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Our Life in the D youth writer |
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In 2011, Michigan’s Children expanded its innovative youth-led journalism program in Detroit from 11 to 25 teen journalists. The project trains youths in journalistic techniques – researching, writing, interviewing, video/photography skills – and helps them understand and explain public policy issues that impact their communities.
Below is an excerpt from a piece written by 16-year-old Sarah Vang of the Osborn community who has been with OLiD for two years. It is illustrative of the dreams our youths have and why we must provide all of them an equitable playing field to achieve their dreams – or at least not allow our government’s policies and funding decisions to create inequities and placing barriers to those dreams.
You can read the full article entitled “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is my Hero!” at http://ourlifeinthed.com/
I grew up believing that one day I’ll be as great and righteous as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., because we share the same birthday, January 15. I was introduced to Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement in elementary school with a video called “Our Friend, Martin” (1999).
I specifically remembered this one clip where white police officers sprayed water from the hoses on to the black people who were protesting segregation. Since I was young I didn’t really understand why this was happening to people but I knew it was wrong and I knew Dr. King had to be special for fighting against it.
As an Asian American, specifically Hmong, I feel a strong connection to Dr. King and what he fought for. During the Secret War in Laos and the Vietnam War, Hmong families were threatened to be wiped out. Hmong people were discriminated against, brutally murdered, raped and poisoned.
The reason why I look up to Dr. King so much is because not only did he stand up for African American rights, but he stood up for all peoples’ rights, Human Rights.
Not to make this sound too deep, but I feel deeply connected to Dr. King. I know that I am destined to do something to help transform many lives. Who knows? I may become an activist advocating for social justice and immigration rights. I am not sure what my purpose is but as I continue to write for Our Life in the D and participate in other youth-driven programs that help to make Detroit better – it sounds cheesy, but I think I’m getting close to my destiny. And that includes embodying the teachings of Dr. King and really making his dream a reality for me and my community. |
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As we look ahead to our priorities and goals for this new year, it’s also important to reflect on accomplishments and progress made in 2011.
The year began with a new Governor unveiling his priorities for the state, expressed through his dashboard indicators, early budget proposals and a series of special messages. To bring to the Governor a consistent message on early childhood, Michigan’s Children continued its long-standing practice of convening early childhood advocates to identify shared policy priorities.
Michigan’s Children 2011 priorities focused on:
- Improving access to mental health consultation for infants and toddlers
- Improving access to a regular consistent source of health care
- Expanding access to early childhood education
Michigan’s Children continued to partner with other advocates to promote dropout prevention, re-engagement and recovery options for young people through administrative and legislative strategies throughout the year.
Unfortunately, as in years past, much of Michigan’s Children’s work in 2011 focused on fending off detrimental cuts to necessary programs in the Fiscal Year 2012 budget. Cuts that remained despite our efforts included changes to the child care subsidy for low-income working families resulting in lower provider payments for relative and aide care, an almost entire elimination of the children’s clothing allowance for low-income families, deep cuts to family support programs, a sharp reduction to the earned income tax credit, stricter 48- and 60-month limits to cash assistance, deep cuts to the K-12 per pupil allotment, and cuts to local public health departments and community mental health.
Michigan’s Children worked hard with Legislators and other advocates to ensure that an additional $6 million for the state’s preschool program for four-year-olds who may be at-risk of school failure was included in the FY 12 budget, as well as $1.5 million for the Nurse Family Partnership program, a voluntary home visitation program that assists first-time moms through their pregnancies and with their new babies. Many programs that serve to remove barriers to learning for young people were maintained at current funding levels. Unfortunately, these small investments may not be enough to offset the detrimental cuts made in other areas and flat funding in many of these supportive programs will not serve to close equity gaps or to improve educational success.
Throughout 2011, Michigan’s Children brought policymakers together with researchers, agency staff and young people to help inform their decision-making. We held a legislative hearing at the HighScope Educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti focusing on the effects of early childhood experience on brain development and the positive outcomes and high return on investment of high quality early childhood care and education programs serving children from birth to age five and their families. Young people’s voices were heard by federal, state and local policymakers, and community leaders in two KidSpeak events and Youth Voice Changing Public Policy events across the state, including one held at the Governor’s Education Summit. Our youth journalists reported on news in their communities in Detroit in ways that can be captured only through their eyes.
The year also brought a re-issuance of the Superintendent’s Dropout Challenge, and Michigan’s Children continues to work to connect the dots between educators and community partners to improve graduation rates even through the 5th and 6th years of high school. In addition, the Office of Great Start was created within the Department of Education and charged with aligning the state’s early learning and development investments to achieve a single set of shared outcomes. A former Michigan’s Children board member, Susan Broman, was named as the Office’s first leader.
We shared all of this information with you and engaged you in the work through our E-Bulletin, our Action Networks, on Facebook, Twitter, and our new staff blog, Speaking for Kids.
We look forward to continuing this work with you in the new year. |
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 Well into his second year as Governor, Rick Snyder should be commended for showing a business executive’s focus on measurable outcomes for a wide range of categories that include child poverty rates, elementary school reading and math scores, and infant mortality.
The data, however, are clear – in those categories and in others, children of color and kids from low-income communities are not succeeding at rates even close to children in white families. And while we applaud the Governor’s “dashboard” of key measurements, we continue to worry that reductions in public support for programs that ameliorate the racial disparities in outcomes for kids will keep more of them trapped in poverty.
Knowing that African American babies are three times more likely than white babies to die before their first birthdays, knowing that more than half of African American children and 44 percent of Latino children live in poverty (compared to 19 percent of white children), and knowing that racial and ethnic disparities in educational achievement are among the worst in the country, we have to ask: What are the Governor and state Legislature doing to address those disparities?
The Governor frequently speaks about focusing efforts on a “P-20” concept of helping children grow up healthy, safe, well-educated and prepared to join the 21st Century workforce. And he uses Michigan’s Children’s definition of “P-20” as meaning “Prenatal to age 20,” acknowledging that all pregnant women need access to prenatal care, and that children at high risk need seamless support in various systems “cradle to career.”
We endorse that framework, but we’d like to see it reflected in a budget that addresses the underlying inequities in resource and opportunity that limits our state’s economic growth. Michigan needs bolder action to close the equity gaps before we can truly begin to hope that all children will have the opportunity to thrive. |
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Your Voice Matters to Make Kids Count in Michigan |
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Each year, every legislative office receives a copy of the Kids Count in Michigan Data Book providing a broad picture of the status of children and families, and connecting the dots between outcomes for kids and the systems that serve them well or fail to do so.
The data outlines trends, identifies areas of concern and helps build policy and program priorities. The Michigan League for Human Services, which researches and writes the report, and Michigan’s Children, which assists in its dissemination and utilization, also help policymakers understand the context behind some of the numbers: where there have been improvements, have there been community efforts that impacted the situation? Or have there been cuts in programs and services that resulted in worsening data in an area?
The Kids Count 2011 Data Book, released in late January, shows that growing poverty is threatening children’s health and well-being, and lowering their chances of success and the state’s chances for a bright future. Nearly a quarter of all Michigan kids were living in poverty in 2009, up from 14 percent in 2000. Even more sobering is that more than one in every 10 kids is living at half the poverty level – less than $11,000 a year for a family of four – a jump from 5 percent to 11 percent. Time spent in poverty contributes to myriad challenges faced by children throughout their lives, including high stress, higher likelihood of obesity and heart disease, and greater chances of dropping out of school.
Your voice can help determine the impact of the 2011 Michigan Kids Count Data Book. Constituent conversation with policymakers is critical to their understanding and utilization of the data. When surveyed, legislators say they find out about children and families in their area from constituents. While most were familiar with Kids Count data, the legislators who really used the information were those who had discussed it with constituents.
Don’t forget to share the good news, too, including drops in teen birth rates, teen deaths and high school dropout rates. Additionally, more students are now considered proficient in math. Michigan also lowered its child death and infant mortality rates, although African American infants are three times less likely to celebrate a first birthday than Caucasian babies.
These improvements happened because of concerted and strategic efforts by schools, districts, cities and towns, health departments, after-school programs, human service agencies and state departments. They happened because of private philanthropic investment and broad public commitment to these issues over time.
To pave the way for more improvements in critical areas of child well-being, more constituents must weigh in on policy decisions. Contact Michigan’s Children’s staff for information about talking with your elected officials. Access our library of materials to help you make your case, and stay involved with us through our Action Networks.
Read more about Kids Count 2011, including media reports at www.michiganschildren.org/Kids-Count-in-Michigan
Purchase or download the 2011 Data Book at http://www.milhs.org/
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