[{"id":65,"date":"2022-04-12T18:06:50","date_gmt":"2022-04-12T18:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/?page_id=65"},"modified":"2022-04-12T18:06:50","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T18:06:50","slug":"final-report","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/final-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Final Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Leadership project this year surrounded topics of environmentalism and climate change.\u00a0 Specifically how climate change has affected Washington, D.C. and its residents.\u00a0 I gathered research with information regarding how the current and previous White House administration has dealt with climate change, as well as climate change scientists and their findings.\u00a0 The largest finding of note was how our current climate crisis got worse under the Trump administration.\u00a0 Trump\u2019s rollbacks of different climate policies allowed our environment to worsen, but because the new Biden administration took over that issue has improved.\u00a0 Read here for more –\u00a0Policy Memo<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My Leadership project this year surrounded topics of environmentalism and climate change.\u00a0 Specifically how climate change has affected Washington, D.C. and its residents.\u00a0 I gathered research with information regarding how the current and previous White House administration has dealt with climate change, as well as climate change scientists and their findings.\u00a0 The largest finding of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3386,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-65","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":63,"date":"2022-04-12T17:48:26","date_gmt":"2022-04-12T17:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/?page_id=63"},"modified":"2022-04-12T17:48:26","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T17:48:26","slug":"sophomore-year-reflection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/sophomore-year-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Sophomore Year Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Simon Briesacher<\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Wells<\/span><\/p>\n

Leadership Development Lab I SPA-362-002<\/span><\/p>\n

12 April 2022<\/span><\/p>\n

Entering Sophomore year I was excited to participate in person on campus.\u00a0 I was especially excited to engage with this class specifically, gaining more knowledge on the different aspects of leadership.\u00a0 This academic year I learned what it meant to be a servant leader, putting yourself out there as a leader in order to serve others is truly amazing.\u00a0 Due to this class I hope to do that very thing, armed with the knowledge of servant leadership and the right amount of encouragement to make a difference in my own surrounding world.\u00a0 Coming out of this pandemic has made me truly appreciate the opportunity I\u2019ve been given and this class as a whole has given me the motivation to be a leader in my community.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Simon Briesacher Professor Wells Leadership Development Lab I SPA-362-002 12 April 2022 Entering Sophomore year I was excited to participate in person on campus.\u00a0 I was especially excited to engage with this class specifically, gaining more knowledge on the different aspects of leadership.\u00a0 This academic year I learned what it meant to be a servant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3386,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-63","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/63","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/63\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":47,"date":"2021-04-13T23:09:50","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T23:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/?page_id=47"},"modified":"2024-04-24T23:06:55","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T23:06:55","slug":"spa-team-dynamics","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/","title":{"rendered":"About Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Welcome! My name is Simon Briesacher and I am a senior at American University majoring in Political Science and minoring in Legal Studies, expecting to graduate this May. I am a native of Utah, and I am passionate about policy and the law.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At AU I bring my leadership skills to the different groups and projects I work on.\u00a0 I like to get things done in an orderly way that includes all members and complements all their skills.\u00a0 Whenever there’s a leadership opportunity, I seize it, and that’s what landed me in the SPA Leadership Program.\u00a0 While attending American University and participating in this program, I further developed my skills as a leader so that one day I can implement them in the workplace.<\/p>\n

As an intern for the Superior Court of California, I was exposed to the world of criminal law. In this position, I observed court hearings daily, summarized preliminary hearings, and drafted memos for Judge Cogliati. I navigated various databases containing information on court hearings and the charges against defendants. Interning under Judge Cogliati helped me develop my writing skills, knowledge of court proceedings, and legal research further.<\/span><\/p>\n

While interning on the finance team that raised over $7 million in funds for U.S. Congressman Andy Kim\u2019s successful re-election campaign, I drafted memos, conducted donor research, and was responsible for outreach. I managed various donor information databases in a deadline-oriented environment and summarized meetings for high-profile clients. As someone with Congressional campaign experience, I am excited by the prospect of interfacing with Capitol Hill from a policy advocacy standpoint.<\/span><\/p>\n

My role as a Program Intern at the KRoussaw Foundation has helped me develop my communication and research skills further. At the organization, I extensively research the various businesses and education institutions we plan to partner with. Additionally, it is up to me to secure that connection with the business so the organization can explore the possibility of a partnership. At the KRoussaw Foundation, I\u2019ve seen firsthand how a relatively new nonprofit operates in the interest of growing in the DMV area.<\/span><\/p>\n

When looking at the future I plan on doing something that impacts people in a positive way.\u00a0 Helping people unconditionally is very important to me, and I want to be a part of something that does that very thing.\u00a0 My father is a big inspiration to me and taught me to always be kind to those who need it.\u00a0 I’d like to follow in his footsteps and do some real good for those in need.\u00a0 Whether that’s an administrative role in a nonprofit organization or even a role in politics, if that job is truly helping people, I want in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Welcome! My name is Simon Briesacher and I am a senior at American University majoring in Political Science and minoring in Legal Studies, expecting to graduate this May. I am a native of Utah, and I am passionate about policy and the law.\u00a0 \u00a0 At AU I bring my leadership skills to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3386,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-47","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":46,"date":"2021-04-13T23:09:50","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T23:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/?page_id=46"},"modified":"2021-04-13T23:28:22","modified_gmt":"2021-04-13T23:28:22","slug":"freshman-year-reflection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/freshman-year-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Freshman Year Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Simon Briesacher<\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Haney and Professor Wilson<\/span><\/p>\n

Leadership Development Lab I SPA-361-001<\/span><\/p>\n

13 April 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

At the start of the year, as a leader I didn\u2019t expect much growth to happen.\u00a0 I was entering what I would correctly assume to be a fully online taught semester.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think my leadership skills would be used beyond a simple group project or leading a breakout room session.\u00a0 To my surprise, my skills as a leader were pushed to an extent that I did not anticipate.\u00a0 Due to the lack of in person classes and the awkward tension in every class and breakout room, I had to shine as a leader to advance my education.\u00a0 In order to fully grasp the many different concepts I was learning with my peers, I had to be that little push to get everyone talking.\u00a0 Though talking is a simple trait I\u2019ve owned all my life, it was something that was proven very useful the entirety of this academic year.\u00a0 Not only did I learn to properly engage in a classroom, but also I helped guide the class and promote a healthy learning environment with my peers.\u00a0 When it came to group projects, the biggest struggle was time management with my group members.\u00a0 Oftentimes I would be paired with students that hailed from different parts of the country, sometimes even in different parts of the world.\u00a0 As a leader, I had to facilitate an agreed upon time that we were all comfortable meeting at.\u00a0 These interactions and many more throughout the year not only helped me shine as a leader, but further sharpen and develop those skills.\u00a0 In this online-pandemic world, I never thought that these moments would be valuable lessons for my growth as a leader.\u00a0 It makes one excited to see what’s to come in the coming years throughout my academic career.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Simon Briesacher Professor Haney and Professor Wilson Leadership Development Lab I SPA-361-001 13 April 2021 At the start of the year, as a leader I didn\u2019t expect much growth to happen.\u00a0 I was entering what I would correctly assume to be a fully online taught semester.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think my leadership skills would be used […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3386,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-46","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":45,"date":"2021-04-13T23:09:50","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T23:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/?page_id=45"},"modified":"2021-05-01T19:48:06","modified_gmt":"2021-05-01T19:48:06","slug":"spa-team-project","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/spa-team-project\/","title":{"rendered":"SPA Team Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Throughout the entirety of the Spring 2021 semester at American University, the Religion and Politics Issue Group worked together to implement their social action project. Together, we agreed on the importance of investing in providing substantive access to reproductive healthcare for women. Due to that consensus, the group decided to focus their social action project on raising awareness around the topics that related to women\u2019s access to reproductive healthcare, with an emphasis on women living in conservative states. Additionally, as well as fundraising for an organization that has a presence within the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

The final product of the social action project was executed in three simple steps. First, the team created a social media page with the intention of posting updates on the project, as well as educational content surrounding the topic. This section of the project was most important, as it provided a view of our progress from the outside in. Originally, the group intended on finding a guest speaker who had experience in this film, but unfortunately could not achieve that.\u00a0 Due to this event, we\u00a0 decided to provide a status update to post on our instagram. The update contained information about their progress and the next steps of our project that still remained. It was recorded through Zoom and posted to the social media page. Lastly, we implemented a fundraiser for the organization Helping Women Period, \u201ca 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization, committed to supplying menstrual health products to people that menstruate who are either homeless or low-income.\u201d We went through two rounds of fundraising, utilizing our social media and our own private accounts, we as a team managed to raise more than three hundred and thirty dollars for the organization. That money will be used to help supply nine women menstrual products for one year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, we are extremely satisfied with the impact of the project and the opportunity we’re given to help make an impact on our community.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Throughout the entirety of the Spring 2021 semester at American University, the Religion and Politics Issue Group worked together to implement their social action project. Together, we agreed on the importance of investing in providing substantive access to reproductive healthcare for women. Due to that consensus, the group decided to focus their social action project […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3386,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-45","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":44,"date":"2021-04-13T23:09:50","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T23:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/?page_id=44"},"modified":"2024-04-24T23:14:27","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T23:14:27","slug":"au-work-sample","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/au-work-sample\/","title":{"rendered":"AU Work Sample"},"content":{"rendered":"

Simon Briesacher<\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Adrienne Lebas<\/span><\/p>\n

Gov 130<\/span><\/p>\n

5 April 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

Reparations in Australia<\/span><\/p>\n

The world has a long standing history with each continent’s respective <\/span>indigenous <\/span>population.\u00a0 The history with the world’s indginous community shows a consistent parallel with how they treat said communities.\u00a0 Australia, New Zealand and Canada are among one of three countries that have had a long, dark history with their indigenous population.\u00a0 Those countries in particular have a unique standing with their <\/span>indigenous<\/span> communities, each of them struggling to receive reparations for the long history of pain they have suffered from.\u00a0 This then begs the question, what country has failed to provide reparations to their <\/span>indigenous<\/span> population the most?\u00a0 For several years the Australian indigenous population have been fighting not only their government for the right to self determination, but the basic right to live comfortably.\u00a0 Australia has not only failed to help in this respect, but also failed to acknowledge the painful years their community has suffered from in their country. \u00a0 Not only does the country fail to acknowledge their deep history with their indigenous population, but they continue to ignore the disparity between the indigenous and the rest of the Australian population.\u00a0 The Australian government has ignored the struggle their native population has had with various institutions such as healthcare, economic status and overall welfare within their communities.\u00a0 This has left the indigenous community in a difficult standing within the country, causing them to struggle more than the other remaining average citizens within the state.\u00a0 Compared to countries such as New Zealand and Canada, the greater indiginous community within Australia has struggled the most.<\/span><\/p>\n

The debate of how countries should handle their own indigenous population has been a discussion for well over 50 years.\u00a0 Several countries that house a large number of indignous individuals have either given proper reparations or continue to ignore the outcry from those populations.\u00a0 Many of these countries have made strides towards signing documents that grant the right to self determination to these communities, while some have elected to not sign declarations with this type of language.\u00a0 Researchers claim that New Zealand is one of the worst countries when it comes to providing substantive help among their <\/span>indigenous<\/span> population.\u00a0 Writers <\/span>Francis Mitrou, Martin Cooke, David Lawrence, David Pohah and Elena Mobilia<\/span> wrote a paper called <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>“Gaps in Indigenous Disadvantage Not Closing: A Census Cohort Study of Social Determinants of Health in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand from 1981-2006.”, <\/span><\/i>reporting the large gaps in economic status, education and the wage gap. The research shows that when it comes to receiving a bachelor\u2019s degree the gap between the indigenous and the rest of the population has widened slightly (Mitrou).\u00a0 Furthermore, New Zealand had a steady fluctuation when it came to closing the annual income for their indignious population.\u00a0 Meaning that the annual income was not consistently moving up or down, showing that the country could reach a steady trend towards closing or widening the gap when it came to the annual income for their native population.\u00a0 Though the data on New Zealand is true and it does indeed reflect a stark image of the indiginous population, it is far worse in other countries.\u00a0 Other countries have far worse healthcare and access to education, with their own indiginous population struggling to get both.\u00a0 Additionally, New Zealand shows promise towards beginning to close the gap in the first place, where other countries have failed to achieve any substantive success in closing these different welfare gaps.\u00a0 Moreover, what occurs is that other countries may not even try to begin to close the gap for their indiginous community and decide to offer empty apologies instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

In H1, it was discussed if New Zealand as a country had the worst treatment towards their\u00a0 indigenous population.\u00a0 Another common argument among researchers is that the country of Canada has failed the most when it comes to providing reparations to their indigenous communities. \u00a0 The country shares similar characteristics surrounding their indigenous population as the other various countries around the world, but it doesn\u2019t stand out at all statistically.\u00a0 In the Mitrou article it was found that Canada was similar to New Zealand in a sense that their statistics when it comes to annual income was fluctuating (Mitrou).\u00a0 Meaning that the country is unable to hold a steady path towards closing the gap between their indigenous population and the rest of the population of Canada.\u00a0 Though the country of Canada showed similar data to that of New Zealand, there is one statistic that sets Canada apart.\u00a0 Researchers found when it came to earning a bachelor’s degree or higher, Canada was the best performer amongst the other countries studied in the year 2006 (Mitrou).\u00a0 This statistic directly invalidates the claim that Canada is the worst country when it comes to the treatment towards their native communities.\u00a0 It proves that not only that it isn\u2019t the worst, but that the country itself is making steps towards actually improving the livelihood of their indigenous community.\u00a0 This solidifies Canada as a leader amongst the other countries with struggling indigenous populations and thus invalidates the argument presented in this hypothesis. Unfortunately, though this could be considered an achievement for the Canadian government, they still have a lot of work to do to really amend any of the wounds given to their indigenous community.\u00a0 Similar to New Zealand, the politics surrounding this issue is that providing substantive welfare for various indigenous communities residing in Canada is similar, in a sense that they are failing.\u00a0 They both are leaders among all the countries in the world regarding the poor treatment of their native populations, but Canada and New Zealand are in no way the worst.<\/span><\/p>\n

The country of Australia has by far the worst treatment of their <\/span>indigenous<\/span> population.\u00a0 Though the countries of the world have made great steps towards continuous reparations for the entirety of the indigenous population, there still are countries that fail to acknowledge those steps.\u00a0 In order to understand the reasoning for why or why not a particular country such as Australia would acknowledge the history of their indiginous communities, one must first understand the common definition of an <\/span>indigenous<\/span> individual.\u00a0 In a scholarly journal by Suzana Krajlic and <\/span>\u00a0Armin-Bernhard Stolz titled, <\/span>Indigenous Peoples: From Unrighteousness to the Right to Self-Government,<\/span><\/i> the authors researched the history of different indiginous communities gaining the right to self government and the right to self determination.\u00a0 In that journal the researchers define the <\/span>indigenous<\/span> communities in two different ways.\u00a0 The first definition being a tribe of people whose own cultural, economic and social standing allows them to differentiate themselves from other communities in their country.\u00a0 Furthermore, their status in society is also defined by their different traditions and personal laws that are attributed in their culture.\u00a0 The second definition is similarly defined on the bases of descending from the different groups of people who lived in the country or region that the country belongs to.\u00a0 Additionally, this definition of the <\/span>indigenous<\/span> peoples includes redrawn lands that grant them their own economic, political and social stance (<\/span>Krajlic)<\/span>.\u00a0 The bulk of Krajlic and Armin-Bernhard\u2019s research paper details the conception and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP).\u00a0 This declaration specifically outlines the right to self determination, or the right to claim your own statehood.\u00a0 Due to this right being included in the written declaration itself, several countries voted against its implementation.\u00a0 Among the five countries that voted against, Australia was one of them.\u00a0 This action of denying their own indigenous population was one of the many ways this country has failed to own up to their own past grievances and continue to ignore the entire community as a whole.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only are the actions of Australia in the United Nations continuing to disenfranchise the indigenous people, but the way of life for <\/span>indigenous<\/span> communities is harsher than the rest of Australia.\u00a0 In a research paper by Kenneth Hill and Bridget Barker titled <\/span>Excess Indigenous Mortality: Are Indigenous Australians More Severely Disadvantaged than Other Indigenous Populations?, <\/span><\/i>the writers discuss the excessive indigenous mortality rate in Australia when compared to other countries housing their own indigenous population.\u00a0 This is an important distinction to make when comparing data to other countries.\u00a0 According to their research, Australia\u2019s infant mortality rate among the indigenous population is 13.0 and 12.5\/1000 from recorded times of 1991-1996 and 1996-2001 (Hill).\u00a0 For both males and females the life expectancy at the baby’s initial birth between the Australian indigenous population and the entirety of Australia is 12.4 and 13.1 years in 1996\u20132001 and 1998\u20132000 (Hill).\u00a0 What this data shows is that the life expectancy for indigenous communities in Australia is severely low when compared to the rest of the country\u2019s population.\u00a0 Hill and Barker\u2019s research shows that the living conditions for the indigenous people in Australia are far worse than when compared to countries like Canada and New Zealand.\u00a0 The conditions the native people of Australia face in that country are unacceptable and it’s clear that the huge gap between the indigenous and the rest of the country is not closing.\u00a0 In a recent research paper documenting that very gap in Australia, Canada and New Zealand shows research on that very subject.\u00a0 Written by Francis Mitrou, Martin Cooke, David Lawrence, David Pohah and Elena Mobilia called \u201cGaps in Indigenous Disadvantage Not Closing: A Census Cohort Study of Social Determinants of Health in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand from 1981-2006\u201d shows data proving the existence large of a gap between these two different populations.\u00a0 The research focused on 3 different aspects of social welfare \u2013 health, social and economic determinants \u2013 each of them being very important to properly live within a modern society.\u00a0 It was found that the country of Australia had the worst gap when it came to indigenous people earning a bachelor or higher, annual income and the unemployment gap (Mitrou).\u00a0 Australia was pitted up against Canada, New Zealand and the United States and showed the least amount of growth when it came to closing the gap between indigenous and the remaining population for each respective country.\u00a0 These disparities shine through when discussing how Australia is behaving when governing their own indigenous communities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s native population has felt the disparities with the rest of the country’s inhabitants, as well as the overall lack of a substantive response from their government for years upon years.\u00a0 The country of Australia is a prime example of how failing to provide any substance when it comes to reparations, is detrimental when addressing their past history and issuing apologies to the respective indigenous populations.\u00a0 In a scholarly article discussing the problematic issue of receiving apologies from the government rather than actual reparations, authors Jeff Corntassel and Cindy Holder highlight these subjects in <\/span>“Who’s Sorry Now? Government Apologies, Truth Commissions, and Indigenous Self-Determination in Australia, Canada, Guatemala, and Peru.”<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Instead of providing real reparations such as financial compensation, Australia released apologies and promises to build a statue in honor of the native communities (Corntassel).\u00a0 Their data showed that when a government issues an apology rather than actual action towards actual reparations, the communities involved develop a negative understanding with the governing body.\u00a0 As a result the government doubles back on their promises and then increases overall violence towards the indigenous community.\u00a0 As an example, Guatemala showed a 93 percent increase in human rights violations from those affiliated with the state (Corntassel).\u00a0 This statistic is similar to the Mitrou research paper, showing that government involvement \u2013 or lack thereof \u2013 was ultimately detrimental to the indigenous population within the given country.\u00a0 Furthermore, this statistic presents a stark reflection of a more developed country that can be as harmful as another country committing real human rights violations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Australia has proven that giving mere apologies does not quell the anger and pain felt by the <\/span>indigenous, noor does it help introduce any sort of peace throughout the country.\u00a0 The lack of proper steps towards actual reparations and the many half hearted apologies issued by the Australian government has not only sparked protests throughout history, but has kept them going throughout modern times.\u00a0 In an scholarly article speaking on the history of different indigenous movements, writer Francesca Merlan wrote about this very topic called <\/span>“Indigenous Movements in Australia.”<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 This article discusses the presence of indigenous protests in Australia, explaining that though the indigenous population is relatively small in the country it still has high presence amongst the people and news (Merlan).\u00a0 On that same note, another scholarly journal written by Therese Davis explaining the climate of post apology Australia called, <\/span>“Warning Signals: Indigenous Remembrance and Futurity in Post-Apology Australia: A Reflection from Broome.”<\/span><\/i>, gives a similar message.\u00a0 It explains that the government is too afraid to relive their history with their indigenous population, as well as not allowing the natives to remove themselves from Australia’s constitution. This detail not only highlights the importance of indigenous rights throughout the world, but it shows how important this subject is around Australia.\u00a0 It reveals that even a polarizing topic such as this one cannot put enough pressure on the government to take action and gives the substantive effort towards any sort of reparations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Australia is the pinnacle example of failing to provide help to a struggling community.\u00a0 The country has failed not only in providing substantive reparations to the long history surrounding the <\/span>indigenous<\/span>, but also has failed the community in all fascists of life.\u00a0 The <\/span>indigenous community has struggled in not only getting good healthcare, but they also have been struggling economically and socially among the rest of the community.\u00a0 Statistically, the indignous population of Australia struggles the most in those three subsets of welfare when compared to other countries like New Zealand, Canada and the United States (Mitrou).\u00a0 Australia has failed to close the gap when it comes to earning a Bachelor degree or above, as well as closing the gap in regards to earning an annual income and overall unemployment (Mitrou).\u00a0 Additionally, the Australian indigenous community also struggles when it comes to the overall death rate amongst said population.\u00a0 The infant mortality rate surrounding the indigenous is 13.0 and 12.5\/1000 from the times of 1991-1996 and 1996-2001 and after birth the death rate is 12.4 and 13.1 in 1996\u20132001 and 1998\u20132000 (Hill).\u00a0 All of this data proves that Australia as a country has been utterly incapable as of now to provide for the indigenous population.\u00a0 Moving forward the country needs to make stronger steps towards providing actual reparations instead of half hearted apologies.\u00a0 Right now they need to focus on closing the gap with economic status, unemployment and education.\u00a0 Moreover, the country needs to take steps in lowering the overall death rate with infants and beyond.\u00a0 From there Australia should consider allowing the indigenous community the right to self determination.\u00a0 This would grant the indigenous community the right to claim the land they live.\u00a0 Possible policy changes surrounding these various subjects could pave the way to improving the livelihood amongst the native community.\u00a0 Only then the community can feel the full weight of the government\u2019s help and move forward to building a better Australia.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Work Cited<\/span><\/p>\n

Corntassel, Jeff, and Cindy Holder. “Who’s Sorry Now? Government Apologies, Truth Commissions, and Indigenous Self-Determination in Australia, Canada, Guatemala, and Peru.” <\/span>Human Rights Review<\/span> 9.4 (2008): 465-89. <\/span>ProQuest<\/span>. 5 Apr. 2021 .<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis, Therese. “Warning Signals: Indigenous Remembrance and Futurity in Post-Apology Australia: A Reflection from Broome.” <\/span>Australian Humanities Review<\/span>.61 (2017) <\/span>ProQuest<\/span>. 5 Apr. 2021 .<\/span><\/p>\n

Hill, Kenneth, Bridget Barker, and Theo Vos. “Excess Indigenous Mortality: Are Indigenous Australians More Severely Disadvantaged than Other Indigenous Populations?” <\/span>International journal of epidemiology<\/span> 36.3 (2007): 580-9. <\/span>ProQuest<\/span>. 5 Apr. 2021 .<\/span><\/p>\n

Kraljic, Suzana, and Armin-Bernhard Stolz. “Indigenous Peoples: From Unrighteousness to the Right to Self-Government.” <\/span>Lex Localis<\/span> 8.1 (2010): 35-63. <\/span>ProQuest<\/span>. 5 Apr. 2021 .<\/span><\/p>\n

Merlan, Francesca. “Indigenous Movements in Australia.” <\/span>Annual Review of Anthropology<\/span> 34 (2005): 473-94. <\/span>ProQuest<\/span>. 5 Apr. 2021 .<\/span><\/p>\n

Mitrou, Francis, et al. “Gaps in Indigenous Disadvantage Not Closing: A Census Cohort Study of Social Determinants of Health in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand from 1981-2006.” <\/span>BMC Public Health<\/span> 14 (2014): 201. <\/span>ProQuest<\/span>. 5 Apr. 2021 .<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Simon Briesacher Professor Adrienne Lebas Gov 130 5 April 2021 Reparations in Australia The world has a long standing history with each continent’s respective indigenous population.\u00a0 The history with the world’s indginous community shows a consistent parallel with how they treat said communities.\u00a0 Australia, New Zealand and Canada are among one of three countries that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3386,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-44","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":19,"date":"2020-07-06T20:08:26","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T20:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/spatemplate\/?page_id=19"},"modified":"2022-04-12T17:35:03","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T17:35:03","slug":"work-sample","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/work-sample\/","title":{"rendered":"Work Sample"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Context<\/h3>\n

This is an essay I wrote for the course titled Comparative Politics.\u00a0 As our final assignment, students were asked to write a case study regarding a topic of our choice, I chose to research reparations surrounding the indigenous populations in Australia while comparing them to two other countries.<\/span> Read the full version here – Case Study<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Context This is an essay I wrote for the course titled Comparative Politics.\u00a0 As our final assignment, students were asked to write a case study regarding a topic of our choice, I chose to research reparations surrounding the indigenous populations in Australia while comparing them to two other countries. Read the full version here […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3386,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-19","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":16,"date":"2020-07-06T20:08:26","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T20:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/spatemplate\/?page_id=16"},"modified":"2021-05-01T19:54:53","modified_gmt":"2021-05-01T19:54:53","slug":"about-me","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/about-me\/","title":{"rendered":"SPA Team Dynamics"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

SPA Team Dynamics<\/span><\/p>\n

Simon Briesacher<\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Haney and Professor Wilson<\/span><\/p>\n

Leadership Development Lab I SPA-361-001<\/span><\/p>\n

13 April 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

During the implementation phase of our team project, the dynamics of our team we\u2019re nearly perfect.\u00a0 We as a team throughout the academic year have grown quite close, so close in fact that we all consider each other good friends.\u00a0 This unique relationship the five of us formed, set us apart from the other team projects within the program.\u00a0 Due to the friendship we developed before the implementation phase, we as a team worked very well together.\u00a0 This helped us understand each other and how we think, allowing us to properly implement our skills within the project.\u00a0 We correctly facilitated a healthy amount of work between each of the group members.\u00a0 Each job assigned to the team member fit nicely in their wheelhouse, oftentimes complementing their skills as leaders.\u00a0 When it came to delivering on our responsibilities, each member turned in their assigned sections on time and well above any sign of subpar effort.\u00a0 As to any sign of internal conflict, there was a minimal amount of disagreement, just enough that it would promote substantial improvement within the project itself.\u00a0 Additionally, we made it clear as a team that we all welcome constructive criticism and that we welcome it so that our project could improve as a whole.\u00a0 The implementation process itself ran very smoothly because of this understanding and I would venture to say that it improved substantially due said understanding.\u00a0 By working in tandem with each other, each team member was successful in helping implement the project and bring into fruition.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  SPA Team Dynamics Simon Briesacher Professor Haney and Professor Wilson Leadership Development Lab I SPA-361-001 13 April 2021 During the implementation phase of our team project, the dynamics of our team we\u2019re nearly perfect.\u00a0 We as a team throughout the academic year have grown quite close, so close in fact that we all consider […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3386,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-16","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3386"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":13,"date":"2020-07-06T20:08:26","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T20:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/spatemplate\/?page_id=13"},"modified":"2024-04-24T23:10:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T23:10:50","slug":"resume","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/sb0413a\/resume\/","title":{"rendered":"Resume"},"content":{"rendered":"

SIMON BRIESACHER\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

(801) 598-6235<\/b> \u25e6 <\/b>simonbriesacher@gmail.com<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

2944 Bellevue Terrace NW, 20016 Washington, DC<\/b><\/p>\n

EDUCATION<\/b><\/p>\n

American University\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Washington, DC<\/b><\/p>\n

Bachelor\u2019s in Political Science, minor in Legal Studies<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Expected Graduation: May 2024<\/span><\/p>\n

Leadership and Activities\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0GPA: 3.5<\/b><\/p>\n