Introduction to Volunteering in Miami: Online Tutorial

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Introduction to Volunteering in MiamiOnline
Tutorial

• Butler Center for Volunteer Service and
  Leadership Development
• 1306 Stanford Dr.
• Whitten University Center Room 240
• Coral Gables, FL 33146
• LC 6923
• (305) 284-GIVE/4483

Click to begin.
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Welcome to the Butler Center!

• In this tutorial, you will learn about
• Social issues in the Miami area
• The history behind these issues
• How you can help
• The resources and services we provide

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Social Issues in Miami

• AIDS/HIV
• Substance Abuse
• Domestic Violence
• Poverty
• Homelessness/ Affordable Housing
• Health Care
• Immigration
• Education
• Animal Welfare
• Environmental Welfare
• Elderly Citizens
• Disabled Citizens

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AIDS/HIV

• According to Centers for Disease Control and
  Prevention AIDS data (2004), Miami FL has the
  fourth highest rate in the country for AIDS/HIV
  cases with 25,357 reported.
• AIDS (or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is a
  chronic and life-threatening condition caused by
  the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV
  disrupts the bodys ability to fight off
  bacteria, viruses, and fungi by damaging and
  destroying the bodys immune system.
  Consequently, the body becomes more vulnerable to
  attacks, cancers, and infections.
• Thus, AIDS patients usually die from single or
  multiple system infections, such as respiratory,
  gastrointestinal, nervous, and/or skin
  complications as a result of a debilitated immune
  system.
• AIDS was first recognized in 1981 and since then
  more than 25 million people all over the world
  have died of AIDS.
• Every 15 seconds, a young person between the ages
  of 15-24 becomes infected with AIDS/HIV.

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HIV/AIDS How Can I Help?Educate!

• Facts
• HIV can be transmitted several ways
• Sexual transmission(Through vaginal, anal, or
  oral sex, the HIV virus can enter the body via
  blood, semen, or vaginal secretions.)
• Sharing of needles and contaminated blood
• (Infected) mother to child
• HIV/AIDS cannot be transmitted through ordinary
  contact like
• Tears and sweat
• Sharing food, utensils, bedding, toilets
• Donating blood
• Hugging and kissing (In fact, natural inhibitory
  substances in saliva help prevent HIV
  transmission!)

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Substance Abuse

• In 2005, about 25,000 people in the state of
  Florida entered treatment for substance abuse,
  ranging from alcohol to heroin.
• Substance abuse is the overindulgence in and
  dependence on a stimulant, depressant, chemical
  substance, herb, or fungus. These may include
  alcohol, cocaine, ritalin, marijuana, and even
  caffeine.
• Substance abuse requires that the individuals
  abuse results in seriously interfering with
  health or occupational and social functioning.
  Neglect of children is specifically listed as a
  potential symptom of substance abuse.

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Substance Abuse How Can I Help?Educate!

• Myth Addiction is a bad habit, the result of
  moral weakness and overindulgence.
• Fact Addiction can be a chronic,
  life-threatening like adult diabetes. Addiction
  has roots in genetic susceptibility, social
  circumstance, and personal behavior.
• Myth If an addicted person has enough willpower,
  he or she can stop abusing alcohol or other
  drugs.
• Fact Most people addicted to alcohol and other
  drugs cannot simply stop using them, no matter
  how strong their inner resolve.  Most need one or
  more courses of structured substance abuse
  treatment to reduce or end their dependence on
  alcohol and/or other drugs.

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Domestic Violence

• Domestic violence includes spousal abuse, child
  abuse, and elder abuse.
• It is estimated that a domestic violence act
  occurs every 15 seconds somewhere in the United
  States, translating to over 2.5 million victims
  per year.
• Secretary Donna E. Shalala, Dept. of Health and
  Human Services, and current UM president, has
  called domestic abuse against women "An
  unacknowledged epidemic in America".
• Children are involved in 60 of domestic violence
  cases.
• Possible long-term effects include
• Hypertension and heart disease
• Job loss and loss of friends and family because
  of absenteeism due to illness and embarrassment.
• Children show significant behavioral and/or
  emotional problems, including psychosomatic
  disorders, stuttering, anxiety and fears, sleep
  disruption, excessive crying and school problems.
  
• Boys who witness their fathers' abuse of their
  mothers are more likely to inflict severe
  violence as adults. Girls who witness maternal
  abuse may tolerate abuse as adults.
• The elderly female's abuser may beher spouse
  (58), her son (16), or her daughter (8).

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Domestic Violence How Can I Help?Educate!

• Myth Domestic Violence affects a small
  percentage of the population and is rare.
• Fact National studies estimate that 3 to 4
  million women are beaten each year in our
  country. 1,500 women are murdered as a result of
  domestic violence each year in the United States.
  
• Myth Domestic Violence occurs only in poor,
  uneducated and minority families.
• Fact Studies of domestic violence consistently
  have found that battering occurs among all types
  of families, regardless of income, profession,
  region, ethnicity, educational level or race.
• Myth Alcohol abuse causes domestic violence.
• Fact Although there is a high correlation
  between alcohol, or other substance abuse, and
  battering, it is not a causal relationship.
  Batterers use drinking as one of many excuses for
  their violence and as a way to place the
  responsibility for their violence elsewhere.
  Stopping the abusers' drinking will not stop the
  violence. Both battering and substance abuse need
  to be addressed separately, as overlapping yet
  independent problems.

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Poverty

• The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living
  on less than 1 per day, and moderate poverty as
  less than 2 a day. It has been estimated that in
  2001, 1.1 billion people had consumption levels
  below 1 a day and 2.7 billion lived on less than
  2 a day.
• Miami used to be the poorest city in the United
  States, with 31 of the residents having incomes
  below the federal poverty line. In 2004, Miami
  moved to third in the rankings, ahead of Detroit,
  Michigan and El Paso, Texas.
• Miami is also one of the least affordable places
  to live, with 69 of its residents spending at
  least 30 of their household income on home
  ownership.
• Miami ranks first among least affordable cities
  for home ownership.
• As of 2005, the Miami area is witnessing its
  largest real estate boom since the 1920s, which
  is driving housing prices further up and making
  housing less affordable.

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Poverty How Can I Help?Educate!

• Myth The vast majority of the poor are African
  Americans or Hispanics.
• Fact The majority of those living in poverty in
  both urban and rural areas are not minorities.
  48 of those living in poverty in America are
  white.
• Myth Most people are poor because they do not
  want to work.
• Fact Many of those living in poverty are not of
  working age. Many of the poor are elderly and
  even more are children (about 40) or have a work
  disability. More importantly, many people living
  in poverty who are able to work are indeed
  already employed. Nationally, about 30 of the
  working-age population living in poverty in 1994
  were already working.

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Homelessness and Affordable Housing

• nearly every city in the survey cited the lack
  of affordable housing as the primary cause of
  homelessness. I believe homelessness is actually
  not the problem, but it is a symptom of an
  affordable housing crisis, said Burlington Mayor
  Peter Clavelle, Chair of the Conference's Task
  Force on Hunger and Homelessness. "Despite being
  in a period of unprecedented economic expansion,
  low-income wage workers and their families are
  finding it increasingly difficult to locate
  decent, affordable housing
• US Conference of Mayors A Status Report on
  Hunger and Homelessness in Americas Cities
  2000
• Nearly 65 million low-income people 24 of the
  entire US population are experiencing housing
  problems including cost burdens, substandard
  conditions, overcrowding, or homelessness,
  according to a 2004 report from the National Low
  Income Housing Coalition. Many are seniors and
  people with disabilities, and a greater share
  than ever are working families.
• These are renters with no housing assistance
  making tough weekly choices between paying for
  housing, healthcare, childcare, food,
  transportation, etc.

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Homelessness and Affordable Housing How Can I
Help? Educate!

• Myth They're to blame for being homeless.
• Fact Most homeless people are victims. Some have
  suffered from child abuse or violence. Nearly one
  quarter are children. Many have lost their jobs.
• Myth Homeless people sleep in the street.
• Fact Only a tiny proportion of homeless people
  are on the street. Most stay on friends' floors
  or with family, sometimes in precarious
  arrangements that can go wrong.
• Myth Homeless people are anti-social or
  otherwise undesirable.
• Fact Only a tiny proportion of homeless people
  have lost their accommodation because of
  anti-social behavior. The vast majority have lost
  their accommodation because their living
  arrangements with family or friends have broken
  down, or because there's been a dispute in the
  household. Many people become homeless after
  being discharged from the armed forces or from a
  hospital.

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Healthcare

• In 2003, health care costs paid to hospitals,
  doctors, nursing homes, diagnostic laboratories,
  pharmacies, medical device manufacturers and
  other components of the health care system,
  consumed 15.3 of United States GDP (Gross
  Domestic Product).
• Number of Americans without health insurance
  45,000,000 Number of Children that lack health
  insurance 10,000,000 People age 18-24 that lack
  insurance 28.9
• The uninsured often cannot afford preventive
  care. They wait until their minor symptoms become
  serious before seeking care. This leads to
• Postponement of care, unfilled prescriptions, or
  skipped recommended treatments
• Death caused by lack of insurance

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Healthcare How Can I Help?Educate!

• Myth Only poor Americans and the young are
  uninsured.
• Fact Most uninsured are low-income, and 60 in
  2001 were younger than 35, including 8.5 million
  children and teens. Four of five of the uninsured
  work at least part time or have a spouse or
  parent who works full or part time. And a third
  in 2001 lived in households with incomes above
  50,000. In 2001, 28 of 18- to 24-year-olds were
  uninsured.
• Myth The uninsured get access to care when they
  really need it.
• Fact One third of uninsured women in 1998 who
  should have gotten a mammogram did not vs. only
  11 of insured women. Likewise, 40 of the
  uninsured who should have had their cholesterol
  checked in 1998 did not vs. 18 of insured
  people.

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Immigration

• "Nearly 70,000 foreigners arrive in the United
  States every day. Most of these travelers are
  visitors, not settlers. More than 60,000 are
  tourists, business people, students, or foreign
  workers who are welcomed at airports and border
  crossings. About 2,200 daily arrivals are
  immigrants or refugees who have been invited to
  become permanent residents of the United States.
  Finally, about 5,000 foreigners make unauthorized
  entries each day. About 4,000 of them are
  apprehended just after they cross the U.S.-Mexico
  border. But nearly 1,000 elude detection, or slip
  from legal to illegal status by violating the
  terms of their visas. Many will remain, while
  others will return to their home countries."
  Immigration to the United States
  Population Reference Bureau
• According to the United Nations Human Development
  Report 2004, Miami, at 60 Immigrant, has the
  largest percentage of immigrants of any city in
  the world followed by Toronto, Canada with 44.

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Immigration How Can I Help?Educate!

• Myth Immigrants take jobs away from Americans.
• Fact Immigrants may expand the demand for goods
  and services through their consumption
  contribute to output through the investment of
  savings they bring with them have high rates of
  entrepreneurship that create job opportunities
  for Americans and they may fill vital niches in
  low and high-skilled ends of the labor market.
• Myth Most immigrants are a drain on the US
  economy.
• Fact All individuals who work in the US are
  required to pay federal income taxes. Immigrant
  households paid an estimated 133 billion in
  direct taxes to federal, state, and local
  governments in 1997. Immigrants may add as much
  as 10 billion to the economy each year.
• Myth America is being overrun by immigrants.
• Fact The number of immigrants living in the US
  remains relatively small. Only 3 legal immigrants
  per 1,000 US residents enter the US each year.
  22 of US counties lost population between 1990
  and 2000 (US Census) thus, immigrants tend to
  help revitalize demographically-declining areas,
  mostly urban areas.

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Education

• 92 million adults in the United States (almost
  48 of the population) have very low or low
  literacy skills.
• Due to the system of state government, there is
  no national education system in America. Instead,
  State Education Departments set the guidelines,
  which can therefore vary from Florida to New
  York. 
• Florida lags behind the national average in the
  percentage of the adult population holding a
  bachelors degree or higher.
• 4th graders in low-income communities are 2-3
  grade levels behind their peers in high-income
  communities.
• Only 60 of young adults in Miami even attain
  their high school diploma.

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Education How Can I Help?Educate!

• Myth Children fail in school, because they are
  lazy and dont want to learn.
• Fact Children in low-income are often judged
  with low expectations before they are given the
  chance to succeed. Teachers unconsciously ignore
  and give up on struggling students, and these
  children internalize the hopelessness.
• Myth Children fail in school, because their
  parents dont care about education either.
• Fact Parents of struggling students usually do
  not have the time to care, due to their
  preoccupation in maintaining several jobs. But
  when given the chance to meet with teachers at
  their own convenience, they are willing to work
  in improving their childrens education.
• Myth The fact that most bad students are poor
  and of Black or Hispanic background indicates
  that these minorities lack some inherent academic
  ability.
• Fact Blacks and Hispanics are usually found in
  low-income communities, but we associate academic
  struggle with ones ethnic background rather than
  ones socio-economic status (SES). In reality,
  Blacks and Hispanics struggle academically
  because of environmental factors lack of funding
  for local schools, lack of high-achieving role
  models in community, low expectations, high
  levels of crime and gangs, lack of after school
  programming, and low community focus on education.

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Animal Welfare

• There are nearly three times as many animal
  shelters in the United States as there are
  shelters for battered women and their children.
• Animal cruelty includes acts of violence (overt
  animal abuse, dog and cock fighting) or neglect
  perpetrated against animals, where the animal is
  denied basic necessities of care such as fresh
  water and food or shelter.
• In MiamiAnimal control officers 20Animals
  impounded monthly 2,769Fines issued each year
  3,273Cruelty complaints received each year
  1,538Animals adopted each month 389

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Animal Welfare How Can I Help?Educate!

• FAQs about Animal Welfare
• Animals dont reason, understand their own
  rights, or respect our rights, so why should we
  apply our ideas of morality to them?
• An animals inability to understand and adhere to
  our rules is as irrelevant as that of a child or
  mentally challenged person. These people may not
  able to comprehend rules, but that does not
  negate the obligation of a civilized society to
  protect them. Animals are not always capable of
  choosing to change their behavior, but human
  beings have the intelligence to choose between
  behaviors that hurt others and behaviors that do
  not.
• Arent conditions on factory farms and fur farms
  better than conditions in the wild, where animals
  die of starvation, disease, or predation? At
  least the animals on factory farms are fed and
  protected. Right?  
• This argument was used to claim that people were
  better off as slaves being taken care of on
  plantations than as free men and women. The
  desire for freedom and to control ones own life
  is as strong in animals as it is in humans. The
  fact that they might suffer in the wild is no
  reason to cause them to suffer in captivity.

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Environmental Welfare

• Facilities in Miami thatProduce and release air
  pollutants 300Have reported toxic releases
  81Have reported hazardous waste activities
  2710Have permits to discharge to US waters 320
• Pollution of freshwater (drinking water) is a
  problem for about half of the world's population.
  Each year there are about 250 million cases of
  water-related diseases, with roughly 5 to 10
  million deaths.
• More than 2/3 of the earth's known plant species
  are located in the tropics and many of these are
  disappearing faster than they can be collected or
  studied. It's a race against time, as more and
  more species disappear forever.
• The U.S. is the largest single emitter of carbon
  dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.

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Environmental Welfare How Can I Help? Educate!

• Myth There are no viable alternatives to wood
  products.
• Fact Less waste and more recycling could easily
  replace the 4 of the wood products that come
  from national forests.  U.S. farmers annually
  generate 280 million tons of excess agricultural
  fiber suitable for paper making, which produce
  higher fiber yields than wood and require fewer
  chemicals, less water and less energy to be
  processed.
• Myth The global warming crisis is a hoax.
• Fact There is overwhelming scientific consensus
  that the earth is warming, that this warming
  trend will worsen, and that human activity is
  largely to blame. Physicist Stephen Hawking, in a
  2006 interview "We have to reverse global
  warming urgently if we still can. The earth is in
  much more danger from human action than from
  natural disasters. This is not a prediction of
  doom but a wake up call. We have to recognise the
  dangers and control them. Im an optimist and I
  believe we can.
• Myth There is no way we can stop global warming.
  And this doesnt affect me anyways.
• Fact We can stop the use of conventional fossil
  fuels, which contribute to global warming, and
  look for alternate energy sources that are
  renewable and sustainable for future. This issue
  affects us all. We are already witnessing
  climatic changes (more hurricanes in Florida) and
  destruction of natural habitats (placement of
  polar bears on the endangered list).

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Elderly Citizens

• 36.3 million
• The number of people 65 and over in the United
  States on July 1, 2004. This age group accounts
  for 12 of the total population. Between 2003 and
  2004, 351,000 people moved into this age group.
• 10.2Poverty rate for people 65 and over in
  2003.
• 9.7 millionEstimated number of people age 65
  and over who are military veterans.
• 17Percentage of Florida's population that was
  65 and over on July 1, 2004. Florida led all
  states in this category.

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Elderly Citizens How Can I Help?Educate!

• Myth The elderly control all the nations
  wealth, because they are rewarded with pension
  after retirement.
• Fact 11.5 million elderly Americans live on the
  edge as marginal members of society. This
  accounts for 42 of the total American elderly
  population.
• Myth The elderly live their golden years since
  they no longer hold responsibility.
• Fact The elderly often are haunted by problems
  such as being widowed which results from the
  death of a spouse, lack of purpose in life,
  exacerbated health problems, and difficulty in
  paying for hospital bills.

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Disabled Citizens

• Experts indicate that 3 of the population is
  diagnosed with intellectual disabilities. It is
  10 times as common as polio, cerebral palsy, and
  diabetes 15 times as common as blindness.
• People with an intellectual disability are those
  who have shown
• Significantly below average intelligence level
  (based on an IQ test)
• Significant difficulties with the personal skills
  needed for everyday living (identified before
  they are 18 years old).
• Autism is not a mental illness nor is it
  psychologically caused. The impairment is present
  and identifiable in the first two or three years
  of life. It is not outgrown, therefore, autistic
  children will be autistic adults.

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Disabled Citizens How Can I Help?Educate!

• Use correct terminology
• Physically challenged or disabled NOT
  crippled
• Visually impaired NOT blind
• Hearing impaired NOT deaf or deaf mute
• Disabled NOT special or retarded
• Myth A handicapped person with one disability
  has multiple disabilities.
• Fact Most physically handicapped people are not
  mentally impaired. Similarly, only a small
  percentage of people with intellectual
  disabilities have physical limitations.
• Myth Institutions give the most appropriate care
  for people with intellectual disabilities.
• Fact Research indicates that institutions tend
  to be less effective than the common alternatives
  that are offered. Many people with intellectual
  disabilities live in group homes, independently
  or with their families, and benefit from the
  community as a whole.

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Butler Center Resources Services

• Visit our website at www.miami.edu/leadandserve
• Search for Volunteer Opportunities!
• Learn how to develop your leadership skills!
• Check out whats new in the Philantropic
  Newsletter!
• On-campus and off-campus opportunities
• Released bi-weekly
• Home to over 30 Student organizations
• Service organizations
• Advocacy and Awareness organizations
• Placement Assistants
• Work with your interests and skills to best pair
  you with volunteer and leadership opportunities
  on campus and around the community
• Director Keith Fletcher
• Assistant Director Valerie Jones

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Next Steps

• Come in to the Butler Center (UC 240) to
• Take the Butler Center Tutorial Quiz
• Fill out the Interest Skills Assessment
• Talk to a student employee (Placement Assistant)
  who will
• Review your interests and skills
• Match your interests and skills to meaningful
  volunteer opportunities
• Introduce you to on-campus student organizations
  and off-campus agencies
• Lead and Serve!

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Thank you for your time!

• Please notify the Placement Assistant that you
  have completed the tutorial.
• You may now take the Butler Center Tutorial Quiz
  and the Interest Skills Assessment.

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References

• http//www.avert.org/worldstats.htm
• http//www.metrokc.gov/health/APU/epi/aidskc.pdf
• http//aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/subabuse99/chap2.htm
• http//www.wikipedia.org
• http//www.healthcareforall.org/facts.html
• http//sandiego.indymedia.org/en/2005/07/110140.sh
  tml
• http//www.famlit.org
• http//www.pittcountyhumanesociety.com/Cruelty.htm
  
• http//animal.discovery.com/fansites/mapd/about/as
  u.html
• http//peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID129
• http//www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/SeniorStats/5-04
  -25SeniorFacts.htm
• http//www.sofl.org/PDFs/Fundraising/2006LETRManua
  l.pdfsearch'myth2020intellectual20disabilitie
  s
• http//hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/
• http//www.grinningplanet.com/2005/07-26/water-pol
  lution-facts-article.htm
• http//www.epa.gov
• http//www.gopwing.com/modules.php?nameNewsfile
  articlesid187
• http//selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/aging/mythnfa
  cts.html
• http//www.pewclimate.org/press_room/speech_transc
  ripts/transcript_swiss_re.cfm
• http//info-pollution.com/myths.htm