Thursday, May 15, 2014

Summer Volunteer Opportunities


What is on your agenda for summer?  Whatever it is, we hope you have reserved some time to build your resume.  There are multiple ways to build your resume this summer, including gaining practical experience through an internship or volunteering, to name a few.  Below is a list of volunteer opportunities to help get you started on the latter.  Volunteering is a great way to build your professional network and gain experience in a field that interests you!  Employers love seeing your enthusiasm for your field through volunteer initiatives. 
Career Services is open throughout the summer to assist you!  Contact our office with questions at 512-245-2645.
-Texas Advocacy Project
Mission: Texas Advocacy Project provides free legal services statewide to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. 
Where: Austin 
Website: http://www.texasadvocacyproject.org/
 
-Colorado River Alliance
 
Mission: Advocates for the Texas Colorado River, believing that a healthy, flowing river is imperative to the long-term well-being of the communities through which it runs. 
Where: Austin 
Website: http://coloradoriver.org/newsite/get-involved/volunteer/
 
-City of Austin
 
Mission: Place educational "No Dumping - Drains to Creek" markers on storm drains to help protect water quality in our creeks and river.
Where: Austin
-Caritas of Austin
 
Mission: Caritas provides a service continuum for those experiencing poverty that begins with a safety net and links them to resources to achieve self-sufficiency.
Where: Austin 
Website: http://www.caritasofaustin.org/
 
-Austin Eastside Community Connection
Mission: ECC involves students from Austin area colleges and universities in every aspect of the center’s operations to improve the quality of life of East Austin residents.
Where: Austin
-Keep Austin Fed
Mission: Sharing healthy nutrition with our hungry neighbors by keeping surplus food out of the waste stream. 
Where: Austin
-The Arc of Capital Area
Mission: Committed to empowering Central Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families through compassionate case management and innovative programs.
Where: Austin 
Website: http://www.arcofthecapitalarea.org/
 
-Texas Land Conservancy
Mission: A diverse and expanding network of protected natural areas throughout Texas supported by a community of Texans who share a commitment to enhancing the quality of life through conservation.  
Where: Austin
-Urban Roots
Mission: Urban Roots is a youth development organization that uses sustainable agriculture to transform the lives of young people and increase access to healthy food in Austin.
Where: Austin
-ChildSafe
Mission: We restore hope and healing through expert treatment to children and their families who have been traumatized by abuse. 
Where: San Antonio
-San Antonio Youth Literacy
Mission: Promotes literacy of at-risk youth.
Where: San Antonio 
Website: http://www.sayl.org/
 
-Daisy Cares
Mission: To provide pet food, medical care to needy pets, and reduce animal abuse through public education and awareness.
Where: San Antonio
 
-Friends of the Buda Library
Mission: Dedicated to meeting the needs of a diverse and rapidly growing community supporting our library in sustaining, expanding and improving excellent staff services, library collections, computers, furnishings, and library staff training.
Where: Buda
-Friends of the San Marcos Public Library
Mission: Dedicated to strengthening the San Marcos Library through fundraising, volunteer work and advocacy.
 
-Habitat for Humanity San Marcos
Mission: Teams build houses for impoverished families.
Where: San Marcos
-Hands of Hope
Mission: Provides education in subjects such as math, English and Bible study, as well as career-readiness training for women of all ages in Hays County.
Where: San Marcos
-Hays-Caldwell Women's Shelter
Mission: To create an environment where violence and abuse are not tolerated in the communities the organization serves.
Where: San Marcos 
Website: http://www.hcwc.org/
 
-Keep San Marcos Beautiful
Mission: Strives to educate and engage San Marcos residents and visitors to take responsibility for improving the community environment.
Where: San Marcos 
Website: www.ci.san-marcos.tx.us/index.aspx?page=218
 
-San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance
Mission: Creating an interconnected system of parks and natural areas in and around San Marcos. 
Where: San Marcos
 
-San Marcos River Foundation
Mission: Protects public access and preserves the flow, purity and natural beauty of the San Marcos River, its watershed and estuaries
Where: San Marcos 
Website: www.sanmarcosriver.org
 
-United Way of Hays County
Mission: Advances the common good by investing in and developing programs that address Hays County’s critical needs in education, income/financial stability and health.
Where: San Marcos
-Hill Country Alliance
Mission: HCA is a passionate community caring for the unique features, spring-fed streams, heritage ranch lands, spectacular beauty and culture of the Texas Hill Country for the benefit of future generations.
Where: Austin 
Website: http://www.hillcountryalliance.org/HCA/Home

-Bat Conservation International
Mission: To conserve the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet. 
Where: Austin 
Website: http://www.batcon.org/
-Active Life
Mission: A social change nonprofit working to organize and accelerate the movement to make healthy living the norm.
Where: Austin 
Website: www.itstimetexas.org
 
-Boys and Girls Clubs
Mission: Offers programs and services to promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence.
Where: Austin
 
-Capital Area Foodbank of Texas
Mission: The largest hunger-relief charity in Central Texas providing food and grocery products, nutrition education and social services outreach.
Where: Austin
-Central Texas Trail Tamers
Mission: A group of volunteers who donate labor to lessen the burdens of government for projects that enhance public use and protection of environmentally sensitive parks and preserves.
Where: Austin 
Website: www.trailtamers.org
 
-College Forward
Mission: Provides access and completion services to motivated, economically disadvantaged students to help them transition to college.
Where: Austin 
Website: www.collegeforward.org
 
-Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club
Mission: Aims to provide education and advocacy for protecting the environment.
Where: Austin
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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Harassment in the workplace

Dealing with Workplace Hostility as an Intern

An unpaid intern in New York City sued her employer for sexual harassment in 2009. The woman was a 22-year-old student at Syracuse University at the time of the assault. In October 2013, a Federal District Court Judge ruled that the intern could not file a law suit because she did not fall under legal employee status. He argued that her status as an unpaid intern working for educational purposes disqualified her as an actual employee. This ruling rekindled discussions of intern rights that had been in the news a few months previously.

In other news, a Federal District Court Judge ruled in favor of two unpaid interns in June 2013, also in New York. The interns were Production Assistants on the set of Black Swan, and sued Fox Searchlight Pictures because they preformed the work of paid employees. The judge ruled that Fox Searchlight had violated federal minimum wage laws by not paying the interns. In a New York Times article they said, "the judge forcefully called for following criteria that the Department of Labor has laid out for unpaid internships. Those rules say unpaid internships should not be to the immediate advantage of the employer, the work must be similar to vocational training given in an educational environment, the experience must be for the benefit of the intern and the intern’s work must not displace that of regular employees." Intern wage is an increasingly talked about subject because nowadays unpaid internships are the route to a full-time job. Because unpaid internships are increasing across the nation, interns should make themselves aware of the Human Resources policies where they work. Specifically, they should become aware of their rights regarding sexual harassment and discrimination.

Notably, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defines sexual harassment as: "unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature...when...submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for employment decisions...or such conduct has the purpose or effect of...creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment." Women and men alike can be perpetrators of harassment. Creating an offensive working environment or using submission to harassment as a basis for employment decisions expands beyond the definition of sexual harassment. Discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, age, etc can be included. The woman in New York who lost her sexual harassment lawsuit is still suing her former employer for discrimination. She argues that she did not receive a full-time job offer because she did not accept her boss's advances. Nevertheless, she did the right thing by standing up for herself in this situation. Local laws provided her no harassment protection, but the national recognition of her case brought the issue of intern rights to the front pages. With that in mind, interns should know a little bit about how to handle situations of harassment.

Thus, any harassment experienced should be addressed. Ignoring an uncomfortable advance will not make it go away. First, make sure that the violator knows that you are not okay with their conduct. If you have a chronic harasser, keep evidence and notes on their actions and immediately report the offense to the Human Resources department. No action can be taken if there is not a proper report filed in a timely fashion. Do not assume that anyone else knows what is happening or has done anything about it.  If you were fired based on discriminatory practices, immediately write to the company with a formal complaint while being clear and direct. Send the letter with a signature requirement so you can prove it was received. Be sure to give the employer a time frame by which they have to respond before you will take legal action against them. Additionally, the more you document what happened, including dates, times, and names of people involved, the better your chances are of asserting your civil rights if necessary. Consequently, if you do not document events carefully, it will be your word against the company and you will have a hard time establishing that you have a case.

Indeed, with the financial state of both the nation and the recent graduates living in it, the main stream media has brought into light intern rights issues. The changing roles of interns in the workplace have blurred some lines of morality. Questions regarding intern rights like pay and sexual harassment are on the rise as business' have evolved an intern's role for the sake of free labor. Remember that your internship is meant to be an experience for learning and growth.

Resources: About.com, Equal Rights Advocates, Internships.com, New York Times, United States Department of Labor,  U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Created By: Alanna Gray 
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