In a world where everyone gets enoughDo you have enough? What does having enough mean? Having enough means you can participate in society with dignity. Those that don’t have enough have to rely on the charity of others. And that can take away their dignity. Think about those who don’t have enough – they’re panhandling for food, visiting a food bank to pick up a few canned goods, sleeping at the shelter or on the street, and looking for donated clothing and shoes. Their Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) cheques aren’t enough to have enough to eat, find adequate and safe housing or buy warm clothes. And it’s even worse for those that have to provide for their children or those with a disability that prevents them from participating in the workforce. Most are deeply ashamed. Now let’s think about providing everyone with a basic guaranteed income. Instead of panhandling, they’re going to the grocery store and buying the food their family needs. They’re clothing their family and finding safe and affordable housing. They’re going to school. All without having to rely on the charity of others. They’re participating in society and contributing to the economy. With dignity. We need to take care of our citizens, so everyone can realize their hopes and dreams. Canada is a caring country and we’ll all be richer for it. Laura Mikuska · Why we need a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women (2)(I first wrote a version of this post in December, 2014). I’m not aboriginal. But that’s exactly why I’ve lent my voice to those calling for an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. If we are to create a society that values all human life, we need to understand why aboriginal women and girls are devalued. To those who say,”There are already so many studies, we already know what we need to know,” I say that the studies to date have not prevented the violence. A national inquiry is not only for aboriginal people. It’s also for people like me. I need to understand so I can learn and be part of preventing violence and lifting people up to their potential. To be part of making it possible for all people to achieve happiness, to live life without fear, and to be valued for their unique contributions. And it’s not enough to be proud of solving the crimes once they’ve occurred. That’s of little solace to the families who want desperately for their daughter, sister, mother, aunt, and granddaughter to be with them, to have never had the crime occur in the first place. No law-and-order agenda will help after the fact. “They” are us. And it’s up to us to figure it out together. The first step is a national inquiry. Bravo to the Trudeau government for fulfilling their promise to create one. Julie Mikuska · Thoughts on the federal Liberal conventionI recently volunteered at the Liberal Party of Canada’s biennial convention, held in Winnipeg for the first time in 36 years. Last time, I was able to see the first Prime Minister Trudeau, this time, the second PM Trudeau. It was a markedly different experience. What struck me this time was the diversity of the delegates, staff and volunteers. Every age, gender, and ethnicity was represented. I met two recent immigrant volunteers who were not even eligible to vote in the 2015 election, yet were highly engaged with the Liberal party. One had since become a Canadian citizen, and the other was intending to apply. Both were impressed that they could have access to, and speak with, the Members of Parliament who attended the convention. They were amazed that MPs were “regular people”, able to mingle with the masses, unencumbered by body guards and an entourage. It also struck me how valued the volunteers and donors are by the MPs, the Prime Minister and the staff. “Because of you” was a phrase heard often – without the thousands of volunteers and donors who worked tirelessly on the election, there would not have been a Liberal majority victory. Even as a convention volunteer, I was thanked countless times by the staff and delegates alike. We in the social impact sector can take a page from this experience. Engaging our donors and volunteers, celebrating our successes together, and thanking them again and again – this is how we can change the world. Laura Mikuska · Marketing is not fundraising“We need to do more marketing” – often expressed by staff and board members of social impact organizations. “If we can only educate everyone on the great work we do, people would support us!” The thing is, there’s no relationship in that notion. You’re just telling people how great you are – that’s a one-way transaction. As for the part about “educating donors” – that has a whiff of treating them like schoolchildren who need to be told. Here’s what you do instead – start developing relationships with people, invite them to be part of your herd, and show them what impact you’re having on the clients you serve (including non-humans). Ask them to join you in the work that you do because without them, you can’t change the world. And show them, over and over, that because of them, society is changing for the better. You can’t do that by marketing. Laura Mikuska · Poverty mentality: it has to changeOrganizations in the social impact sector work to change the world. Every day. Some work with the most marginalized and forgotten people, others save the environment, create life-changing art, take care of our health and save animals. Pretty important stuff. Why, then, are they expected to constantly beg for their funds? They are having a huge impact in all of our lives every hour of every day – they shouldn’t be forced to shut valuable programs that help society, just because they are defined as charitable. They shouldn’t be forced to pay poverty wages to talented people (only to lose them when they can’t make a living) and have little to no technology to do their jobs. It’s great to have a corps of volunteers to help deliver on the mission, but (well)paid staff and resources have to underpin the work of those volunteers. Grant application after grant application all specify that the funds are for “programming”, with little to none of the funding directed towards staff, or keeping the lights on. Why?? And why do funders give limited-time funding for “projects” that will die when the funding runs out? It’s time that we, as members of our collective society, start to speak out about why we have to change from a poverty mentality to one of abundance in supporting the work of the social impact sector. We will all be richer for it. Laura Mikuska · Once again, thanks Bell!Two years ago I wrote a post congratulating Bell on its Bell Let’s Talk Day. I continue to be impressed with this corporation for its commitment to mental health and their particular focus on removing the stigma from mental illness. It’s hard enough to struggle with any illness, but for those with mental illness the burden is much greater when people are judgmental, dismissive or just plain cruel. When you feel you can’t tell your family, your boss or your co-workers what’s going on, it’s hard to find support. We can all start by committing to kindness first. That includes making changes in language – not using terms like schizophrenic to describe a bad situation, for example. We can commit to listening to understand. And to informing ourselves about mental illness and how we can change our behaviour to help, not hurt. Thank you to Clara Hughes, Mary Walsh, Howie Mandel, Michael Landsberg and the many others who are using their time in the spotlight to be the face of mental health, through Bell Let’s Talk Day. Let’s keep the conversation going. Julie Mikuska · The devil is in the detailsAs part of the work we do with our clients, we review a lot of resumes and cover letters for positions we’re helping to fill. Here are some observations about the type of things we see:
We also observe that many are obviously sent to fulfill the requirements of the Employment Insurance program (to prove an active job search). We can spot these easily since the qualifications of the applicants are generally nowhere near what the position requires! If you’re really not qualified, do everyone a favour and don’t apply. It’s not that we discourage people from wanting to move up, but really, if you’re an administrative assistant and are applying to be an executive director, you’re wasting our time. What can you do to make sure your resume makes it into the “for consideration pile”? Here are a few suggestions:
Pay attention to the details – not doing so can literally cost you a job you were hoping for. Laura Mikuska · Why we need a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous womenI’m not aboriginal. But that’s exactly why I’ve lent my voice to those calling for an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. If we are to create a society that values all human life, we need to understand why aboriginal women and girls are devalued. To those who say,”There are already so many studies, we already know what we need to know,” I say that the studies to date have not prevented the violence. A national inquiry is not only for aboriginal people. It’s also for people like me. I need to understand so I can learn and be part of preventing violence and lifting people up to their potential. To be part of making it possible for all people to achieve happiness, to live life without fear, and to be valued for their unique contributions. And it’s not enough to be proud of solving the crimes once they’ve occurred. That’s of little solace to the families who want desperately for their daughter, sister, mother, aunt, and granddaughter to be with them, to have never had the crime occur in the first place. No law-and-order agenda will help after the fact. “They” are us. And it’s up to us to figure it out together. The first step is a national inquiry. Bravo to the Trudeau government for fulfilling their promise to create one. Julie Mikuska · |
Blog Archives
Articles By Category
|
|
|
     
|
||