On hot summer days, festival style prevails! That’s because the trend itself was inspired by long days in the sun that necessitated light layers and wide brimmed hats to keep shady and comfortable. Whether you’re actually attending an outdoor concert series this year or just trying to stay cool while looking cool, hop on the boho bandwagon to seamlessly blend summer attire in with summer adventures.
I watched my first national political convention in 1976. I was in high school at the time, but watching the gavel-to-gavel coverage and listening to speeches and commentary somehow captured my attention. Now it’s 40 years later and with decades of policy and political experience, those speeches come across to me a lot differently, and, for most part, not for the better. Maybe it’s cynicism; maybe it’s knowing that the issues are more complicated than the kind of sound bite, red meat rhetoric solutions you hear at these conventions.
READ MORE from The GOP Platform and Goodwill’s Priorities (Part One)
Each month, the Social Good Blog highlights news and resources on a specific topic. In July, we are exploring how technology and virtual service programs can assist people on their quest for employment.
The HGTV show Fixer Upper has inspired people across the country to embrace DIY home projects from organizing their own “demo day” to repurposing second-hand goods. I love watching designer Joanna roll her eyes at her husband Chip as they stroll through a thrift shop in search of décor elements to punctuate a recently renovated space. Since she creates such beautifully polished rooms, I often find myself asking “What would Joanna do?” when contemplating a furniture move or bland-looking corner in my own home. The answer that usually pops into mind then is: thrift! If it’s good enough for Chip and Jo, then it’s good enough for me.
This week, a national effort is underway to make the disability vote more influential. The American Association of Persons with Disabilities (AAPD) has designated July 11-15 as National Disability Voter Registration Week. Regardless of one’s political affiliation, people with disabilities play an important role in our democracy and should be able to have as great a voice in the political process as anyone else who exercises their Constitutional right to vote.
In an ever-disrupted environment and in rapidly innovating industries, nonprofits are challenged to be more proactive and to accelerate adaptation. This accelerating pace of technology innovation is transforming how these organizations deliver mission services to people facing challenges to employment. For the individuals Goodwill® serves, the proliferation of virtual platforms and devices are resulting in more ways to learn, connect and communicate – both within the workplace and on-the-go. Here are three applications of technology we’re watching as we strive to reach more and serve more.
READ MORE from Three Ways Technology Is Transforming How We Learn and Work
Eventually, raising four kids became too much for my 19-year-old mom, and I landed in foster care. Even then, I did okay in school. I was on track to graduate. But that never happened. I got into a fight at school – with a police officer. I was arrested. If I would have stopped for one second to think about it, I wouldn’t have gone to jail, but I didn’t think. I acted. The result was a year in prison. Adult prison, not 'juvie'.
Madonna topped the charts in 1989 with her hit song “Express Yourself” in which she urged her listeners to find a partner in life who is open and honest to create a healthy relationship. Although that was nearly 30 years ago now, the call to communicate our inner workings still resonates within our culture. This message echoes not just in our relationships with others, but throughout the rest of our lives, too, to help us create our own happiness in all aspects. Let me explain how with some help from a few other Goodwill enthusiasts!
It was two years ago near July 4, that Congress showed a rare form of bi-partisanship and passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the law that establishes job-training programs and vocational rehabilitation services. The following year, around this time, the agencies responsible for overseeing the law’s enactment released the proposed regulations for implementation. Just prior to the holiday this year, the final rules were made public.
READ MORE from Help Someone Earn Financial Freedom by Supporting WIOA
Digital technology is capable of forming the way around, through or over barriers that people have to employment. From job search engines to assistive technology, there are technological solutions to many of the problems used to deter or keep people from work. With this in mind, Goodwill’s organizations are turning to virtual service models and tools to fulfill their mission. Using the right digital tools in the right ways to meet the right objectives for the right people is crucial.
READ MORE from Adventures in Virtual Service Planning: Connecting Users with Goodwill’s Mission
