Institutional Analysis: Corporatization of Food Systems (Globalism) Impact on Developmental Education at Adams State University, and What I plan to do about It

Transnational Corporatization of Food Systems

leads to

Cheap Sickening Food

Meanwhile

Food Deserts

lead to

32.3% of San Luis Valley Colorado residents experiencing Food Insecurity/Nutrition Deficiencies (Citation 1)

which leads to

Hungry children who cannot concentrate, whose cognitive abilities limit reading, writing and math success.

and

of 2011 Alamosa, CO, high school seniors who attended higher education in Colorado. (Citation 2)

and

Minimum wages jobs which cost communities about $6000 in tax payer subsidies per employee. (Citation 3)

FOUR MAJOR IMPACTS: Nutrition, Cognition, Need for Remediation (Developmental Education), and Limited Post-Secondary Opportunities/Economic Participation in the Community.

THE PLAN: Develop a program called "Empowering People Through Food" which engages students in readings/discussions of food policy and nutrition while sharing a weekly Wednesday evening meal and cooking lesson.  Students then serve with community agencies to teach cooking, nutrition and gardening classes.  Students who choose to enroll in the AmeriCorps Education Award program receive an $1100 scholarship after 300 hours of service.  There are ten students who plan to enroll Fall 2013.

This plan addresses the first two impacts of nutrition and cognition by outreaching to communities pre-emptively, thereby lessening the third and fourth impacts of remediation and limited economic opportunities.

Citations:

1) Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley (2013). http://www.lapuente.net/foodbank.php

2) Colorado Department of Higher Education (2013). 2012 Legislative Report on Remedial Education. (page 30)  http://www.cde.state.co.us/Communications/download/PDF/2012_Remedial.pdf

3) Unger, R. (2013). California To Wal-Mart: Enough! No More Taxpayer Subsidized Profits For You. http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2013/06/03/california-to-wal-mart-enough-no-more-taxpayer-subsidized-profits-for-you/

References:

Bowers, C. (2005). Educating for a Sustainable Future: Mediating Between the Commons and Economic Globalization. Accessible at http://www.cabowers.net/pdf/Educatingforasustainablefuture.pdf

Steger, M.B. (2009).  Globalization: A Very Short Introduction. 2^nd Ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

Reaction vs Reflection

"Why the hell are you doing that?"

When a friend asks this, I have at least two potential responses:

1) Yeah, you're right, nevermind.  I'll stop.

or

2) Hmm.  Good question.

We tend to reflect on our decisions only when prompted; much of the time we use automatic stimulus/response to the world. If there is any perceived hostility in the prompt (why are you doing that? vs why the heck are you doing that?!), we may be more likely to respond by stopping the behavior/choice/direction we're moving, the same way we respond to "watch out!"

However, sometimes we surround ourselves with really good friends who support us in a less judgy way as we navigate through the world, authentically following our inner voices, working through the details of our lives.  These friends prompt us in a way that doesn't provoke the first response/avoidance--that honors our decisions while nudging us to be able to explain our reasons, to create the narrative of our life in a way that makes sense, has coherence.

2013 Honey Lab Workshops

RSVP here

 

 

 

 

 

Bite off more than you can chew

And then share it.

It's been quite a week of beekeeping.

I delivered two hives to a second year beekeeper whose hive last year kept swarming away.  The morning after I installed the hives, she texted me to say this year's hives also absconded.  Feeling totally defeated, I wracked my brain about what I could have done to prevent this outcome.  Should I have left the corks in the queen cages?  Screened in the opening?  We did that last year and suffocated a whole box of bees.

Meanwhile, I got three calls within a few hours--can you come catch this swarm in my tree?  Can you put some bees on this organic Buckwheat I'm growing 30 miles away?  Can you put some bees on non-chemical clover which is blooming RIGHT NOW, 30 miles away in a different direction?

uh-oh, what have I gotten myself into?

Am I too big for my britches?

The "you're too big for your britches" expression means that you've over-reached, that you should limit yourself, that you should 'know your place'--don't be so uppity, etc.  Thank goodness Stephen King can make some sense of things.

I woke up this morning thinking, ok, I may have gotten myself into more than I can handle alone.  I'm playing the HappyThankYouMorePlease game, and need to drop the 'more please' before I drown in blessings.  I feel like I'm trying to take a sip from a fire hydrant.  Take it easy.  Take a step back.  Take it one day at a time.

Then I got another text--"Hi Karen!  Both my hives are busily at work!  I think I just didn't look carefully enough yesterday and they were on the ceiling!  I am so excited!"

So today I called a few people.  Another beekeeper is going to set hives on that buckwheat and clover.  I will reach out to others to participate, to share in the bounty.  There is no reason to dream smaller.  So many people are looking for a way to participate, and when I find myself overly blessed with opportunity, I just need to connect with others to receive more support and give more support.

Great Stories Begin Here: HS Students use Digital Storytelling to Chronicle their College Preparation Journey at Adams State University

I spent a year working on my practicum for the Kellogg Institute through the National Center for Developmental Education.  Read the final report here.

                Four students from Centennial HS in San Luis, Colorado, took a concurrent enrollment course at Adams State University in college readiness using digital storytelling to chronicle their college readiness journey.  These junior and senior HS students worked through college readiness curriculum each week and created a video blog of their experience. Students received college credit for their video projects and had access to cameras/editing technology.  The course was co-taught with film studies faculty and college readiness faculty.  In Spring 2013, students were eligible to take a second course which would develop their editing skills to turn the weekly video blogs into a polished narrative of their college story—what colleges they have been accepted, and what they learned through the film project. Pre- and post-tests of Accuplacer skills for reading, writing and math showed improvement in course placement.

Healthy Living Park, letter to the editor Valley Courier

5/7/13

Dear editor,

On Thursday morning the Alamosa School Board will deliberate about the future of the Polston property, the 38 acre parcel at the junction of Hwy 17 and Hwy 160.  The special meeting will be held at 209 Victoria Avenue at 6:30 am.

Last summer, eight Guatemalan families were able to grow food on that property.  For well over a year, several focus groups involving over 100 community members have been brainstorming the best use of that space to serve the most people, and the foundations for a healthy living park with many services and purposes, including microbusinesses, began to take shape.  This blog details this initial brainstorming progress and hopes for economic development of the region through this asset: http://riograndehealthypark.blogspot.com/

The Trust for Public Lands (www.tpl.org) has over 40 years of experience making these sorts of community projects a reality.  They broker complex transactions, identify community member wishes/needs while building broad coalition community support through multiple community focus groups. They raise money, and create public spaces that satisfy many community needs, including planning for the long term sustainability of the space.

One major concern the school board is considering is how best to turn that property into cash for the district as well as a tax asset into the future.  While an RV park will generate some taxes, a healthy living park is a beautiful Alamosa destination and it fosters entrepreneurship, microbusiness development, and job creation.  We still have a long process ahead of gathering community input, but we don’t need to reinvent the wheel:  the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks built their ‘healthy living park’ 15 years ago and is a great example to follow —see www.acenetworks.org/  They provide business incubation, venture loans, e-commerce and specialty food preparation.  Since Colorado recently passed the Cottage Food Act, making it easier for people to start businesses selling prepared foods, the time is “ripe” for this sort of economic development in Alamosa.

I think it is important to consider all of the people impacted by the school board’s decision.  We must certainly think of the children of Alamosa—what outcome will promise the most for their future?  It is also important to remember that Alamosa is a diverse community—our children come different economic backgrounds, different ethnic backgrounds.  Which outcome will more likely benefit ALL of our children?

I prefer the solution that supports several people making more money and consequently having more to spend in Alamosa (and also paying their appropriate taxes) rather than having one sole business make more money.  The Trust for Public Land/Healthy Living Park has so much more potential for supporting our schools now, and our children’s livelihood in the future.

Sincerely,

Karen Lemke

Don't forget to breathe

I had a delightful roadtrip this week:

   1 long weekend
+1 amazing friend
+ several scratched CDs
--
 Relaxation & Reflection

Hanging Lake, near Glenwood Springs, CO

Some souvenirs...

Don't forget to breathe:
The hike to Hanging Lake is 1.5 miles, ascending a thousand vertical feet. Within a few minutes of the trail head I started huffing and puffing, feeling my pulse in my ears. Then I started singing--exhaling completely, inhaling in rhythm, and all was well. I should sing all the time.

"You can only get this here." Spending several hours talking, listening, singing...I started to learn more about my companion and myself, the things that make us unique, my unique composition of beegirl, teacher, oboist--these traits/qualities in this combination?  You can only get this here.

"Surround yourself with excellent people."  And learn from them, teach them, love them.

Virtual Writing Retreat

When you're expansive, no matter
what the weather, you're in an open,
windy field with friends.-Rumi

I dreamt that you and I were sitting on a hill in a grassy field looking up at the clouds, sharing stories.

RSVP

Regenerative Love

I watched the film "Symphony of the Soil" last night.  It was about soil health and different ways that agricultural practices either deplete the soil or regenerate it.  Soil depleting practices lead to weaker and weaker soil that needs more stuff added to it to achieve its goals of sustaining life.  Regenerative practices actually make the soil more resilient year after year, providing higher yield of foods.

At this Valentine holiday, I look around me and see people in soul depleting relationships as well as in regenerative relationships.  It seems that the soul depleting relationships also require more and more stuff added to them in order to be "sustainable."

I am so greatful for the loving relationships in my life that are regenerative.  I've also been cultivating my own rich soil, dense with hope.  I'm stronger, healthier, happier because of the lovefest I cocreate!

Let love rule.