This week’s topic was advocacy and the arts. I believe that art programs in general are highly underrated and while not all the assigned reading was focused on nonprofits devoted to the arts I found them all to be quite informative and enjoyable.
The article titled The Power of Nonprofits painted a colorful and exciting picture of the birth and growth of nonprofits in America. The small section on Martin Luther J. King especially interested me as while we all know his basic history I had never thought to associate so many nonprofits with the life changing work he did.
Arts Groups Pumped $166.2 Billion Into U.S. in 2005, Study Says presented some statistics that actually really surprised me. Apparently nonprofit art groups contributed 5.7 million jobs in 2005 alone. I’m curious what that number is today with the increased budget cuts within public programs. Communities seem to be doing a really good job of picking up the slack, which is wonderful. I hate to think of art becoming an activity one participates in only if they can afford to.
In The Poetry Gives Teens A Voice article it was really the last sentence that got me, “It was really a movement”. These are the kind of stories about true empowerment that I really love. Clearly the activities that these kids are participating in through this program are changing their lives. This article only highlights how ridiculous it is that art and music education continue to be swept under the rug in public schools around the country.
Two of the articles from this weeks reading focus on proposed legislation that would take away the tax exempt status of nonprofits that were found to be engaged in “unethical fundraising practices” where not enough of their total funds were focused toward actual program services. Honestly there is a part of me that feels like there are better things that Oregon’s attorney general could be doing with his time as there are already websites, many which we utilized during our scavenger hunt, that contain this sort of information for interested donors. At the same time there are thousands of nonprofits out there that are doing incredibly important work and I hate to think about their credibility being questioned by the general public because of the poor choices of a few bad apples. As long as the power to essentially shut down certain nonprofits is based completely on legitimate misuse of charitable funds I believe this to be a good thing. However there is a part of me that remains concerned about where this legislation could take Oregon in the future. I assume that all of you know what is going on right now with House of Representatives voting to strip Planned Parenthood of all it’s federal funding, a blow towards pro-choice ideology which will eliminate birth control, cancer screenings, and STD testing and treatment from the lives of those who will no longer be able to afford it. Here is a great clip of some floor highlights if you haven’t been keeping up.
Okay, so you’re probably wondering where I’m going with this. Basically I just hope that we as citizens remain aware and that nonprofits aren’t targeted based on their ideology or what type of work they are doing.
Asia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post. I to enjoy the Power of Nonprofits. The article really gave me a better feel in terms of the history and important events surrounding the early years of the nonprofit sector. Thanks for the link and information regarding Planned Parenthood. In my opinion this is very important because the cuts in funding will affect a womens right to choose and. What will be next?
Hey Asia, I loved your post, and I am sorry I could not make it to class today!
ReplyDeleteI agree that if things keep going the way they are in the arts, that only the rich will soon be able to afford to enjoy art in the classroom.
I am also really glad you brought up the Stand for Planned Parenthood, because they provide so many important services to men and women- aside from birth control and STD screening.
Asia,
ReplyDeleteI hate that schools seem to be cutting art, music etc. first when it comes to budget cuts. Unfortunately I feel like this is a side effect of the push in the 50s and 60s for dominance in science and math. While those subjects are important for advances in medicine, engineering, physics etc. not every student is cut out for these fields. Some kids are really good at music or painting or writing. Not only that but it helps for kids to be well rounded. They may not be very good at the arts but they like doing them and do it for recreation to blow off steam or just for fun. A lot of people seem to have the idea that the arts aren't real professions and that artists are just a drain on society, and they need to get a real job. However, I still feel like science and math are underfunded as well. Basically, education needs more money!