Recently by Kelly Gibson

    Photo illustration: Kelly Gibson     

Adam Fiedler wanted to go into social work when he first started college. Growing up in a small town and experiencing foster care, Fiedler wanted to offer a voice in what he called a "flawed system."

            But his passion for physics and math overruled his passion for helping foster families, and he changed his path to education, hoping to be a mentor in schools rather than devote his entire career to child welfare.

            "I've been there, I've done that," said Fiedler, former president of the Kansas Youth Advisory Council, a board consisting of kids who have been or are currently in the foster care system. "I'd like to end up being a foster parent myself one day and maybe go back and get another degree in that area."

One of the biggest challenges the School of Social Welfare faces is getting students to consider child welfare as a career. According to the fall 2008 registrar headcount, the School of Social Work is one of the smallest schools, with only 525 students enrolled.  That is eight less than what was listed in 2007.

Michelle Levy, director of the Workforce Initiative, cites low wages, long hours, and tough work as some of the reasons why students don't consider a job in the field.

Enrollment in the school isn't the only disparity the social work field faces. There are constant vacancies in agencies across the state and the nation. With long hours, tough work and little pay, the turnover rate in the field is very high.

 "Most social workers have upwards of 30 cases," Fiedler, KU junior, said. "Because of paperwork and everything, they can't treat the cases with as much care as they should. The turnover rate is huge."

The average length of time a social worker stays in the field is two years, according to Bruce Linhos, executive director of the Children's Alliance of Kansas, a privatized, non-profit organization working to facilitate foster and adoptive care. It's three years for a supervisor.

"It's not just a Kansas problem; it's a problem everywhere," Linhos said.

In order to boost enrollment in the school and encourage people to pursue careers in the field of child welfare, the University of Kansas recently received funding from the Workforce Grant.

The Workforce Grant, one of five nationwide grants, will help fund program changes in the child welfare field at nine universities around the state of Kansas, including KU.  Approximately $2.5 million will be disbursed over the course of five years. The grant was given by the Department of Health and Human Services.

"We are doing this grant because social work education at the undergrad level has always been a generalist degree," said Alice Lieberman, co-principal investigator of the work force grant. "With this grant, we hope to provide some specialization in child welfare for undergraduates, and some additional training in child welfare for graduate students."

The funding will help institute specialized courses for child welfare undergrads and offer an opportunity to experience real-world situations through field work. They are also working on a traineeship program, where students will be offered a scholarship in exchange for them working in Kansas after graduation.

On top of boosting enrollment for traditional students, the grant will also help with a distance learning program for people already associated with the field who live in smaller towns.

"We're trying to find somebody already living in that community and giving them the tools they need to further their education," said Michelle Levy, project director and co-principal investigator for the grant. "It's harder for folks out there to get to school and complete their degree. It's a great way to further their education and a great way for us to get good workers in the field."

Other agencies have implemented traineeship programs and have been successful. Linhos said nine out of 10 students stick around when they receive a stipend while in school in exchange for working in the field.

            "What is interesting is that each grant has a different component," Linhos said. "We hope to create a quality improvement center to act as a repository for all of the information gathered. That way the other places can benefit."

            While it is still unclear whether the changes will boost enrollment or stabilize turnover rates in the field, Lieberman has high hopes that the grant will help prepare students for the field.

            "Research shows that when people feel good about their work, though, and have good supervision, they are likely to stay longer. And of course, the longer one stays, the better one gets," Lieberman said.

 

            "I'm moving," Ashley Hoyle says. She throws her eyes to the ground. Her boyfriend stares in disbelief. It is only a moment of quiet before anger twists across his face. Ignoring the group of high school students pacing the halls, his voice escalates to a scream and he roughly grabs her arms.

            "April Fools!" Hoyle says, hoping her small prank will be forgiven. His grip tightens. "I'm sorry," she whispers frantically. It is not enough. His screams cease abruptly as he thrusts her into a locker. The thud quiets the students in the hall, but no one comes to her rescue.

            This is only one of many examples Hoyle, a freshman at the University of Kansas, uses when she speaks to crowds about her abusive relationship. On numerous occasions, he threw her to the ground and often told her she wasn't good enough. It wasn't until after her relationship ended that she recognized it as abusive and decided to offer her voice in the fight against teen dating abuse. As national spokesperson for teen dating abuse, Hoyle gives a voice to those who don't have the power to speak for themselves.

            "Three months into the relationship he told me he loved me and that's when it started," Hoyle said. "First it was verbal abuse. He would threaten to break up with me if I did something he didn't like. His mom would tell me I was the reason for his bad grades. About five months in, he started the physical forcefulness. He was controlling," she said. "I didn't have any friends, but it was okay because we 'loved' each other."

            Hoyle was very involved in theater. She was friendly and outgoing. But behind her assertive, seemingly self-assured veneer, Hoyle had low self-esteem and craved attention from her boyfriend, despite its negativity.

            Hoyle decided she wasn't happy and broke up with him. It wasn't an easy split and Hoyle confided in her teachers and depended on her mother to help guide her.

Two years after the break-up, Hoyle was given an assignment in her digital production class to make a public service announcement for a competition hosted by loveisrespect.com, a Web site focused on raising teen dating abuse awareness. While many of her fellow students used statistics to relay information, Hoyle drew on her own experience. Her video hit home and she won the national competition.

"When my teacher called me I thought he was kidding," Hoyle said. "I was jumping up and down I was so excited."

Along with winning first place in the competition, Hoyle was given an all-expense paid trip to New York City to attend a luncheon with top advocates for teen dating abuse awareness, including Tim Gunn and Jaslene Gonzales. She told her story on the Morning Show and made countless appearances at rallies and conventions to raise awareness. But what really matters to her is giving a voice to the voiceless.

"What is really rewarding is when people come up to me and say thank you," Hoyle said. "It's hard to see the difference I make until girls come up to me crying and say I've really impacted them."

            Despite the empowerment of speaking out against abuse and knowing that she is making a difference, Hoyle is still haunted by the ghost of her former relationship.

            "They think when you're out of the relationship, you're through," she said. "That's not true."

            Hoyle went to two psychiatrists to help heal her wounds. She still didn't trust anyone and dated a different boy each month.

            "From August to June I would have a different boyfriend," she said. "I didn't trust them; I didn't trust myself. I thought I'd be in my mid-20s before I could trust anyone."

            Self-esteem oozes from Hoyle now--so much that it is almost contagious. She flips her hair and laughs as she recounts her stories, as though she was never that girl who depended on her abusive boyfriend's approval. Hoyle said it was important to learn to love herself before she could let someone else love her. Cory Crain helped her understand this.

            Crain had been an acquaintance for several years before Hoyle realized she had romantic feelings for him.

            "In a way, I think he was sent to me. It shouldn't have worked, but it does perfectly," Hoyle said.

            Even though they've been together for a year--longer than Hoyle had been with her abusive boyfriend--Hoyle is still fearful that Crain will turn into her ex-beau.

            "It's daily; it's hard," Hoyle said. "It was really trying for our relationship."

            Speaking at various events required Hoyle to relive the hardest moments of her abusive relationship, but Crain stuck by her side.

            Hoyle said she would read old notes to channel the person she used to be and how her ex-boyfriend made her feel. Despite this emotional turmoil, it was Crain's support and understanding-- along with the self-empowerment Hoyle found through therapy-- that gave her the strength to speak to others about her experiences.

            "I didn't believe it was real," Hoyle said. "I doubted myself every time I spoke. I didn't believe it had actually happened to me. I hadn't spoken to my ex in years and he made me doubt myself."

            Once, in the middle of a tickle fight, Hoyle was reminded of a similar situation with her ex-boyfriend and left the room crying. Crain sat her down and calmly discussed the situation with her. It is this acceptance and calm that keeps their relationship afloat in the midst of Hoyle's dark past.

            "He is my best friend," Hoyle said, smiling. "He makes me so happy."

            Hoyle wants to maintain her advocacy for dating abuse awareness. She considered entering the loveisrespect.com contest again this year, but feels that giving another person the opportunity to speak out will have a greater impact.

            "Those who abuse others are never healed," she said. "I think the educational approach is all wrong. We need to have a national program that requires students to learn about domestic violence."

            To learn more about teen dating abuse, visit the following websites:

• www.loveisrespect.org
• www.chooserespect.org
• Hawk Health
  
• Contact the Wellness Resource Center (785) 864-9570
  

 

Members of the Hiratsuka, Japan delegation, part of the Lawrence Sister Cities program, enjoy black eggs, a Japanese delicacy. Eggs are boiled in volcanic sulfur. Members of the delegation experienced Japanese culture as part of an exchange program. Both Hiratsuka, Japan and Eutin, Germany are sister cities to Lawrence.

Photo provided by Bob Moody

It is rare for a 12-year-old boy to say he has eaten eggs out of a volcano, swam in a traditional Japanese hot spring, wandered around marketplaces in Germany, and attended a German high school. But Sterling Moody can proudly boast that he has done all of those things.

 

Sterling Moody said he was interested at a young age in participating in a culturally charged program that emphasized education and particularly looked for an opportunity to truly experience the culture. At the suggestion of a junior high teacher, Sterling Moody looked into the Lawrence Sister Cities program and applied for the Hiratsuka, Japan delegation.

 

Sterling Moody, now a junior at the University of Colorado, enjoyed his experience so much that he applied for the Eutin, Germany delegation the next year. Sterling's passion interested his father, Bob Moody, chairman of the Lawrence Sister Cities Advisory Board. Bob Moody has participated in the program for more than 10 years now, hosting 11 students and chaperoning trips.

 

In almost 20 years, the Lawrence Sister Cities program has sent about 800 students to Hiratsuka, Japan or Eutin, Germany. On average, 20 students participate in each delegation annually. Only 18 are going this year and, while the financial crisis could pose a problem in the coming years, it doesn't seem to be a factor in the small drop in participation.

 

"There is an imbalance," said Sterling Moody. "There are more people there who want to come here and fewer people here who want to go there. I can see some problems with funding."

 

Students are expected to pay their way for the trip, but not all students can afford the opportunity. The scholarship program is in place to allow more students to participate despite financial burden. Outside of fund raising, the program receives a grant that goes toward hosting as well as maintaining support for the program.

 

The Sister Cities Advisory Board hosted its second annual fundraiser for scholarships for the Sister Cities program, raising nearly $2,500 for students in need. The cost for either program is $2,100 for each individual. Most of the money goes toward travel expenses as students stay with a host family to cut down on costs.

 

"The scholarship program is for kids who wouldn't get the chance to experience another culture," said Sterling Moody.

 

"No full scholarship is granted because we feel that the student has to be invested in the program in some way," said Bob Moody.

 

Bob Moody said the most money ever granted to a student on scholarship was $1,000.

 

"The amount we award is based on how many students are granted scholarships and how many apply," he said.

 

Both cities are approximately the same size in population to Lawrence. The Sister Cities program allows local students to travel to Germany or Japan and stay with host families to learn more about different cultures. In return, students who participate in the program must host a student from Hiratsuka or Eutin.

 

In order to qualify for the programs, applicants must be Lawrence junior high or high school students. Participants in the Eutin delegation must have taken at least one year of German in order to qualify because students stay with host families. The Hiratsuka delegation has no additional educational requirements.

 

"I took German when I was really little and I was really scared because some families speak English and some don't," Sterling Moody said.

 

Sterling Moody's host family spoke only German, but he said the full emersion allowed his German-speaking skills to grow a lot faster. After only two weeks, Sterling Moody was nearly fluent.

"We were at a party and they introduced me to this guy and he didn't believe I was American," Sterling Moody said. "It was the biggest compliment that he thought I was German."

 

While the Hiratsuka program lasts 10 days, the Eutin program spans six weeks, but both experiences are well worth the cost said Sterling Moody.

 

"In Germany, I had to go to school so I absorbed more of the German culture, but the 10 days in Japan weren't cheapened because of the short stay--it was more of a snapshot of the culture," Sterling Moody said.

 

Ceremony was a very important part of learning about each culture. Sterling Moody said that the students from both delegations got to meet the mayor of the town

 

"In Lawrence, the mayor is just a normal person but in both sister cities, the mayor is a really big deal," Sterling Moody said. "In Hiratsuka, we had to give speeches and prepare gifts. In Eutin, when you meet the mayor, you have to sign this golden book that only important people get to sign. I'm not used to so much pomp and circumstance."

 

Sterling Moody stressed the importance of the program in terms of seeing the world and his own culture.

 

"It affects the frame in which you view things and takes you out of your culture comfort zone," he said. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Very rarely do you actually get to see what a culture is like when you travel somewhere. If you just stayed in a hotel, you wouldn't get the same experience."

Despite the tremendous spike in food prices, local meal delivery services continue to provide warm meals for their clients.

 

Kim Wittman, senior meals manager for Douglas County Senior Services, said that contracts with the food supplier were negotiated annually and this year's price reflected the increase in food costs.

 

"The jump in cost for this year is the largest jump I've seen since I've been here, and I've been here for 13 years," Wittman said.

 

Wittman's service, senior meals, serves one noontime meal a day to 250 people over the age of 60. More than half of these meals are delivered.

 

Those who receive meals are asked for a $2.50 per meal contribution as compensation for the cost of delivery and food. Wittman said customers give what they can, but lately many clients can't contribute as much as they used to.

 

"We're trying not to pass [the rising costs] on to our clients," said Kim Culliss, executive director of Meals on Wheels in Lawrence.

Meals on Wheels charges $4.50 per meal. They serve more than 120 people and, of those clients, Culliss said 80 percent need assistance meeting the cost.

 

Finding funding is challenging for the programs and sometimes requires some creativity. Without consistent contributions to cover the costs of the program, the senior meals program must rely on other forms of funding, like federal and state funds.

 

Meals on Wheels organized a garage sale to help with costs. Originally slated for mid-September, the event was rescheduled for Oct. 4 because of bad weather. They also hold an annual silent auction in April.

Along with costs of food prices, finding volunteers is a concern for both organizations.

 

"Our regular drivers are very loyal. We haven't seen them leaving, we just don't see enough new volunteers," Culliss said.

 

Combined, the two programs have 150 volunteers a week to deliver food, but Wittman said it's not enough.

 

"Without volunteers, we would not be able to do what we do," said Wittman.

 

Wittman was hesitant to attribute lack of volunteers to rising gas prices but rather an increase in how long people are working.

 

"The steadfast group we've been using for years and years just aren't able to do it anymore," Wittman said. "People are working longer. There are a lot more two income houses. They just don't have time."

 

Meals on Wheels continues its search for volunteers regularly. Culliss said they were trying the normal channels by sending emails, contacting churches and media, and trying new places in hopes of finding helpers.