Hearing on Sex Education at City Hall

On Tuesday, February 15th, Boston's City Council held a hearing on the state of sex education in the Boston Public Schools.

This hearing came about because the Hyde Square Task Force and their youth organizers created a documentary about the scarcity of comprehensive sex education and its consequences.

Students are asking for better, more comprehensive sex education, which includes conversations about healthy relationships, STI's, and peer pressure.  They are also asking for more availability of condoms at high schools.

In my social work experience, I've had the pleasure of being able to visit the State House quite often for various reasons, but this was the first time I had attended a hearing in City Hall.  The room was packed!  They needed to start filtering people into other rooms that had televisions so that they could still watch what was happening.

The big players were all at this event - Boston Public Schools, Boston Public Health Commission, Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice, Massachusetts Alliance on teen Pregnancy, and of course the Hyde Square Task Force and student representatives from various youth organizations.

But there were also representatives who agreed on the availability of comprehensive sex education with a strong emphasis on abstinence and disagreed about the availability of condoms for high school students.

City Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley was really a champion on this effort.  She asked the right questions to the various people who were testifying for and against the subject of the hearing.  It's great to see that the city is listening, especially when the strongest voices are those of the youth.

Many of those that disagreed with subject of hearing had the usual arguments.  One woman spoke about how sex education in schools undermined the testament in the Bible about honoring thy mother and thy father. But City Councilor Pressley reiterated previous testimonies that stated that while parents want to be the first resource for their kids, they don't often know how to broach the topic.

The first group who testified against the distribution of condoms was from Pure at Heart, based out of Harvard University.  They read statistics from countries around the world that showed that more condom availability means that more teens will just have sex.  They also stated that it would be wrong to recommend a product that is not 100% effective in preventing STI's.  Councilor Pressley then stated that their argument would be related to wearing a seatbelt -which is not 100% effective in preventing harm during a car accident.  The Pure at Heart representatives then started using drunk driving as an analogy to sex, which in all honesty, was pretty incorrect.

The one shocking testimony for me was from a medical doctor.  Though I couldn't hear too much of his arguments because he wasn't speaking too clearly into the microphone, he not only disagreed about the effectiveness of condoms (stating that they need to be used correctly to be the most effective, which begs the question, "How are people supposed to know how to use a condom without education?"), but also blamed the prevalence of teen sex on the lack of a strong two-parent home.

Truth be told, my eyes went wide at that comment.  I cautiously looked around at adults and kids in the room and questioned if anyone would take his comment personally.  While I agree about having positive adult male and female role models in everyone's life, it would be wrong to say that those positive adults can ONLY be parents.  How many of the people in the hearing come from single-parent households, but also have other positive adults in their lives?

Truth be told, it seemed that most of the people who disagreed with condom availability mainly spoke about how "kids don't know any better."  They talked about how having more condoms would mean that kids would want to try them out, but then not use them correctly and just pass all types of diseases to each other.

As someone who is a believer in youth empowerment, it was frustrating and disheartening to hear those arguments.  While the adults are ultimately the ones passing the laws, I really believe that the youth have the ability to make informed, educated opinions about very difficult topics.  They have to maneuver the murky waters of relationships, friendships, waking up to get to school on time, homework, work, and so many other things.  The fact that so many of them are able to do this is an achievement in an of itself, and the adults have to remember that.

I definitely agree that comprehensive sex education includes not only a conversation about anatomy and STI's, but about all prevention methods including abstinence, about healthy relationships and peer pressure, and about the ability to make a choice.

I connected with the Boston Public School representatives, and will hopefully get involved in a task force to further work on the creation of a comprehensive curriculum.

I really feel extremely passionate about this field, and am really feeling that this is where my path is leading me.  But, I don't want to wait around for an opportunity.  I really want to seize it.  I'm ready and willing, good, giving, and game.

Flexing My American Rights

Today is Election Day in the United States.

I am personally one who believes that if one doesn't vote, they basically give up their right to complain about anything that's going wrong.  I also believe that some of the people I know who are unable to vote for various reasons are probably more deserving of that right than those who don't voice their choice.

It's always interesting to me when people are "not into politics."  It's fine to be frustrated by it all.  But it just feels so important to know what's going on just to be able to protect your rights.

So, while I'm not wanting to scare away my readers, I want to stress that I also agree to disagree.  I won't care less for you as a human being if you don't agree with me.

Now while I've always believed in the the power of voting, I've never taken much more of a role other than casting my ballot.

Since I've been unemployed, a friend recommended that I sign up to be a poll worker.  Apparently, for the one election day, a poll worker would work the entire day and be paid a stipend.  I hesitated a bit, just because I wasn't sure what I would be doing on election day.  But I went for it, and before I knew it, I was assigned as an Inspector to my voting location, but for a different ward and precinct.

Allston-Brighton Wards 21 and 22
and their Precincts

Training
Since it was my first time working the polls, I had to attend a short training.  I made my way to Boston's City Hall, and sat in a room full of new Inspectors.

Some things I learned from this training include information about who the Inspectors (people who help check you in, check you out, explain the ballot, tell you where you need to go by putting up signs and greeting you at the door, and anything else that might need to be done), Clerks (people who help check you in, keep track of numbers, and keep track of the voters), and Wardens (basically the big boss, who decides when breaks are, what your roles are, in charge of the ballot machine, and in charge of everything) are.

I also learned that people will generally ask questions that have already been asked.  Also, people are generally unappreciative of the choices that they are able to make.

At one point during the training, I realized that people were getting really grumpy at the training leader.  They were unhappy that things were going so slow or that people were asking the same questions, and I just heard a lot of mumbling and grumbling.

I was getting a bit annoyed at the time suck, but I knew that I had signed up and sent in my application for this job.  Naturally, I would need to be trained on how to do my job correctly, and it would have been a horrible idea to go into the polling place completely unaware of my job duties.

But seriously, I felt that I had nothing to complain about considering that we were all being PAID to attend the training.  I really just wanted to say, "Suck it up, people.  Be thankful that you even have this opportunity."

Official

Working the Polls
Gosh, this has been the earliest I've had to wake up in a really long time that didn't involve a shoe avalanche caused by Mencken.

Today, I worked from 6am-8pm.  I just have to say right off the bat that my feet are killing me!  Even though I was wearing comfortable shoes, my tootsies are exhausted.  Being who I am (that is, an event organizer), I was up on my feet a lot mainly because I couldn't just sit there when I saw that things needed to be done.

I also want to say right off the bat that this was one of the most rewarding voting experiences of my life.

"Do you know what ward you vote at?"
Firstly, it was fascinating to see how many people are completely unaware of where they need to vote, and even more fascinating how many people have not gone through the appropriate channels to change their information with the election department.  I understand that Allston and Brighton have a lot of residents who move a lot, so it makes sense that people might not know the specifics of where they vote.

By the end of the day, people were definitely more frustrated with the entire process.  They had worked a full day, some had come from the wrong location, and some had come into the wrong location.  At one point, one woman was exhausted and frustrated at being redirected to our location, stating that the previous poll workers were rude and she basically cried before heading to us.

Once 5pm hit, I started to greet people at the door and direct them to their correct table.  I really think it helped to lessen the clusterfuck at the doorways and prevented people from standing for a long time in the wrong line.

"I'm from the University."
One interesting experience (that hits on how much people take their rights for granted) was when one dude came in trying to take pictures of the polls and voting.  He took a picture, and I suddenly felt like he was really impinging on peoples privacy.  I called to him saying that I really wasn't sure why he was taking pictures and directed him to talk to the Warden.

As I stated earlier, the Warden is in charge of the entire show.  One thing I knew was that if I was uncertain about anything, I needed to ask the Warden.  She echoed my sentiments on uncertainty, and luckily there was someone from the Election Department present at the moment.  He proceeded to call someone and settle on the fact that no one knew who this guy was and hadn't been told about someone coming in to take pictures.

This guy had the most irritating attitude.  His responses consisted of, "I'm from the University Pollworkers Project" (to which I thought, ya..um..which university in Boston and so what?), and "I've been taking pictures all day at the State House" (to which I said, Ya well, this isn't the State House.).

I couldn't believe the crap that was coming out of his mouth.  If he's part of the Suffolk University Pollworkers Project, shouldn't he just go to the polls where Suffolk University students are working?  He didn't even ask if anyone was a student before taking pictures of the voting area.

Everything he said to justify what he was doing just felt so entitled.  And now that I know what this Pollworkers Project is, I feel like I now understand why I felt very little appreciation for the position at the training I attended.

Staying Impartial
Truly, the most difficult thing I had to do today was assist two different women in filling out their ballots.  One woman was legally blind and needed someone to read the names and the questions.  Another woman had hurt her hand and was unable to use it.  One of them voted for the Republican candidate for Governor, and it hurt my soul a bit to fill out that bubble.  Another woman voted very differently on the questions from how I voted, and it also felt difficult to explain them to her without sounding biased.

It's part of our job to not influence votes.  And it was definitely an exercise in restraint. 

Profiling
While I'm a little frustrated at the Suffolk University Pollworkers Project, especially considering that I would prefer more of the long time residents to sign up as poll workers, I understand the basis of it.  The majority of poll workers are much older, while all the voters are much younger.  I do think that more residents should know about this opportunity and really take advantage of it.

I definitely found myself asking specific questions depending on what I noticed from the people who walked through the door.  For example, I would ask, "Do you know what ward your vote at?" to anyone who seemed younger than 40.  However, to anyone who seemed older I would ask, "Do you know where you need to go?"

I definitely caught myself whenever the words would leave my mouth.  Near the end of the evening, I started just asking, "Do you know what ward you vote at?" to everyone who came in through the door.

Highly Recommended
Overall, it was great interacting with so many people who have worked the polls for so many years.  It was fun to chat with them and I felt so welcomed as the newbie.  I chatted a lot with one of the Police Officers that was assigned to work with us in the morning, and connected to all the workers present. 

One of my favorite things was to greet people who said, "This is my first time."  How amazing!  How inspiring!  How really, truly American.  To be there and be part of someone's initiation rites as an American citizen is really a powerful experience.

It was fascinating to be behind the scenes of the voting polls.  It really made me appreciate the poll workers more than I ever have before.  It make me appreciate efficiency as well as being prepared before showing up to vote.  It made me appreciate the entire political process.

I would most definitely do this again every election year if possible, and I highly recommend the experience to all my peers.

Living the American Dream

There's been a lot of talk in the news about immigration lately.  From all this business in Arizona to all the attacks on the 14th amendment.

I'm not going to wax poetic about why all of these recent events are just so wrong, but I do want to say that it's a shame that families and especially children are being attacked in all of this.

But I have been thinking a lot about a lot of the reasoning behind families immigrating into the United States.  Specifically, I've thought a lot about the American Dream.

Part of what I understand to be the "American Dream" is that the United States is the "land of opportunity."  Opportunities for jobs, better education, better standard of living.  Who wouldn't want something like that for their children?

Thought I think there's something to be said for finding ways to improve ones situation, I also think there's something to be said for absolute desperation.  There is desperation in abandoning all that you've ever known to go to brave a new world.

Don't get me wrong.  My mom and I moved to Los Angeles from the Philippines when I was 4 years old after being petitioned by my dad who was already living here with his family. We were lucky to already have the family connection, but I'm sure that part of the reason for moving to the U.S. was for that "American Dream."

The "American Dream" never felt so real for me until I was home in Los Angeles after our trip to Greece.

There's been a lot of movement and moving around in our house.  The weekend I was home, my siblings were also home, and my dad came home from working in Fresno.  But on Monday, I got to see how the regular day to day played out.

One of our cousins live with us, and she works the night shift.  My mom wakes up early to head to work, and gets home usually in the afternoon.  My dad is gone during the week, having been placed in Fresno, about 3 hours away.  My brother is living in Irvine, working hard and occasionally coming home on the weekends.  My sister is in San Francisco for school.  And of course, I am 3000 miles away in Boston.

Now, being home in Los Angeles for me is a constant string of questions starting in "When" and ending in "are you moving back home?"

I constantly have that question playing through my mind, especially being unemployed.  Watching my mom and cousin go through the motions of their days was somewhat eye opening.  I have always imagined our house as constantly lively, loud with laughter and smelling of Filipino cooking.  To see that it was more subdued and quiet, and perhaps even lonely, made me realize why I was always asked the same question over and over.

But, I ask, isn't this just part of the "American Dream?"  To have your children grow up, go to college, and find careers?  And isn't part of that experience to have a nice house that is basically empty because you've done your job of rearing your kids to get involved in higher education, have various job opportunities, and raise their standard of living by owning their own empty house one day?

Obviously, no one has to live up to those specific ideals.  But I do feel that it's one of the residual parts of attaining that dream, a part that no one really thinks about.  Interestingly, I do know that it is also portrayed in the media, but they mainly show you the young person's perspective as that is who they're marketing to.

So, here I am, back in Boston, living out that "American Dream."  I wish it was more like those movies, where I get to go home to do my laundry, or I go to visit my crazy family and some hilarious series of events happen which lead to someone finding the love of their life for the movie.

Instead, some of the joys of "being an adult" and being on my own is coupled with some of the loneliness of being away from the family and knowing that some of the family is away from the home.

Do you think new immigrants are aware of that part of the dream?

Living the dream