This is the official newsletter of the Everett Program, the Observer. Take a look at the articles below and please feel free to submit your own articles for review to info@everettinternships.org.

New York Cares:
One Organization's Role in Post-September 11 Relief and Recovery Efforts
New York Cares was founded in 1987 by a group of civic-minded friends interested in taking action against the social problems facing New York City. After searching in vain for an organization with a range of volunteer opportunities for people with demanding work schedules, they formed their own organization... read the story

Spotlight on One of Our Newest Internship Organizations
Tania Uriante-Méndez spent the summer of 2001 in Washington, DC researching, reviewing, and editing lesson plans for the Teaching with Historic Places program of the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. While Tania is a law student at the University of Puerto Rico, she also is dedicated to developing her skills as an educator... read the story

Democratizing the Philanthropic Sector
When I became an intern at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), I was skeptical of the organization's harshness towards a philanthropic sector that, in the words of Van Dyke, is only trying to lift mankind a little higher. However, I came to understand that only through disclosure, criticism and democratic advocacy can the philanthropic sector become more responsive and accountable to the poor, and to people with the least voice... read the story

The Lessons to Be Learned
This has been a terrible time filled with horrible images. We have had to explain to our children things that are incomprehensible to us. The days ahead will continue to be filled with pain as we learn about and mourn the losses of friends, relatives, and acquaintances. I am concerned about what follows then. It has been said on broadcast after broadcast that American life will never be the same again. Rather than waiting for the changes to happen to us, perhaps we have an opportunity to choose the changes we would like to occur... read the story

It's What's Best for Each Child
During my Everett Public Service Internship at Advocates for Children last summer, I worked alongside Clara Hemphill, author of Public Middle Schools, New York City's Best and The Parents Guide to New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools, on creating a dynamic new addition to Advocates for Children's Web site... read the story

Gun Violence
Yes, I can safely say my Everett experience ultimately gave me the skills to fight the gun lobby. In June 1999 I became an Everett intern at the Alliance for Justice (AFJ), working on the Co/Motion Program's Youth Gun Violence Prevention Initiative. Although I am from a rural area where hunting is a popular sport, my only experience with guns consisted of finding my dad's handgun in the top drawer of his dresser as a child... read the story

Take Action To Save Forests
How much wood could a consumer protect if a consumer could protect wood? If you're like most Americans, you'd like to see the world's forests survive to benefit future generations - but you think, "What can just one person do?" The answer is... read the story