As an alumnus of the Univeristy of Michigan , I was indeed proud and delighted to see the initiative carried out by students from the Wolverine tradition.
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Recently, University of Michigan College of Engineering students led several initiatives for sustainable development in Jamaica through BLUE Lab (Better Living Using Engineering Lab). Students worked on several projects in Hagley Gap, Jamaica. One project involved improving water quality and access to clean water; in another, they rebuilt a washed-out river crossing.
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BLUElab at the University of Michigan is a student-run organization that works toward sustainable solutions to development problems at home and abroad. Toward our goal, BLUElab coordinates project teams that develop environmentally, culturally, and economically sustainable technologies. BLUElab also organizes educational events to raise awareness of development issues and the critical role engineers play in tackling these technical problems in a socially responsible way. BLUElab’s diverse membership consists of over one hundred undergraduate and graduate students spanning all College of Engineering departments, as well as students studying disciplines outside of engineering. In addition to its members, BLUElab collaborates with other student-run organizations, faculty, professionals, and nonprofits
An education that does not address the challenges facing the whole of humanity, that merely teaches students how to survive within society as it exists now, fails not only society but also the individual.
It was her birthday, and I wanted to affirm my friend on her special day. She however was excited about something far different. Her nephew had successfully been accepted in a local university and had joined the rich tradition of her family of making college an imperative. This was the third generation of college attendees for this family. Her family would be doing everything within their power to support family members to escape the vortex of male drop out of the education system.
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On any given day, nearly 23 percent of all young Black men ages 16 to 24 who have dropped out of high school are in jail,
prison, or a juvenile justice institution in America, according to a disturbing new national report on the dire economic and social consequences of not graduating from high school.
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Dropouts become incarcerated at a shocking rate:
23 of every 100 young Black male dropouts were in jail on any given day in 2006-07
6 to 7 of every 100 Asian, Hispanic or White dropouts suffer a similar consequence.
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While young Black men are disproportionately affected, the report found that this crisis cuts across racial and ethnic lines.
Male dropouts of all races were 47 times more likely to be incarcerated than their peers of a similar age who had graduated from a four-year college or university.
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There has been a dramatic worldwide decline in the number of men in colleges and universities. Here is the troubling fact.
Percentage of men in college in 1949 - 70%
Percentage of men in college in 2006 - 42%
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This could have been just another passing tragic headline, but we still have leaders that cannot allow such items to be tossed upon a pile of unsolved crises.
Rev. Bertram Melbourne, PhD.
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Dr. Bertram Melbourne is no ordinary leader. His motto gives some insight into his life philosophy.
“I believe in leading by example.”
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“He works easily with students and models what he expects from from them.”
George E. Rice, PhD.
Dr. Melbourne clearly understands the dire implication of this issue remaining unchallenged, and so in August of 2009, began to formalize an initiative :
Help to make college graduation a life goal for boys and young men.
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He and several colleagues gave birth to College Educate Our Sons (CEOS), an interfaith organization. These pioneers formulated an architecture that individual and community organizations can use to encourage, motivate boys and young men to achieve academically and be prepared for entrance into colleges and universities.
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It is now October, 2009, and this concept is taking root like wild fire. it has been adopted in all 50 states in the United Sates, and in 22 additional countries around the world. I had the privilege in conversing with Dr. Melbourne about CEOS.
The foreboding weather did not deter me and 130,000 other book lovers from gathering on the US national mall for the 9th. annual book festival.
How else does one feed our creativity and imagination but through the word?
As we pull out of this steep recession, we will need to tap our genius to create new wealth generating engines to erase the enormous debt being accumulated.
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Harvard Business recently interviewed Jeff Dyer of BYU who just completed a 6 year study on how Innovators DNA work, i.e. what makes folks such as Apple’s Steve Jobs, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos tick?
The study uncovered five key skills common to innovators:
Associating
Questioning
Observe details and in particular people’s behavior
Experiment
Networking
These skill can all be summed up with one word
Inquisitiveness
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Books , not video games and television is the winning element to spur such tendencies. Take a closer look at the poster above and see if you do not agree.
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This event was also filled with nostalgia for me. The PBS children programming stars were out in full force. There was Curious George, and Authur, and Elmo, and Cleo, and Martha.
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The character that struck a special cord with me was Mr. McFeely of Mr. Rogers neighborhood. I took a pic with him to share with my daughters, and was about to leave when he prompted me to stay! He wanted to sign postcards for my girls, now young women in college! He was so right. The line awating his signature contained many college students.
The festival also offered a great glimpse of the future, the digital library. There was a digital bookmobile that was a high-tech feast. One could sample ebooks, audio books, and learn how to get these materials on their mobile devices, and electronic readers.
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Reading is indeed fundamental, regardless of what form it takes. Spark some innovation by reading to a child, or sharing a book. Join me and treasure reading as Francois Fenelon did.
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“If the riches of the Indies, or the crowns of all the kingdom of Europe, were laid at my feet in exchange for my love of reading, I would spurn them all.”
One of the most influential phases I grew up with was:
It encouraged me to ensure I did my best and develop my talents to the best of my ability.
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When my kids came along, I had the privilege of tucking them in and reading that bedtime story. So happened the kids would get stuck on their favorite story and would plead with me to read it each night. Even to this day, I find myself reciting that story. I used to try to cut it short should I see them dozing off. I would loudly declare “The End”.
I was reprimanded to read the middle!
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Going to the local libraries was also a weekly ritual. We also managed their media intake through limiting TV time to educational television and the occasional Disney movie. Call me old fashion, but today I am very proud of my girls and their love of books and their love for learning.
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Yes, reading is fundamental. We however live in a media saturated world that undermines the development of this critical habit. The tragedy is there are kids who would just love to sink their teeth into some great reading material, but their minds are starved for the lack of solid reading materials.
This gives us a golden opportunity to support the illiteracy cure in Jamaica.
You have books in your basement, library or attic seeking young eager readers, or willing to sponsor a barrel to transport books, or support this worthy effort in some way. Your small effort will be combined with others to be the cure for illileracy.
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simply click here, Ja’nice’s Read Across Ja website.
September 7 would have been the 90th. birthday of Miss Lou.
Dr. the Hon. Louise Simone Bennett Coverley
She was a thought leader that use her gifts of words and presence to influence the Jamaican culture to embrace its preciousness. In honor of her, we share one of her works.
Dutty Tough - Louise Bennett
Sun a shine but tings no bright;
Doah pot a bwile, bickle no nuff;
River flood but water scarce, yawl
Rain a fall but dutty tough.
Tings so bad dat nowadays when
Yuh ask smaddy how dem do
Dem fraid yuh tek it tell dem back,
So dem no answer yuh.
No care omuch we dah work fa
Hard-time still een we shut;
We dah fight, Hard-time a beat we,
Dem might raise we wages, but
One poun gawn awn pon we pay, an
We no feel no merriment
For ten poun gawn pon we food
An ten pound pon we rent!
Saltfish gawn up, mackerel gawn up.
Pork en beef gawn up,
An when rice and butter ready
Dem just go pon holiday!
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We interrupt this fine work to share the wisdom of a passionate senior Jamaican.
Take a journey back in time to your teenage years.
Yes, you had hair back then in the right place.
You had hopes and dreams of conquering the world.
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You may have had a parent , grandparent, a teacher, pastor, coach, church member, friend, boss who believed in you, and gave of themselves, because they believed in you.
Their contributions were large and small.
They paid for music lessons.
They provide rides.
They put some chance in you pockets.
They had you over for dinner and a pep talk when you were down.
they sent you to summer camp.
They sent you care packages.
Do I need to say more? Yes it took a community to realize our metamorphosis.
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Well, when we believe that the way we progress as a people is by practicing the principle of the survival of the knitted.
The Jamaican Nationals Association is launching their Fall campaign to ensure that all of our aspiring kids will have the extra boost they need to enter the circle of champs.
Maybe you were laid off, or finished your schooling, and here you are trying your best to secure that interview . After working your network, and exercising all your skills, you have an opportunity to show your stuff. How you you make the most of the interview opportunity?
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I have compiled a list of suggestions from at HBR article by David Silverman. Here goes:
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Dress appropriately. a business suit is appropriate. If you’re a man, wear a tie.
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Be prepared to be crisp in your responses. Do not waste the interviewees time. Rehearse if that will refine your delivery.
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Listen well. The most useful skill in sales is listening — and in an interview, you’re selling yourself.
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Ask questions. Have a few prepared questions ready to roll out.
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Show interest. This could also be called “sucking up.” When an interviewee doesn’t ask me anything about myself, she’s not just saying “I’ve got pride in my accomplishments and don’t need to pander to you.” She’s also showing me that she isn’t good at showing interest in other people. Which means she’s going to have a hard time politically in the company.
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Do your research. You can show the hiring manager that you took the time to learn something about the company.
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Be courteous to the interviewer’s support staff: secretaries, assistants.
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Use the interviewer’s name a least once in a response. “Well John, with my background in ….” or “Well, Mr. Jones, you should know …”
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Close the interview with a handshake and say something along the lines of: “I’m interested in working with XYZ and the team here.” (Ask for the sale!)
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When I’m interviewing, I want to know the candidates’ philosophy, their experience, their vision, and their ability to come up with concrete ideas. A good candidate will be able to demonstrate that they can picture themselves doing the job that we’re asking them to do.
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Take a thank you card with you and as soon as you leave the interview take 2 minutes to personally write a thank you, mention a positive part of the interview that the interviewer particularly bought in to or if something did not go so well its a chance to explain positively. Mail it immediately.
We are always a generation away from losing our legacy.
The story is told about a student struggling at the chalk board under the glare of his teacher. He finally relented with this statement.
“I’m not an underachiever.; you’re just an overexpecter.”
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We fret and worry about our kids as we shepherd them through the tough terrain of the tumultuous teen years.
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Will they retain our bedrock values of spiritual convictions, hard work , deferred gratification, and high educational aspirations?
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We have to compete with new influences for their allegiances.
Well, I decided to get a personal snapshot of three Jam_Nexers (next generation Jamaican from the diaspora) who just completed their high school years.
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It was indeed my privilege to enter into conversation with three outstanding young adults, who was willing to share their experience with those still in high school, and share what made their high school years such a success.
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Remember, success leaves footprints if we just take the time to listen and observe.
Join me in saluting all of our young adults who have kept the focus of the important issues of life and and are planning continued momentum in their life’s journey.
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The Youth of a Nation are the trustees of posterity.
On Friday, we received the dreaded news of the latest unemployment pain in the US. The media spun it as bad but better.
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However there is a very telling story beyond the top level data. It has to do with the unemployment rate as a function of education.
The Wall Street Journal did a important break out of the numbers by education. Here are the findings.
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The unemployment rate for workers over 25 years old who haven’t gone beyond high school rose to 10% in May, nearly doubling from 5.2% a year earlier, the government said Friday.
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Among workers who haven’t completed high school, the unemployment rate rose to 15.5%, compared with 8.4% last year.
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By contrast, the jobless rate among those with four-year college degrees was 4.8%, up considerably from 2.3% a year ago, but well below the rate for people with less education.
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Education clearly makes a difference.
If you did not buy into the reality of the above statistics,
Did you know that West Indian Blacks ( AKA , Jamaicans) earn on average 33% more than African Americans? The key factor is not IQ, but
Hard work
Intact families
Fathers involved in child rearing.
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We are clearly in an era of changing opportunities, where we are re-considering many issues. Well, I hope we do not become mentally clouded and undermine the essential fundamentals . Remember, success leaves tracks!
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I have the distinct privilege to interview three outstanding high school grads of Jamaican heritage in the coming week. What would you want to hear from these kids?
“A vision is a clearly-articulated, results-oriented picture of a future you intend to create.
It is a dream with direction.”
Zemel
I had the privilege of hearing the vision of Minister Andrew Holness on educational transformation.
He shared the challenges and the vision to drive us to a new reality.
In part 1, we shared the challenges to the system.
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We will now share the details of the vision.
it is a three prong vision comprising :
Parenting accountability
Teaching performance acceleration
School infrastructure investment.
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Talk to any primary school teacher, and their number one lament is the state of
the behavior of the students. My reading on childhood development shares that
if the mental ability of self control is not developed by age 3, the chances of this
happening is severely diminished. The minister shared that parenting will be defined within terms
of the public good. The current practice is one where most of the responsibility of parenting is passed to grandparents.
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The national debate has been engaged on this issue by none other than the prime Minister in a recent address to educators. Read his comments carefully.
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Prime Minister Bruce Golding says democracy does not apply to the rearing of children.
He said, “As committed as I am to democracy, there is no democracy in bringing up children. There are rules that have to be laid down; there is a certain standard of behaviour that must be demanded and when it is not forthcoming, it must be sanctioned.”
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This is heavy stuff folks. What should be the the right balance and methods used by the government to influence the family unit for its betterment?
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The next component is focused on the leaders of the classrooms. Teachers are the catalyst that inspire wisdom, skills, and knowledge to the students. The platform of excellence need to be raised and made uniform through the system.
The profession of teaching has been one where the reward of the student success exceeded the monetary rewards. Performance incentives are on the table to drive results beyond the ordinary.
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The final leg of the stool is investing in new school infrastructure. The demographics demand the building of 200 new schools, with 45 new high schools.
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The approach being considered is cutting edge in its approach. A private/public partnership is being considered. The government would enter into contract with a private company that would be the primary owner of the facility. The establishment of a national educational trust fund to resource this system is being formulated.
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A diaspora bond successfully used in Israel and India to fund great achievements in these countries is the instrument being developed. The launch date is slated for the end of 2009.
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This is out of the box thinking as other private investors is looking for skin in the game from the diaspora to combine efforts to propel Jamaica in the 21 st. century.
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Minister Holness has engineered a bold game plan that has all the right engines to power the development of our human futures.
I readily support the fundamentals of this plan.
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There are two concerns I have in giving unquestioned support. They are: 1) How will he and his team get buy in from the current system that is elitist in nature ?
2) How will his team manage the parenting issue without overly intrusive government intervention?
Will marriage be encouraged and strengthen?
What role will the institution of the church play in buttressing the education transformation?
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Minister Holness has a keen grasp of the scope and depth of his charter. He also knows that building the
equity of public trust is key.
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I now understand why he spent much minutes talking about corruption. He declared that corruption will find no refuge in this government. The rooting out of this cancer in
the police force is evidence of a determination to ensure a transparency that will serve us well in the wider community. I have much confidence in this transforming direction! .
Now, have your say - what is your opinion on his plan?
