Action and Advocacy

League of Women Voters^®
of Schenectady County

We are truly a grassroots organization...

Reports from the Environment, Education Financing, Local Government, Social Policy, Balancing Justice, Voter Service, Health Care, and Immigration Committees.

Local Action For Promoting Democracy. Local Action Committees. Rethinking Counterterrorism.

Local Action For Promoting Democracy

The League of Women Voters takes action on an issue or advocates for a cause when there is an existing League position that supports the issue or speaks to the cause.
Positions result from a process of study. Any given study, whether it be National, State, or Local, is thorough in its pursuit of facts and details. As the study progresses, a continuing discussion of pros and cons of each situation occurs. Prior to the results of the study being presented to the general membership, study committee members fashion consensus questions that are then addressed by the membership.
Additional discussion, pro and con, takes place as members (not part of the study committee) learn the scope of the study. After the members reach consensus, the board forms positions based on that consensus.
It is the consensus statement -- the statement resulting from the consensus questions -- that becomes a position. Firm action or advocacy can then be taken on the particular issue addressed by the position. Without a position, action/advocacy cannot be taken.
Below are the topics under study by Schenectady County Committees.

Join a Local Action Committee!!!

Environment Committee: Nancy Peterson, Chair. For more information, visit Environment Action Committee
Committee Charge: To study and take action on local, regional, and national environmental issues. Meeting Times: As needed, please contact Committee Chair.
Education Financing: Maxine Borom, Chair. Committee Charge: Advocacy for fiscal equity in New York State public school financing; monitoring local charter schools. For more information, visit Education Action Committee
Local Government: Kay Ackerman, Chair. Committee Charge: Observer Corps; monitoring activities of local government, including a study of inter-municipal cooperation.
Social Policy: Working Group on Girls: Betsey Forkas, Chair. For more information, visit, Social Policy Action Report
Balancing Justice: Helga Schroeter, Chair. For more information, visit, Judicial Report
Voter Service: Nan Kuntz, Chair. For more information, visit, Elections and Voter Information
Health Care: Pat Kessler, Chair. For more information, please visit, Health Care Action
Immigration Committee: Judy Middelkoop and Pat MacKinnon, co-chairs. For more information, please visit, Immigration Committee report

RETHINKING COUNTERTERRORISM: Can We Create a Safer, More Compassionate World?

Submitted by Elaine Klein

This program, on January 29 at the Schenectady Library, offered a glimpse of how people who have had personal encounters with terrorism have chosen to take a positive outlook on life and have set out to promote education and friendship. The first speaker was a seventeen year old exchange student from Afghanistan, Asadulla S. (sponsored by the American Councils for International Education). Other speakers included Sally and Don Goodrich, whose adult son was killed on Sept. 11 in the second tower, and Dr. David Edwards, a William College professor of anthropology and an Afghan scholar. Kara Lozier, PAX Community Coordinator for Youth Exchange and Study Programs, explained the value of bringing Afghani exchange students to study in the U.S. as a way of changing people's perceptions.

The audience paid rapt attention as Asadullah gave an eloquent account of his life fleeing with his family from the Taliban. He spoke of "witnessing things no child should see," such as when, as a tiny child, he saw his neighbor blown up by a landmine. His family left their home in Bamyan and lived for years in mountain caves. He assisted them by fetching and carrying water jugs and tending sheep. Despite the fact that his schooling had been interrupted, once he had the opportunity, he managed as a teenager to study hard and be accepted for the Exchange Program. Asadullah spoke of the importance of education and helping others.

Sally and Don Goodrich are founders of the Peter M. Goodrich Foundation that works primarily in Afghanistan to support education and address the fundamental needs of fragile populations. Sally explained the lack of education in Afghanistan, and they showed a film that included homage to their son and footage of a new girls' school that Sally had envisioned, and raised the funds for.

Dr. Edwards explained that there has not been a master plan for reconstruction in Afghanistan, and the school project was able to stay intact by working with the government.

The speakers are part of a network of people responding to terrorism by building a safer, more compassionate world. Their flyer stated,"Each of us has the power to respond to terrorism with positive, constructive actions that can help improve lives in places where terrorists seek to recruit new members. We can replace suspicion with respect and restore trust." Sally Goodrich noted, "The allure of terrorism does not match a life where there is actually opportunity." More information is available at: OurVoicesTogether.org

Don Goodrich spoke briefly on a lesser known aspect of helping to rebuild a country by working with financial institutions to offer terrorism insurance to contractors, which enables them to take the risk involved with rebuilding. Don Goodrich stated, "For every act of violence, we have to have an act of kindness, or we devolve into violence."

WAYS THAT YOU CAN HELP TO FIGHT TERRORISM IN A POSITIVE WAY

Visit the Schenectady County Public Library and look at the displays in the lobby. There are many ways that individuals or organizations can make a difference. The Peter M. Goodrich Foundation partially funds the food, fuel, and clothing needs of fifty orphans in Wardak and staff members charged with educating, nurturing and protecting these victims of conflict. It is possible for donors to purchase and send small items like mittens, scarves, school supplies or toiletries. It is also possible to purchase sheep for a contribution of $125 or a cow at $600 to provide a source of food and income. As an extension of its current support of an orphanage, it intends to purchase arable land in a safer location to relocate the orphans, if necessary, build a greenhouse and produce crops. The Foundation continues to support the school it constructed in Logar and two schools built by others in Wardak. It contributes to the living and educational expenses of an internally displaced family within Afghanistan. Every dollar donated to the foundation goes directly to its projects. All administrative costs and Goodrich family travel expenses are borne by the Goodrich family. Nor does the Foundation pay administrative fees to its Afghanistan partners Individuals who are interested may support the student exchange program by opening their hearts and homes to an Afghani student in the 2008-2009 academic year. They have been selected to receive a highly competitive U.S. government scholarship to spend an academic year in the U.S. and live with an American host family. The Youth Exchange and Study scholarship was created in response to the tragic events of September 11th as a way to build bridges of mutual understanding between the U.S. and countries with significant Muslim populations.

The students selected have excellent English and are chosen for their leadership abilities and other traits deemed necessary to succeed in an exchange such as this. They are the top 1-2% of applicants for these scholarships. Thousands of students from Afghanistan apply and only 50 will be selected.

In both Afghanistan and the United States, our hope is to contribute to a new generation of citizens and leaders capable of devising solutions to complex problems. If you are interested in sharing your home with an exchange student, contact: Kara Lozier, Community Coordinator American Councils for International Education She can be reached at (802)442-8174 Office, (802)823-5006 Home, or by email at karalozier@yahoo.com

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: July 8, 2008 22:48 PDT.