How do you decide where to volunteer?

            I have written before that I intend to incorporate service into life after graduation. I love my city, and I feel that it is important to repay the community for all of the great opportunities it has afforded me. Therefore, I committed in July to volunteering at least once a week.

            My commitment to volunteer was immediately challenged. As I searched for volunteer opportunities, I was absolutely inundated. There are so many organizations looking for volunteers. The sheer number of opportunities was overwhelming. I was simply unable to choose an organization to join for ongoing volunteer efforts. I responded by instead choosing singular opportunities for volunteering. I reasoned that volunteering at a single event requires less commitment, so I could afford to risk a few bad experiences. Unfortunately, I am too busy to continue this strategy as well.

 

           Because my time is severely limited, it is important that I use my time as effectively as possible. I can only reach my goals if I choose those activities that provide the greatest benefits. Although this principle applies to volunteering as well, I have struggled to evaluate the value of volunteer opportunities. Therefore, I would like to propose three criteria for evaluating volunteer opportunities.

 

Criterion 1: Community Impact  

            Of course, volunteering is fundamentally about helping others. Volunteers choose to donate their time to help others. Because our time is more limited than our needs, the opportunities that do the most good should be prioritized.

Unfortunately, this criterion is difficult to use. It is very difficult to determine which opportunities do the most good. There are so many different needs to address, and so many different communities to serve. Choosing a cause requires judging relative need, and effectiveness of programs addressing that need. I am still struggling to include this criterion into my calculations, but I generally try to favor those opportunities that most effectively address the most basic need in the long term.

 

Criterion 2: Personal Development

            Personal development is always a priority for me. I believe it is very important to choose activities that build my capacity for future good. Therefore, I try to favor opportunities that provide valuable skills, knowledge, and connections. This is especially important now as I search for work.
           I recently joined the James F. Farr Academy Golf Committee for this purpose. This committee will meet over the next year to plan a golf tournament to benefit the James F. Farr Academy. I joined to gain more experience as an event planner, and also increase my value as a job candidate.

 

Criterion 3: Personal Experience

            Volunteering is also a way to experience things I otherwise could not afford. I have noticed that many very interesting events have entrance fees. Since graduation I have become painfully aware that expenses add up, especially when you are searching for work. If I feel that an entrance fee is prohibitive, I will offer to volunteer at the event. As a volunteer, I get free entrance as well as a chance to enjoy the event whenever I am not busy.
            I volunteered at A Taste of Allston, hosted by the Allston Village Main Streets, for this reason. A Taste of Allston is an annual event that allows community members to try food from a variety of Allston eateries. It is also a good event, but tickets cost $20. Although this is far less expensive than similar events in other neighborhoods, I still prefer to avoid the cost. Thankfully, I was allowed to volunteer at the event in 2011 and 2012.

 

          While I am not completely satisfied with these criteria, I think they are a start. I would love to hear what others think about my criteria. If you volunteer, how do you choose where to volunteer? Do you think the criteria I suggested are helpful?

Boston Caribbean Carnival 2012

Why should you care about a carnival? There are plenty of things to do on a Saturday. Why would you want to attend the Boston Caribbean Carnival 2012?

 

 Yes you!

 

Do you like politics?

            Do you care about your community? Of course you do. Do you like politics? Well, maybe not. The problem with politics today is that it’s so negative. You can never just support something; you always have to oppose something else just as much. Campaigns funnel billions into negative ads, and the media fans the flames. It is so bad that it seems expressing any political opinion automatically provokes some sort of backlash.

None of that holds true at a parade. Marching in a parade is a totally positive way to participate in politics, which is altogether too rare in our modern elections. Parades let you demonstrate your energetic support for something without fear of opposition. Even when opponents meet at parades, it always remains positive. I think that is worth a 1.5 mile, 45 minute march on a Saturday.

            I marched with City Councilor Tito Jackson, who happened to be the Grand Marshall of the parade. I met Tito Jackson in 2009 while serving in student government, and we have stayed in contact since. I support Councilor Jackson as a community leader and a public servant. He is totally focused on helping his constitutes solve the problems facing their community. I respect that motivation, and so do his constituents: every time I march with him, people make a point to tell me the ways Councilor Jackson helped them. I absolutely support that kind of work.

           

Tito Jackson and me, before he got his fabulous sash.

 

Do you like music and dance?

            If you enjoy music and dance, then the carnival is obviously for you. It was the heart and soul of the carnival. You absolutely could not miss it.

 

There was not a silent foot along the entire route the whole time.

 

            You have to admire how passionate Caribbeans are about their music and their dance. At the carnival, the masqueraders completely lost themselves in the performance. They had no shame.

 

I do mean no shame.

            The masqueraders were having so much fun, they could not care about anything else. That feeling was contagious.

 

It may not look like it, but that cop was tearing it up.

 

            As if their passion along was not enough, the masqueraders wore amazing costumes. They ranged from simple, to stunningly beautiful, to downright strange.

 

Seriously, what is that?

Do you like shopping and cultural exploration?

            Then you could visit the bazaar at the end of the parade route. In front of the Franklin Park Zoo, vendors gathered to sell Caribbean and Caribbean-American food, clothes, and jewelry.

 

Boston is not known for bazaars.

 

            It was also a chance to learn a little more about Caribbean culture. I for one tried the Jamaican fruit guinep for the first time. It was exciting. I really like fruit, so it is rare for me to find a type of fruit I have not already tried.

 

Guinep lady, I will love you forever.

If you cannot tell, I had a ball at the Boston Caribbean Carnival 2012. It was way more fun than I expected. I highly recommend you try it next time. You could march with a politician in the front. You could contact the Caribbean American Carnival Association of Boston to be a masquerader or vender.

You could just jump in.

 Everyone else did.

 

۞۞۞

 

You can check the links below for other accounts of the parade. I will add links as I find them.

 

BPD Post about the Carnival

 

Video from the Boston Globe

Blog Relaunch

This blog started as an experiment. I launched this blog early in July. At the time, I was struggling with the transition from college life at Boston University to professional life in Boston. In my introduction, I tried to explain the jarring effect of losing the activities, social networks, and support systems I spent four years building. I felt a little overwhelmed at the prospect of completely rebuilding my life after four years in college. I needed new ways to structure my life, and I chose a blog as one of those ways.

When I started, I did not have clear plans. I had a limited exposure to blogging. I did know of some of the more important concepts, like branding, content delivery, and marketing. I just did not know how to fully implement this knowledge. Rather than wait until I did, I chose to learn by doing. I played with my blog throughout July. It was fun, but I was never really satisfied.

I guess this dissatisfaction lead to my unexpected hiatus in August. During that time, I thought about the future of this blog. I decided to completely relaunch my blog. Over the next month, I will rebuild my blog from the ground up. I plan to move to Wordpress, start regular segments, and improve interaction with readers. I plan to relaunch on my birthday.

Please check my blog for more details. I will definitely be looking for advice and criticism.

Boston Rotaract Speaker and General Meeting

            It has been quite a while since I last posted here. I have certainly had plenty of things to blog about, but I have not had the time to write any of them. I have started several posts, only to be distracted and delayed until I cancel them. I have to break this pattern, so I decided to write about an interesting event I attended last week: the Boston Rotaract Speaker and General Meeting.

            I have written before that I intend to incorporate service into my life after college. Student government was a big part of my life at Boston University, and I am looking for an organization that can fill the same role now. Earlier this month, I searched Meetup.com for groups dedicated to volunteering. I found Boston Rotaract. For those of you who do not know, Rotaract is the Rotary Club affiliate for young men and women. Like the Rotary Club, Rotaract is dedicated to promoting service in personal, business, community life. I was glad to find Boston Rotaract, because it seemed like exactly what I wanted: an organization dedicated to strengthening my local community through service. I joined on August 14, and immediately RSVP'd for the next event.

            The Boston Rotaract Speaker and General Meeting held last Thursday night was my first event with the club. The thirteen attendees, including four new members, gathered in a room provided Fisher College. It was a remarkably diverse group. It included a high school student, a few recent college graduates, and a few young professionals. The room was fairly evenly split between men and women. The group was also racially diverse (I did not keep notes on the racial composition of the group, because that would be creepy). A few of the officers were immigrants as well. As a result, the atmosphere at the event was inviting.

The event was split in two parts. From 7:00PM to 7:45PM, the club hosted a “Professional Development Speaker.” About once a month, the club hosts a speaker to talk about a topic related to philanthropy, professional development, or life as a young professional. This time, the speaker was Julianna Morrall representing Flying Kites, an organization that serves orphans in Kenya. She explained the organization, its mission, and the orphan crisis in Kenya. The format was mostly Q&A style, so it seemed more like a conversation than a lecture. I found it to be an enlightening conversation at that. I do not spend much of my time thinking about orphans, so I was surprised to learn that there are over 2 million orphans in Kenya. That is such a huge number that it can only be called a crisis. I honestly cannot do the issue justice here, so if you want to help please do some research on your own.

After the speaker, the general meeting started. Boston Rotaract hosts these meetings on the first and third Thursday of the month to discuss the club’s events. I will be honest: general meetings are never very interesting, but this one was relatively good as meetings go. It provided a good introduction to the club in a friendly and efficient way. The meeting ended just before 9PM, and many of the attendees went to a bar to socialize.

I know that I only attended one meeting, but I would still recommend Boston Rotaract. I very much enjoyed my time there, and I am eager to participate more in the future. I strongly suggest that any Bostonians from 18 to 30 with an interest in service give Boston Rotaract a try. Just join the meetup group or like the Facebook page, and then attend a meeting. It is worth the (minimal) effort.

Hubway's Birthday Bash

            Yesterday, Hubway celebrated its first birthday. The milestone was commemorated with Hubway’s Birthday Bash, and everyone was invited to the party. I learned about the event yesterday morning from @BostonTweet (a twitter feed you should all follow). The event promised “live music, food, and fun.” How could I say no to that?

            For those of you who do not know, Hubway is Boston’s bike sharing program. Users can basically rent bikes on-demand at stations across the city. Hubway launched last year with 600 bicycles at 61 stations. Of course, you probably know all of that, because Hubway is incredibly popular.

            While I may not be a cyclist, I am a fan of Hubway. I believe that transportation is central to the future of all cities, Boston included. To continue growing, Boston needs a 21^st century transportation system that can accommodate high volume with less reliance on automobiles. Hubway is already a vital part of that transportation system. Hubway is growing in size: the system is set to expand to more than 1000 bicycles in almost 110 stations, with new stations covering Cambridge, Brookline, and Somerville. Hubway is also integrating into the established mass transit system, as reported by BostInno (a blog you should all read). I am excited to see the system grow further in the coming years.

            Apparently, I am not the only fan of Hubway. The event was absolutely packed. Hundreds filled the BSA Space to celebrate Hubway’s first birthday.

This is the line for the beer.

            Aside from live music and food, the event offered an opportunity to learn about biking. The event served at the opening of an exhibit about bicycling in Boston, called "Let's Talk About Bikes." To be honest, I was not sure what to expect from an exhibit about bicycles. I certainly did not expect what I got. The exhibit mostly featured infographic stickers on the floor, with information about bicycling in Boston.

Inforgraphics in the corner of the exhibit.

The graphics were more interesting than I expected. My favorite displayed an open-source map of bicycle accidents from batchgeo.com.

The Boston Bicycle Accident Survey map, showing accident totals across the city. 

           I think this event shows how much Boston has developed a bike culture. The event was just as uncomfortable as you would expect a small, crowded space filled with people looking at the floor would be. Still, everyone seemed to enjoy the event. Mayor Menino’s quick speech was well received. Attendees were happy to network with advocacy groups like the LivableStreets Alliance and MassBike.

The exhibit had some strange fixation on hanging bikes.

[The Boston Globe also wrote about the event, so you can read that article here.]

Why the Gun Control Debate is Counterproductive

At the end of my post on Friday, I mentioned that I was afraid that the theatre shooting in Aurora would inspire another pointless gun control debate. Unfortunately, it seems that I was right. After the horrific shooting, gun control advocates rushed to demand gun control legislation in tweets, blog posts, op-eds. Gun rights advocates responded by suggesting that gun laws will not stop criminals, but will prevent law-abiding citizens from defending themselves. The debate continued on the Sunday morning political talk shows yesterday morning. Soon this debate will enter the halls of Congress: Senator Frank Lautenberg has already promised to sponsor a new gun control bill.

In light of this controversy, I would like to explain my comments. I do not believe that the gun control debate is pointless because, as some commentators have noted, it is unlikely to change policy. The problem with the gun control debate is its preoccupation with guns. The debate centers on the question of access to firearms: should access to firearms be broad, or limited? Gun control advocates note that guns facilitate deadly acts of violence. Therefore, they argue that access to guns should be restricted. Gun rights advocates counter that guns are tools that can be used for good or ill. They claim that criminals will use guns despite the law, while law abiding citizens can only use legal guns for defense. Therefore, they argue that access to guns should be broad. Add statistics, emotional anecdotes, and appeals to the Founding Fathers on both sides, and you have the gun control debate that has periodically raged in this country for decades.

I believe that the gun control debate is worse than pointless. I believe this debate prevents us from making real progress toward a society without violence. Focusing on gun use allows us to avoid a very unsettling truth: sane people choose to commit acts of violence in our society. These acts of violence include rape, assault, domestic abuse, armed robbery, and bullying as well as gun violence. Neither increasing nor decreasing access to guns will change the fact that people choose to hurt other people. Accepting this truth leads to a question I believe will garner much more productive debate: why do sane people choose to commit acts of violence? This question will require uncomfortable soul-searching, but it could lead us to identifying the systemic causes of violence in our society. With this knowledge, we could then redesign our society to disallow the use of violence in all its forms. We may never eliminate violence, but we will certainly make no progress until we look past the gun to the person holding it.

Violence in our Society

I visited Ringer Park for the first time yesterday. I had intended to write a glowing piece about the park and showcase my photography, but then I read this article in the Boston Globe. I did not realize that Ringer Park was the site of Kanagala Seshadri Rao’s murder. Reading about it again tainted my visit to the park.

In April, this tragedy really affected me as a Boston University student. It upsets me that a community resource like Ringer Park could be marred by crime. Ringer Park is beautiful. I very much enjoyed my visit, and I am happy with the pictures I took. Moreover, residents volunteer their time and energy to maintain the park. Crime should not prevent community members from enjoying the community resources they support.

While discussing the Boston Globe article, I learned about a more recent act of violence across the country. Everyone seems to be discussing the horrific shooting in Aurora. It certainly deserves discussion. The act ended the lives of a dozen young people, and injured dozens more. Tragedies like this should not happen. The fact that they do with such frequency is a sign that there is something wrong with our society.

I have thought a great deal about violence in the last few days. I have wondered about the source of violence in our society, and what we can do to reduce it. Violence is very difficult to unravel and analyze: violence is an incredibly complicated phenomenon which seems to manifest in every aspect of human interaction. However, I do have a few thoughts.

The institutions that shape our society fail to meet the basic human needs of our population. Our economic institutions leave many in abject poverty. Our social institutions leave people isolated and unhappy. Our healthcare system leaves people chronically ill. Our educational system leaves people ignorant and unskilled. Whichever human need you consider, there are millions of people in this country who suffer from neglect.

Faced with consistent neglect, people turn to forceful means to fulfill their needs. Our ancestors evolved many strategies to fulfill their needs, and force is one of those strategies. Today, desperate people still resort to violence. This strategy is obvious when employed to meet economic needs: poor people sometimes resort to thievery or drug-pushing for an income. This strategy is less obvious in other contexts: bullies often abuse other students to gain confidence.

We have a culture that permits violence because we have institutions that frustrate efforts to end violence. Most people would agree in principal that murder, rape, and theft are bad; many would also recognize bullying, sexual coercion, and domestic abuse as wrong. However, our institutional design makes it difficult to act on these beliefs. The problem seems so overwhelmingly large, and our options so few and vague, that many conclude they cannot make a difference. Rather than admit that there are societal injustices in which they are complicit, these people learn to avoid or even justify acts of violence. Examples of this behavior are common. Domestic abuse is avoided on the grounds of privacy ("it's none of my business what they do in their home"). Rape is justified by criticizing survivors' clothes or behavior ("she was asking for it"). Bullying is justified as a normal part of youth ("boys will be boys").

I am not sure that I am completely right, but I felt I had to say something. For all the discussion the Aurora shooting inspired, I am afraid we will only get another pointless debate on gun control and mental illness. We have already had that debate so many times. I hope this time we can get a little closer to addressing the pervasive violence in our country. I really do not want to read about another mass shooting.