functional illiteracy - lack of the reading and writing skills needed for everyday living
Stephen Christian visited Haiti in 2008 as part of his humanitarian work with the band. In Haiti, roughly 50% of the citizens are illiterate (the literacy rate is 53%). Coincidentally, they live in poverty and Haiti is one of the lower-income countries of the world.
The Orphaned Anything's is a memoir by Stephen Christian about the journey from a state of depression to enlightenment.
education - the social institution through which society provides its members with important knowledge, including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values.
Stephen Christian's Faceless International is a nonprofit organization that hopes to not only gain proceeds but also educate the public about social issues. They use education as a tool to gain supporters, donations, and proceeds.
Health - a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being
Stephen Christian published his first novel, The Orphaned Anything's, in 2008. Ayden Kosacov, the main character, does not have good health. He is physically healthy, but his mental and spiritual health are poor, as documented in the memoir. He tries to kill himself at one point, but through a series of life experiences, he comes to grips with his life and God.
Social Epidemiology - the study of how health and disease are distributed throughout a society's population.
Stephen Christian and his friends Seth Cain and Sarah Freeman founded Faceless International after a trip to Haiti where they witnessed extreme poverty and unsanitary conditions. A social epideiologist would seek to understand how a person's health in this situation is tied to physical and social environment.
Direct-Fee System - a medical care system in which patients pay directly for the services of physicians and hospitals.
The members of Anberlin all have the luxury of living in the United States, as we are one of the few nations in the world that lacks a government-run health care system. They have also experienced extremes on the opposite end of the spectrum. They've traveled to and done charity work in low-income countries that don't have organized health care systems, or have alarming numbers of citizens who cannot afford health care.
Socialized Medicine - a medical care system in which the government owns and operates most medical facilities and employs most physicians.
Anberlin tours to countries all around the world. They are traveling to Australia this march, the United Kingdom and Germany in April, and the Netherlands in May of this year, all of which operate under socialized or "government-run" health care systems.
education - the social institution through which society provides its members with important knowledge, including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values.
Health - a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being
Social Epidemiology - the study of how health and disease are distributed throughout a society's population.
Direct-Fee System - a medical care system in which patients pay directly for the services of physicians and hospitals.
Socialized Medicine - a medical care system in which the government owns and operates most medical facilities and employs most physicians.