really here on tumblr anymore, I’ve deactivated a long time ago. I wanted to chip in on this because it’s spreading like wild fire, it’s the mere reason I’ve made this account.

I admire and understand what you have been doing, I really do. There’s nothing wrong with wanting reviews and recognition from your readers. Writers deserve it through and through! It’s okay to enjoy what you do at the same time ask for feedbacks, IT’S OKAY! No to shaming writers.

Now, let’s go to a more delicate subject which is the main reason I am here now. We want to encourage readers to interact with authors, that’s it that’s the advoacy here. Now, I came to see for myself what the fuss was all about, with some intensive backreading. So what I have noticed there was a “shift,” the one thing you were trying to build destroyed itself. I don’t know if you are aware of this. Instead of encouraging silent readers, name calling happened. Words like “shame,” “selfish,” “sociopath,” “parasites,” etc., all of which lead into this = WORTHLESS. I was shocked! I thought you want readers’ involvement so why? Those were not exactly confidence booster which I think one of the things silent readers lack. I thought you were the adult one. I’ll treat you the way you treat me, yeah do that but on a different account because you are destroying the purpose of this blog by applying this principle. Again, remember your advocacy: encouraging feedback. We are bridging gaps not widening it. Do not pit them against each other. No to reader shaming.

Mental issues is a very sensitive topic which you have adressed also. This has left a bitter taste in my mouth honestly. We don’t know what is happening behind everyone, be it authors or readers. You cannot compare how one handles his/her issues to others. We were always told this during my pre-med: Every person is unique. Everyone have different experiences, coping mechanism, signs and symptoms, etc. You cannot compare how a writer handles it from a reader and vice versa. I think you’ve said something along the lines: If an author with mental issue can manage to write something, readers have no excuse. This is exactly the problem of our society and how they approach mental health. It does not work like that. Patient A and Patient B both have the same diagnosis but present different sets of signs and symptoms - this happens, I’m not gonna go technical and bore you with medical stuffs. Both are important and valid, that’s the bottomline. Yes, it could be an excuse. Don’t undermine mental health. #MentalHealthAdvocacy 

I’m not here for a debate. I’ve read some of your responses, all of which have same points. (they were all long fyi you could easily condense it to one short paragraph. As someone who read thick medical books everyday, just a sight of long posts in the internet makes me puke. But here I am making one, oh the irony...ANYWAY). I am aware of the sacrifices our writers make. Yes, they deserve reaction from readers. It’s okay to feel sad if reviews are vast, its okay to seek it out. But you birk cannot simply force readers or guilt-trip them into leaving one (I haven’t seen writers guilt trip their readers, so this is on you birk, it is not good for the author community so please refrain from doing this). Isn’t it more satisfying to receive a heartfelt genuine review? I’ll choose that over thousands of guilt-tripped/pity/forced/don’t-leave/i-owe-you comments anytime of the day, it’s so fake don’t insult our writers like that. Let’s forget about statistics: Quality>Quantity.(Edit: Literally, the most reviewed naruto fic on ffnet right now is full of spam (70k), let that sink in) I am in no way encouraging silent readers to be silent readers forever. One by one they’ll come around, it may take days, weeks, months, or even years, but they will. Little by little, it may first start with a kudos, a like, a favorite, a follow, a reblog and by the time they left a review they are ready and they mean every word of it and it’s gonna be worth it. It’s very disheartening to hear, your kudos is just a slap in my face, do you think if you said those words it’s gonna make them magically leave a review? No. Instead, you’ve instilled fear and intimidation upon them, making any possible interaction from a genuine reader in the future impossible. Again, the goal is encourage readers not eat them. I know that is what you want, but your sudden deviation on a different yet same path (idk if you were influenced by someone im kinda observant that way...maybe choose your friends wisely) became a trigger for this to spun out of control. You can go back!

Lastly, the “fandom.” Everyone has their own definition of it. But what I can confidently say is that the backbone of the fandom is not you, not me, not the content creators, not the readers. It’s kishi, naruto, the anime, the manga, the characters, the ships. It’s those little canon moments. Isn’t that the reason why we create and built this fandom in the first place? We love them. I’m gonna give you a leeway for this because you’re still pretty new in the fandom. I can see how a person who had been here longer than you get mad at your sentiments. We make contents based of the canon. Many are still here because we cling on those canon moments. We take something and give it a different universe, giving rise to beautiful fan arts and fics, cosplays, conventions, dojinshi, etc. At the end of the day, we go back to those canon moments that we love. It had been so long since naruto ended, but you still see gifs, manga caps of the anime and manga, respectively, you still see analysis of moments, you still see people fighting how the story should have ended (let’s not forget the time when someone made a petition to change the ending like 🙄) or who is better. That is our backbone, our roots.

Additionally, the anon that said something like I will go down with this fandom even if I’m the only one left. I think it wasn’t at all meant to shame anyone. That’s a popular slang(?) in fandom culture: I will go down with this ship, I will go down with [insert anyone here]. That’s passion. That person love naruto and nothing will make it go away, he/she will enjoy naruto despite everything that’s a fan mentality. What do you expect some of us here have been fans since we were children, it had been a part of our lives for more than a decade.

And seriously? “Consumers”? Do it in another place, it is so inappropriate to use this in fandom culture. People are here to enjoy you make it sound so corporate, it is such a kill joy word. Maybe it’s an age thing? We’re not consumers, we are “fans.” Makes me think you see fandom superficially not capturing it’s entire essence.

Birk - do not reduce yourself to name calling, you are bigger than that. learn to see things with an open and clear mind. if you’re not gonna leave your bubble where silent readers are worthless & [insert the words you used to call them], you are not gonna get through with them. remember your goal always. Readers - your opinions and excuses matter and your self-worth can’t and shouldn’t be dictated by anyone. Writers - your’s also matter. its okay to want feedback. its okay to create patreons/kofi, ignore those who said otherwise. keep doing what you love, if passion gets too overwhelming take a breath and relax. if you want to quit doing it, it’s also okay you don’t have to keep doing if you’re unhappy anymore. self care first.

This had been said already but I wanna reiterate. Let’s not forget the real devils here: REPOSTERS, TRACERS, PLAGIARIZERS, ENTITLED PERSONS.

I hope you finish reading this and take it with an open-mind. You gonna meet me half-way here. Otherwise, this will not end. Thank you! P.S. I said I am not here for debate bec I understand your point. It’s okay not to answer me (if you will, don’t make it long, straight to the point but you do you) but let me know if you’ve already read this. 

[babymilkaction]

Civil Society Org Urges Amitabh Bachchan and Union Health Minister to Stop Promotion of Separation of Covid +ve mothers and their babies

Press Release

Civil Society Organisation Urges Amitabh Bachchan and Union Health Minister to Stop Promotion of Separation of Covid +ve mothers and their babies

Promoting a “Bottle- feeding” culture is NO good for us

29.April.2020, New Delhi : According to the WHO guidance a woman with Covid should be  supported to breastfeed her baby safely, hold her skin to skin and share room with her baby. Covid positive mothers should follow personal respiratory hygiene , wash hands before and after touching the baby and regularly clean/disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

But, the recent ICMR guideline which suggested “temorary separation” of the mother and baby has confused the health care workers and mothers and has led to practice of separating the babies from mothers who are  suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 virus positive.

On 15.April.2020 Union Health Minister Dr.Harvardhan tweeted a video on Twitter, where in two nurses in PPE were feeding a baby through bottle because the baby was separated from his for SARS-CoV-2 virus positive mother (no way to know what was in the bottle; infant formula or expressed breastmilk). This news was all over in newspapers giving different versions.

The Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) a  3 decades old non- profit watchdog organization that works to protect, promote and support breastfeeding wrote a letter to Dr.Harvardhan on 17.April.2020 drawing his attention to issue and requested to withdraw histweet showing bottle -feeding baby, and urged ICMR to tweak/modify its guidance according to international standards that in no way undermines breastfeeding.

In response, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provided BPNI with a set of guidelines as their stance on the issue of separation of mother and baby.It essentially conveyed that ideally the mother and newborn should not be separated, should continue skin to skin contact and initiate breastfeeding within first 60 minutes after the birth with precautionary measures of respiratory hygiene. Based on the clinical condition of mother and newborn, the decision might be taken on case to case basis.

On 26.April.2020 Amitabh Bachchan, famous bollywood star tweeted an audio visual message of humanity for the nation, which was conceptualised and produced by Saathiya Movie fame Shaad Ali under his production house Hectic Media Pvt.Ltd. The message goes on to use the video of two nurses in PPE feeding a baby with the bottle , mother is no where seen.

BPNI believes such communication can convey wrong message to people, and this practice of separation could be more harmful than Covid as the baby misses out potential protection of breastfeeding.

Though the message binds the nation towards compassion for fellow beings, its ending visual promotes and normalises separation of newborns from covid positive mothers. This carries a major communication disadvantage.

BPNI urges Sh. Amitabh Bachchan and Shaad Ali to replace the bottle- feeding visual from the humanity video with a breastfeeding visual or Nurses/doctors assisting mothers to breastfeed in covid times. This change would be hugely beneficial to health systems and society.

BPNI also, urges Dr.Harvardhan to issue clear instructions to the health facilities to avoid bottle-feeding, and make use of a cup for feeding expressed milk or infant formula on doctors’s prescription.

Issues by: Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI)

www.bpni.org

For more information contact:

Arun Gupta, Central Coordinator, BPNI, 9899676306, arun.ibfan@gmail.com

Nupur Bidla, Director Advoacy, BPNI, 9958163610, nupurbidl@gmail.com

Press Release COVID Separation of babies from mothers 28.04.2020 FINAL COPY

Civil Society Org Urges Amitabh Bachchan and Union Health Minister to Stop Promotion of Separation of Covid +ve mothers and their babies was originally published on Baby Milk Action

[sallysklar]

Edujob: Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy @KIPP

Here’s an edujob that will have you in the middle of things: Director of Government Affairs and Advoacy at KIPP:

KIPP’s government affairs team has a reputation for being pragmatic, dedicated to building bipartisan allies, and unwavering in our focus of keeping students at the center of all that we do.  The Director of Government Affairs and Policy reports to the Senior Director of Government of Affairs and Policy and will lead KIPP’s federally facing presence inside the beltway.  He/she is a member of the Government Affairs Team, who works collaboratively with the CEO, Co-Founders, KIPP Foundation Board, KIPP Through College, PR/Marketing teams as well as a coalition of high-performing CMOs and other advocates, think tanks and thought leaders.  To date, KIPP’s federal affairs work has spanned K12 education policy, higher education policy, tax policy related to school facilities, and immigration policy to protect Dreamers.

Learn more and apply here. 

Edujob: Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy @KIPP published first on https://buyessayscheapservice.tumblr.com/

[monarchhousing]

NJ Legislature Advances Network’s Policy Priorities

Policy Priorities Pushed for Legislation to Expand Lifetime Emergency Assistance Program in Effort to Prevent Homelessness New Jersey Senate and Assembly committees recently passed several of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey’s (HCDNNJ’s) policy priorities. The committees advanced bills that fall into four categories: targeting blight, preventing homelessness, mitigating foreclosure, and improving housing conditions. HCDNNJ’s advocacy efforts were instrumental in getting the bills passed out of their committees. "We are working hard to build a thriving New Jersey and advancing these policies will help us reach that goal,” said Arnold Cohen, senior policy coordinator at HCDNNJ. “We applaud the committees for moving these bills and thank the sponsors for their leadership and tenacity.” HCDNNJ advocated for several years for a bill that permits land banking, and this year representatives from the organization testified to the New Jersey Senate Economic Growth Committee in support of land banking as a creative solution for abandoned properties. The Senate and Assembly bill (S.1214/A.3797) introduced by Senator Ruiz and Senator Cruz-Perez would allow municipalities to create land banks. Land banks are an important tool used in many other states to reclaim abandoned properties to restore economic vitality and investments in dis-invested neighborhoods. The Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee passed the bill on September 13 and the Senate Economic Growth Committee on October 18. During HCDNNJ’s annual Hill Day, its members advocated to expand emergency assistance benefits to prevent homelessness. Discussions with staff and legislators led to the introduction of a bill (S.1965/A.1887) that would make changes to some of New Jersey’s Emergency Assistance Program’s regulations. Sponsored by Senator Sweeney and Assemblyman Mukherji, the legislation would expand limitations on lifetime aid by amending existing regulations. Assistance from the previous seven years would not be counted towards the lifetime cap. The Senate passed the bill unanimously on June 7 and the Assembly Human Services Committee passed it on October 18. The bill was referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Foreclosure is another major housing issue HCDNNJ prioritizes because New Jersey continues to have one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. Legislation (A.664/S.1244) sponsored by Assemblywoman Jasey and Senator Rice would dedicate foreclosure filing fees and fines to administer the New Jersey Judiciary's Foreclosure Mediation Program. This program provides certain homeowners in foreclosure a right to mediation – a process to help homeowners avoid foreclosure by coming up with an alternate solution that benefits both borrowers and lenders. The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee passed the bill on October 22. The final bill HCDNNJ has been advocating for (A.1433/S. 2882) would address mold in homes. There are currently no regulations or standards in New Jersey to regulate mold. Sponsored by Assemblyman Benson and Senator Madden, the bill would require the Department of Community Affairs to establish procedures for the inspection and abatement of mold in homes and schools, as well as create certification programs for mold inspectors and other mold-abatement positions. The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee passed the bill on October 22. For more information about the policy priorities an legislation, contact HCDNNJ Policy Director Arnold Cohen. HCDNNJ Website Follow us on Apple News Subscribe to Our Newsletter for News You Can Use Every Day Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter Delivered on Friday Read the full article

[lostplankton-blog]

This is heartbreaking !! Everything that is happening in this world the real victims are the children. They are innocent. We are ruining their life.

#SaveTheSyrians #Syria

[room-where-it-happens]

Storify from a former Congressional staffer about contacting members of Congress: phone calls, in person town hall events most effective, and if you’re an advocacy group get in contact with and establish relations with the staffers. Because the staff really runs the show a lot of the times.