Students and parents alike usually view summer as a time for well-deserved relaxation and a break from learning. However, this break from learning can have consequences that are detrimental to students during the following school year and beyond. More than half of the achievement gap between low- and med/high-income students is due to unequal access to high-quality summer learning opportunities. Low-income students often can’t afford the summer camps, intensive programming or worldly vacations that their more affluent peers attend, and often spend their summers watching TV or babysitting their siblings. Most students lose about two months of mathematical computation skills over the summer. Low-income students also lose more than two months in reading achievement, while their mid/higher-income peers actually make slight gains. This achievement gap has more and more of an effect on students as they complete more schooling. These summer knowledge losses compound so greatly that it has even been identified as part of the reason that low-income kids are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college (SummerLearning.org). Not only do students lose knowledge, many also gain unhealthy amounts of weight during the summer due to a lack of balanced meals at home and lack of exercise they normally get from recess, organized sports or gym class. Students gain weight on average two to three times faster than they do during the school year (Edutopia.org). As you can see, it’s important in many aspects of a child’s life to have access during the summer to programs […]
Read MoreIt’s Latino Music Month!
All throughout Austin you will find Latino-inspired and/or owned establishments around town, from the famous Juan in a Million restaurant to the beautiful Mexic-Arte Museum in the heart of our city. Austin is no stranger to the Latino culture and that is why May is marked as Latino Music Month. This marks the 11th year Austin has celebrated Latino Music Month with performances of Latino music in various venues across the city. Here are some events happening during this month where you can get your fix of Latino music: Plaza at Austin City Hall Each Friday in May around noon, there will be various Latino Music genres showcased! This is open to the public and completely free. 19th Annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival From May 4th through May 8th, you can catch films made by and/or about Latinos or Indigenous peoples of the Americas that will include Latino-inspired music. There are also volunteering opportunities which you can learn more about here. Tickets start at $30. Los Master Plus Cinco De Mayo Fiesta Check out Los Master Plus, a group from Guadalajara, México, with support by Master Blaster Sound System and Peligrosa at the Empire Garage on Friday, May 6th. Tickets start at $9. SunSet Salsa and Bon Voyage Party “On The River” Dance to your favorite Salsa, Cha Cha and Bachata while you watch the sun set over town lake on Friday, May 6 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m at Alta’s cafe. If you purchase early bird tickets […]
Read MoreHow Does Austin Rank in Charitable Donations?
How charitable is Austin compared to other cities in the U.S.? In 2015, overall charitable giving in the United States increased 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Additionally, online giving grew 9.2% in 2015 as compared to 2014 (Blackbaud “2015 Charitable Giving Report”). How does Austin’s giving trends compare to those nationally? Currently, the giving ratio in the Greater Austin area is 2.71%. This means that the average person living in our community donates 2.71% of their annual income to charity. In comparison, Dallas’s giving ratio is 3.77%, Houston’s is 3.48% and San Antonio’s is 3.29%–making Austin the “least charitable” out of the largest four cities in Texas. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 2012 analysis, Austin ranked 36th out of the largest 50 cities in the U.S. in terms of charitable giving. The amount Austinites give has decreased over time too; from 2006 to 2012, the amount donated to nonprofits dropped by 3.3%. Of course, these studies don’t account for other ways people often contribute to their communities: through volunteer work, serving on nonprofit boards and committees, donations or in-kind gifts from corporations rather than individuals, etc. Still, it seems strange that while people around the country as a whole are giving more of their income to nonprofits, Austinites are giving less–especially when you consider that Austin has the most nonprofits per capita than any other major metro area in Texas and the Southwest United States region. Some say having too many nonprofits is part of the problem. Donors do not know where […]
Read MoreWho Was César Chávez?
Photo by: Wikimedia Commons From east César Chávez Street to the César Chávez neighborhood, Chávez’s presence is obvious in our city. So who was César Chávez? César Chávez was one of the best-known Latino American civil rights activists who fought for social justice. He was born on March 31, 1927 outside of Yuma, Arizona. According to CesarChavezHoliday.org, from the young age of 10, César became a migrant farm worker; he was forced to drop out of school after completing the eighth grade in order to help his family out. As a farm worker, César was exposed to the hardships and injustices of the farm worker life. In the early 1960’s he founded the United Farm Workers Association, the nations first successful and largest farm workers union. Chávez lead the organization as president and was able to win the first union contracts for agriculture workers in the grape fields – from here millions followed his lead on his journey for equality and unity and won enormous achievements for farm workers for civil rights, political representation for minorities and environmental justice. The impact César Chávez made has positively influenced and inspired millions of people from all over the country. He had a motto ,“Si se puede!” (Yes, it can be done!), which was coined in the early 1970’s and perfectly exemplifies his legacy. In honor of César, various schools, parks, streets and other public facilities have been named after him. César Chávez Day is observed in the United States on March 31st, […]
Read MoreSXSW 2016 Preview
It’s either the most wonderful time of the year, or the least wonderful time of the year, depending on which type of Austinite you are–it’s SXSW time. Like it or not, we are mere days away from 320,000 visitors who will flood the streets and venues of our city to check out live music, preview films and learn about the newest innovative ideas at the Interactive convention. We’ve compiled a list of the things we’re most excited to see at SXSW this year: POTUS and FLOTUS make a few appearances This is the first time a U.S. president has stopped at SXSW and he is making it count. On March 11th, President Obama will sit down with Evan Smith, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Texas Tribune, to discuss civic engagement in the 21st Century and to ask the audience to apply their ideas and talents to “make technology work for us – especially when it comes to tackling big challenges like increasing participation in the political process and fighting climate change.” First Lady Michelle Obama will speak on March 16th about the Let Girls Learn initiative, which aims to break barriers for the 62 million girls around the world who are not in school today. No matter your political alliances, how many times will you have the chance to hear a president speak at SXSW? Panel: Building a Philanthropic Fashion Empire: Do Good Local fashion designer and philanthropist, Kendra Scott, will share her views of the importance of corporate social responsibility in a […]
Read MoreWebb Students Visit Alternative College
Webb Middle School VPL students took a field trip across the street from their campus to Peloton University inside the For the City Center. The students met with a group of staff and PelotonU students to learn more about the a college advancement organization that provides targeted support to non-traditional students pursuing online education.At PelotonU, students enroll in high-quality online degree programs and are provided with a space where they can study and receive additional tutoring and mentorship as needed. Students completed an ice-breaker activity, higher education myth-busting, interview speed-dating about community needs and education and a college Q&&A session. PelotonU staff and students learned about the Webb students through interview questions on their strengths, proudest accomplishments and what inspires them to serve others. This opened a forum for Webb students to vocalize their dreams of going to business school and their achievements such as learning sign language, as well as learn from PelotonU students about their own experiences. PelotonU staff led a round of trivia about college completion and affordability. Students earned popsicles based on their knowledge of the reality of higher education, including barriers to access and completion. A few things they learned through trivia include: – If 6 in 10 high school graduates enrolled in college, ½ of those students will graduate. -True or false: If you earn a college degree, you will make 1 million dollars over the span of a 40 year career vs if you only have a high school degree. (True) -An average […]
Read MoreFive Reasons to Amplify United Way
Amplify Austin Day 2016 is right around the corner. The citywide day of giving takes place on March 8th starting at 6 p.m. and ends on March 9th at 6 p.m. With more than 600 nonprofits participating, check out five reasons you should make a donation to UWATX on Amplify Austin Day. We are research-based and results-driven. We say this a lot–because it is so important to us! We are not simply creating programs randomly and hoping for results; everything we implement is based off of our own or collaborative research, and we are constantly monitoring and tweaking our programs each year based on previous results. We also collaborate with other organizations to create a bigger impact. It is important to us to be able to prove that what we’re doing is making a tangible difference in the lives of struggling families and individuals…and we can. Check out some of our success stories to see this in action. We focus on the areas of Austin that need us most. Our Middle School Matters program serves students on three campuses where the number of students living in low-income households is 87% or more on each campus. These campuses sit in Dove Springs, St. John’s and Manor, three of Austin’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Our Financial Stability program provides free CommunityTHRIVE financial classes to low-income adults. These classes are held in neighborhood centers in low-income neighborhoods, making it easy for attendees to access the classes in their own neighborhoods even if they don’t have […]
Read More#GoodNews
The Internet can be such a drag these days. It seems multiple times per day there is a negative or heart-breaking story trending, and you can’t seem escape it on your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram feed. Replace the negativity–or at least balance it out–by following these accounts that post positive stories that will remind you that there is still so much good in the world. The Good News Network This news site is dedicated to combatting negativity in the media by providing daily dosages of “news to enthuse.” The site has been around since 1997 and has more than half a million followers. You can even submit your own “good news” story for consideration on the site. Hands On Network This Twitter feed focuses on volunteerism, including opportunities near you, tips for organizing your own projects and inspirational quotes. Humans of New York Photographer Brandon Stanton started Humans of New York as a passion project after quitting his job in the corporate world. The idea is simple: he stops passerbys in New York City and encourages them to share bits of their lives with him. Since the project started as a simple blog in 2010, the popularity of Humans of New York has surged, mostly due to the simple reminder within each post that we are all part of one human race. Brandon now has two books and has raised millions of dollars from social media followers for low-income schools in Brooklyn, Syrian refugees and more. Smart Girls Amy Poehler started Smart Girls […]
Read MoreNew Year’s Resolutions You Can Actually Keep
The new year is always a great time to reflect on where you have been and set goals for how you want to live your life for the upcoming 365 days. New Year’s resolutions don’t always have to be a hard and radical lifestyle change–in fact, that makes it much harder to make them actually come to fruition! Instead, check out some ideas for a New Year’s resolution that not only will make you feel better, but also will improve the lives of those around you. We even have tangible ideas to get you started on how to make them happen. In 2016, I want to…. Spend more time with family Have you heard about our Family Volunteer series? We host these free events at our United Way offices in East Austin, and they are a great way to encourage your little ones to learn about giving back in an engaging way. Our next Family Volunteer event takes place on February 6th from 10 a.m. to noon, and we will be making Valentine’s Day cards to show our appreciation for the local agencies we work with. Keep an eye out on the Hands On Central Texas site for more details coming soon and to sign up. Meet new people Check out our United Way giving societies: the Women’s Leadership Council, the Young Leaders Society and the Century Investors. Each group is made up of some of our most philanthropic supporters, who share common interests, enjoy networking events, and volunteer and advocate together. Learn […]
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