Friday Musings August 23, 2013

Do you  know what Voir Dire means? I learned many new things last week during Hennepin County jury duty. Voir Dire means... "To speak the truth" and it is the question-and-answer process of jury selection. I guess I wasn't prepared to think that "I" was first on trial to determine if I would be a fair and just jury member for a particular case.  The judge and attorneys would ask the potential jurors questions about your knowledge of the witnesses, and experiences with law enforcement, or the court system. Dependent on the case, they wanted to know more about you personally, like - drug or alcohol use or if you had been a victim of a crime. This was a very open process with all jurors answering in public, offering a private venue if requested. I am not sharing this to scare you off from completing jury duty when asked, because I really appreciated this experience. From the jury process alone, I had the opportunity to get to know people in other occupations and different family backgrounds from my own. As you talk with your heating/air conditioning technician, complete a transaction with a gas station attendant, or give your order to a waitress -well, just remember... all these folks have really complex lives. They represented the people with whom I served on jury duty. The jury experience was just as valuable as the trial itself.

Our jury verdict for the trial we were assigned? Not guilty.

Update on our MNsure education grant submission

Just wanted you to know we have not yet heard back from our grant submission - but I am sure enjoying the new MNsure ad campaign. What do you think? Use the comment link below.

 

 

 

 

 

Grants in Progress

Thank you to all who are implementing grants we have in progress. These grants are essential in reaching our goal to impact family resilience for Minnesota's most vulnerable families.

Hennepin County Co-Parent Court: Kjersti, Mary, Alisha, Emily, Ebony (FSOS faculty and  additional FSOS grad students)
Padres Informados: Silvia, Gabriela, Mary, Maira (Medical School Faculty) & (FSOS Grad Student)
CYFAR-Partnering for School Success with Rural Latino Families: Kathy, Silvia, Antonio, Gabriela, Maira, Trish
Financial Recovery After Disaster - Just in Time Videos: Lori, Sara, Lori (NDSU), Trish
Childcare and Youth Training and Technical Assistance Project (CYTTAP): Sara, Mary, Kit

 

 

50 Years Ago "I have a dream" speech during March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Please take time to listen and watch Dr. Martin Luther King's speech. Give yourself permission to immerse yourself in 12 minutes of this history-making event. This speech occurred August 28, 1963.

How does this speech connect with your work today? Please share your thoughts in the comments in the section below.

 

 

 

 

50 Years Ago "I have a dream" speech during March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Please take time to listen and watch Dr. Martin Luther King's speech. Give yourself permission to immerse yourself in 12 minutes of this history-making event. This speech occurred August 28, 1963.

How does this speech connect with your work today? Please share your thoughts in the comments in the section below.

 

 

 

Note from the author of this blog: Hello. I am Trish Olson, a program leader with the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Family Development. I write this blog primarily for the team I work with in Extension, and welcome others who find it a useful weekly reflection. My goals for writing this blog are to stimulate informal discussion, look at local and world events in the context of our work in the Center for Family Development, and perhaps put a smile on your face. I do heavily quote from other sources - but always put quotation marks in " " and cite the reference through web links.  I really encourage the use of the comment function to fully benefit from this blog. If you have received this because someone forwarded it to you and  you would like to be added to the notification list contact me at pdolson@umn.edu. Have a nice day.