HRC first weeks

OK I have not blog in a really long time, truth of the matter I’m not fond of blogging and being witness of the relevance that this media has in my organization, I reinforce my position. I like Editors.
However, you got do, what you got do. The Human Rights Campaign is the largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. I’m working on the diversity department, which basically have the mission to create alliances with other civil rights organizations to promote policies of mutual interest. Of course the department manages several issues, from African American LGBT population in colleges to LGBT population in their path to citizenship.
My first weeks in the office people from the outside asked my why to work in an LGBT organization? Are you gay? Well, it is extremely awkward to me when people ask me why do I have social sensitivity, or why do I care about other people being discriminating against.
For know the organization is working resignedly in repudiate Don’t Ask Don’t Tell by the end of the summer, there are 5 more weeks and we just keep calling people, encouraging them to leave messages to their senators or to write them directly. I’m not quite sure if senators listen to their constituency but as I heard that was a good strategy during the hearings in the house.
I’m rolling over different projects, for know we are trying to encourage residents to become citizens, which is a long term political strategy that I really like. I came along with a project called social justice sexuality, which I will share details later, but it’s extremely interesting, and today I will participate in a meeting for women leadership campaign, which I hope it’s going to be quite interesting.
I will be able deepen into the projects in further posts, and how they are related with public policy. For know I have to go back to Mss Kagan hearings,
Best
Fernando

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Restaurant Week

Fellow lucky NYers, restaurant week is around the corner. And for the people who know me well, they know I have a long standing love affair with good food and good wine for a good deal . So take advantage if you’re around. Actually in the process of trying to plan a “great to have you, but off into the world you go” dinner for the NETIs… (hope I’ll be able to find somewhere that seats 30+ and still wants to give us a deal)

On a side note, I am eagerly anticipating the rest of the World Cup. It will definately be a battle of will with the upcoming matches between Brazil and the Netherlands and Germany and Argentina…(torn about who to cheer for does not even cover it) Crossing my fingers that Brazil will live up to its reputation and produce a well executed plan of attack against the Netherlands.

For anybody that’s interested check out nycgo.com for a list of the participating restaurants and their menus

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The Good Kind of Lobbyist

Still not halfway through the summer yet. I’m relieved to discover this because there still seems like so much left to do. Yesterday was a nice break from routine because someone from the state senate kept emailing me for data about housing in NYC. I probably shouldn’t mention who or what, just in case, but it was rewarding to be a (small) part of the process. Although I must say that I am surprised they are working on housing bills this late in the session when they are way behind on passing the budget. I guess tonight’s the last night, so let’s hope it passes!

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Domestic violence

This previous weekend, I went to Taiping with my ED and one of the counselors at WCC to attend a talk on domestic violence that our organization took part in. Taiping is a quiet town on the mainland of Malaysia, situated between Penang and Ipoh, known for its excessive rainfall because of its topography. Luckily, I just missed the heavy rains as we did not arrive until the evening. Once settled into our little hotel, also where the talk was taking place, my ED, the counselor, and I met up with Mr. Stephen Chow Chee Kheong, founding director of the organization Persatuan Perkhidmatan Komuniti Taiping (translates into Community Services Association of Taiping) for dinner at the hotel. Stephen is a lovely man, clearly very passionate about his organization (he also suffers from moderate cerebral palsy), and he and my director have a long standing history of combining organizations for conferences and talks such as this one.

Sook Foong, one of the senior counselors at WCC, delivered a talk on domestic violence—she was quite nervous as this was her first formal talk, but she was excellent. Among those present included a few higher-ups from the police department with whom my director had to refrain from saying what she really thought. The talk was followed by a rather intense session of Q and A in which a few victims of domestic violence spoke. It was clear to me after this session and the talk that 1) citizens do not know their own rights, and 2) the police department treats domestic violence often like a joke—both of which are unfortunate. The Domestic Violence Act was passed in Malaysia years ago (1996), and yet many women do not even know they have a right to file a report, in fact many police do not even know this. A lot was accomplished through our attendance at this talk—our director cleared up a lot of legalities that even the head hauncho police officer and legal experts on the panel did not know. Go CK!

WCC’s 25^th anniversary dinner/party is this Thursday night which will be a much needed fun night for us all. Also, in preparation for the 3Gs conference on July 31, I have been researching various statistics, gender specific, to use in a report. I have been relying heavily on the work of the Socio-Economic and Environmental Research Institute, (SERI) [www.seri.com.my] a progressive think tank in Penang. Their research is like a cool drink of water around here as these types of stats are hard to come by. This makes life a lot easier for a poor little intern like me who is trying to prove the existing gender gap in wage in the workforce in Penang and Malaysia.

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Get Together at The Dubliner

My boss, three other colleagues and I attended the One Voice Against Cancer get-together in an Irish pub named the Dubliner. OVAC or One Voice Against Cancer represents every single major cancer-prevention organization in the country.  The Executive Directors of some of the Country’s most powerful NGOs attended this event. Not too many interns had the opportunity to be there.

The interns from my office tailed our Boss as he introduced us to various important people. I shook hands with countless people and watched as everyone slowly loosened into their informal selves. Collars loosened, smiles broadened and the language used changed. People became more jovial. I suspect the open bar had quite a bit to do with the transformation.

The event was a priceless opportunity to network with very important people.  The non-stop, free beer helped everyone loosen up, but no one lost sight of what they were there for. Everyone was there to further their own self-interests not to just have fun. Amongst the forced smiles and the incessant small talk about topics slightly more interesting than the weather I felt right at home. I was enjoying all the handshakes and almost felt a bit important after the umptieth introduction my Boss made of me.

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Movers & Shakers

The mundane lifestyle of DC and my internship is catching up with me. Awake at 7:30am, work at 9:00am, Lunch in Dupont Circle Park, work for a few more hours, home/ dinner with friends, and finally sleep at or around midnight. Imagine doing this for the rest of my life.

Last week my director gave me a bill that came out of the International Criminal Court conference in Kampala, Uganda earlier this month. The bill is on the table, and I will spare you the details, but it makes a lot of extreme claims against the US. My job was to analyze the consequences of this bill if it were to pass the body. (Most likely it will not pass the body because the US is the US.)

Analysis of the future is hard, man! We can only assume what’s going to happen because we don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s like predicting the weather. Stable, but not. The good thing though is that I didn’t have to come up with all the analysis on my own. While I did most of the research, I also attended a meeting with a few movers and shakers, and other representatives to hear the evaluation of the Kampala meeting. Apparently I’m supposed to know some of these people, because they are known in the IR field, but I didn’t. (Thought: I always wonder why is it important to meet someone with a fancy job title; is my life going to be better in some way?) It was a very much a laid back kind of meeting, around a discussion table and I got to hear the first hand account of those who actually went to Kampala. At the end of the week, I submitted a 2-page analysis and I’m hoping it meets the requirements of my organization.

My director sometimes sends me to meetings outside the office to represent the organization and I am always grateful to escape the yellow (sometimes prison-like) walls of my office. It’s a good getaway and a brilliant way to learn about other parts of DC. Last week I went to the office of Citizens for Global Solutions on the other side of DC where there were real people who appeared to have real issues. Still a nice area, but looked a lot like Brooklyn. I was glad to finally touch the place where actual people live.

The GW /Dupont Circle area, where I live and work, is the cookie-cutter kind of life. There trust fund babies walk the streets in their sophisticated suits and summer dresses, rambling on the latest gadget about some element of their tiny bubble. While it is cute, half the time I cannot relate. But I still like it…at least for the moment.

Random complaint about DC: What’s the deal with paying for plastic bags at the store?

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Internal Clocks

I find it very hard to work sitting at a desk in the middle of the daytime. I’ve always been more of a nocturnal person. While I’m sitting at my desk at 8am, 11am, 2 pm, 4pm I just can’t find any focus or energy to do work. The desk is uncomfortable, the light is too bright, I’m not rested, and I am at my sharpest wit during the nighttime cycle.

Today, my supervisors were all out of the office so I worked from home. I got more accomplished today in a few hours at home than I do during most full work days at the office. I’m working now, actually. I have often criticized the typical workday as stifling, but in my case I really think it’s true. Waking up at 7am every day is not natural for me. I’d rather be working at 3am. I guess it’s something I’ll have to reconcile soon enough with my last year of graduate school upon me and the working world right around the corner.

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CAREER NETWORKING EVENT

Grad and undergrad students in DC, don’t forget the career networking event on July 8th from 5 to 7 at the Hotel George. Representatives of 30 potential employers will be there. Wear business attire.

Hotel George Washington DC
http://www.hotelgeorge.com
15 E Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 347-4200

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BE VERY CAREFUL OUT THERE, PLEASE

One of our grad students in DC was mugged on the way back to the dorm. Washington and the GW neighborhood are generally safe, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to be careful. Take care of yourselves and come home safe please.

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Half way through

Wow, its hard to believe its been 5 weeks already. Not only for me but for the NETIs. By the end of July they will all be heading to their respective country offices having completed their 2 month HQ orientaion. As the Friday sessions progress, I am surprisingly pleased to see how committed a large organization such as UNICEF is to talent management inititatives. Even more so impressed by the high ranking members of the organization who take the time out of their busy schedules to come on Fridays and frankly discuss the reality of being a part of this organization. It a great oppurtunity for the NETIs to pick their brains and offer new insight into how this great organization can strive to be better and work more effeciently.  As the days fly by, it is a mixed of excitiment and anticipation for the last Friday session before we send them off into the world.

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