Sunday, April 24, 2016

April 24, 2016

Volunteer Hours: 5 Hours

Drive Time: 45 minutes

Total Volunteer Hours: 30 Hours 00 Minutes 

Today was our big event at the church. We held a presentation after the mass and we got a lot of bodies to come. About 30 of our prior donors came also to see what we've been up to and to just chat with us. I was in charge of greeting people and taking down their information. I met a lot of great people and they were all so kind. Everyone who came were so positive and brought such a community vibe. There was great discussion filled with questions and inputs of their own. Afterwards, there was snacks and drinks where we got a chance to actually sit and talk with everyone who came. After the event was over, we spent a while cleaning up and it was really cool to have some of the attendees help us clean up. 

April 22, 2016

Volunteer Hours: 8 Hours

Drive Time: 60 minutes

Total Volunteer Hours: 24 Hours 15 Minutes 

Today was a great day at Tres Por Uno. We spent the day getting ready for whats coming up. We had a presentation on Sunday so we spent all day getting ready for it. All of us have been so stressed out that it was great to just lay back and relax with everyone while being productive. We made posters, worked on flyers, edited brochures, as well as just talked about all of the progress we've made. Surprisingly, we made a few great break throughs. The ideas we brainstormed while just talking were way better than any formal meetings we've had in a while. Once we finished with the posters and getting everything together, I continued with the normal tasks of calling prior donors inviting them to our presentation. I called about 70 donors and got about 46 yes answers. Hopefully the all show so we can continue to grow our community of donors. 

Monday, April 18, 2016

Blog #9

Does your CP rely on money or services provided by any other entity (public or private)?
My community partner relies on donors and vendors. Our whole operation depends on the donations we receive. Also, we rely on vendors in Mexico to complete the necessary tasks.  
 Are the money or services provided in a consistent and reliable manner or is the CP subject to periodic application, approval, re-application, etc.? 
I wouldn't consider the money or services we receive are consistent nor would I say that we need to reapply for them. The money we get is a direct result of all our hard work and how well we can persuade the donors to donate. As for the vendors, we have a selection of vendors we constantly use but we do need to request a bid for each different project. 
How does this consistency, or lack thereof, affect your CP’s operations? 
Since we do not have consistent donations, our CP is in a constant desire to give it our all to ensure we always have enough money to keep our projects going. The fact that we do not have consistent money coming in, it really pushes us to give it our all. 

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Blog #8

Discuss the way your CP gets and spends its money?

My community partner gets its money from numerous donors. Our group tries to go out to community events as often as we can to spread the word about what we are trying to accomplish in hoping that we We are fortunate enough to have active participants that donate on a monthly basis. We rely on these donations heavily since donations are what we run our program on. In addition to donations, the program we also get additional funding from Mexico's government since they have to meet our donations. We spend the money trying to better the community. For instance, schools need supplies so we allocate some money for new supplies. In addition, some schools may need improvements in their playgrounds, walkways, or even buildings. Some sidewalks and roads need work or even community centers. We help fix them if necessary or do minor repairs such as painting or planting flowers. This is how we choose to spend the money. For bigger projects, we set up tables at events or even outside of stores and emphasize the dollar amount needed and what it is needed for. 

Which Hallmarks, if any, are expressed in the way your CP manages its budgeting and service delivery?


One of our hallmarks states, "We create community among those with whom we work and with those we serve." Another one states, "WE proclaim by our lives even more that by our words that God is good." By doing what we do, we are creating a community with Mexico that allows us to better their community. By doing what we do, we feel that we are doing what God wants us to. We are helping areas that are in need. I think both of these hallmarks are great explanations of why my community partner do what they do. 

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Blog #7

How does your CP interface with local governmental units?

On a weekly basis my community partner calls governments in Mexico. We use Skype and conference calls to communicate with them at least twice a week. Before the calls, we use Google Docs to create an Agenda of things that should be discussed during these calls. For instance, some items that are frequents on the agenda are updates on current projects, future projects, problems that may be faced, or even current events. In addition, the pictures we have our helpers take pictures in Mexico to help us see what areas need assistance. The pictures help us evaluate where we should allocate funds.

Are there any leaders in particular who have had an important impact on the success or development of your CP?

A former citizen of Zacatecas by the name of Francisco Gonzalez was the originator of this program. This program was his dream. I would say he is a big impact to the development of my Community Partner. Since this program was developed, he has taken charge and does all he can to be involved and to ensure its success.

Monday, March 21, 2016

CP Entry: March 18, 2016

Volunteer Hours: 5 Hours

Drive Time: 45 minutes

Total Volunteer Hours: 15 Hours 15 Minutes 

Today was another interesting day working with my Community Partner, Tres Por Uno. Since last week, we finally decided on a design for the flyers. I had to print about 300 copies of the flyer. This took a while since I had to keep refilling the ink and paper on the printer. Then I was asked to call the church we are working with to confirm some details. They were more than happy to assist us in spreading the word about our program. They even agreed to announce our program's table at the end of mass. I was in charge of making sure everything was ready for the Sunday. I was to find the table, tablecloth, order balloons, look for chairs, get the flyers ready, find cards for my superiors, and make sure they're were enough people volunteering. Once all this madness was done, I was able to call a few past participants and invited them to the mass and to see our table. Some of them agreed and a few of the already attended this mass already. That was really cool. It was getting towards the end of the day and everyone was winding down. We all got together and chit chatted about time of arrival, setup, and apparel. We are all excited to see how Sunday goes. 

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Blog Post #6

Focus question #1: What are the three principal functions of legislature?

The three principal functions of is policymaking, representation, and oversight. Policymaking is enacting laws as well as disbursing funds. Legislatures do not have sole control of the government, but they do allow for changes in budget shortfalls, health care, education, etc. The second function, representation, is where legislators are expected to represent the citizens that reside within their districts. This is not an easy task. The representative must know how the people in their district feels about different issues in order to ensure they are representing their citizens.  Representatives can be legislators who can act as their constituents' facilitators in state government. Oversight, the third function, is really different from the first two. This is when policymaking's efforts as well as the representatives' are not completed as planned.To ensure everything is okay, legislatures have adopted a number of methods for checking up on agency implementation and spending. The oversights that occur morph into the administrative role.

Monday, March 14, 2016

CP Entry: March 11, 2016

Volunteer Hours: 5 Hours

Drive Time: 45 minutes

Total Volunteer Hours: 10 Hours 15 Minutes 


Today, I went and volunteered at the Tres Por Uno Program. Since I didn't have school, I was able to give an extra hour of my time. We recently started working with a church and they agreed to let us pass out flyers at their next mass. They asked me to create three different flyers that included the name of the program, what the program is about, contact information, as well quotes from other participants. This took a while since I had to make it look nice and spacious while putting a lot of information on this letter size paper. Once I made three flyers, I showed them to my superior and she approved one of them to pass out at the Mass. Next, they asked me to input possible participants' information in a spreadsheet so we can start calling them. Fortunately, there were plenty of new contacts. It seemed like it was never going to end. My last task of the day included filing away the contact cards alphabetically in a filing cabinet and scanning a copy into the server. This was a great experience. It was so much fun and I learned a lot. It seemed like the work was never going to end but it was nice to know that my simple tasks really can make a difference.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Time Entry - February 26, 2016

Volunteer Hours: 4 Hours

Drive Time: 45 minutes

Total Volunteer Hours: 4 Hours 45 Minutes


Today was my very first day working with the Tres Por Uno program.It was such an amazing experience. Everyone was very nice, supportive, and everyone was passionate about the program's goal. Since it was my first day, my superior Denise, showed me around and introduced me to everyone working on the program. Once I was introduced to everyone, I went into the meeting they had and took notes. The meeting was about an hour long and consisted of everyone talking about what's was completed and what needs to be done still. They were working on a project to fix the roads near schools in Zacatecas. From what I understood, the government there did not want to use the money raised for the roads, but for taxes to help relieve people from some of their responsibilities. which is bogus! After numerous conversations, the government finally agreed to use the money for the roads near schools. After this was discussed, we then discussed how to get more donations and get the word spread about this program. Some suggestions included flyers, social media postings, as well as setting us booths at Mi Pueblo or the Flea Markets. After the meeting was completed, I was asked to complete a summary of the meeting and email it to the company. Then I was asked to input some information into a google doc. After this was done, I had to work on creating a flyer to spread the world. Sadly, it was time to leave. I really enjoyed my day working with this program. It was crazy to see how our interactions with the government make such a difference. It's crazy to see how behind the scenes works and I really liked it. I can't wait for next Friday to continue working with this program! 

CP Project - Tres Por Uno

     The program I would really like to work with is called Tres Por Uno. This program allows Mexicans living abroad the opportunity to channel their resources into works of social impact that directly benefit their home communities. Every peso sent back home, the government will give tree pesos. My work with this community partner will entail ensuring the President's of the different states and continually finding new areas that need improvement that this program can fund. In addition, I will be assisting with filing documents as well as taking notes during meetings and phone conferences that take place. I will be reaching out to numerous families encouraging them to participate in this program. I will be dedicating my time every Friday from 8AM-12PM. It will take me about 28 minutes with no traffic to drive to their location located on Stevens Creek Blvd in San Jose. Some terms mentioned were that I needed to dress professionally and always look presentable. Also, I am to show up to work every morning with a smile. In regards to government affiliation, we work with numerous governments in Mexico to ensure the funds that are being sent are being used for the right reasons such as schools, roads, or utilities. Also, to keep in contact with them on a weekly basis that will allow us to get updates from them on what's really happening over there. I would really love to dedicate my time to this project because I really love what they are doing and I think it would be interesting to work with a government organization not in the United States. I feel like this organization can really make a difference in Mexico's residents' lives. I would really love to be a part of it. It's something I've never done before and I think it could be a great experience as well as opportunity. I have attached some links below with some more information:

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/migrant-hometown-associations-and-opportunities-development-global-perspective
http://www.gfmd.org/pfp/ppd/24
http://www.marketplace.org/2007/11/07/economy/mexico-offers-3-1-ex-pats-money

CP Project

My assigned project was the Ecumenical Health Program which is a program dedicated to giving back to the community. I had started trying to volunteer by calling the office. I was calling the office three times a day for about a week and a half with no response. Finally, someone answered my phone call and informed me that I can not volunteer unless I speak to someone specific and the only way to reach them is by e-mail. Once I found that out, I was emailing the lady for about two weeks with no reply. I event tried to email from a different email with no response. I then talked to you, and you recommended me look for a different project. I spent days trying to figure out what to do and how to solve this problem. Thats when I found a new project. The tres por uno program. I sent you an email and spoke with you about what the program would entail. Thankfully, you approved this and I am now working on this wonderful project.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Blog Post #5

     The case I chose was Washington v. Seattle School. The Seattle School Board adopted a plan of mandatory busing to expand racial integration in schools. In response, opponents of the plan passed a statewide initiative designed to terminate the policy of mandatory busing. As a result, the Seattle School Board sued, challenging the constitutionality of the statewide initiative. 
     I found this case interesting because I found it bizarre that governments in this era were allowing for this type of non justice to happen. The governments were way different then and I am happy about that. It seems so crazy to me that the government would base their solutions on skin color. How did they justify this and why was it okay for them to do it. 

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Blog Topic #4

                         Subsidiarity can be defined in many ways. For example, the text defines it as the way the various levels of society should relate to each other and assist one another in bringing about the best outcomes for all people. I don't think this definition should be limited to the society. I would define subsidiarity as different people of different levels and backgrounds should come together to try and find the best solution that benefits everyone. Mine is pretty similar but I didn't want to limit this definition to societies, but also groups since groups are there to benefit others, I felt they should be included in this definition.
                     Devolution is defined as delegating powers and programs from the federal level to state and local governments. Again, I don't think this definition should be limited to a government idea since this can definitely be applied to groups and organizations. I keep bringing up the groups because I feel groups are mini governments. There are different levels to the groups which are similar to the group levels I feel.
                 Personally, I feel that subsidiarity is directly related to devolution. The definitions itself states that both terms deal with dividing up the work between different people. Subsidiarity divines up certain relationships between different levels just like devolution divides it up by different levels of government.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Blog Post #3

What do you know about the relationship between citizens and your CP?

       My community partner is the Ecumenical Hunger Program. This is a great program that provided necessities to families. Ecumenical Hunger Program dedicates it's existence to assist local families and individuals who are experiencing economic and/or personal hardship. They do this by providing clothes, clothing, household essentials, support, and advocacy to our neighbors to help them survive through difficult times so eventually they will be independent again. The Ecumenical Hunger Program serves working families, seniors, and people with limited incomes and those who have both emergency and on-going needs in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, as well as surrounding areas.
      I know that the citizens rely heavily on this service to get them through hard times. From some testimonials I've read online, I can see that this program has helped people when they really needed it.    This program was there for them when they had no one else to turn to. Ecumenical Hunger Program really made it possible for people to be at their lowest and have them work towards their independence again. Also, I noticed that a majority of the testimonials showed that after the people were out of their funk, they returned and volunteered and contributed to the program. A lot of people who needed his assistance prior really want to give someone else the opportunity they had. I think that is great. It really shows how appreciative they are.

On what levels do they interact?

One major way the citizens interact with this program is volunteerism. As mentioned earlier, volunteers assist people in need. Some of those volunteers have been in the same spot as the current people in need, and that is the exact reason they are volunteering. In addition, the program embraces volunteers and encourages people to join their mission to help as many people as they can.

How can citizen participation affect your CP?

According to table 4.1, voice is a major necessity to keep this program going strong. Donations and volunteering is great, but sometimes it's not always enough. We need to speak up and broadcast all the good does for the community and surrounding communities. Maybe if the government knows all the good that it does, they will be tempted to help out in any way they can. Another helpful actions is loyalty and showing support for the community by attending functions as well as spreading the word of their great works. If the citizens participate on a regular basis and spread the word, this program would get a lot more attention as well as volunteers excited to help. The more attention this program gets, the better it is for them. Who knows, it could get so big that the government would love to jump in and help any way they can!

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Blog Topic #2

Why is there tension between the state and local levels of government?
The relationship between state and local governments is strained because state governments give local governments life although the states government hasn't always treated their local governments nicely. State governments tend to see local governments just as special interest groups. The State government needs to stop belittling them and start embracing them as partners in our federal system. Local governments want their states to provide them with adequate funding in order to accomplish what they need to.  One major issue is power. State governments have the power to regulate  financials, personnel, structure, processes, functioning, and service standards. Although some local governments have the power to decide some of these things from them selves, most of the time the State government makes these decisions which I feel is infuriating. The state has so much power yet they don't truly know what each individual government has to deal with. Money seems to be a big problem between these two since the State controls it and the local governments have to pretty much hope they get enough. Local governments have to deal with the rising expenditure demands from their residents. Personally, I think the main source of tension is power. I think Local governments get tired of state's government deciding what's best for them when they don't know the everyday struggles or needs of their residents.

In what ways is this tension healthy for our political system overall?
I think the tension between the state and local governments is healthy for our political system overall. It creates an environment where local governments need to really get to know their residents and what they need/require from the government. If they know what the residents really want/need, then they would fight for it from the states. Also, this tension enables them to find resolution that keeps everyone happy. I think the tension is a great way for these governments to communicate and to try and fight for what's best for their residents.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

January 21, 2016

Alyssa Padilla
Andrews
State & Local Government
January 21, 2016
                                                                            Post #1
My first choice was to intern with the senator. I wanted to intern with him because later on in life, like in my 50's, I want to go into politics. This position arose from local citizens needing a voice and someone to voice their opinion to people in higher governmental positions so the changes they want have a chance of coming to life.  I don't think local governments didn't fill this adequately, they just need more people to help on their mission to try and please everyone. My choice is definitely affected by public policies and federal policies. Some desires of citizens may not be able to be resolved since it violates certain policies. My CP is accountable to its citizens.