Southeast Vermont is a place full of well-intentioned, compassionate people. The officially sanctioned infrastructure here for helping vulnerable individuals and families is impressive.
But outside of the accepted conduits for helping - like volunteering and donating to government recognized nonprofits - how are we each empowered (or not) to make the change we want to see in our community?
It can be easy to let the government and nonprofits be in control and set the tone of the conversation, but it can also deprive us of taking personal responsibility for our community and being active citizenry.
Lately, I have been wondering what systems slow down or discourage us from bravely imagining creative solutions. And, furthermore, from whose perspective are our local problems being defined, and how does that 1) create a narrative with a distinct point of view and 2) determine the solutions?...
As Vermonters, we have a responsibility to take care of the state's youngest residents, especially those children who may be abused and neglected and, as a result, enter the foster care system. Unfortunately, our state is instead stealing from those vulnerable residents rather than caring for them and securing...
In September, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its proposal to remove 23 species (22 animals and one plant) from the endangered species list because they are believed to be extinct. Let the finality of that declaration sink in. For some of these creatures, humans held out hope...
The saying goes that two things in life are certain: death and taxes. On the surface, these two realities do not have much in common beyond their certainty, but, in fact, they are connected. Taxes are part of a legacy that each person creates which will shape the world long after their death. But with a large portion of tax money in the United States directly paying for weapons of death and destruction, all of us owe it to ourselves...