about :: advocacy
Advocacy is great because it exposes the hidden, but existent, problems of society. In our Fall Advocacy Focus, we let our communities understand and help prevent pet abuse. In our Winter Advocacy Focus, we did the same for child abuse, but now, we move into our Spring Advocacy Focus: cyberbullying. We live in a world dominated by the Internet. Friends socialize on websites like Facebook and Twitter and some businesses, like Amazon, are entirely Internet-based. While socializing and commerce have both seen a migration to the Internet, one other aspect of our lives has moved as well: bullying.
Just as people tend to repress stressful incidences into their minds, so too do victims of cyberbullying hide their problems. However, statistics hide nothing. Forty-two percent of kids have been bullied online (1 in 4 say they were bullied more than once). Worse yet, thirty-five percent of kids have been threatened online (1 in 5 say they have been threatened more than once). Eight percent of victims attempt suicide. In an average class of twenty, that translates to nine bullied; of those nine, seven threatened; and of those seven, two who attempt suicide. That is unacceptable.
Cyberbullying is when we are threatened, harassed, humiliated, or embarrassed by another child using the Internet or other forms of communicative technology. When it involves adults, it is called cyber-harassment. Perpetrators can pretend they falsify their identities, spread rumors about victims, lure personal information from victims, send vituperative text messages, and post pictures without consent. Often times, this can result in a drop in self-esteem, a lowering in performance, depression, or even suicide.
How can we help? As always, you have to know your stuff. Being able to recognize cyberbullying when it is happening or has happened becomes crucial to the prevention of it. For more information, check out http://www.cyberbullying.us or http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying.
Pay it forward. What I mean is passing along tips on how to prevent cyberbullying. You can even conduct a presentation on cyberbullying at your Key Club meeting! Try talking to your school administration to announce cyberbullying tips during the morning announcements.
- Refuse to participate in cyberbullying.
- Tell friends to stop cyberbullying.
- Report cyberbullying to a trusted adult.
- Never share personal information online.
Random FACT:
Approximately 80% of all child abuse is perpetrated by parents.
Download a child abuse awareness PowerPoint.
Approximately 80% of all child abuse is perpetrated by parents.
Download a child abuse awareness PowerPoint.
Advocacy, as you should already know, means speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, but that may be an oversimplification; advocacy means much more. As advocates, we do much more than we can imagine. We not only get the word out, but also act on it. We make a difference. That being said, the New Jersey District Advocacy subcommittee would like to give thanks for your efforts as Key Clubbers and advocates to make a difference for oppressed pets in the fall. Moreover, since you have been doing such an outstanding job, we would like to introduce to you the New Jersey District Advocacy focus for the winter: child abuse. Remember, however, the fall advocacy focus is not over. Continue to advocate for both the rights of animals and begin to advocate for the rights of children.
Now, what is child abuse? The medical definition of child abuse is "doing something or failing to do something that results in harm to a child or puts a child at risk of harm," but that too is an oversimplification. Child abuse is a perpetual cycle of mental and physical torment. Child abuse is years of repressed pain that lingers with a victim for the rest of his or her life. Child abuse is a problem.
How can we help out? Know your stuff. Learn how to recognize cases of abuse and neglect and if necessary, speak to a responsible adult about a concern. Unfortunately, however, it is not practical or safe to confront the issue yourself. Nevertheless, there are still many options open to you!
Pass the word on. Whether it is just to your friends, classmates, or elementary students, set up a presentation in which you inform your peers of how to recognize and prevent child abuse in your community. Even little things such as giving one or two child abuse facts at each Key Club meeting to raise awareness helps! The more people that know, the more effective the movement will be.
Look towards helping organizations. Because it is difficult to confront an issue directly, intermediaries between you and the victim will be better equipped to solve the problem. A simple search on your favorite search engine will direct you to these locations.
With your help and the help of everyone else, we can make a difference in the community by advocating the New Jersey Key Club's winter advocacy focus!
"A report of child abuse occurs every ten seconds."Did you know that? I didn't. That is one report in the time I take to type this sentence. That is six reports in one minute. That is 360 reports over the course of your favorite episode of Glee, House, or The Office. Numbers are one thing, but the actual victimization is much more shocking.
Now, what is child abuse? The medical definition of child abuse is "doing something or failing to do something that results in harm to a child or puts a child at risk of harm," but that too is an oversimplification. Child abuse is a perpetual cycle of mental and physical torment. Child abuse is years of repressed pain that lingers with a victim for the rest of his or her life. Child abuse is a problem. How can we help out? Know your stuff. Learn how to recognize cases of abuse and neglect and if necessary, speak to a responsible adult about a concern. Unfortunately, however, it is not practical or safe to confront the issue yourself. Nevertheless, there are still many options open to you!
Pass the word on. Whether it is just to your friends, classmates, or elementary students, set up a presentation in which you inform your peers of how to recognize and prevent child abuse in your community. Even little things such as giving one or two child abuse facts at each Key Club meeting to raise awareness helps! The more people that know, the more effective the movement will be.
Look towards helping organizations. Because it is difficult to confront an issue directly, intermediaries between you and the victim will be better equipped to solve the problem. A simple search on your favorite search engine will direct you to these locations.
With your help and the help of everyone else, we can make a difference in the community by advocating the New Jersey Key Club's winter advocacy focus!
If you have any questions or comments, get in touch with Rachel Orbach, the 2009-2010 Advocacy chairperson.
Advocacy can be defined as publicly supporting, or speaking on the behalf of those who cannot speak, or promote themselves.
The concept of advocacy is a tough one to grasp, for its definition is vague, however being an advocate is easy! Just pick an organization, charity, or even an idea that you want to advocate for, assemble a committee, contact said organization, and spread the word by a means of ways. One can advocate by simply sending out a message, creating a video, a newsletter, or in any other way really, there are no guidelines!
The biggest misconception of advocacy is that people think money needs to be raised. That is untrue, to advocate does not mean to raise money for, however it isn't discouraged. Most of the time, a word is just spread around and people are informed, yet donations are accepted.
This year, the Advocacy subcommittee of the District Programs committee and all of the organizations they are advocating for all follow the idea of a dysfunctional family, in any way, shape, or form. What this means is every one of the three organizations we're choosing to advocate for this year relates to every aspect of a broken up, or less than "ideal" family, and by advocating these organizations we hope to reach out to and attract all of the demographics within the New Jersey Key Club.
We have chosen to advocate for each branch of a family. In order to do this we started with pets and picked ASPCA, or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, whose mission is within the name, the ASPCA fights animal cruelty and works to put an end to it.
The next demographic we are focusing on is that simply of children. For this group, we have chosen to advocate for CAPA, or the Child Abuse Prevention Association. CAPA's mission is to "prevent and treat all forms of child abuse by creating changes in individuals, families and society that strengthen relationships and promote healing." We hope that the members of Key Club who can relate to CAPA with younger siblings, relatives, or friends, can reach out and spread the word.
Finally, the last demographic we are advocating for is that of our own age group, teens. This was indeed, the hardest to pick, for it attracts the largest group, every Key Clubber is a teenager and we didn't want to single anyone out. Many organizations dealt strictly with one issue or attracted only one gender. Eventually after leaving the spot vacant and open to ideas, the committee found Safe at Home, an organization founded by the Yankees own Joe Torre and simply deals with making the home a safe, comfortable place not to fear. We hope many teens will be able to relate.
Now that you know what advocacy is and how to spread the word and this year's advocacy focus, get out there and advocate for your favorite charity! You can even relate an advocacy subcommittee of your own in your club with a specific directive that many can relate to, for example, disease, education, or dysfunctional families. Have fun advocating, Key Clubbers!
If you have any questions or comments, get in touch with Rachel Orbach, the 2009-2010 Advocacy chairperson.
The concept of advocacy is a tough one to grasp, for its definition is vague, however being an advocate is easy! Just pick an organization, charity, or even an idea that you want to advocate for, assemble a committee, contact said organization, and spread the word by a means of ways. One can advocate by simply sending out a message, creating a video, a newsletter, or in any other way really, there are no guidelines!
The biggest misconception of advocacy is that people think money needs to be raised. That is untrue, to advocate does not mean to raise money for, however it isn't discouraged. Most of the time, a word is just spread around and people are informed, yet donations are accepted.
This year, the Advocacy subcommittee of the District Programs committee and all of the organizations they are advocating for all follow the idea of a dysfunctional family, in any way, shape, or form. What this means is every one of the three organizations we're choosing to advocate for this year relates to every aspect of a broken up, or less than "ideal" family, and by advocating these organizations we hope to reach out to and attract all of the demographics within the New Jersey Key Club.
We have chosen to advocate for each branch of a family. In order to do this we started with pets and picked ASPCA, or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, whose mission is within the name, the ASPCA fights animal cruelty and works to put an end to it.The next demographic we are focusing on is that simply of children. For this group, we have chosen to advocate for CAPA, or the Child Abuse Prevention Association. CAPA's mission is to "prevent and treat all forms of child abuse by creating changes in individuals, families and society that strengthen relationships and promote healing." We hope that the members of Key Club who can relate to CAPA with younger siblings, relatives, or friends, can reach out and spread the word.
Finally, the last demographic we are advocating for is that of our own age group, teens. This was indeed, the hardest to pick, for it attracts the largest group, every Key Clubber is a teenager and we didn't want to single anyone out. Many organizations dealt strictly with one issue or attracted only one gender. Eventually after leaving the spot vacant and open to ideas, the committee found Safe at Home, an organization founded by the Yankees own Joe Torre and simply deals with making the home a safe, comfortable place not to fear. We hope many teens will be able to relate.
Now that you know what advocacy is and how to spread the word and this year's advocacy focus, get out there and advocate for your favorite charity! You can even relate an advocacy subcommittee of your own in your club with a specific directive that many can relate to, for example, disease, education, or dysfunctional families. Have fun advocating, Key Clubbers!
If you have any questions or comments, get in touch with Rachel Orbach, the 2009-2010 Advocacy chairperson.