Social Issues and Social Welfare

The relationship and responsibilities of societies, especially political entities, to their members.

Sub-headings:

Animal Rights

Crime

Disabilities

Housing

Human Rights

Hunger

Literacy

Knowledge of, or competency in, a nonverbal method of sharing information or communicating, such as reading and writing, using computers, or locating information resources.

Peace

Philanthropy & Social Service

Poverty

Public Safety

Social Work

Organized work intended to advance the social conditions of a community, and especially of the disadvantaged, by providing psychological counseling, guidance, and assistance, especially in the form of social services.

Terrorism

War

Resources in this category:

About.com: Environmental Issues
http://environment.about.com/

An Internet guide for environmental issues, with feature articles, Website links, and discussion forums. Topics covered include air pollution, recycling, endangered species, acid rain, ozone depletion, water & wetlands, renewable energy, forestry, food issues, population, biodiversity, nuclear waste, and more.

Adult Children of Alcoholics
http://www.adultchildren.org/

Adult Children of Alcoholics is a Twelve Step, Twelve Tradition support group for "women and men who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes."

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
http://www.aclu.org/

This site gives comprehensive coverage of a variety of social issues including criminal justice, the death penalty, free speech, HIV/AIDS, immigrants' rights, lesbian & gay rights, racial equality, and much more! You can find out what is happening on a number of these issues in Congress, in the courts, and in the ACLU. You can also become a member of the ACLU and use their library to find additional resources.

Atlas of United States Mortality
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/other/atlas/atlas...

"Released to the public on April 14, 1997, this atlas is the first to show all leading causes of death by race and sex for small U.S. geographic areas referred to as Health Service Areas (HSA's). The 18 causes of death included in this atlas account for 83 percent of all deaths in the United States during 1988-92. In addition to maps with age-adjusted death rates for each HSA, the atlas includes maps that compare each HSA rate to the national rate, smoothed maps for each cause that show the broad geographic patterns at selected ages, and a chart with regional rates for each cause of death." The book is divided up into sections in PDF format, which require the Adobe Acrobat Viewer.

The Benton Foundation
http://www.benton.org/

The Benton Foundation seeks to utilize the public interest use of communications to bring about social benefits. Through its seven projects, the foundation attempts to shape the public interest in emerging communications environment in the public interest. The Foundation merges philanthropy, public policy and community action to use digital media to engage, equip and connect people to solve social problems. The emphasis at this site is on library, education, public media and communications issues.

Beyond Indigo
http://www.beyondindigo.com/

Beyond Indigo is an online community that provides support to people who are grieving. It has chat rooms, grief tools and support, information about funerals and financial help.

Cafe Progressive
http://www.cafeprogressive.com/

"The place to start for progressive education reform, alternative politics, multicultural community, and a huge collection of progressive resources." Site includes progressive on-line news resources, chat room, forums, and links to many other progressive Web resources.

Campaign To End The Death Penalty
http://www.nodeathpenalty.org/

Anti-death penalty organization. General information on the death penalty and fact sheets on current death row inmates and past executions. Includes "New Abolitionist" magazine, with full-text articles written by CEDP staff and current prisoners. Event calendar for public protests and local chapter guide.

Center for the Study of Political Graphics
http://www.politicalgraphics.org/

The Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG) is an "archive that collects, preserves, documents, and exhibits domestic and international posters relating to historical and contemporary movements for peace and social justice." Online examples from the collection with full catalog records.

Children's Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/

The Children's Defense Fund is dedicated to educating the public about the needs of children, with a particular focus on the poor, minority, and disabled. Their site offers important facts and figures about children in America, information about the New Welfare Law and other legislation as it relates to children, and discusses a variety of issues such as giving children a "Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start." Information about CDF conferences and internships is also available.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/index.html

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment homepage offers links to daily air quality readings, health/disease statistics, "quit smoking" programs, news releases, and public notices and announcements.

The Community Toolbox
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/

"The Community Tool Box is the world's largest resource for free information on essential skills for building healthy communities." Thousands of pages of practical, step-by-step guidance in specific community-building skills are available in hundreds of sections.

ConflictNet
http://www.jca.apc.org/~y-okada/igc/conflictnet/

"ConflictNet promotes dialogue and sharing of information to encourage appropriate dispute resolution; highlights the work of practioneers and organizations; and is a proving ground for ideas and proposals across the range of disciplines within the conflict resolution field." Find a variety of articles, action alerts, and links to related sites on the Internet.

Department of Health (DOH)
http://dchealth.dc.gov/doh/site/default.asp

The District of Columbia (DOH) has links to information on birth, death certificates; dog licenses, domestic partnership, environmental health, health promotion, HIV/AIDS, immunization, nutrition, and preventive health, among other topics.

Doctor-assisted Suicide: A Guide to Web Sites and the Literature
http://www.longwood.edu/library/suic.htm

Site compiled by librarians listing resources on euthanasia and doctor assisted suicide, including legal issues, news broadcasts, a chronology, and a search engine for finding additional materials on end of life issues.

Empowerment Resources for Personal Growth, Social Change and Ecology
http://www.EmpowermentResources.com/

This site offers "quick links to over 300 of the best Green empowerment resources on the Internet as well as over 320 good empowerment resource books (most discounted 20-30%) and over 70 links on over 24 topics related to personal growth, social change, and ecology." The site includes an on-line bookstore.

Florida's Health: The Florida Department of Health
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/

"Florida's Health" has links to reports and health statistics, licenses and permits, emergencies, mothers and children, tobacco, and communities.

From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1824-1909
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aapchtml/

"Presents 397 pamphlets from the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, published from 1824 through 1909, by African-American authors and others who wrote about slavery, African colonization, Emancipation, Reconstruction, and related topics. The materials range from personal accounts and public orations to organizational reports and legislative speeches. Among the authors represented are Frederick Douglass, Kelly Miller, Charles Sumner, Mary Church Terrell, and Booker T. Washington."

The Gallup Organization
http://www.gallup.com/

This site contains links to various polls, reports, trends and audits of public opinion conducted by The Gallup Organization. The main page and the "Poll" link contain the majority of useful free information. The site contains a search function.

Fairleigh Dickinson University's Global Issues Gateway: issues without borders
http://www.gig.org/

An educational site dedicated to illuminating "the impact of globalization on societies, on institutions, and on the daily lives of people throughout the world," and to providing teachers and students "global learning resources." Provides information about economics, ethics, culture, politics, science, education, and much more, as well as electronic forums and video lectures on these issues.

Good Money
http://www.goodmoney.com/

Provides information about socially and environmentally responsible investing, consuming, and business practices.

GuideStar
http://www.guidestar.org/

"A free information service on the programs and finances of more than 600,000 charities and nonprofits, news on philanthropy, and resources for donors and volunteers." The site has a database of charities and nonprofits that is searchable by keyword, location, or income range; a news service; classified ads placed by the nonprofit organizations in the database; and suggestions to individuals about charitable giving, including tips on tax deductions and non-cash contributions.

The Hoover Digest: Research and Opinion on Public Policy
http://www.hooverdigest.org/

"The quarterly Hoover Digest presents informative pieces on a wide range of public policy issues. Published by the Hoover Institution, a public policy research center at Stanford University, the Digest consists of short articles and opinion pieces written by the Institution’s scholars. The mix of articles includes original pieces as well as reprinted material and excerpts from books and monographs."

Inequality.org
http://www.demos.org/inequality/books.cfm

This site, created by a network of journalists, writers and researchers, features "news, information and expertise on the divide in income, wealth and health" in the United States. This Web site explores the gaps between the rich and poor that are usually ignored by the media. It is meant to serve as "a storehouse of information, comment, and original thinking about the increased material and socioeconomic differences among us, and about the implications of this trend in such areas as health, work life, the coherence of communities, and the workings of democratic government."

The Info XChange
http://www.infoxchange.net.au/index.shtml

A network of information for folks in the Victoria Region of Australia. Includes names, addresses and phone numbers of community outreach organizations dealing with housing, unemployment, and general human services. The site also includes a listing of employment opportunities.

Information & Referral Resource Network
http://www.acitinc.com/ir-net/

"This directory lists agencies throughout the United States that provide human services to the public. A wide variety of services are represented, including information and referral, social service, case management, health care, counseling, mental health, day care, educational, employment, domestic violence, recreation, substance abuse, and welfare programs. Whether you're searching for services for children, adults or the elderly; single adults or families; home owners or homeless individuals; individuals with or without disabilities, this directory can guide you to a source of help. The information in the Network is provided and updated regularly by participating agencies. A brief entry for each agency in the Network appears in the geographical indexes under the state and city in which the agency is located, and includes the name of the agency and a short description of its services. More detailed information about the agency may be found on the agency's 'home page.'" Also includes listing for government agencies.

Land Trust
http://www.possibility.com/LandTrust/

Provides information and resources related to creating land trusts in order to protect environmentally valuable land from development and destruction.

Macrocosm USA Home Page
http://www.macronet.org/

A non-profit clearinghouse for progressives, featuring a database directory of 7,000 organizations and projects involved in progressive approaches to environmental issues, health issues, peace and justice.

The Maine Bureau of Health
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/

The Maine Bureau of Health website provides links to the Bureau's divisions: community health, disease control, environmental testing laboratory, environmental health unit, family health, health data and program management, health engineering, and the office of public health emergency preparedness.

The New Homemaker
http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/index.php

"A Domestic Renaissance being crafted by women and men who've chosen to stay at home to work and raise children, and are reinventing and reviving lost household arts. Resources for cleaning and crafts, health and thrift, childcare and elder care favor a traditional and environmentally friendly wisdom of the hearth. "

The Nobel Foundation
http://nobelprize.org/

"The Official Site of the Nobel Foundation" is searchable, and includes a timeline.

NOVA: the wave that shook the world
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tsunami/

PBS Online created this resource in tandem with the NOVA program aired March 2005. Find teacher's guides, try interactive links to "Anatomy of a Tsunami" and "Once and Future Tsunamis", read "Wave of the Future", a look at preparation for the next major wave, and follow other links and resources to information on this topic. The site even provides an "Ask the Expert" link for email questions about tsunamis.

Online Resource Guide to Political Inquiry
http://web2.uwindsor.ca/courses/ps/dartnell/index.html

A directory of "research gateways . . . supplemented by specific Web-based research that focuses on specific themes." Topics include area studies, international studies, issue-based politics, reference and research, theory and analysis, and web-based projects. An excellent scholarly resource.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
http://www.peta.org/index.html

This site is full of useful information on a number of animal rights issues. You can find research projects and results, investigations and rescues, factsheets on a variety of animal-related topics, articles from PETA publications, an animal cruelty-free shopping guide, compassionate recipes, and you can visit an animal research laboratory. You can also gather information about PETA as an organization and you can become a member.

Points of Light Foundation Volunteer Centers
http://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/

This locator service allows users to find designated "Points of Light" volunteer centers in each of the 50 states of America. Volunteer Centers are mostly independent non-profit organizations that work to bring "people and community needs together through a range of programs and services. " They provide a variety of programs and services such as "promoting volunteerism within their community, training and assisting non-profit organizations, recruiting and referring volunteers to opportunities, recognizing volunteers, managing local corporate volunteer councils and numerous individual programs designed to mobilize volunteers to solve community problems."

The Progress of Nations 2000
http://www.unicef.org/pon00/

"The nations of the world ranked according to their achievements in child health, nutrition, education, family planning and progress for women."

Public Agenda
http://www.publicagenda.org/

"Public Agenda prepares a broad array of educational materials that help explain policy issues to the public in a balanced and easy-to-understand way. Our guides offer a nonpartisan briefing on policy and polling -- including 'red flags' where poll results may be misleading; a digest of news, legislation, and studies; and research sources. We offer 19 issue guides, each one combining background information with public opinion analysis." Covers many issues including education, race, health care, crime, the economy, the environment, abortion, social security, internet speech and privacy, and the right to die. Useful to both the general public and policy makers.

Resources for and about Multiracial/Multiethnic Americans
http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/entry/48507

This IPL pathfinder contains resources that discuss or were written by biracial and multiracial Americans, dealing primarily with racial identity. Included are Internet resources, first-person accounts, books, journals, and organizations.

Reuter Foundation AlertNet
http://www.alertnet.org/

"Combines breaking stories from the Reuters news agency with communications services for relief organizations."

RTK NET: The Right-to-Know Network
http://www.rtknet.org/

Links to databases and resources that allow individuals to investigate, review and assess data related to the environmental impacts caused by industry and other economic forces on local communities.

SafetyNet
http://home.cybergrrl.com/dv/

This page was set up to provide resources for information on domestic abuse. It includes contact information for domestic violence projects and organizations, sources of statistics, a domestic violence handbook posted by Peace at Home and bibliographies of suggested readings.

SciDev.Net
http://www.scidev.net/

Offers current news about technology and science in developing countries. Includes original articles from SciDev and from other online sources such as Nature and Science.

The September Project
http://www.theseptemberproject.org/

"The September Project is a grassroots effort to encourage public events on freedom, democracy, and citizenship in libraries on or around September 11. Libraries around the world are organizing public and campus events, such as: displays about human rights and historical documents; talks and performances about freedom and cultural difference; and film screenings about issues that matter." This site offers many ideas for planning events.

Sexual Harassment Hotline Resource List
http://www.feminist.org/911/harass.html

The Feminist Majority Foundation has provided information about sexual assault hotlines across the country. You key in the initial of any state and can browse listings of hotlines. The information provided includes the name, address and phone number of the organization as well as the types of assistance provided and the hours staffed. In addition to this useful information, there are facts about sexual assault and links to other sites.

Social Issues Collection
http://content.lib.washington.edu/Socialweb/

"The Social Issues Collection is an ongoing database of historial images from the Western United States and the Pacific Northwest region. The collection covers political and social topics such as women's issues, labor and government, as well as ethnic groups."

Social Statistics Briefing Room
http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/ssbr.html

"The purpose of this service is to provide easy access to current Federal social statistics. It provides links to information produced by a number of Federal agencies. All of the information included in the Social Statistics Briefing Room is maintained and updated by the statistical units of those agencies." Includes crime, demographic, education and health statistics.

Societal Information
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/5884/

"The purpose of this site is to find, collect, and disseminate information about web sites that are of value to society. Perhaps you need to brush up on your education or employment skills or you have questions about parenting. Learn the best way to navigate sites leading to government information. Get help from experts to keep healthy and fit. Get support for someone with special needs or a victim of abuse. Teens, find tips and answers to common questions." Well organized and annotated.

State of Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS)
http://www.dphhs.state.mt.us/

The State of Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services website includes links to applications & forms, DPHHS programs and publications, statistics, reports, and plans.

Texas Department of State Health Services
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) homepage includes links to information on the following subjects: Board of Health, business with TDH, disease reporting, grants/funding, health data, health regions, laws/regulations, license/certification, Medicaid, programs/services, and publications/library.

Topix.net: Activism News
http://www.topix.net/news/activism

This site is a continuously updated collection of activism-related news stories from across the web. Topix.net uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to sort incoming news stories from thousands of internet sources into various categories.

The Tsunami Disaster in Asia, 2004 : an Annotated Directory of Resources
http://bulldog2.redlands.edu/dept/AsianStudiesDept/tsunami.h...

"An annotated directory of Internet resources on the 2004 tsunami disaster in Asia, including news sources, information on relief efforts & donations, missing persons & victim contact information, & impact on affected countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Myanmar and Somalia." The site contents include aggregated sources, Asian government sources, reports & commentary, relief aid & donations, missing persons & victim contact, and general information on tsunamis.

The Virtual Volunteering Project
http://www.serviceleader.org/new/virtual/

The Virtual Volunteering Project provides resources to agencies that recruit and manage on-line volunteers, as well as to people who are on-line volunteers. Resources include the On-line Volunteering Handbook, an on-line volunteer listserv, and links to on-line volunteer opportunities.

Visit a Refugee Camp
http://www.refugeecamp.org/

"Learn about the basic needs in a refugee camp: shelter, food, water, sanitation, and health care. Hear the personal stories of refugees and relief workers." Answers basic questions on refugee food, water, shelter, latrines, health care, and nutrition. Includes land mine fact sheets and extensive teacher resources.

The Volunteer Center of Western Australia
http://www.volunteer.org.au/

Listings of volunteer resource centers in Western Australia as well as in ohter parts of the Continent. Calendar of events including such things as 'volunteer day'; and a list of services and resources provided by this center. The site is not huge but there is some useful information especially for those in Western Australia.

VolunteerMatch
http://www.volunteermatch.org/

A non-profit organization whose mission is "to facilitate and increase community involvement via the internet. [They] seek to collaborate with and complement existing organizations and build community resources to get more people involved." The site lists volunteer opportunities available through Volunteer America, allows you to search for non-profits in your local area and has a section about the "why and how" of volunteering.