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NATALIE HUDSON, UTNE - No one goes into a career in activism thinking
they'll make the big bucks. In fact, most people who enter socially
conscious fields have reckoned with the reality of sacrificing meaty
paychecks for fulfilling work. Recent college graduates, however, are
finding the trade-off simply untenable as they slide deeper into a pit
of college debt. And they're getting little help from the progressive
movement. . .
For graduates fresh out of college and saddled with exorbitant loan
payments, a career in progressive activism can mean anything from years
of sacrifice to near financial ruin. Among the few accessible jobs for
progressive youths are those offered by large canvassing campaigns.
Doster references the work of Dana R. Fisher, professor of sociology at
Columbia University and author of the book Activism, Inc., who found
that the canvassing industry -- a backbone of progressive, grass-roots
outreach -- is exploiting young canvassers. . .
Adding to the barriers, Doster finds that lefty think tanks primarily
offer unpaid or low-wage internships in expensive cities like New York
City or Washington, DC. With no prospect of financial sustainability,
it's no surprise that these career-building paths usually attract
wealthier applicants, while thwarting the bids of minorities and
economically challenged graduates.
To be fair, as Jamilah King of Wiretap magazine points out, "many
socially conscious organizations are run on paper-thin budgets that
don't allow them to offer stipends to their interns." And King
acknowledges that entering the job market while balancing one's
financial burdens and social conscience is a difficult task. . .
http://www.utne.com/webwatch/2007_303/news/12599-1.html
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NATALIE HUDSON, UTNE - No one goes into a career in activism thinking
they'll make the big bucks. In fact, most people who enter socially
conscious fields have reckoned with the reality of sacrificing meaty
paychecks for fulfilling work. Recent college graduates, however, are
finding the trade-off simply untenable as they slide deeper into a pit
of college debt. And they're getting little help from the progressive
movement. . .
For graduates fresh out of college and saddled with exorbitant loan
payments, a career in progressive activism can mean anything from years
of sacrifice to near financial ruin. Among the few accessible jobs for
progressive youths are those offered by large canvassing campaigns.
Doster references the work of Dana R. Fisher, professor of sociology at
Columbia University and author of the book Activism, Inc., who found
that the canvassing industry -- a backbone of progressive, grass-roots
outreach -- is exploiting young canvassers. . .
Adding to the barriers, Doster finds that lefty think tanks primarily
offer unpaid or low-wage internships in expensive cities like New York
City or Washington, DC. With no prospect of financial sustainability,
it's no surprise that these career-building paths usually attract
wealthier applicants, while thwarting the bids of minorities and
economically challenged graduates.
To be fair, as Jamilah King of Wiretap magazine points out, "many
socially conscious organizations are run on paper-thin budgets that
don't allow them to offer stipends to their interns." And King
acknowledges that entering the job market while balancing one's
financial burdens and social conscience is a difficult task. . .
http://www.utne.com/webwatch/2007_303/news/12599-1.html
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