From Perverts to Pranksters

Thank you so much for the wonderful class!

It was quite interesting to hear everyone reflection on searching for sex offenders in their neighborhoods. 

We dove right into the what the definition of "sex offender" was and we ultimately came to a conclusion that it is impossible to define what is a "sex offender" and the legal term "sex offender" varies from state to state. Such as in Virginia, a 16 year old having a sexual relationship with a 14 year would according to the law be considered a sex offender.  Because the law in Virginia states that anyone having a sexual relationship with someone under the age of 15 can be arrested, prosecuted and convicted. Lastly, he/she will earn him/herself a lifetime spot on Virginia's sex offender registry.  Stating this, do you think there needs to be a reform of our sex registries nationwide? 

Secondly, the majority of sex offenders are male offenders. However, in recent years we have seen big cases of female sex offender. The media might be responsible for hyping of female teacher cases with male student. As mentioned in class, can gender and stereotypes can impact how the criminal justice system handles cases of female sex offenders?

Females, are often seen as non threatening. Meanwhile because of cultural stereotypes, males are often given "props" when they have sex with an older female. Along with these female sex offender stereotypes we are undermining the result of reports on victimization, as it can lead to an under reporting. 

Conducting, our role play in class was very important for me. I hoped that it might have conveyed some of the concerns that FEDCAP employees have to deal with while trying to get a client hired. 

Lastly, I leave you with this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTm9efzHaTk  

Thank you all again!

Managing for Success

Hello Everyone

Thank you all for your participation that helped make for a fantastic class. I know my class was dealing with a subject that we are not used to discussing on a daily basis at our seminars, but I was delighted to see the energy and enthusiasm that was very evident on Thursday.

As we learned in class, performance management is all about utilizing the data your organization gathers in a way that emphasizes the goals and results that your organization is looking to achieve. Performance management is very much a process of constant learning and adjustment. An organization that emphasizes performance management often times has certain mechanisms in place that allows for its staff to learn from the data they are collecting, and make the necessary adjustments to improve their performance. These mechanisms can manifest in a variety of ways. They can be as simple as having data representing staff performance easily accessible, or as complex as developing a feedback integration program by which trends and patterns that are found in participant’s responses are used to make necessary changes. So with that being said, I would like to ask you, my fellow Verons the following: (Please answer as many of the following as you would like. Do not feel obligated to try and answer each question in one massive post, a concise answer to any one of the following question is just as good as a long comment answering everything.)

1) To continue with how we ended class, if you did not get the chance on Thursday, or would like to amend an answer you did give, how does the agency you have been working at engage in the practice of performance management?

2) I would also like to ask you all, since this was different from our every day Vera content, what was your biggest takeaways regarding performance management that you will utilize in your future as a social justice advocate?

 3) Since we also saw in class that there is an inherent problem of culture surrounding the practice of performance management, what are some of the creative ways in which this issue can be dealt with so that funders and staff members embrace the practice of performance management?

 4) If you have any doubts regarding performance management, I would like to invite you to please share them now so that we can discuss.

Thank you all,

-Michael Segnan

The Right to Dream

Hey all!

I want to thank you all for making our last class a very enjoyable one. It was inspiring to learn about your beliefs on what an ideal world should look like.

In class, we explored how consumer culture and the market work hand-in-hand to produce social justice problems. In our analysis, we concluded that the role of the government—the enforcer of rights—has been reduced to all but that of a protector of the market itself. The thirst for profit spurs corporations to indulge in condemnable labor practices, and as governments divest themselves of their primary responsibility to the people, God is called upon to fill the vacuum. Is this a problem, and is it avoidable?

On a more positive note, we should conclude our posts the same way that we ended the class: exercising what Galeano describes as the never proclaimed Right to Dream. Feel free to elaborate on the sentence you submitted during the class exercise or comment on a vision you find problematic.

PS for our dear Verons that could not attend class, this is the instruction for the class exercise: Write one sentence stating your vision for a better world.

Thank you again.