Introduction

Theory is defined as a coherent description, explanation and representation of an experienced or observed phenomena, the process of building a theory is an ongoing process of producing, confirming, applying and adopting theory. A theory is something build to explain how the world works.  It is an explanation that has been verified and refined. A theory can also be understood as an explanation of something that is valid.

There are two processes of theory building, these processes include; inductive and deductive, these two theories have their similarities and differences. These two theories are different in the following ways; the deductive process of theory building is aimed at testing the theory while inductive theory building process is aimed at generating idea emerging from the data. The deductive process usually begins with a hypothesis while inductive process begins with research questions that narrow the scope of the theory under study. The deductive process emphasis on causality while the inducive method focus on building theories that explain new phenomena from approaching it from different perspectives. The only similarity in these two methods of theory building is that they seek to make an explanation to the same phenomena but in different ways (Lynham, 2002).

It is in the application phase where I would expect most quantitative dissertation research to be done within the scholar-practitioner model. A theory has to explain a certain observation and if it does not explain the observation or phenomena it is not a theory, therefore, I feel that a lot of research has to be done to trying to make the theory explain the phenomena until it makes a logical conclusion. Furthermore, it is important that those formulating the theory keep in mind that an applied theory should be considered true. Therefore, more quantitative dissertation research should be done within this phase. Also, a theory can only be confirmed in the actual world her where it applies therefore this is the phase that gives the theorist to an opportunity to further develop their theory (Lynham, 2002). Most quantitative dissertation has to be done in this phase since it shapes the truth of the theory.

Grounded theory method is an inductive method that provides guidelines for gathering and analyzing quantitative data for the purpose of constructing a theory. It does not relate to any specific domains of research; it can also be used to modify an existing theory or expand it. Researchers paradigm has influenced the use of this theoretical method. Both qualitative and quantitative approach originate from different paradigm and different assumptions of nature. Due to the ongoing discussion in the research, positivism, post positivism, constructivism and critical theory are the most cited paradigms (Hall, Griffiths, Mckenna, 2013) These paradigms have different assumptions that reflect different philosophical ideas the researches who appreciate these paradigms end up influencing the use of grounded method.

Conclusion

A theory is a description a detailed description of an experienced observation or phenomena. Theory building is an ongoing process of building of building and confirming a theory. There are two methods of theory building discussed above, inductive and deductive method of theory building. These two processes have more differences than similarities. Researchers paradigm is responsible for influencing the use of grounded theory method.

Reference

Hall H, Griffiths D, McKenna L (2013) From Darwin to constructivism: the evolution of

grounded theory. Nurse Researcher. 20, 3, 17-21.

Lynham, A. S. (2002). chapter 1 The General Method of Theory-Building Researching Applied Disciplines.

                                                Analyzing the population pyramid of Rwanda

            Population statistics are perceived to be like crystal balls that aid in predicting the future of the nation as well as offer significant clues about the past. In this video, Kim Preshoff explains the general use of population pyramids has the potential of assisting social scientists and policymakers to make sense of the data collected through comparing the pyramids of three nations (Walle, 2016). 

            Taking into account the statistical information displayed by the video, the population of Rwanda is expected to increase in the near future. The reason for that is because the population of Rwanda is in the pre-reproductive phase. As a result of that, the country’s children are anticipated to be mothers and fathers later in life hence causing the doubling of the population for the coming few decades. Since this can be perceived to be the start of industrialization, there will be improvements in sanitation, medicine and food supply. Furthermore, the end result of it is the decrease in child mortality rate, and high life expectancy (Population pyramids: Powerful predictors of the future - Kim Preshoff Prompt, 2019).

            Consequently, with the increase in population, companies will be expected to experience continued growth in various areas, for instance, promotions, expansions, and so on. Another effect of this scenario is that the working population will have to be replaced with new working class in the process of retiring. It is believed that although it will not have the ability of cutting in benefits, it will not make taxes to increase, decrease, or increase borrowing, nor facilitates the adjustment in the cost of living (Clifford s& John, 2014). Ideally, it is perceived that the resulting policy flexibility and the macroeconomic stability of Rwanda are some of the foundations that have the ability of maintaining steady economic growth.

            Nevertheless, although the country’s downside risks have been domestically and externally increasing, it is important to examine its employment landscape. For a number of decades that has passed, the nation has been experiencing substantial job challenges. Understanding the characteristics of the population of Rwanda is important in preventing food shortages, avoiding ecological threats, as well as understanding the lessons that aid in blowing of chronic poverty. In the process of achieving its transformational goals, it means that it will be possible to transform Rwanda into the middle income state with private sector-driven and a knowledge-based economy (Uhlenberg, 2008). This in return implies that, improving recruitment outcomes will also another strategy the Rwandan government will be forced to adopt for the purpose of driving sustainable and rapid economic growth and poverty reduction.

            On the other hand, in case that will not be possible, it is important for the Rwanda National Employment policy to ensure that they have created at least 200, 000 jobs per year so as to aid in meeting the recruitment needs of its labor force. From the population pyramid, it implies that the past recruitment dynamics was relatively better. Therefore, with the decline in the population of Rwanda, it means that its employment dynamics will be associated with the movement towards the non-farm occupations that is ultimately spearheaded by the young generation. Conversely, with the continued uptake of additional existing jobs, it means that there will be a rise in labor earnings from the low base (Waugh et al., 2000). 

            In addition to that, with the decline in population, another challenge that will evolve is the high and increasing incidences of under-employment. This will be a clear indication of the low demand for labor or decline in recruitment in the economy. From the population statistics collected, it is also evident that despite such an increase, earning will continue to remain low. Furthermore, the rising agricultural productivity will also remain to be the most efficient mans of increasing returns. Therefore, one of the strategies that government will be forced to use is increasing agricultural returns. Over the next ten years, agriculture is perceived to be the ultimate means of employing millions of Rwandans. In return, this has the ability of improving their economic conditions (Waugh et al., 2000). 

            Nevertheless, through the Rwanda National Employment policy, the population statistics or the Rwandan population pyramid indicates that it is possible to improve its informal business environment. As a result of that, it means that those who could have wished to enter the labor market will have the opportunity of creating or finding recruitment in non-farm sectors. Both the informal and formal business environment will be forced to collaborate together so as to foster the accommodation of the rising labor force (Uhlenberg, 2008).

            Nonetheless, the report suggests that the leadership of Rwanda has been extremely supportive in issues dealing with family planning. This has been possible through the use of a network of CHWs (community health workers), communication campaigns aimed at driving the continued demand for family planning as well as behavioral change. As a result of that, it is evident from the population pyramid that the current decline in fertility will provide the opportunity for boosting economic growth. Such a strategy will necessitate it to be combined with the promotion of job creation, better investment in health, good quality and equitable education, and good governance (Weber, 2010). This is what will enable the country to have the opportunity of reaping the fruits of its demographic dividend.

                                                            References

Clifford, O. O & John, K. (2014). Continuity and Change in Sub-Saharan African Demography: Routledge African Studies. Routledge Press

Population pyramids: Powerful predictors of the future - Kim Preshoff Prompt. (2019). [Video].

Uhlenberg, P. (2008). International handbook of population aging. Dordrecht: Springer.

Walle, E. V. D. (2016). African Households: Censuses and Surveys. Florence Taylor and Francis Press

Waugh, D., Clutton, E., Morris, S., Murray, P., & Smith, J. (2000). Geography: An integrated approach. Walton-on-Thames: Nelson.

Weber, L. (2010). Demographic change and economic growth: Simulations on growth models.

Abstract

            National Association of the Advancement of Colored People is an organization that had been formed back in the year 1909 by Du Bois and his co-founders. The organization had been mainly formed to fight for civil rights of the black people. It had been having believes that the white Americans used to discriminate the Black people basing on the issue of racism. The organization took part in several aspects like formulation of a committee that to laws against the people who used to violate the rights of the black people and also formed a campaign of protecting enforcement of the 14^th and the 15^th amendments through offering education on political and civil rights bureau, race and legal bureau. Du Bois had become violent because of the unwillingness of the organization to meet the new economic conditions. This made him ignore the policies of the organization and had begun fighting for separation of economic strategy. The organization had been only active during the first half of the nineteenth century. There have not been recent studies concerning its continuity in fighting the civil rights.

Introduction

            National Association of the Advancement of Colored People is civil organization that had been founded back in the year 1909. The organization was formed by a group of whites and blacks (Rosenberg, 493). The main characters who were involved in the foundation include Florence Kelly, Charles Edward Rusell, William English Walling, Oswald Garrison Villard, Mary White Ovington, Henry Moskowitz, Archibald Grimke, Ida B. Wells and W. E. B. Du Bois (Woodley, 7). This organization had been led by the white people initially as the blacks could afford to support the organization

The Believes of National Association of the Advancement of Colored People

            There had been a magazine that that Du Bois published and was entitled, “the crisis”. This magazine had been produced by the organization to bring about protests and publications all forms of abuses that the black people had been directed to. It had been aiming to changing the whites’ attitude against the black people (Woodley, 2). In order to challenge the issue of racism, there had been the need for selection of members to act as African American representatives in culture and art. The main idea for the formation of the organization had been directed to of African American justice by fighting racial biasness and promotion of civil authority for the black people. The establishment of this organization was an indication of the beginning the movement of civil authority existence. There had been also the need for social, economical, educational and political for the Americans who were being considered as minors. The organization had been having believes that there was the need to change the attitude that had been portrayed by the white American towards the black people.  The racism had been strengthened  by depictions which had been stereotyped therefore the organization was believing that in order to build positive attitude in the minds of the whites, there was the need to challenge them and work hard to ensure they had been removed completely. The organization had believes that there would be participation of the norms of the culture and enable the establishment of different ideas of the organization towards fighting for the civil rights. The organization had the feeling that the blacks had been going through tough times of discrimination as a result of the negative attitude concerning racism.

Participation of the Civil Rights Movement in Various Aspects

            The organization had participated in the formation of a committee that had been involved in formulation of laws to act on the people who had been violating and neglecting the rights of the black people. The committee was called Legal Redress Committee (Rosenberg, 493). The laws had been primarily directed to the government and the city because they had been doing against the rights of the blacks. The organization had also been involved in formation of a campaign. This was to be directed towards protect ion of enforcement of the 14^th and the 15^th amendments through offering education on political and civil rights bureau, race and legal bureau (Woodley, 7).

Violence

            There has been violence as a result of disagreements between the founders of the organization who had been non-violent earlier. The organization had not been willing to meet new economic situations in 1930. This made Do Bois to become frustrated. He had been feeling enclosed by this agenda (Horne & Mary, 143). He thereby begun fighting for another strategy of separation of the economic issues and had now turned from uniting with the organization’s mission of fighting for the civil rights of the black people and the minority Americans. This made him face much opposition from the organization. He had also begun being against the policies of the organization

The Organization Today

            Much of the recent research that has shown that the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People has not been fighting for civil rights since the end of the first half of the nineteenth century( Woodley,9) . 

Conclusion

            National Association of the Advancement of Colored People is had been founded in the early nineteenth century by Du Bois and his co-founders. It had been having believes that the white Americans used to discriminate the Black people basing the issue of racism. The main had been directed towards changing the attitude of the white people against the blacks. There had been the need to challenge the issue of racism through selection of representative African American members to act in culture and art. The organization took part in several aspects of like formulation of a committee that was to make laws against the people who used to violate the rights of the black people and also formed a campaign of protecting enforcement of the 14^th and the 15^th amendments through offering education on political and civil rights bureau, race and legal bureau. Du Bois became violent because of the unwillingness of the organization to meet the new economic conditions. This made him ignore the policies of the organization and had begun fighting for separation of economic strategy. The organization had been only active during the first half of the nineteenth century. There have not been recent studies concerning its continuity in fighting the civil rights.

Work cited

Rosenberg, Norman L. Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People. Belmont, Calif:                 Wadsworth, 2013. Print.

Woodley, Jenny. Art for Equality: The Naacp's Cultural Campaign for Civil Rights. , 2014. Internet                resource.

Horne, Gerald, and Mary Young. W.e.b. Du Bois: An Encyclopedia. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press,      2000. Print.

Causes and Effects of Drug Abuse Essay

Introduction

            Drug abuse is the habitual misuse of legal or illegal drugs. The most commonly abused drugs are alcohol, cocaine, caffeine, cannabis, bhang and addictive drugs for instance morphine among others. The mostly abused drugs are alcohol and cannabis. Some of the many causes that lead to drug abuse include; peer influence, personality of the parent as well as their usage of drug abuse. The effects of these drugs include; damage of body organs and emergence of various body diseases. The government has a duty to fight drug abuse as the issue highly contributes to lagging behind of the country as the victims cannot be able to contribute positively towards its development.

            Among the various causes of drug abuse, parental habit of drug abuse is one of them. In many cases where the parents abuse drugs, there is usually a high probability of the traits being passed to the children. As a result, the children begin to use the drugs the same way the parents are doing as they are the closest role models they can copy (Bukoski & Sloboda, 2003). The drug abuse among the adolescents is also associated with the personality of the parents. The children who come from families where parents have no negative issue with drug abuse are at a high risk of becoming drug abusers. Peer pressure influence is another cause of drug abuse. The very best friends and those that are considered to be very close are the ones that mostly drive the adolescents into many known cases of drug abuse. Peers are usually in the position of formulating beliefs, approaches and expectations of the group on how they should behave towards drugs.

            There are various effects of drug abuse. The first one is increased risks of disease transmission. This happens where the abusers use same instruments to consume the drugs, for instance through sharing of hypodermic needles to inject drugs like amphetamines and heroine (Verster, 2012). This facilitates to increased risks of transmitting diseases like HIV and hepatitis B and C. The second effect is damage to body organs, for instance chronic effect of the central nervous system. The most commonly associated drug is amphetamine. There are also effects of the respiratory organs associated with habitual smoking of the drugs like cigarettes and amphetamines. The excessive usage of drugs like ecstasy have also been associated with mental conditions like depression and disturbed memory.

            There are several potential changes that need to be put in place in order to overcome the issue of drug abuse. There is the need for testing alcohol and other drugs that are sold before they reach the market (Schifano, 2019). This is to analyze the interaction of the drugs. Another thing is carrying out assessment of newer drugs, especially those that have effects on the central nervous system through surveillance to detect their potential to be abuse. The physicians are also supposed to be keen while selling some drugs which have the potential of being abused as most of the clients buys drugs with an aim of abusing them. By so doing, the issue of drug abuse will have been dealt with to levels that will not much affect the country.

Conclusion

            Habitual misuse of legal and illegal drugs is commonly caused by peer influence, parental personalities and parental usage of drug abuse. These drugs have various consequences like transmission of diseases and damage of various body organs. The best way to fight drug abuse is through pre-tests of drugs before they are taken to the market to analyze the drug interactions, assessing the newer drugs in the market and the need for the physicians to be much vigilant while selling drugs have potentials of being abused.  There is necessity of the government to overcome the issue of drug abuse as it is one of the causes as to why the country is lagging behind in terms of development. This is because the victims are not in the position to contribute towards the development as they usually use their time in abusing the drugs.

Reference

Bukoski, W. J., & Sloboda, Z. (2003). Handbook of drug abuse prevention: Theory, science, and             practice. New York, NY: Kluwer Acad./Plenum Publ.

Schifano, F. (2019). Recent Changes in Drug Abuse Scenario The Novel Psychoactive Substance             (NPS) Phenomenon. S.l.: MDPI AG.

Verster, J. C. (2012). Drug abuse and addiction in medical illness: Causes, consequences and      treatment. New York, NY: Springer.

Addiction and adolescent

 Case Study: Maria C.

 According to the case study of Maria C, the key developmental issues include chemical dependence, depression, and lack of personal development, unsafe sexual behaviors, cognitive impairment, and lack of personal relationships. Chemical or substance dependence is an issue of concern in that Maria has continued to use marijuana from twice per week to a daily routine, and she uses cocaine, alcohol, and cigarette at large amounts on regular basis. Despite the negative effects of substance abuse, she has increased amounts of substance and time spent rather than decreasing the use. This has resulted in psychological problems such as poor educational attainment, unsafe sexual practices, and lack of companionship with her parents and her younger brother, and deviant behaviors such as staying out late. Hammong, Mayes, & Potenza (2014) assert that during the adolescence stage, young people experience behavioral and psychological changes, and they are also vulnerable to the risk of substance use.  Factors that may motivate adolescents to continue abusing drugs include changes in the neural circuitry, stress, and changes in cognitive control.  The authors argue that in order to understand the substance abuse behavior and offer the best treatment, it is important to consider the neurobiological basis (Hammong, Mayes, & Potenza, 2014). For example, Maria's addictive behaviors have affected the brain's reward system and as a result, the brain is responsive to the drug of abuse.   Note that the neural circuitry is a pathway of reward and repeated exposures to substance abuse affect the neurocircuits, the neurotransmitters, and other brain regions. Thus, understanding the neurobiology is important in order to target the neurotransmitter systems and neural circuitry.

 Using the DSM-V, Maria meets conditions such as substance-related and addictive disorder.  Specific examples that show she is suffering from substance use and addictive disorder include alcohol intoxication, cannabis intoxication, cocaine intoxication, and cigarette intoxication and other unknown substances (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).  For example, Maria smokes marijuana and cigarette on a daily basis, she consumes 3-4 beers every weekend, and use cocaine 3-4 times during the weekend.  The DSM-v criteria disorder show that a person suffering from this disorder has a variety of problems such as using the substance in large amounts,  unable to stop using the substances,  unable to do constructive things such as reading,  continuing to use despite its effects in life, and failure to engage in recreational activities (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).  According to the DSM-v, Maria has severe substance use disorder since she expresses more than six symptoms including behavioral change, irritability, change in daily routines, tolerance and withdrawal, social impairment, and cravings.

One symptom of mental health disorder that appear from Maria's history and description is schizophrenia.  For example, Maria expresses symptoms such as substance use, withdraw from family, poor education performance, lack of social life, and depression. Another symptom that I would want the mental health professional to evaluate further is a personality disorder.  This is because, according to the case study, Maria has substance abuse issues, she finds it difficult to create and maintain relationship especially with family members, and she cannot control impulses (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These behaviors are the criteria for personality disorder it is important to evaluate this condition in order to help her change behaviors. It is also important to note that many adolescents develop personality disorders due to factors such as family history and neurological factors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These might be the factors that have made Maria engage in drug abuse behavior and neglect her physical health.

 As a mental health practitioner, I would use various techniques to engage Maria to talk to me, and I would also use approaches to form an alliance with her parents. To engage Maria, first I would focus on establishing a therapeutic alliance (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005). Since my aim is to offer treatment and help her change behaviors,   a therapeutic alliance will bring counseling effectiveness and more important, positive treatment outcome.  To establish a therapeutic alliance, I would use an empathetic counseling style.  Note that by being empathetic, I will motivate the client to talk to me, pay attention, and maintain contact during face-to-face interaction. As a result, we will build productive relationships, help her make life transition and more important, adhere to treatment (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005). In addition, an empathetic style will allow the client to express herself, and a result of listening keenly to her problems and needs, I will compliment, persuade, provide support, and more important, maintain a collaborative relationship. After building a therapeutic alliance, I would like to know the background or rather, her cultural group. The purpose of learning about the background is to understand the communication style, her expectations as well as her family expectations, and her concepts of drug abuse in relation to culture (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005). The cultural knowledge will help use a culturally sensitive approach in providing treatment, and more important, meeting the basic needs. After forming a therapeutic alliance and learning about the cultural background, I would structure on how to offer support. This means that individuals like Maria create time to engage in drug abuse and they rarely have time for constructive activities (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005). Thus, I would help Maria manage time and engage in meaningful activities so that she can heal from mental illnesses. I would also ensure that rather than spending time with peers especially her husband who abuses drugs, I would encourage her to spend most of the time with family, relatives, and friends. 

After engaging Maria and ensuring that we have established a productive relationship, I would also engage her parents through family behavioral therapy.   In this method, I would involve the parents to discuss the substance abuse behavior. Note that family and in specific the parents have a significant role in substance abuse treatment (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2004). This is because, the parents will give an overview concerning Maria's substance abuse behavior and addiction, and the parents and the mental health practitioner will establish a relational pattern where the parents will be the source of help and reduce the substance dependency. Thus, using the family behavior therapy, I will encourage the parents to focus on the behaviors of the teenager and, I will train them on how to help her change behaviors (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2004).  I would also encourage the parents as well as the teenager to set behavioral goals to ensure that Maria changes the maladaptive behaviors.  The family behavioral therapy will promote interaction between the parents and the teen,  improve communication,  solve problems together, provide the needed resources, improve communication, and more important, help the teen avoid substance abuse and also prevent the remaining family members from engaging in abuse problems (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2004). Thus, the family behavioral therapy is an important approach parent as it will create a healthy family structure that will not only prevent  Maria from engaging in drug abuse but it will also ensure that other siblings will not abuse drugs in future.

 The best approach that would be the most effective with Maria is the Motivational Interviewing (MI). This is because the approach is client-centered or in other words, the mental health practitioner provides intrinsic motivation so that the client can explore herself and engage in enjoyable and interesting behaviors, and more importantly, engage in activities that are internally rewarding (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005). The main purpose of choosing this method is to help the client establish achievable goals and make a commitment.  A client-centered approach means that the mental health practitioner should avoid confrontation and focus on building a positive rapport. In addition, to avoid confrontation, the mental health practitioner allows the client to make the argument or rather express her thoughts.  With respect to the case study, I would help Maria to express herself, choose the change, employ her personal beliefs, show resistance, come up with a new perspective, and identify the problem and find answers (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005). After giving the client time to talk,   the specific technique that I would employ to engage her is   Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET).  The purpose of this technique is to engage the client in treatment by employing difference stages of change. The first stage of change that I would use is pre-contemplation- I would express concern on how substance abuse have ruined her life and the need to change behaviors. The second is contemplation- after ensuring the client has taken the issue of substance abuse seriously, I would provide her with relevant information and incentives so that she can make change statements to changing the behavior.  The third stage is preparation- in this stage, I would encourage the client to weigh both pros and cons of substance abuse, make a firm commitment, and identify and eliminate the barriers that may hinder her from taking action (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005). The fourth stage is action- at this stage, the client is fully aware that substance abuse ruins the life and she changes the behavior.  I would provide encouragement and support, strengthen the commitment, and engage her in meaningful activities such as group work. The fifth stage is maintenance- at this stage, the client has developed a new pattern of behaviors but she may encounter a crisis. I would be at the forefront to help the client address difficulties (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005). The last stage is relapse- after the client has made positive changes, she may become sick since her body was used to substance abuse. I would support her to hasten her recovery and help her understand the substance-related relapse.

 In addition to using the MI method, another counseling technique that I would consider using in working with Maria is cognitive restructuring. This counseling technique comes from the approach known the cognitive-behavioral therapy (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005). The main aim of this counseling technique is to help the client change her thoughts. For example, Maria may think that she cannot feel uncomfortable until she smokes marijuana.  I would help her change the negative thoughts and instead use positive thoughts such as “one can be comfortable without using Marijuana and other drugs”.  This will help her challenge the irrational thoughts and view the world around her in a positive way. As a result, she will reduce stress and adopt positive thoughts.

 Regarding Maria's behavior, the area that I could use the harm/ risk reduction approach is sexual behavior.  Note that Maria is infected with genital Herpes due to unprotected sexual activities.  The purpose of harm/risk reduction, in this case, is to reduce the harm that may occur due to sexual behavior.  The specific technique that I would use to reduce risk is ‘discouraging the behavior' and educate her on the importance of safer sex (Leslie et al, 2008). First, I would encourage Maria to reduce sexual behaviors and inform her about the benefits and demerits of sexual activities at an early age. Second, I would educate her on condom use and as a result, she will be safe from sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies (Leslie et al, 2008).  Even though substance abuse is a risky behavior that can bring harm, sexual activity is the first behavior that Maria need to avoid to stay away from infectious diseases such as HIV.

Other strategies that I might suggest to work with Maria and her parents include connecting her with programs or educational institutes that offer substance abuse prevention education.   Maria and her parents should join such centers to gain knowledge concerning the harm of substance abuse such as alcohol and marijuana (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2004). The parents will gain knowledge on substance abuse and related harms and positive parenting. As a result, they will help the teenager change behaviors.  Maria will not only gain knowledge in alcohol abuse but she will learn the acceptable social behaviors and as a result, she will modify behaviors and behave in a positive way (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2004). Another prevention strategy in both sexual activities and substance abuse is to avoid peer pressure. It is important to understand that teens are motivated by peers to engage in deviant behaviors such as drug use. Thus, Maria should make relationships with better groups that engage in constructive thing to avoid being in tempting situations.

References

American Psychiatric Association.  (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-

5®). American Psychiatric Pub.

Hammond, C. J., Mayes, L. C., & Potenza, M. N. (2014). Neurobiology of adolescent substance use and

addictive behaviors: prevention and treatment implications. Adolescent medicine: State of the art

reviews, 25(1), 15.

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2004). Substance abuse treatment and family therapy. National

Center for Biotechnology Information

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2005). Substance abuse treatment for persons with co-occurring

disorders. National Center for Biotechnology Information

Leslie, K. M., Canadian Paediatric Society, & Adolescent Health Committee. (2008). Harm reduction: An

approach to reducing risky health behaviours in adolescents. Paediatrics & child health, 13(1),

53-56.

Children’s rights

Human beings have a desire to feel that they belong and it pushes them to live together in communities governed by policies, beliefs, laws and various regulations. The regulations are put in place to protect people and ensure that everyone gets equal treatment and that the rights and freedoms of each individual are protected. Although people are taught the importance of ethics and peaceful coexistence, there are occurrences where people seek to serve their own interests, at times at the expense of others and this leads to violation of other people’s rights and freedoms. Although there are measures in place to protect people’s rights from being violated, some situations are unavoidable as was the case with Joshua, a boy bullied by his classmates because of his sexuality. Regardless of whether people in society have embraced homosexuality or not, Joshua’s rights should have been respected and the principle should have taken stricter measures to not only punish the bullies, but also to reassure Joshua that such an occurrence will not happen again regardless of his sexuality preferences.

Rights of the child

            Similar to society, schools are run in such a way that every student has a safe environment to learn and pursue other personal interests provided that they do not infringe upon the rights of other students and teachers. Being a student, Joshua was entitled to a safe learning environment free from bullying and other forms of oppression. When the group of students bullied John, they denied him the opportunity to learn in a safe environment and this goes against the principles that govern learning institutions. Like most organizations, schools are expected to ensure the safety of everyone enrolled in them at all costs (PTF, 2018). The bullying experience was therefore a let down on the side of the institution and more emphasis should be placed in getting rid of bullying as well as taking the right corrective action against the students who bullied Joshua.

Joshua’s sexual preferences should not be used as a means to discriminate him or subject him to any act that could impact him in a negative way. Even though not everyone has embraced the idea of homosexuality, people need to learn how to respect other people’s lifestyles. In the case for Joshua, the principal and the school in general should put more emphasis in teaching its students to respect other people’s differences (Farelly, 2016). Despite being Gay, Joshua is a student like all others enrolled in the school. His sexual preferences is just one of the differences that people possess and since it does not affect how he acquires knowledge, he should be allowed to learn in an environment that does not judge or make him feel bad for the choices he makes about his personal life. Furthermore, his being gay does not affect how other students learn and should not be used as a cause to bully him as this is an infringement of his basic human rights.

The harsh treatment that Joshua had to endure is greatly due to the schools failure to fully get rid of bullies in the school. Whether gay or not, students should be treated equally and protected from issues such as bullying because issues related to things like sexuality are no way an influence to learning (Murray, 2012). The school has a responsibility to protect all students while in school and should therefore place more effort towards getting rid of bullying. Other than punishing the students guilty of bullying, there is also the need to educate the entire school on the importance of embracing diversity and respecting other people’s differences (Family Lives, 2019). Since the goal is to peacefully coexist, schools have a responsibility to educate students how to live with one another despite any differences in opinion or lifestyles as this will prepare them for a life outside school.

Bullying linked to sexuality

            Homosexuality is something that people are slowly getting used to and even though most people are supportive of other people’s sexual preferences, there are those who see it as a deviation from the norms that govern society. It is however important for people to remember that those they associate with have their own beliefs and attitudes towards the society they live in and the people they associate with (Alberta, 2019). If people were allowed to discriminate each other on the basis of lifestyle choices, there would be a lot of chaos especially due to the differences that people possess due to their own personal beliefs and opinions. As such, it is important to respect other people even when they engage in actions or make decisions that go against what is acceptable in society. As both a student and a human being, Joshua has rights and freedoms that protect his rights from being infringed upon and this is despite of his sexuality (PTF, 2019). As a child, the school bears the responsibility of protecting him from bullying or any actions that would make life difficult for him in school. His young age makes him vulnerable as he is unable to fully protect himself and the responsibility therefore falls to the school. His sexuality should in no way limit the level of protection offered by the schools as it does not make him any less of a student.

            The human rights that govern society also protect people’s rights to living in safe environments. Joshua has the freedom of association which allows him to interact with other members of the community without restrictions influenced by who he is as a person. Although being gay does make Joshua different from straight kids, his sexuality is just one of the differences that people possess due to their different identities (Cymru, 2011). Since the rest of the students are offered a safe learning environment, the same privilege should be extended to Joshua as he is a student above all else. The school should therefore put more effort towards ensuring that all students get to study in an ideal learning environment free from issues such as bullying.

Ethical and legal obligations

• Joshua and his family’s attitude

Joshua’s parents have maintained a positive attitude after their son informed them that he was gay. In a society where homosexuality is still an issue that gets mixed reactions from different members of the community, Joshua’s parents are determined to accept him the way he is. A significant number of people are okay with people’s sexuality preferences and being gay does not alter how one is perceived as was the case with Joshua when he opened up to his parents about being gay (Rivers, 2011). Their support is of great help as he now has a place of refuge even when other people in the community do not understand his being gay and may tend to alienate or refrain from associating with Joshua because of his lifestyle. Supportive parents are however helpful as they help their children cope with the challenges that come with being openly gay in a society that chooses to stick to its norms above all else.

While maintaining a positive attitude on the issue greatly helps Joseph, the parents should take more measures to ensure that their child is not discriminated against for being gay. The parents made the right move by taking the issue to the school principal. However, his attitude towards the bullying indicated that the principal was shifting some of the blame to Joshua for being Gay (Charlseworth, 2015). Since his sexual preference is a privilege offered under his rights and freedoms, the parents should take legal measures and report to the respective authorities. In line with title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, schools are can be fined or requested to pay for the damages a student experiences after being harassed by other students while in school (Cornell & Limber, 2016). Since the principal has made it clear that the issue is not being addressed with the seriousness it deserves, the parents can decide to sue the school for not doing everything necessary to ensure that Joshua and other children are not bullied for their lifestyle choices. The parents can also push for the principle to take on more actions to deal with homophobic bullying in the school. Since Joshua was bullied because he is gay, the school failed to uphold the Education and Inspection act, 2006 which protects students from homophobic bullying (Besag et al, 2009). The legal provisions ensure that Joshua’s parents have enough avenues to pursue in order to ensure that the bullies are punished and that such an occurrence does not happen again.

Homophobia is founded on the belief that being attracted to the opposite sex is immoral and therefore, wrong. However, heterosexuals need to understand that their sexual preferences are a choice offered to them by the same laws and regulations that protect the decisions that other people make (Short, 2013). Joshua has all the rights offered to other students and humans in general and the decisions he makes cannot be used to determine what rights are protected and which are not, provided that his life choices do not infringe on the rights of others. Joshua’s family should make a case to the principal that being gay does not attract bullying and that it is the schools failure to educate students on diversity and respecting other people’s decisions that has led to the bullying incident (Duncan & Rivers, 2013). The issue should therefore be resolve in such a way that Joshua does not feel bad for being gay and that the bullies are not only punished but also educated on the importance of respecting other people’s life choices.

• Principal’s attitude

The principal’s remark when he told Joshua to man up and grow a thick skin is an indication of his attitude towards homosexuality and even bullying. From his reaction, it is clear that the principal has a negative attitude as he suggests that the reason Joshua was bullied was because it is an occurrence common with homosexuals in society. Although the principal was firm on the school’s no tolerance for bullying, his tone when telling Joshua to be prepared for more bullying incidences after coming out as gay implied that he was not as firm on homophobic bullying. Being the principal, his attitude and beliefs have a huge impact on the students and their experience while in school as he has been given the authority to ensure that the school is a safe environment for teachers and students. As an authority figure, the principal should separate personal opinions from appropriate codes of conduct because he bears the responsibility of the school and everyone in it.

The school should invest in creating awareness on the importance of respecting each other regardless of the differences that exist among people. Since the school has clearly embraced diversity, it should prepare students and teachers on how to respect other people’s choices and decisions. The school should have an anti-homophobic policy that protects homosexuals from being bullied because of their sexuality preferences (Murray, 2012). Other than being against bullying, the school should revise its anti-bullying policies to include those that are bullied for reasons such as being gay. Doing so will create awareness on the challenges that homosexuals go through while in school while also informing the rest of the students on the importance of respecting other people’s lifestyles.

Conclusion

            The ordeal that Joshua was forced to go through was as a result of the schools lack of educating students about diversity. Since all schools are expected to create a safe learning environment for its students, teaching them to respect other people’s differences should have been a priority as it would have helped the bullies to better understand the immoral nature of their actions. The principal should also develop a more positive attitude towards the challenges that students face rather than feeding into stereotypes that govern society. Instead of telling Joshua to prepare for more bullying due to his sexuality preference, he should have done more to reassure the student that what he went through was wrong and the school will do anything possible to ensure that bullying do not occur again. The school should therefore ensure that it resolves all issues related to bullying and that students are taught how to coexist with each other.

References

Alberta, (2018) “Homophobic bullying” retrieved from, http://pridenet.ca/wp-            content/uploads/homophobic-bullying-facts.pdf

Charlesworth, J. (2015). That's so gay!: Challenging homophobic bullying.

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Cornell G and Limber P, (2016) “Do U.S laws go far enough to prevent bullying at schools?”      American Psychological AAssociation

Cymru L, (2019) “Respecting others: Homophobic bullying” retrieved from,             https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2018-05/respecting-others-homophobic-   bullying.pdf

Duncan N and Rivers I, (2013) “Bullying: Experiences and discourses of sexuality and gender”   Routledge print

Family Lives, (2018) “What is homophobic bullying? Retrieved from,             https://www.bullying.co.uk/general-advice/what-is-homophobic-bullying/

Gerard Farrelly et al. (2016) “Custodians of silences: School principal perspectives on the            incidence and nature of homophobic bullying in primary schools in Ireland, Irish       Educational Studies

Murray J, (2012) “Gay young people still facing bullying at school” The Guardian, retrieved       from, https://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/jul/02/homophobic-bullying-in-        schools

Peter Tatchell Foundation, (2019) “Homophobic bullying at school advice” retrieved from,             https://www.petertatchellfoundation.org/homophobic-bullying-at-school-advice/

Rivers, I. (2011). Homophobic bullying: Research and theoretical perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Rivers, I., Duncan, N., & Besag, V. E. (2009). Bullying: A handbook for educators and parents.   Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

SHORT, D. (2013). "Don't be so gay!": queers, bullying, and making schools safe.

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Increasing diversity in the workplace

Encouraging workplace diversity has its own share of positives and surplus benefits to clients. However, one needs a holistic approach toward diversity and hiring technique- retaining workers may turn out to be harder than fresh enrolment (Rice, 2015). This is a fact for organizations located in areas with less diversity hence minority workers feel disengaged. Furthermore, an individual must take an active duty in assisting minority employees adjust and connect with the work environ and the external community.

 Diversity not only harbors beneficial results but sometimes negative outcomes. It is vital to note that heterogeneity among workers or teams may minimize intra-group cohesiveness and also result into disagreements and misinterpretation hence depressing workers’ satisfaction, residency traits, and lower turnover (Guillaume et.al, 2017). On other hand, adequate evidence shows that work performance increases with increases in diversity in the workplace because it improves creativeness and innovativeness via the team members’ varied opinions. The public have slight information on the circumstances and mental mechanisms needed for increasing worker performance especially within groups and dynamic settings.

 Diversity in the workplace, from a conceptual perspective means variance existing among people on any features, which may result into observations of one person is different from another individual (Guillaume et.al, 2017). Some of the examples of diversity are demographic features, practical features, personality traits, individualistic values spiritual views, and even sexual orientation.

Consulting local establishments with societal networks such as churches, educational institutions may help employers increase diversity in the workplace. Community establishments assist in getting candidates from various backgrounds thus increasing diversity. One the other hand, a business entity can recruit assistance from nonprofit institutions such as urban league or from internet platforms, which offers information on marginal job seekers (Guillaume et.al, 2017). However, employers should not limit themselves to local areas alone. If able, an employer can go further and expand his or her search to foreign territories. The internet makes it easier for streamlined searches and locating people with unique territories.

 Recruitment strategies

 Increasing diversity leads to differentiated talents, which gives firms an upper hand in terms of competition and recruiting talented personnel. The first tip is writing a job advertisement in a manner that appeal to diverse populations. If one can attract a group of diverse potential candidates, then the language utilized is the only thing that makes the difference. Secondly, coming up with workplace policies which accommodate and encourage diversity is key in ensuring an increment in workplace diversity. In addition, research reveals that organization with flexible working hours and situated in friendly neighborhood assists in attracting more diverse workforce (Hunt et.al, 2017). The third tip is the utilization of personality evaluation techniques during recruitment to enable more diversity in terms of character and background. The normal recruitment standards relies an organization’s needs and the qualities of the workers such as educational qualifications and experiences. In the end, only the qualified makes it through the front door hence decreasing diversity. Therefore, the only reliable way of increasing workplace diversity is through the evaluation of a candidate’s personality, skills, and inspirations. Personal evaluations increase the probability of attaining diverse workforce and influence other function of the workplace positively. The forth tip through which one can increase diversity at the workplace is selecting sourcing approaches which cover diverse work personnel. One of the underlying reasons for lack of diversity in the workplace is hiring through referrals. From an overall perspective, people’s network consists of persons of similar nature. Therefore, the diversity of decreases when a person hires through referrals. Hence, an employer has to search for workers from a public rather than rely on people’s referrals.

 Issues that may arise due to increased diversity in the work place

Workplace enrolment organizations have a way of battling diversity issues on a daily basis. Some people are of the opinion that diversity is simply striking a balance between race and sex. Nevertheless, diversity is more than just race and gender parity in the work place. More so, diversity in the workplace enables acceptance, mutual admiration, and collaboration between workers in spite of the variances in ethnicity, age, sex, values, and communication mannerisms between workers (Hunt et.al, 2017). The benefits of having a diverse work place outweigh the minor negatives associated with diversity. First of all diversity causes an upsurge in innovation outcomes due to having workers from various upbringings and demographics. When people from various backgrounds integrate under the same workspace, they may use varied ways of solving challenges and meet target or work goals. In fact, human resource experts revealed that organizations, which practice and retain workspace diversity, perform better than firms with a low diversity index do.

 Whereas diversity in the workplace ensures a more rounded work ethic, some challenges may arise as a result of high diversity. One of the challenges arising from a high diversity in the workplace is accommodating foreign beliefs and norms from various people. Integrating personal values from one worker to the next makes it hard due to the distinction thus it is easy to disrespect other people’s opinion and language.

References

Guillaume, Y. R., Dawson, J. F., Otaye‐Ebede, L., Woods, S. A., & West, M. A. (2017). Harnessing demographic differences in organizations: What moderates the effects of workplace diversity?. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(2), 276-303.

Hunt, V., Layton, D., & Prince, S. (2015). Diversity matters. McKinsey & Company, 1, 15-29.

Rice, M. F. (2015). Diversity and public administration. ME Sharpe.

Who are you? A reflection of my standpoint in the world

Introduction

We live in a world where one has to identify him/herself with a certain category. It is always important for one to analyze his or her position in the world using the categories that are assigned to human beings. Some of these categories include physical characteristics, gender, and race. These categories are responsible for how the society and world at large views us. They dictate our position in the society we live in, they also dictate how we should behave. Lastly, these categories are responsible for how society judge us. These categories can cause discomfort that is raised by misunderstandings that people have about certain categories. Grouping human being into categories is import because it helps show us that someone’s life and standpoint may differ from ours.

The first thing people notice about you are the features of your body, these features include one’s height, skin tone and how one’s features are formed. It is also very quick to notice if one’s body has a deformity. At many times people have been judged and looked down upon due to a physical deformity before anyone can learn anything else about them. Through history, people with physical deformities have been stigmatized because they possess undesirable attributes. Physical characteristics have a lot of power that evokes different feelings and expressions (Marini, & Stebnicki, 156). Society believes that these physical characteristics are the central key to how someone behaves and defines their personality.

A lot of prejudice has been shown to people with physical disabilities but currently, society is working toward reducing the prejudice that individuals who are judged according to their physical characteristics face. Having been born with good physical features is a privilege but not everyone is so lucky. The work of those with good physical features is to make those with deformed features fit in with them without showing any discrimination. Having heard grievances of these people who are judged according to their physical characteristics I feel that it is not right that they have to undergo so much prejudice (Marini, & Stebnicki, 156). Beyond their physical characteristics, they are human beings with the same abilities we have and therefore having a physical deformity or not having a physical deformity does not make one superior.

            Gender is a category that categories human being according to their sexuality, male or female. Also looking at a person before categorizing them any further it is easy to identify what gender they are. Many campaigns that call for gender equality have been initiated with the aim of making society perceive women the same way they perceive men. History has left traces that show that the women are greatly disadvantaged and looked down upon. There was a time in the history of the United States that women were not allowed to vote (Leach, np). In the mid-19^th -century history records that feminist begun campaigns to eliminate the discrimination that women faced.

            The fact that there are traces in history that women were never viewed as men equal is proof enough to show how categorizing human beings according to gender disadvantages the female gender. Although society has evolved and finally it is seeing women as man’s equal. The society is trying to include women’s voice in making decisions that affects the whole society at large. The society is empowering mothers, giving proper value to the work of women and their contribution to society. And also, it is involving women into power (Leach, np). Society is doing all this but it has not completely managed to erase discrimination on the basis of gender.

I see the world we live in as a world that has undervalued the position of women and is putting them in a disadvantaged position. History does not record many women in leadership positions since leadership positions have been associated with the male gender which is completely unfair. A woman aspiring for a leadership position will have to compete with men who think that she is not worth this position. Some times women make choices because their place has been dictated by the male gender (Fuller, np). The progress that society is making is promising a future where categorizing people according to their gender will not lead to discrimination.

Human beings are categorized according to race judging from their skin colors and structures of their faces. one race has a certain distinctive character that separates it from the others. It is believed that the traits of race are inherited biologically. Example of race include. Black, white, Asian and Latin. This act of categorizing humans according to race has led to racism where one discriminates others who are not from their race (Memmi, 171). This discrimination on the basis of race results to inequality among people from various groups.

Categorizing people on the basis of race is important since it gives human a sense of belonging and a group to identify with. However, categorizing people this way has caused discrimination that makes one uncomfortable. The history of the United States is evidence that categorizing people according to race results to a lot of discrimination. The whites enslaved the black simply because the white viewed their race more superior compared to the black. Looking at the history of many countries traces of racism can be found (Memmi,196). A black woman is a person who is greatly advantaged in society, she will be looked down on the basis of gender and will still be looked down on the fact that she is black.

            Discrimination on the basis of race is very dominant in schools and workplaces. Grouping humans according to race has brought forth many disastrous results that cannot be repeated by society again. It is to my knowledge that no race is superior to the other and no black kid learning with white kids should be discriminated and vice versa. Seeing people from different races working together has become a rare phenomenon in society. This has disadvantaged so many people (Ancheta, 47). People from different races should be able to co-exist in peace regardless of the many differences between them.

Conclusion

Human beings have been categorized according to their gender, race and physical characters. This categorization has made humans uncomfortable in some circumstances. People have been judged due to their physical characteristics. Those with physical deformity have been victim to prejudice from the society we live in. We are living in a society that has already established the roles of each gender. Women are often subject to prejudice and have been undervalued and men are seen as superior to them. This has made women uncomfortable although ways to promote female gender are being put in place. Categorizing people on the basis of race is the major cause of racism in the world. Some races feel superior to others thus arousing discomfort. Categorization of human is good since it gives them an identity but it also causes discomfort.

Work cited

Marini, Irmo, and Stebnicki Mark. The Psychological and Social Impact of Illness and Disability. New York: Springer Pub. Co, 2012. Internet resource.

Leach, Anna. 12 steps to achieve gender equality in our lifetimes, 2016. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/mar/14/gender-equality-women-girls-rights-education-empowerment-politics

Fuller, Margaret. Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1999. Internet resource.

Memmi, Albert. Racism. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2000. Print.

Ancheta, Angelo N. Race, Rights, and the Asian American Experience. New Brunswick: Rutgers Univ. Press, 2006. Print.

Planned Parenthood

            Planned Parenthood is one of the trusted healthcare providers in the United States that mainly provides reproductive health services such as reproductive health care, sex education and also provision of information concerning reproductive health (Lawrence & Ness, 2017). It actually act as an advocator and also a global partner. This topic is therefore, relevant to the course because it deals with reproductive health which is part of the nursing services.

 Nurses are involved in the daily delivery of care to individuals with complications in their reproductive system. They are also involved in sharing of information and also provision of family planning services to different clients. This forms part of the activities or services which are offered by the nurses and thus makes it more relevant.

 The topic on the reproductive health affect almost all the individuals in the world. This is because it is part of the human life in terms of reproduction. The services which are offered in the facilities and numerous and they can be individualized depending on the client needs. This makes it patient-centered and thus the care or the services provided depends on what the client need.

 Planned Parenthood also provides services to client which is more affordable and can accommodate individuals with low income earning. This ensures that they get enough attention and care they need thus promoting good health to all the individuals (Brandhorst & Jennings, 2016). It is also for my interest because defunding it will result to suffering by the people from low income earning jobs and will not result to good health as it is the right of a person (Stevenson et al., 2016). Although reproductive health affect different kind of individual ranging from those from the lower social status to high social status, the effect will be felt significantly by the poor.

It is also of interest because the issue of defunding Planned Parenthood will greatly affect the high school students who are normally provided with sexual education by it. This will result to increases in the cases of teenage pregnancies and also might result to rise in the number of STDs transmission (Hillard, 2017). This is because, there will no longer be education on how to be safe and thus will increase the risk for exposure of infections for the client.

The individuals who will be greatly be affected are those coming from the low income groups due to the funding they receive from the federal government. They get the Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood doctors and the nurses who are involved in performing the preventive services HIV test, cancer screening and also birth control. Usually the Planned Parenthood uses their own many to pay for the services and then await to be paid back by the Medicaid (Rubin, 2018). In case this is defunded it will thus result to serious adverse effects to the low income earners.

However there are cases that claim that Planned Parenthood focus mainly on abortions more than other services and therefore it has decreased the number of adoption. The Planned Parenthood has performed millions of abortion (Ciccariello, 2017). The other reason for defunding is that women are thought to have other alternatives for services and thus it will lead to minimal effect.

Peer reviewed sources and also scholarly articles will be used to ensure that the necessary and good quality information is available for the research. Good planning is important to promote success of the work. Proper organization is taken into consideration, articulation of the topic and location of the background data (Brundage, 2017). It is also necessary to list the key words to facilitate the search in the search engines as well as considering the scope of the topic. The searches are done, information evaluated and analysis is done

References

Brandhorst, J. K., & Jennings, F. J. (2016). Fighting for funding: Values advocacy and Planned Parenthood’s right-to-life. Public Relations Review, 42(4), 723-733.

Brundage, A. (2017). Going to the sources: A guide to historical research and writing. John Wiley & Sons.

Ciccariello, C. (2017). Defunding Planned Parenthood—the stakes for America’s women. JAMA internal medicine, 177(3), 307-308.

Hillard, P. J. A. (2017). Adolescent Reproductive Health Without Planned Parenthood. Journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology, 30(4), 445-446.

Lawrence, H. C., & Ness, D. L. (2017). Planned Parenthood Provides Essential Services That Improve Women's Health. Annals of internal medicine, 166(6), 443-444.

Rubin, R. (2018). A Day in the Life: Planned Parenthood Physician Provides Reproductive Health Care to the Underserved. JAMA, 319(11), 1081-1083.

Stevenson, A. J., Flores-Vazquez, I. M., Allgeyer, R. L., Schenkkan, P., & Potter, J. E. (2016). Effect of removal of planned parenthood from the Texas Women’s Health Program. New England Journal of Medicine, 374(9), 853-860.

Cohabitation and Marriage as a Life Process

According to NCCB, cohabitation can be defined as living together, and having a sexual relationship without being married to each other, for various reasons I find this definition lacking. In today’s world, Christian marriages have undergone a lot of changes, examples of these changes include; divorce, equality of both partners in marriage, sacramentality, and how ceremonies are being conducted. I feel that the response of the church on the widespread cohabitation is not adequate thus, making its definition on cohabitation inadequate. Lastly, Scott and Thatcher moral evaluation and pledging ritual should not be extended to the gays ands lesbians. I feel that cohabitation is not wrong when two people are engaged and are awaiting a wedding ceremony to officiate the marriage.

            The assumption that marriage as a union begins when two individuals celebrate their union in church is wrong. Marriage used to be a state in post-modern days but in todays world marriage is a journey. The church has come to accommodate that divorce since, marriage as a journey can either work or fail. On the issue of sacrament, the church is making exceptions, the church is now   allowing a couple to marry each other in church without taking sacrament that affirms that their love is a similar to the one Christ had for the church. The church is also not bound by two choices of marriage like in the pre-modern days, sacramental marriage and civil marriage. It is now accepting, welcomed civil marriages. This is a good step the church is making because it is giving recognition to marriages of individuals that are not involved in the church a lot.

            There are three forms cohabitation; casual cohabitation, conscious preparation of marriage and cohabitation that serves as a substitute of marriage. Thatcher in her book argues that cohabitation of an engaged couple is acceptable in a Christian setting because in modern days marriage does not begin with exchange of vows but with engagement. Cohabitation of individuals living together with no intention of getting married is unacceptable. Cohabitation after engagement in the pre-modern days gave spouses a chance to explore each other intimately and see if their marriage will work.

In today’s world the church does not allow intimacy to take place before a wedding ceremony is performed. I agree with the opinion of the church in pre-modern days since, it is logical to allow individuals to live together in order for them to evaluate if they will be compatible in marriage. Scott’s and thatcher’s moral evaluation and pledging ritual cannot be applied to the gays and lesbians because it is an activity that has been condoned by the church. I think it is high time that the church acknowledges that, in modern days cohabitation before marriage is a practice that cannot come to an end therefore, it should change its beliefs to accommodate this practice for couples who are engaged and awaiting marriage ceremony.

Understanding Assumption and Inference In Regard To Pink for Girls and Blue for Boys

Assumption and Inference In Regard To Pink for Girls and Blue for Boys

Truth can be defined to be the object of thinking, there are some truths that are obvious and there are others that are difficult to acquire. People make decisions that may seem to be simple to them and there are other decisions that are complicated and may not be easy to understand. Take for instance the decision that pink is for girls while blue is for boys, this is something whose origin or background is not really understood and it has major effects on how gender is perceived in the society.

The choice that pink is feminine is solely an assumption which leads the society to infer that a girl that does not wear pink is not feminine. An assumption as defined by Richard and Linda (2012) is basically something that people believe to be true without any form of proof. The concept of assumption is something that is in the human system of beliefs where they assume that these beliefs are true and they use them to try and interpret the world about them. The society as illustrated by Jeanne (2011), assumes that girls are supposed to wear dresses in order to make them feminine. There is however no proof that when girls wear other colours like blue which represents masculinity, they become less feminine. The association between pink and feminism and blue with masculinity is just an assumption that the society have adopted and it is today used to shape the personality of individuals.

Assumption is what brings about inference, where inference can be defined as that act where an individual concludes that something is true in respect of something else being or seeming true (Richard and Linda, 2012). Inference is basically the conclusion that is drawn from evidence and reasoning, this can actually be explained to be an educated guess where one comes up with a conclusion based on previous experiences. Human beings are naturally structured in such a way that they use their beliefs as assumption and they end up making inferences based on those assumptions. This happens because people want to make sense of where they are, what is happening around them and what their role is in the society (Richard and Linda, 2012). Human beings cannot act with assumptions and inferences which make them part of who they are, people make decisions, form understandings and come up with conclusions based on what they belief.

When human beings are put in a situation, the first thing that they do is try to give the situation some meaning in order for them to understand it better. People have assumptions and inferences for everything that happens in their society, a good instance is the basic assumption that when dark clouds appear, then it must rain. Yes in most cases it rains whenever the dark clouds form, but this is not something that must happen; there are times when the dark clouds will appear and it does not rain.

As illustrated by Richard and Linda (2012), ‘human experiences are shaped by the inferences that they make during these experiences’. In the case of colours and gender, people did not really associate colours with gender in the past, children actually wore white dresses for the first six years of their lives whether boy or girl because white was easy to bleach as compared to the other colours. Colours was not a representation of gender and children grew up knowing that they had the choice of wearing any colour that they wanted without being ridiculed by the society around them (Jeanne, 2011). The fact that the society did not have the assumption that certain colours are for certain genders did not lead to the inference of colours being referenced with certain gender traits.

However as the society continued to evolve and gender roles started being embraced, things changed and everything started being connected with matters of gender. Men were assumed to be the stronger sex while women were viewed to be the weaker sex meaning that everything associated with men represented masculinity. Pink is a soft flashy colouring hence its association with women who are thought to be soft spoken and they are looked as delicate. Blue on the other side is somewhat dull but at the same time project a strong shade hence its association with men that are viewed to be strong and independent (Jeanne, 2011).

The assumption that pink is for girls and blue is for boys has led to the inference that the people that break tis norm are either not feminine or masculine enough. This is where a girl that chose to wear blue is labelled to be a tomboy and not a real woman while the boy that loves pink is labelled to be homosexual and not man enough. There is really no proof that the choice of colour that one chooses determines one’s personality, a colour is just an element of choice that should not have any verdict on the kind of an individual that one is. The society need to change its prejudiced thinking and give people a chance to choose their paths in life. people need to start thinking and actually questioning the extent to which their assumptions are justified and the effect of the inferences of this assumptions have on the society at large in order to create a better just world.

References

Maglaty, J. (2011). When Did Girls Start Wearing Pink? Retrieved March 29, 2018, from

            https://app.simplenote.com/publish/xh9r1q

Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2012). Distinguishing Between Inferences and Assumptions. Retrieved

            March 29, 2019, from https://app.simplenote.com/publish/Sfn5CD

Generational Differences

             There are various differences between the present generation and that of the past. Dressing mode by the young people in the present youth culture and that of the older people; around 50 years ago is totally different. Men had been wearing hats or caps while women used to wear hats and scarves. The women had also been wearing gloves. The elderly had been having a tendency of wearing the head gears like the scarves when they are away from their houses since they helped them to cover their grey elderly hair or the absence of hair in their heads. Men used to wear clothes of their gender as well as women. Nowadays people no longer wear these clothes that had been marking the grandparents and parents. There had not been the tendency of people wearing clothes of the other gender. Nowadays, things have changed completely. Women are wearing trousers and shorts while men are making hair styles which are meant to be made by the ladies traditionally.

            There is a difference in singing styles between the older singers and the young generational singers. The older singers had a closer connection with the society in terms of values as compared to the young singers who are belonging to a social category of broader criticism. The youths have been discovering that the society is going to be attracted by their mode of dilemma if they happen to encrypt the politics in a way that goes beyond the likes of mainstream.

            There is the trending use of digital media that has been in use among the young generation. This has been discovered as something that has not been in existence among the elderly. In the past, people used to communicate through letters and messengers which was highly inconvenient in terms of delivery of the message. It would take a long period of time before the message could reach the destination as well as getting the feedback. In the present generation people are using internet to communicate swiftly and it has been a very reliable mode of communication. The messages can be sent and it reaches the destination in a short span of time and as well as the feedback.

            It is possible to motivate the young people so that they can be in the position to put their ideas into life through various ways. To begin with, there is the need of explaining non-formal learning to employees and educators and giving translations concerning the outcome to the world. It is important for identification and validation of non-formal education in education sector and that of business. This will enhance the understanding of the learning that usually takes place by the youths as well as the employers. It is also essential to translate the outcome of the non-formal learning in a language clear to youths and the employers.  There is the need of a connection between framework and qualifications. It will be essential to develop and offer tools which will be friendly and accessible to the users. This will enhance offering of activities that promote transformation and creativity among the youths. It will also help them to realize the important skills that they have learnt in the learning.

            Enhancing the ability of those working directly with the young people is another way that can motivate the present generation towards putting their ideas into life. It is important to enhance the capacity of the non-formal workers, especially the youth, to promote creativity and innovation in young people. This can be achieved by introduction of new techniques among the young which will enable them generate ideas or modify the present ideas thereby coming up with new projects that will enable them to generate income. This can be able to allow them to becoming independent people who will be getting money by their own.

            Development of a strong focus on entrepreneurship is another thing that can motivate the new generation into putting their ideas into life. This will be achieved by ensuring that the young people are in the position to acquire skills and knowledge before they are through with learning. The youth work can take an essential part in connecting the young people with the local community hence enhancing their privilege to initiate an income generating project or secure a job. By so doing, they will have been in the position to go an extra mile and make efforts to put their ideas into life.