#and then i get sad that ive never had meaningful life experience or am educated enough to assign serious personal meaning to art ever

[leofwines]

does anybody else feel like youre not supposed to read books/watch movies/listen to music that people you know like because u feel as tho youre copying them and taking away from whatever reason they like the thing and you're ruining it for them by also indulging in it because you know for a fact you would engage with it in a less meaningful or intelligent way

[anamariebell-blog]

Term Paper

Fetal alcohol syndrome affects women today worldwide. In this report I will show how the disease affects the innocent child on their growth,learning and how today’s resource help the child live a healthy successful life like children who are born normal.I plan to answer these following:How do you support children with fetal alcohol syndrome and help them overcome their disabilities without the child feeling disconnected from the world, their parents and peers?

During my 7 months working on my quest topic i have gained more knowledge based upon my topic. Something profound while researching I came across was according to” Moment to Moment:Growing up with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum” ,  was It was estimated that each year,2 to 5% of all babies are born in the United States have been affected by their mother’s drinking alcohol during pregnancy.”  This stood out to me because that means every 7 minutes a baby is born with FAS.  Another fascinating discovery i made while working on my quest project was according to the Justice System of FASD it's stated that;”while educating judges, lawyers and parole officers about the characteristics and behaviors of persons with FASD and establishing screening, analysis, and treatment procedures for those with FASD who enter the juvenile justice or adult criminal justice system  Establishing/utilizing alternative sentencing programs for persons with FASD who have committed nonviolent offenses  Offering referral information for the children of incarcerated women who may have been prenatally exposed to alcohol. This means out of 100% over 60% of people with FAS over 12 have been charged with a crime 55% of people with ARND will be confined to a prison, psychiatric institution, or drug/alcohol treatment center 95% of people with FAS. My topic relates to social justice because I am bringing education to the framework and bringing spotlight attention to a problem. This ties to social justice because I’m actively addressing the problems at hand and gradually planning on making change happen. My quest topic is a representation of social justice because I’m trying to change the dynamics of the isms,oppression and subordinated groups being targeted because they are not like you and me. Also while working on my quest project some fascinating facts I came upon was hearing adults who have lived with FAS normally. This people was named “Allen Taylor and Sasha Cook; they discovered they had FAS when they were about 2 months they were not developing as quickly as they should according to Centers for Disease and Prevention. They should out to me because they stated how their parents supported them and worked hard to make their children feel normal. Something a mother said was that  her child had “some of the behaviors Taylor has struggled with include difficulty maintaining attention, inability to plan and manage time, poor problem solving skills, inability to learn from consequences, social awkwardness, anxiety, and depression”. And for Sasha her mother stated that they worked with programing NOFAS , “We were like so many other families out there. We were looking for guidance and trying to find counselors, practitioners. Through NOFAS, I was able to have a voice and speak out. By talking with others who are just at the beginning of their FASD journey, we are also healing and helping ourselves – by reminding us that we are not alone”. These survivors not only had the support they needed but the help to improve functioning in society rather than forcing rehabilitation. Helping these folks with their needs and not make them a victim.

My quest projects relates to my three years in the Social Justice Academy because it’s given me the opportunity to grow and develop mentally and be become more open minded as well as conscious. My personal experience encouraged me to engage in activities related to my topic. My time in sja has taught me that there's never a downside to being different but it’s a gift to yourself and others as well. The time I’ve experience in SJA over the last 3 years has helped me grow mentally as to be more aware of my social aspects of life,more about my history and educated me about the hiccups the US has done for decades and continues to do . It’s taught me to know that I am something in life and have a purpose , I just have to have a career and not be a failure. I can be anything if i prepare myself for the war out there. Giving me the knowledge to succeed in life and life skills i would have for the rest of my life. It’s given me the potential in the future to see myself a fulltime college student or graduate with a career. It’s also taught me something I never use to do was dream and believing in myself. Before SJA i was a lost winded sole following blindly not having a plan in the future nor being aware of political,historical, detail of the United States. Being in SJA has helped me grow when it comes to digging up facts and evidence when writing papers such as this one, as well as thinking outside the box and connecting it to everyday life and making it bigger than it really is. My time in SJA has given me the motivation i never had and to believe in myself .  Also while in my time in SJA i was able to complete an action piece based upon FAS as well a gain experience in this field. My action was on May 11,2017. It was based upon me talking to lower division class-men such as freshman-juniors about the topic. I went to a health & safety class and educated them on the topic as well as connect with each individual student. I later had each student write in a notecard something they learned from what they've heard and most were astonished about the fact and personal insight i had on the topic. Something else i accomplished over this time period was my experience in the field i'm researching. My experience was based upon a Oakland City council meeting i attended May 17,2017 from 6:00-8:00. My experience was based on housing in the bay area for special needs housing and making it affordable for citizens in it’s area. It was connected to “California’s Housing Crisis” presented by “National Coalition of Black Womxn the League of Women Voters.  While in the meeting something one of the panelist said was “the oppressed must deliver themselves,whoever is less oppressed must  fight to save those who’s more oppressed.” To me this means if one if you can’t fight for yourself, why fight for others, one’s must put themselves first before making change to something else.

While doing my quest project a question came up and it was,”what is a moral and just world and the current state of the economy.” One would say a moral and just world is equivalent opportunities for everyone, but in reality it goes deeper than that. I would say a moral and just world is  a world where there's affordable housing everywhere and we won’t have to live off of minimum wage. The average american makes 45,000-70,000 if you're lucky. In a moral and just world people with disabilities would be able to find a home market rate price and not a skyrocket price. Gentrification would not be out of control and nor will homeless camps be set on fire, because they need money to live a balanced life. Someone else might say the current economy situation is corrupt and

the economy is booming with wealth while the 10% own 70% of the country and while the 90% fight for 30% of the country.  The people struggle with finding affordable housing and the struggle to maintain a healthy a credit score. The system is corrupt and exploits it’s consumers for profit. The current state of the world is “it's the faults of the citizens because we continue to buy product. The current state of the world is not as regulated as it should meaning the economy lives of citizens failure. One also might say the current state of the world is a world that targets minors while exploiting its customers to buy a certain product while advertising whether it’s on tv,media,billboards, etc. One also might say the current state bombards communities with food deserts to gain profit and idolize fast food as healthy and make a grocery store market rate high so it’s easier to get a burger instead of fruits and vegetables, because it's “affordable or cheap” but it also taste good. The fast food industry is booming and glorifying every moment of it while we continue to gain weight and become obese.

While working on my quest topic I have come across many political theorist regarding my topic. I came across two that stood out to me, one by the name of Gross Leonard and Bell Hooks. Something that he said regarding FAS was, “When the baby was born, the doctor could smell alcohol on it’s breath; 18 hours after delivery the infant began to exhibit classical withdrawal symptoms.”This stands out to me because during my research i have encountered many different sources regarding different sources of time levels. The other sources were wrong but  I always that symptoms show within 24 hours and it’s sad to say that parents have to watch their child go through intense testing. Another fact i got from this theorist i came across was something else regarding FAS was, “The most disquieting news of all is that while the fetal alcohol alcohol syndrome (FAS) was once associated exclusively with alcoholic mothers and their offspring, there are indications that even small amounts of alcohol imbibed by pregnant women-including those who aren’t aware they’re convinced could produce some damage.”This stands out to me still because even a small amount of alcohol can pose a risk to an unborn child.Another theorist that stood out to me was Bell Hooks. While doing my research i found a quote by Bell Hooks she said,”since loving is about knowing,we have more meaningful love relationships when we know each other and it takes time to know each other.”To me this means love is more powerful than anything,if one cannot love oneself how can you love a family.Something else fascinating ive learn about Bell Hooks if that she has own company regarding black imagery and art. She has her own book and is an activist in the social justice field. Also, while going through her book i came across an amazing quote which said, “ There is no life to be found in violence.Every act of violence brings us closer to death.Whether it’s the man made violence we do to our bodies or by overeating toxic or drink the extreme violence of child abuse,domestic violence,warfare,life-threatening poverty,addiction or state terrorism.” This quote is ties into my paper so much because it touches basis on everything i've touched on, from drinking to toxic waste to poverty. Bell Hooks better known as Gloria Jean Watkins, better known by her pen name bell hooks, is an American author, feminist, and social activist. This ties into a moral and just world because based upon evidence and sources i used can be accountable for my sources. A moral and just world is having feminist and activist who educate,liberate and acknowledge that we have a problem in society and that it needs to be a change over time. These two theories mirror my quest project because they idealize the fact that women should take pride in themselves and their children. A mother who is soon to be pregnant or pregnant should have awareness surrounding alcohol abuse and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Just to tie in everything during my 3 years in SJA have been a memorable time and has shaped me into the person I am now. Throughout my quest projects I've learned more about FAS than  could ever discover. I digged up more information and facts based upon books,media resources, videos,websites. I was able to thrive and make a website. While during this quest paper i tied it into Social Justice and a moral and just world. To go back into that a moral unjust world is a world where average americans will no longer be at poverty level and will be able to support their families without managing two-three jobs. Another thing i touched on was trying to free oneself from mental enslavement rather than walk blindly and educate themselves about the top 1%.  Also, to be aware of parental warning signs of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and if a mother is a borderline alcoholic; seek help immediately for the women and the parent. Something else i enjoyed while doing my quest research was taking all the information I’ve learned in the past 3 years and putting it to good use;such as using my voice and making a change in my community,and making a valid source and defending my stance. Something else I did was come out of my shell; sophomore year i was quiet and didn't really connect and make cold contacts. In order for me to find research and work on my experience was through cold contact such as emails,phone calls,meeting at various locations. It’s made me not afraid to risk meeting new people and also educating people of my social justice knowledge. This whole 3 years was an amazing experience and i'm glad to say i was apart of it.

1.CDC,Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)Allen, Taylor, and Sasha Cook. "My Story." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

2.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/drugexposed.pdf

3.Diane. Interview by Anna Bell. 23 Apr. 2017: n. pag. Print.

4.kidshealth.org

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

5.Moment to Moment:Growing up with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum. Http://www.ntiupstream.com, 2013. NTI Upstream, 3 June 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfyYUq1yjTk>.

6.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Alcohol Abuse in Pregnant Women: Effects on the Fetus and Newborn, Mode of Action and Maternal Treatment

7.nofas.org

National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome – Expectant Mothers

8.Guarino, Justin. "Working with Special Needs Kids." Personal interview. 10 Apr. 2017.

9.1-5. Gross, Leonard. "7. The Case for Caution II , Birth Defects and Synergistics`." How Much Is Too Much?:

10.6-10.  The Effects of Social Drinking. New York: Ballantine, 1985. 90-127. Print.

Berger, Gilda. What Is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Alcoholism and the Family. Washington DC: Gilda Berger, 1991. 37-60. Print.

11.National Organization of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome"Mission." Eton Court, 2007. Web. 22 Apr.

2017.

12."Moving Beyond Pain." Bell Hooks Institute. N.p., 09 May 2016. Web. 26 May 2017.