According to the article, Facts & Statistics About Poverty in Brazil, "Poverty levels in Brazil are unacceptably high. They relate to a lack of appropriate medical care as well as the availability of water and sanitation facilities. Access to education, health care and employment are a big problem for many of the poor. The biggest social challenge for the Brazilian government and society is the lack of education, housing, health care and nutrition for the homeless children. Thousands live on the streets, abandoned by parents unable to afford to raise them. These children often abuse drugs, commit crimes and resort to prostitution to survive. The government has developed programs through the Ministry of Social Assistance to combat the poverty and starvation of these homeless children. In 2003 the Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva launched an ambitious program to eliminate poverty in Brazil. The program was called Zero Hunger. “150 000 children under five die every year because of hunger” Frei Betto, adviser to Lula said. He felt the child mortality rates “a scandal”. The program has had allegations of corruption aimed at it but does help many poor families as a report showed in 2007. Betto does however admit the aim for success was initially unrealistic time wise, but that the program is making a difference. Through the program money is given directly to mothers of children instead of the man of the house in the belief this is a more reliable was to ensure children do benefit, and are fed. According to UNICEF about 42 percent of Brazilian children live in poverty. Also approximately one eighth of all Brazilian children live on the streets. The Brazilian government has kept a tight reign on social spending to meet its debt payments despite a firm commitment to end poverty and hunger. Only a fraction of the national budget is allocated to programs benefitting children." I created a blog a few years ago dedicated to the children living in Arcozelo which is a rural area of Brazil. If you are interested in getting involved by sending much needed school supplies to these children, please check out my blog: http://www.childrenofarcozelo.blogspot.com Also, there are some other great non-profits in Brazil including: http://WorldVision.org/Brazil http://http://www.charity-charities.org/Education/Brazil.html http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/brazil.html

Resources: http://kadmiels.hubpages.com/hub/Poverty-in-Brazil

I want to thank all my Walden University colleagues for their support and guidance throughout this course. I have appreciated all of our discussions and realizations. I hope to share more classes with you all in the future. I also want to thank our instructor, Dr. Barbara Walker for an amazing course and for helping me gain new insights on effective communication. Best Wishes and Good luck in the future!

This week you read about the five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Consider the adjourning phase for several of the groups in which you have been involved. Think about which aspects of the groups made for the hardest good-bye. Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? Groups with the clearest established norms? Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why? What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced? How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master's degree in this program? Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork? Some of the hardest goodbyes was when I was a camp counselor and had to say goodbye to my campers on the last night of camp. Sometimes we would all be crying and listening to the song "Leaving on a jet plane." My campers and I would sit outside under the stars and stay up all night sitting in a circle and talked about our favorite memories from the summer. I can honestly say those times were some of the most memorable and emotional times of my life. I imagine that it will be difficult to say goodbye to the colleagues I have met during this Master's program. I feel like we are all growing together on this journey and having a meaningful dialogue has been my favorite part of this class.

Many years I ago I was working in Aspen Colorado as Assistant Director of Education at the Aspen Chapel teaching Hebrew School and Sunday School 45 minutes away from Aspen. At one point in the school year, I could see one of my students was very upset and did not want to participate in class. I made the decision to stop class and ask the boy what was going on and if he wanted to talk. He began by spilling his emotions, talking about his parents upcoming divorce and became very emotional. Suddenly, all the kids began spilling their emotions to me and each other, and it almost became like a group therapy session. In many ways it brought us closer together as a group and made this boy feel like he wasn't alone. Unfortunately, one boy told his mother what had happened and she became livid. She was angry because we had "Wasted the time talking when we should of have been learning." She insisted on sitting in on the classroom and even sent different board directors to "pop" in unannounced to make sure I was actually teaching. To be honest, I am not totally sure how I could have handled the situation differently because I did not believe I did anything wrong. I would like to hear what advice you would have given me in this situation.

For your blog this week, think about the similarities and differences between how you evaluated yourself as a communicator and how others evaluated you. What is the one thing that surprised you the most? Why? What other insights about communication did you gain this week? Choose at least two to share with others through your blog and consider how each might inform your professional work and personal life. I realized through the different evaluations that often others may perceive me in a different light than I view myself. In order to be a role model for young children and to communicate effectively with parents, teachers, friends and colleagues, it is important to develop effective skills in communication. This means avoiding gossip and any negative self-talk, it means self-monitoring and carefully watching how we present ourselves to others. This doesn’t mean that we should pretend that everything is perfect or convey a “fake” image, rather it means being selective about disclosing private information. Learning how to behave in an appropriate manner also means taking cues from other people in the situation. Behaving in a domineering and controlling manner without listening are not skills that would work with a young child. Rather, learning how to listen and convey positive attention which is responsive to the young child is an effective way of communicating.

I realized from this assignment that I do communicate differently with different groups of people. For example, with my parents or teachers I may speak with a more formal tone, perhaps I am more reserved. Whereas, when I am speaking with young children I use a different tone of voice, more high pitched and cheery and maybe I speak a bit slower. Or if I run into a friend, I have a less formal mode of communication. It is funny how without realizing it, I communicate differently between different age groups. I realize that race, religion, sexual orientation does not change how I communicate, but rather it is the type of relationship I have with the person that determines my communication style. One of the best strategies for communication I have learned during this course is the importance of active listening. I realized that with my family, friends and children I do a lot of talking but not always the best listening. When learning to listen better, I feel a closer connection to others because I feel they can open up and tell me what is going on in their lives. Before this class, when I would of thought of the word "communicate" I would have thought "talking" but now if I hear the word, I would think of the word "listen." 3 Strategies for Improved Communication: 1. Instead of making a statement, learn to ask questions. 2. Don't make assumptions, make sure to get clarity on any misconception 3. Work on listening skills to improve communication.

For this assignment I watched the CBS sitcom, "Rules of Engagement" which I have never seen and watched it with the sound turned off. I could see that the show was about relationships and love. I could tell there was some fighting or arguing going on based on the facial expressions. Without any sound I really did not know what was going on until I watched it with the sound turned on. The scene which I knew was an argument of sorts was a wife upset that she believed her husband was homophobic. The show was trying to shed light on homophobia and educate others on the fact that both straight and gay relationships struggle with the same issues. Ironically much of the show was about people misinterpreting communication and the importance of asking questions directly rather than making assumptions. I believe that this lesson is very important because it is easy to make assumptions about what someone is thinking based on their actions alone, but in order to truly understand, we must to learn to ask questions before we assume anything.

Competent Communication

The most competent communicator I know is my son's special education teacher. She is so articulate and explains everything down to the last detail. She is so inspirational that when she speaks I am actually in awe of how smart she is. I recently attended my son's IEP meeting and she led the meeting and she was so excited about all the progress my son has made and was telling all these stories about him. She explained all the District wide and state wide tests they will be taking this year, including all the supports and breaks he will have during the tests. She was so articulate about every detail and explained all the rules of the tests and she wanted to make sure I understand. I feel so lucky that my son has such an amazing teacher, it is truly inspiration when I see the positive impact she has on my son's behavior, I feel so lucky.

My hope as an early childhood educator is to help nurture and support the healthy development of young children from diverse backgrounds. One goal I would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity and social justice is to remain committed to social activist work I began last semester working with Professor Aref Abu Rabia and the Bedouin community. Since last semester we are still working on moving forward with the grant proposal for a Bedouin Ecology Center located in Southern Israel. He asked me to build the website, here it is: http://firdawsalhikma.wix.com/ecologycenter Lastly I would like to thank my colleagues for their positive support throughout this course. I feel very close to you all, especially since we have been delving deep into our social identity and childhood, it has been a very rewarding experience. I would also like to thank Professor Anthony Morgan for his helpful insights in this challenging and rewarding course.

Welcoming Families From Around the World

New Student's Country of Origin noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani Ethnic groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 63.1%, Russian 23.7%, Uzbek 2.8%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Uighur 1.4%, Tatar 1.3%, German 1.1%, other 4.5% (1999 census) Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.)

* At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family 1. Study about the child's country, culture and food. 2. Encourage other students to be welcoming, assign a buddy for the new student. 3. Learn a few key phrases in their native language. 4. Prepare some openers which will allow the child to feel part of the classroom. 5. Post up some pictures of the child's home country and show the class where it is located on the globe. * A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family I hope through these preparations that I will be able to make the new student feel comfortable and a part of the group.

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I love to shop at my local drugstore. I must have shopped there multiple times a week for over a year. The store manager “Dale” always struck me as a bit strange, but I always was friendly to him. One time during Halloween I needed helium balloons for the class party, and nowhere in town had helium. I brought my deflated balloons to Dale and asked if he had helium, “Sure, you’re one of our best customers!” He filled up my balloons for free and a woman saw and asked if he could fill some balloons for her and he said no. He was always friendly and would even give me the clearance price on some items that probably weren’t on sale. Then one day, I went to shopping a few days before Christmas. He asked, “Oh, do you need Christmas ornaments, they just got marked down, check isle 5.” And I replied, “No actually, I’m Jewish.” Suddenly, it was a very awkward moment. He replied, “What!” I said in a friendly voice, “Well I do need some holiday wrapping and cards for the teachers, but we actually celebrate Hanukkah.” At that moment, Dale looked at me with this almost look of disgust. And I will admit it, it hurt me. I couldn’t understand how he could be so shocked when he discovered I was Jewish.I felt almost betrayed that a year and half of friendly interactions could all go out the window in a split second. I learned from that incident, that it is better for me to stay quiet. In some ways, it silenced me. I learned that it’s better to fly under the radar and not share the details of my life with random strangers. After that incident, I stopped shopping there for a month or so, but finally I went back. I still see Dale, and we are still cordial, but he has never treated me the same even though he is still nice, he looks at me differently.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Without realizing it, I know that I witness examples of aggression everyday. Sometimes it may be someone rolling their eyes behind someones back or someone becoming irritated in the checkout line. When I think of microaggression, I think of acts of aggression which is directly targeted towards someones race, ethnicity, skin color or sexuality. One example I can think of happened just the other day. My son and I were having lunch at a local Chinese restaurant. The menu has pictures of the food with writing in Chinese. Many of the customers are Chinese and I can see at least one group of White customers. The waiter speaks broken English, and the white female customer becomes frustrated when he does not seem to understand her request. She says loudly, “Can someone find me a waiter that actually speaks English.” People look up from their tables and glare at the woman and then go back to eating. I can see that the waiter seems upset. I witness these racial microaggressions quite often, although after this class I know I will be paying closer attention these incidents

Blog: My Family Culture Imagine the following: A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture. Blog about all of the following:

My daughter's stuffed animal: Doggie She has had him since she was born and won't go to sleep or anywhere new without "Doggie."

My Family Photo Albums which include pictures of my grandparents, my parent's wedding, my childhood and my children, as well as pictures of friends.

MY Passport In order to prove my identity and birthdate, I would need my passport. I can't imagine how hard it would be to leave everything you know and start from scratch in a new place. At the end of the day, I just need my family and I believe that we could rebuild and with a positive attitude be able to make a bright new future much like the immigrants that move here to start new lives.

When I Think of Research...

What insights have you gained about research from taking this course? Research is a complicated process, and I have learned that many steps must be taken by a researcher before the actual research process takes place. I feel most connected to a Poststructuralist methodology which states, “poststructuralist researchers reject the idea that we can ever be certain about the world because its complexity and dynamism defy encapsulation, categorization and closure.” (Mac Naughton, Rolfe, & Siraj-Blatchford, 2010) In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed? My ideas about the nature of doing research has changed and I have developed a greater appreciation for the entire process. What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn? I discovered that the planning process of a research project is just as important as conducting the actual research. In may ways, it is important to be as realistic as possible as to the feasibility of the project in order to be prepared for the challenges one may face. But, as a researcher one must be prepared to face challenges and be able to communicate these challenges in an objective non-bias fashion. What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them? One of the greatest challenges I faced during this process was in deciding which research simulation project to choose from. Ultimately, I chose the project that was more challenging but that felt closer to my heart. Another challenge I faced was the importance of remaining objective throughout the research process. My research simulation project was called, "Examining the Prevalence of Restraint and Seclusion of Autistic Children in School Settings." For this project I studied many cases of restraint and seclusion and it became a very emotional situation in which I had a very difficult time separating myself what I was reading. Being objective is a very important element of being a researcher, and I found it very difficult. Resources: Mac Naughton, G., Rolfe, S. & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2010) Doing early childhood research: International perspectives on theory and practice (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. I would like to thank Professor Johnna Darragh for your supportive and positive encouragement for and my fellow classmates for your support throughout this course, I look forward to future classes with you all!

I examined the website, http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au, which has many resources for parents and educators of young children. This website offers parent's a guide to children's behavior in a book called, "Children are people too" which examines current parenting methods which rewards good behavior and punishes bad behavior. According to the author, Louis Porter, this common method of parenting actually escalates behavior problems. I think it is wonderful that the Early Childhood Australia website offers book suggestions to parents which help them rethink current practices. The website offers information on many topics, including: behavior, diversity, health, social/emotional learning, leadership, ethics and much more. Early Childhood Australia is geared for early childhood professionals, staff and directors of child care centers, as well as parents, grandparents and caregivers. I found this website very well organized and very comprehensive, offering relevant advice to help support the healthy development of young children.

In the recent article, Dad wires autistic son, exposes teachers' abuse (LISTEN) states, “A New Jersey school district has fired at least two educators for verbally abusing autistic children after a father sent his 10-year-old autistic son to school wearing a hidden microphone upon suspecting he was being mistreated by staff.” One of the terrible tragedies which occur to children with autism in schools is the fact that currently there are no laws against unregulated restraint and seclusion. In the article, National Autism Association Supports New Federal Legislation to End Abusive Restraint and Seclusion in Schools states, “Research shows that aversive interventions, restraint, and seclusion carry no therapeutic value. Our children essentially regress when they are abused. They lose progress and are traumatized," stated NAA President Wendy Fournier. "We need positive, effective interventions in place that prevent the need for restraint or seclusion. We need proper training for our school personnel, better support, more tools and immediate solutions to this system-wide failure that has caused so many of our children to either lose their lives or become victims of horrific abuse.” The report investigated hundreds of cases, including deaths from "mechanical compression to the chest," or "smothering," one schoolchild died from restraint following a seizure, another died from hanging himself in a seclusion room. Other cases included a four-year-old girl who was tied to a chair and abused, five children who were duct-taped to their desks, and a ten-year-old boy who was put in a seclusion room "75 times over a 6-month period for hours at a time for offenses such as whistling, slouching and hand-waving." Many children with autism cannot speak or even if they can speak may be unable to communicate the abuse. If signed into law, the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act would: • Prevent and reduce the use of physical restraint and seclusion in schools • Protect students from physical or mental abuse • Protect students from aversive behavioral interventions that compromise health and safety • Prohibit any physical restraint or seclusion imposed solely for purposes of discipline or convenience • Require parent notification within 24 hours • Assist States, local educational agencies and schools in the areas of establishing policy; gaining tools, proper training & support; collecting and analyzing data; identifying and implementing effective evidence-based models to prevent and reduce physical restraint and seclusion in schools. I plan to conduct a research study at an upcoming 2012 St. Louis Autism Conference. The following is the questionnaire: 1. Does your child with autism go to private or public school? 2. Is your child integrated with typical peers or secluded? 3. Has your child ever come home with bruises or injuries from a teacher? 4. Does your child ever refuse to go to school or cry and plead to stay home? 5. Has your child been punished for crying or other behaviors they cannot control? 6. Has your child ever been physically restrained or forced to wear a mask or other humiliating punishment? These are all the questions I have so far so I hope you all can give my some suggestions for a few more. I am planning to attend this conference and during the 45 minutes break I am going to hand out questionnaires to as many people as I can. I will be interested to see out of the sampling how many parents have experienced these issues because I am afraid they are commonplace. As a parent you feel helpless and wish you were a fly on the wall so you could see what was actually happening. References: http://nationalautismassociation.org/

Personal Research Journey

My topic for the research simulation is: "Teacher's role in promoting peer relationships and providing social skills models to Autistic children." I decided to research this topic because I am interested in the relationships that develop between autistic children. My son with autism has a had a very difficult time making friends. However, between other peers with autism, he has made A few relationships. I am interested in the teacher's role in promoting these relationships. I am interested in research which uses behavioral intervention services to strengthen social relationships and create a sense of "belonging" which is often lacking for Autistic children. In order to promote further development, teachers can play an active role in helping children with autism to create and sustain peer relationships. Urban Child Institute: http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/articles/research-to-policy/overviews/peer-relationships-and-play-encourage-healthy-development

Final Blog Assignment

I have enjoyed this course and learned so much. During this course I was able to make some amazing contacts as well as reconnect with some old contacts. I made contact with the director of advocacy for the Negev Coexistence program, my college professor, Aref Abu Rabia, and the director and founder of the International Child Resource Institute, Ken Jaffe. Working closely with Prof. Abu Rabia and Ken Jaffe to move forward on a grant proposal has been so exciting. First we submitted a few grants that the Prof. had already written, and then we decided on a Bedouin Ecology Center which will be called "Firdaws al-Hikma Ecology Center." I learned so much from Ken Jaffe and he told me about an amazing project called "The Edible Schoolyard Project."

Ken Jaffe said they were very interested in the garden project but we needed to resubmit changes with a greater focus on children. After discussing it with Prof. Rabia, he agreed and asked me to make the changes!! The first thing I did was add our program to the Edible Schoolyard Project: http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/program/firdaws-al-hikma-ecology-center I also changed the grant and used a place-based model. Definition of Place-Based Education (http://www.promiseofplace.org) *Immerses students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences; *Uses these as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum; and *Emphasizes learning through participation in service projects for the local school and/or community. The Firdaws al Hikma Ecology Center Program Program Administrator: Aref Abu Rabia Grade Level: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, Lower Elementary Students Served: 0-100 Program Type: Organic Garden, Academic Classroom, Community Center The Firdaws al-Hikma Ecology Center is currently in the process of being developed. Firdaws al-Hikma Ecology Center is a Garden for Medicinal, Aromatic and Food Plants in the Negev. The center will serve as an educational site with land and facilities dedicated to promoting ecology and science, environmental literacy with a focus on Bedouin culture and study of conservation and sustainability. The garden will also have research functions, teaching, training in Bedouin culture and heritage, ethno-medicine and ethno-pharmacology.

Getting to know your International Contacts-Part 3

In the article,"Special-needs Children in the Bedouin Population of the Negev: Characteristics, Patterns of Service Use, and the Impact of Caring for the Children on the Mothers," it states "The percent of children with special needs who receive services from the system is lower in almost all areas except the medical: 10% receive paramedical services, 25% receive specialized educational services and 2% receive psycho-social services. This places a heavy burden on the mothers of these children. Mothers of 75% of the children report that they experience heavy to very heavy burden, as a result of caring for their disabled children. " As a mother to a child with special needs, I know that there are times that it can be difficult. I feel blessed because I have a strong support system and there are so many teachers and therapists working with my son. I cannot imagine, with all the difficulties and struggles that Bedouin women already endure without water or electricity, but then having a special needs to care with no support, it has has to be very difficult for them. This study was done based in part, "an effort to promote the services for Bedouin children in the Negev, based on the findings of the study." I have learned that there are many barriers facing early childhood education for Bedouin children living in the Negev.
In the article, "Bedouin Arab Education in the Negev," by Israel Abu Saab, he writes, “This problem has been especially controversial among the Bedouin Arabs of the Negev where the establishment of schools has become a part of the government plan for settling the Bedouin. There is a distinction made between schools described as temporary and permanent. Currently there are 12 temporary and 24 permanent Bedouin schools in the Negev. Any school which is located in an unplanned settlement is defined as temporary. Such schools are poorly equipped, have low budgets,inadequate facilities, poor buildings and furnishings, and few teaching
materials. They often suffer from a complete lack of facilities and materials such as libraries and maps, and audio visual, laboratory and sports equipment, etc. They are mostly housed in tin, wooden, or concrete buildings with insufficient classroom and office space. They are not supplied with running water and electricity, although some are found next to water pipes or electric lines. In general, these schools are not expanded and are poorly maintained.”


References:
http://www.snunit.k12.il/beduin/arti/2104e.html
http://brookdale.jdc.org.il/?CategoryID=192&ArticleID=31

Sharing Web Resources

ICRI (International Child Resource Institute) has partnered with the Ghana Ministry of Education,

Outcomes:
Over 2,200 Ghanaian teachers have received training from ICRI Ghana in best practices for early childhood education.
Over 1,900 children in the lowest-income areas of Accra have received high quality education from ICRI Ghana-affiliated schools.
Over 480 young women have received vocational training and support services from ICRI Ghana.

During my phone conversation with Ken Jaffe, the Director and founder of the International Child Resource Institute, he told me about the book that he wrote called, "Straw into Gold" which shows teachers how to take used materials which can be recycled into meaningful children's activities. The book description states, "Often teachers and parents around the world lack the training or materials needed to provide stimulation, growth and development for young children. Straw into Gold shows you how to use materials you already have and create activities which are intended to cost very little or nothing. These activities allow educators, parents and volunteers the opportunity to provide enrichment and growth for children.
Over the past decade, co-authors Ken Jaffe and Leslie Falconer, have collaborated on innovative early childhood development practices with early childhood professionals and various organizations and have worked with children in less developed parts of the world. According to Jaffe, In Guayaquil, Ecuador we were fascinated by the amazing use of found objects which were transformed by energetic teachers and parents into meaningful children's activities. This collaboration and observation, which extended into 30 countries, has evolved into Straw into Gold which provides the framework for these exciting, stimulating and developmentally appropriate activities. Moreover, the book allows for the creation of activity areas that can be placed anywhere - from the classroom setting to an open space with a dirt floor. According to Falconer, Children learn best when they can move, touch and explore throughout the day. Carefully designed activity areas allow children to develop important cognitive, social/emotional and physical skills. She went on to say that this book is a beginning in the efforts to help children anywhere experience the joy of early childhood."

I was so inspired by Ken Jaffe and the amazing work that he does to help children around the world. It turns out that the Professor had a few grant ideas in the works, one which includes a garden which would be a Bedouin Outdoor Learning Center to help teach Bedouin children about their roots and learn about ecology and herbal medicine. I feel so happy that the ICRI may start working with the Bedouin children. As soon as I find out more, I will keep you all updated on the progress.

Getting to know your Contacts-Part 2

I did hear from the Director of the ICRI, and I was so happy and couldn't believe how quickly I heard back from him regarding the Bedouin community of the Negev, here is what he wrote:


Dear Shira, thank you very much for the request for assistance with Bedouin families in the Negev. In order to proceed with a decision on assisting those communities on children's issues, we will need the following:

A.) A telephone call with you discuss the core issues related to this work. I am happy to have us pay for the call if you will provide a phone number and the best day and time to contact you within the next week or so.
B.) If we are to move forward with a project we must have a letter from a local agency or individuals in the communities to be served, inviting us to collaborate with them on improving conditions for children. Our core values are that we never go where we are not formally invited in.
C.) It should be known to the communities requesting our involvement that we are not a funding agency, but rather a capacity building, program development agency that will partner with the local community to identify and raise outside funds together for the project, if funds are not already identified.
D.) If we are to move forward with the development of a collaborative project, after conducting due diligence and developing a draft summary proposed program plan, that proposed plan will be presented to our Board for review and approval.
E.) Only after our Board reviews and approves the request can a project commence.

I hope that this information clarifies our process. Please provide us with a call in number so that we can complete step A) in our process. I look forward to your reply.

All the best, Ken Jaffe

I am hoping to work with Prof. Abu Rabia and the Negev Coexistence Forum and their Resource Coordinator to try to go forward with this proposal. I feel nervous about this, but I feel like if I can help facilitate the people who can implement a program that will positively impact children, then I have a responsibility to try. I still haven't spoken with Mr. Jaffe, but I spent time studying the website of the ICRI in order to learn more about the projects they have worked on throughout the world. Also, I studied what grants the Negev Coexistence Forum has received such as a grant called "Children of Peace," in order to find out what possibilities exist. The one idea I have had so far is the concept of a huge tent which would basically be a mobile preschool. Perhaps they could get people on the ground to help donate toys, bikes, and markers, pencils and school items and the ICRI could help train teachers or help implement these programs. Also, if a particular location is chosen to house this new tent-preschool, then perhaps we could get some other agencies in Israel to help donate food or clothing items. I also watched some videos on youtube about the life of Bedouin children, and I noticed that the children like to play all the time and have invented their own forms of swing sets, toys and dolls. I also thought about the possibility of having a battery operated cd/tape player and instruments and maybe even a battery operated television set where children would get a chance to watch Sesame Street in Hebrew or Arabic as well as some other educational tools. When I do talk to Mr. Jaffe, I am going to ask him what type of programs could be feasible for this location and environment and also speak with Prof. Abu Rabia about his ideas. The essence of my idea is create a space dedicated to giving Bedouin children access to early childhood education opportunities that may not exist in the area where they live.

ICRI Projects

I have been examining the website of the International Child Resource Institute:http://www.icrichild.org
It states on their website, "Since ICRI was founded in 1981, we have developed or operated over 300 programs in over 50 countries. Our experience spans six continents and a wide range of subject matters, and we have particular expertise in the areas of early childhood care and education, children’s rights, empowerment of women and girls, maternal/child health, and grassroots community development."
I have contacted the Director of ICRI in the hopes that they may consider an early-childhood project working with Bedouin children in unrecognized villages. I still have not heard back, but I will tell you all when I do hear back from them. Some interesting projects they have worked on include developing a network of support centers in Brazil called the "Brazil Street Children Project." Also, in Yugoslavia they coordinated a network of over 300 grassroots organizations working to assist displaced families in a project called the "Former Yugoslavia Capacity Building Project."
They also have many US projects, including "Project Commotion" which is a non-profit based in San Francisco which supports all children ages 0-18 from under-served families of children with special needs through the use of sensory experiences, movement and play. Their website is http://www.projectcommotion.org/.

International Contacts

As this international contacts  project has evolved, I have gone from studying children in Israel, to studying Bedouin children in the Negev. I studied a project called "Parents as Partners," which "was developed by AJEEC – The Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation. It is one of the organization’s first projects to deal with early childhood. It is an informal program for the education and development of young children in Arab Bedouin society that is culturally adapted to the needs of that society and implemented by Arab Bedouin mothers. The project was conducted in unrecognized villages." 

        

So far, I have made contact with the advocacy coordinator of the Coexistence Forum, here is part of what she wrote me, "Hi Shira- First of all, you are now signed up for English updates. I wanted to let you know how happy Haia was to hear you again, and how excited she is that you are still passionate about this cause. I am currently the advocacy coordinator at the Coexistence Forum, so I would be very happy to be in touch with you to see what work can be done from St. Louis. An awareness raising article is a fantastic idea. Please let me know if there is any information that I can help you find. I would suggest checking out this page on our website: http://www.dukium.org/eng/?page_id=866. There are quite a few in depth reports written by the NCF, and others, in recent years. If you explore the website there are many other sources of information and reporting about the situation in the Negev. We also have a brand new facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/NegevCoexistenceForum. One very helpful (and easy!) thing that you can do is like the page and share it with your friends.  Please let me know if you have any more questions." Now that I feel that I am really involved with this cause again, I am excited to start working on an article for the Forum. I have sent an email to Prof. Rabia, a very well-known and respected Bedouin anthropologist, to find out more about Bedouin children. I plan to focus my article on Bedouin children living in the Negev. I am really looking forward to hearing from him and continuing work on this article, I will keep you all updated on my progress!

                                       

I was so excited to hear from my Bedouin Studies Anthropology Professor, Aref Abu Rabia. Here is part of what he wrote, I also sent a picture of myself so he would remember me, since it has been 12 years since I studied abroad at Ben Gurion University in Israel.

Dear Shira,

Good to hear from you, I am very happy to hear news about you. Your picture and your baby are wonderful.

Since that time I travelled to USA for sabbatical year, Skidmore College and St. Thomas University Minnesota.

 

Now I am back in Israel, looking for next time to be there.

 

How are you, hope you are doing very well. Where are you living/studying.

 

Going back to your request:

I am sending you some papers, hope to help you, composing your paper.

We are trying to arrange some support for the education of the young generation, to facilitate there way to the university, and to prevent drop out.

 

Happy very much to hear you

salamat and shalom

Dear Shira,

 

thanks a lot for your message and information.

 

I have looked at your blog and enjoyed reading there.

 

Next Wednesday we have conference about the Bedouin I will send you some material.

 

Keep in touch and have a wonderful weekend.

 

Salamat

Bedouin Chidren

http://www.dukium.org

In addition to studying the International Child Resource Institute, I also chose to study the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality. This was due in part to the fact that when I studied abroad during my junior year at Ben Gurion University in Israel, I did an internship with them, and fell in love with the cause of the Bedouin people living in Israel. The Forum was started in 1997 when according to their website, “a group of concerned Arab and Jewish residents of the Negev (the southern desert region of Israel) established the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality to provide a framework for Jewish-Arab collaborative efforts in the struggle for civil equality and the advancement of mutual tolerance and coexistence. The Forum, also known as “Dukium” in Hebrew, is unique in being the only Arab-Jewish organization established in the Negev that remains focused solely on the specific problems confronting the Negev.” I am interested in becoming involved again in this important cause, the website goes on to say, “In the spirit of coexistence, Bedouin residents and Jewish volunteers worked together to provide piped water, nursery schools, access roads and rubbish removal systems in over a dozen villages.” I am especially interested in finding out more about the nursery schools which were established in these Bedouin communities, I believe this makes a huge difference to the children living in these impoverished villages, many of which don’t even have running water.

 During my time working for the Forum Coexistence in 2001, I helped work on a grant which brings together Jewish children and Bedouin children to celebrate holidays from their culture and spend time together playing and doing other activities.During my travel abroad while I worked for the Forum, I also attended classes on Social Justice and Equality. I also studied under one of the most famous Bedouin anthropologists named  Prof. Aref Abu-Rabia, where I learned about the Bedouin culture. The Bedouin people were the most kind, gracious, trustworthy and special people I have ever met. It only breaks my heart to see the struggles they endure, especially the children.

              
           International Child Resource Institute

                         http://www.icrichild.org/ 

According to the mission statement of the ICRI,"We are always open to collaborations with other organizations or partners interested in supporting early childhood care and education, children’s rights, empowerment of women and girls, maternal/child health, and grassroots community development. In certain circumstances, we are also able to offer fiscal sponsorship to emerging organizations that serve children and families." For example, they have a program called the "Daraja Early Care and Education Program" which helps to bring some of Africa's poorest children developmentally-appropriate early childhood education. The site mentions,” Our Watoto Wonder Bus is a mobile teacher training program that brings expert trainers and innovative materials to schools and child care centers in low-income areas. We provide intensive, on-site, side-by-side training and mentoring to teachers and administrators. We also work to provide educators with alternative approaches to teaching that engage children and provide an activity-driven learning environment." Currently, the International Child Resource Institute has projects in Kenya, Nepal, Ghana, Zimbabwe, India, Norway, Malaysia, and Chile. Their work in Europe is focused mainly on refugee and immigrant children, and has trained over 5000 teachers on practices which help children through developmentally appropriate practices. I am contacting the executive director of this organization on behalf of the Negev Coexistence Forum in the hopes that they may begin an international project to help Bedouin children and supporting their communities.

Establishing Professional Contacts

I am in the process of trying to make contact with at least two international early childhood educators. Because my mother is from Israel, I decided I will focus on early childhood education in Israel and I am in the process of making contact. So far, I have three contacts, none of which are early childhood educators, however, one is a female microbiology professor, another woman is a pharmacist, and the last is a retired teacher. I have sent emails and I am still waiting for a reply, however, I have had one phone conversation in order to try and learn more about early childhood education in Israel.

My Supports

“A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.”

Grace Pulpit

“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.”

Eva Burrows quotes

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.”

Elisabeth Foley quotes

My Connections to Play

Playing in Sand

 My fondest memories of childhood are visits to the ocean, playing in the 

sand and searching for seashells. My daughter loves playing in sand, and 

we love to search for "buried treasure." There is something magical about 

digging in sand and searching for magical seashells and buried treasure.

.

Riding my bike was a form of relaxation but also a way in which I started learning independence.

 Playing in the park is the universal memory that I share with my children. There is something so amazing about being a child and playing in the park, my favorite times is watching my children run around the park in excitement, it never gets old and they always have the best time!

 “Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.”
~Kay Redfield Jamison 

“It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self.” ~ D.W. Winnicott (British pediatrician)

Relationship Reflections

“Relationships matter critically. Consistent relationships with caring
adults are essential for healthy development” (National Scientific
Council on the Developing Child, 2004, p. 5).

“All learning takes place in the context of relationships and is critically
affected by the quality of those relationships” (Norman-Murch, 1996).

“Human relationships, and the effects of relationships on relationships,
are the building blocks of healthy development” (National Research
Council, 2000, p. 4).

Throughout my life, relationships with my family have been at the cornerstone of my foundation. As a child growing up, my closest relationships were with both my grandmothers. I had two grandmothers, my paternal American grandmother and my maternal Israeli grandmother. Although my grandmother lived in Israel, I learned that relationships can still grow and thrive despite being thousands of miles apart. I remember saying goodbye to her when I would leave Israel, and I remember the agony I felt driving away watching her wave and cry goodbye as I sobbed. While I was growing upI have always searched for that closeness and unfortunately have never found it in my own mother. I also have a strong relationship with my father, he was more nurturing than my mother and really cares for his family. Today, my strongest and closest relationships is with both my children. They are my whole life and no other relationships can compare to the depth of love and dedication I have to them. Every relationship that matters to me today is because that person is somehow connected to my children. My father, who is an author and written many books is the most amazing grandfather. He has even written a book he dedicated for them, "Gathering Sparks." He is so devoted to them and inspires me to try and be the best daughter I can. Besides my children and family, I feel a closeness to my son's teachers and therapists who have worked with him since he was three and diagnosed with autism. Every person who has touched our life, and helped him learn and grown is a part of the fabric of our family. I have a few close friends that I have had for many years, they are very important to me. The main criteria I have for a "true" friend is the ability to be myself and know that I am not being judged. And the last and final important relationships is with my brother and sister. Although they both live far away in California and I hardly ever see them, I know that the three of us are bonded for life. My sister is six years younger but she has blossomed into a wise and spiritual adult. She gave me a very strong insight about my relationship with my mother. She said, "Shira, you have the power within you to change the dynamics of your relationship." I really have been meditating on that, and deep down, I know she may be right.
One of my main goals as a parent is that my children always know that they are truly loved, and supporting and nurturing their self-esteem and a feeling of self-worth and self-love. As an early childhood educator I realize the amazing power that a great teacher has to positively impact the life of a child.