Sponsors:
Appalachian Center for Community Service at Emory & Henry College
Appalachian College Association
The Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation
Rural Action ? Appalachian Forest Resource Center
Virginia Campus Compact

For more information, visit http://www.ferrum.edu/aca/justconnections/Events.htm.

You may view the existing strategic plan by going to <a href="http://www.nationalservice.org/about/1997-2002.pdf">http://www.nationalservice.org/about/1997-2002.pdf</a>.

Learn and Serve America plans to conduct a focus group to discuss this plan at the National Service-Learning Conference in Minneapolis in April. Specific logistics information will be forthcoming.

Amy B. Cohen
Director
Learn and Serve America
Corporation for National and Community Service
acohen@cns.gov

The position will begin as soon as a qualified candidate is available. Job duties will include: helping the IPM Program staff with BugMobile event preperations, traveling to events throughout PA (valid driver’s license required), set-up of display, training of volunteers and staffing of the display, and various office tasks such as organization of supplies and materials. Candidate will also have the opportunity to assist with the annual "IPM for Teachers" course and other workshops as needed. Hours will vary, but will average 20 hours per week and the pay is $8 per hour.

Additional information can be found on the PA IPM Program website <a href="http://paipm.cas.psu.edu">http://paipm.cas.psu.edu</a> or by contacting Michelle Niedermeier at mxn14@psu.edu or 814-865-5743.

Director of the Honickman Learning Center/Comcast Technology Labs. The Center will primarily be a resource for neighborhood children, teens and adults, with the goal of increasing technology competency and literacy. The Director will be responsible for the development, start-up and on-going operation of the Center, overseeing all program and curriculum development of the educational programs. The Director will supervise the Technology Education Coordinator, the Adult Learning Coordinator, the After School and Teen Program Coordinators. It will be critical for the Director to research and stay abreast of technology advancement so we can continually enhance our programs. In addition, they will have budget and fiscal responsibilities and assist with the fundraising associated with the construction & operation of the facility and will oversee all building management issues. The qualified candidate will have a Master’s Degree in Education or a related field, a minimum of 5 years experience in an educational setting preferably in an administrative capacity, 5 years of management experience, demonstrated knowledge and experience with integrating education and technology, excellent administrative and organizational skills, strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to establish quality relationships with various members of the Project H.O.M.E. community.

Please submit your cover letter, resume and salary requirements to:
Project H.O.M.E.
1515 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Attn: Director of HR
Fax: 215-382-7633
Email: work@projecthome.org
For more information please visit our website: <a href="http://www.projecthome.org">http://www.projecthome.org</a>

Project H.O.M.E. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, disability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, citizenship, or veteran status.

The Dirksen Congressional Center invites applications for grants totaling $35,000 in the two selection rounds, October 2002 and May 2003, to help teachers, curriculum developers, and others improve the quality of civics instruction, with priority on the role of Congress in our federal government. Areas of interest include designing lesson plans, creating student activities, and applying instructional technology in the classroom.

Teachers (4th through 12th grades), community college faculty, and college and university faculty are eligible as are teacher-led student teams and individuals who develop curriculum. Priority will be given to the following disciplines: history, government, social studies, political science, and education.

Institutions and organizations are eligible under certain conditions. Inter-institutional consortia and other groups of individuals may apply, but grant funds may not be used to defray indirect costs or overhead expenses. The funds are intended solely to produce “deliverables” of use to classroom teachers.

Final proposals must be e-mailed or postmarked by no later than May 1, 2003. Complete information about eligibility and application procedures, can be found at The Center’s Web site — http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm The Center does not provide an application form. You may find it helpful to review the sample grant proposal at — http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelcivicsample.htm Frank Mackaman is the program officer — mailto:fmackaman@dirksencenter.org

The Center, named for the late Senate Minority Leader Everett M. Dirksen, is a private, non-partisan, nonprofit research and educational organization devoted to the study of Congress and its leaders. The Center created the Michel Civic Education Grants to fund practical classroom strategies to improve the quality of teaching and learning about civics, with a particular emphasis on the role of Congress in the federal government. The goal of education in civics, we believe, is informed, responsible participation in political life by competent citizens. Current levels of political knowledge, political engagement, and political enthusiasm leave much to be desired. Part of the solution rests in better instructional practices.

Youth need safe and inviting places to enrich their basic skills outside of school — places that are abundant with positive adult influences where they can enhance their knowledge of the academic world and beyond. With this in mind, National 4-H Council encourages applicants for the Literacy Education/Youth Leadership Grant to create literacy programming in after-school settings.

This National 4-H Youth Grants Program will provide community action grants in the amounts of $500 to $2,000 to stimulate literacy education nationwide. Grants will be awarded for after-school, out-of-school, and in-school programs in support of ongoing literacy education or to stimulate new and creative youth-led literacy education programs. (Although grants will be awarded primarily for programs in after-school settings, other types of programs are encouraged to apply.)

The application deadline is Tuesday April 29, 2003. The complete announcement and application are available at http://www.grants.n4h.org under “Literacy.”

Scott B. Peterson
OJJDP/Office of Justice Programs
U.S. Department of Justice
810 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
(202) 616-2368 (phone)
(202) 353-9095 (fax)
Email: Peterson@OJP.USDOJ.GOV

May 21-23: The 21st National Conference on Health Education and Health Promotion will be held in San Diego, CA. The conference theme is “Emerging Opportunities for Health Promotion and Health Education: Sailing Into New Waters.” Sub-themes include “Policies and Environmental Interventions: Making Them Work,” “Addressing Multicultural Relevance and the Unequal Burden of Disease,” and “Creative Funding in Difficult Times.”

More information about the conference can be found at: http://www.astdhpphe.org/21national_gen.asp

The Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education requests workshop proposals for

SCALE’s Read. Write. Act. Conference
October 31 – November 1, 2003
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Please join us for the *only* national conference created specifically for campus-based literacy programs, college student tutors, program coordinators, adult learners and community partners. We welcome you to submit a proposal that addresses one of our conference themes:
Civic Engagement & Reflection
Assessment & Evaluation
Participatory Education & Tutoring Techniques
Service Learning
Social Justice & Activism in Education
Program Practice & Program Management (e.g. volunteer recruitment, tutor training, sustaining your program)
Diversity
Community Partnerships
Policy Issues

SCALE’s annual Read. Write. Act. Conference is a unique national networking opportunity and learning event. It offers the chance for campus programs, tutors, coordinators, new readers, administrators and community partners to share information, develop new skills, reflect on experiences and generate ideas to guild more effective campus-based literacy programs.

Conference Participants will include:
Representatives from adult, youth and ESL campus-based literacy programs
College student leaders, tutors, mentors and volunteers
Service-learning faculty, community service staff and America Reads administrators
Literacy learners and community partners
AmeriCorps / VISTA volunteers

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PRESENTING A WORKSHOP WITHIN ONE OF THE THEMES, PLEASE VISIT http://www.readwriteact.org/conference.html TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL.

We look forward to hearing from you.

David Falk
National Program Director
Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education (SCALE)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
(919) 962-6675 ph (919) 962-6020 fax
http://www.readwriteact.org
dfalk@email.unc.edu

The Center for the Study of College Student Values at Florida State University and the Association for Institutional Research are conducting a national competition for papers that describe effective strategies for assessing character development in college. Papers are invited that describe character assessment programs in current use by colleges and universities and how such programs make a difference.

Deadline for submission of papers: September 1, 2003
Complete information about the competition is available on our website at: http://www.CollegeValues.org/Resources.cfm

For more info go to http://www.CollegeValues.org/institute.cfm
Dr. Jon Dalton, Director, Center for the Study of Values in College Student Development
jdalton@admin.fsu.edu or (850)644-6446
http://www.CollegeValues.org

On Friday, April 11th, the Yale Law School, YLS Housing and Community Development Clinic, and Yale Law and Enterprise Forum will host a day-long symposium entitled “Urban Community Development: Market, Government, and Social Forces.”

The symposium’s keynote addresses, featuring Scott Cummings, Professor of Law at UCLA Law School, and Anne Habiby, Co-Executive Director of Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, will offer critical perspectives on two competing paradigms for urban community development: market-based solutions and politically-engaged social mobilization. Subsequent panels on education, housing, retail development, and job creation will examine specific innovative approaches to community development, with attention to the role of markets, government, and social mobilization.

The panels will feature leading experts and innovators in the field of urban community development and will offer a unique opportunity for exchange between practitioners and theorists. Additionally, the event will provide a forum for those who think about and practice urban community development to meet each other informally. You can find more information, including on-line registration, at http://islandia.law.yale.edu/urbandev. Please note that, while we ask participants to pre-register online, there is no cost to attend the symposium.

This year’s conference theme reflects the Center’s 12 years of progress toward the integration of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement in higher education. Each year, through collaboration and teamwork, we have added another layer of understanding to the field by conducting research and providing technical assistance in the form of training workshops, curriculum development, strategic planning and fund development. Our publications offer theory, ideas, and experiences from the field, all of which contribute to our collective progress.

But, we have not reached the summit, yet. Moreover, we cannot do it alone. The success of the Center and progress toward our mutual goal of integrating civic commitment and service learning in the lives of students on our campuses will be met, in part, with your presence and active participation in this Conference.

Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Robert Franco Director of Planning and Institutional Research
Professor of Anthropology, Kapi’olani Community College – University of Hawai’i

Darwin, Dylan and Dimaggio: Reconstructing American Civic Culture
In tumultuous times we look to those figures who shape our minds and feelings, and take comfort in the precision of their vision and values. But we cannot rely on individual heroes. The survival of American civic culture depends upon the engagement of all in the pursuit of both justice and happiness. Reversing cyclones of poverty and inequity requires an engaged, educated and energized public that can read and reflect on the signs of the times. America’s community colleges must take the lead in shaping this public so that the promise of American culture can be fulfilled.

2 Pre-Conference Sessions:
Thoughtful Engagement: Public Deliberation and Service-Learning
Pour, Mix & Shape The Dough: A Fund Development Workshop

Over 30 Concurrent Sessions to stimulate your senses!
Registration Information:

You can register on-line at http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/other/compact

Hotel Information and Deadline for Guarantee Room Rate: April 15, 2003

DoubleTree La Posada Resort
4949 East Lincoln Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
Phone (602) 952-0420
Fax 602-852-0151

We look forward to seeing you all in May in Sunny and Warm Arizona!!!

Lyvier Conss
Executive Director
Campus Compact National Center
for Community Colleges

From: “Peter Heslip”

THE FUTURE IS US: ARTS ADVOCATES OF TOMORROW
A conference for the next generation of arts leaders.

Columbia University, New York, NY
Saturday, April 26, 2003
1-6:00 pm, followed by a cocktail reception

Limited seating. Register Online: http://www.studentadvocatesforthearts.org
$8 advance registration /$10 at the door /$8 with student ID
Hosted by Student Advocates for the Arts

“The Future is Us: Arts Advocates of Tomorrow” is the first event of its kind, bringing together current arts and cultural leaders to address the next generation of arts leaders. The goal of the conference is to contribute to the groundswell of motivated future leaders who understand the power of grassroots community organizing and its possibilities for initiating positive change.

SAA hopes to develop a dialogue about the need for arts advocacy in the current political and economic environment, the challenges facing artists and arts leaders in the coming years, and how individuals and organizations can prepare to meet and overcome these challenges.

CONFERENCE TOPICS

+ What need is there for arts advocacy in the current political and economic environment?
+ What challenges can artists and arts leaders expect to face in the coming years?
+ How can we prepare ourselves to meet and beat these challenges?

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Jonathan Katz – Executive Director, National Association of State Arts Agencies
Judith Kaufman Weiner – Executive Director, Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations
Joel Wachs – President, Andy Warhol Foundation
Kathleen Hughes – Assistant Commissioner, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
Ted Berger – Executive Director, New York Foundation for the Arts
Marjorie Heins – Director, Free Expression Policy Project
Robert Yesselman – Director, Dance/NYC
Svetlana Mintcheva – Advocacy Program Director, National Coalition Against Censorship

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

The event promises to unite speakers and students representing diverse professional, academic, geographic, ethnic and national backgrounds. It is open to students, educators, and alumni from academic institutions around the country. Academic disciplines represented will include Arts Administration, Arts Education, Business, Fine Arts, Law, Public Affairs, and Journalism.

LIMITED SEATING! REGISTER ONLINE AT http://www.studentadvocatesforthearts.org

ABOUT STUDENT ADVOCATES FOR THE ARTS
Student Advocates for the Arts (SAA) is a growing grassroots network of students and alumni committed to advocating for positive change in the arts sector nationwide. It was founded in spring 2002 by a group of Masters students in the Program in Arts Administration at Teachers College. Recognizing that there was no
existing platform for students to voice their concerns about the freedom and vibrancy of the arts and culture in America, they founded SAA. The current goal is to expand the group to represent a diverse cross-section of academic disciplines and schools around the country. SAA is constantly searching for students interested in founding chapter branches at their schools.

To learn more and join for free, visit the website: http://www.studentadvocatesforthearts.org

Conference Co-Sponsored by the Program in Arts Administration, Teachers College; a grant from Columbia University’s President’s and Provost’s Student Initiative Fund; a grant from Teachers College President’s Community and Diversity Grant Fund (CCD)
==
Peter N. Heslip
President, Student Advocates for the Arts

Applications are now due April 9th, 2003 (postmarked).
On behalf of numerous community-based organizations, municipal offices and state agencies with which I am collaborating, I write to announce an upcoming service-learning institute to be held at Tufts University this summer (5/21-8/8/03).

Please note that the internships offer a $1,700 stipend (minimum) to each student. Funds for travel and living expenses may also become available.

We would appreciate your posting the flyer and/or forwarding this message as appropriate. We are now accepting applications from upper level undergrads and Masters? candidates. Forms are available on the web site http://www.tufts.edu/tie/river_institute.

The Neighborhood Gardens Association/A Philadelphia Land Trust (NGA) announces the first annual Green City Month in June 2003. NGA, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Penn State Urban Gardening Program, is planning a series of workshops, tours, and related events highlighting Philadelphia’s green treasures. The purpose of the event is to celebrate the twenty-four land-trusted community gardens and to raise awareness about the importance of community green space in our neighborhoods. For a complete listing of the Green City Month activities, please check the NGA website at http://www.ngalandtrust.org or call 215-988-8797 for a calendar of events. A Green City is a Great City!

For more information, call Margot Berg or Terry Mushovic at 215-988-8797.

Call for Papers on Community-Based Participatory Research For a Theme Issue of the Journal of Interprofessional Care

Co-Editors: Anna Aret Eno, Stacy L. Holmes and Sarena D. Seifer

Deadline for papers: September 1, 2003
Anticipated publication date: Spring 2004

In recent years, international organizations, funding agencies and researchers have called for a renewed focus on an approach to health research that recognizes the importance of social, political and economic systems to health behaviors and outcomes. Much of the research that has sought to gain a better understanding of the social and physical determinants of health has considered individuals and communities as passive “subjects”, rather than as partners in the research process. Increasingly, however, attention is being paid to the contributions that community-based participatory research can make to new knowledge and to the translation of research findings into practice and policy.

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a “collaborative approach to research that equitably involves, for example, community members, organizational representatives, and researchers in all aspects of the research process. The partners contribute unique strengths and shared responsibilities to enhance understanding of a given phenomenon and the social and cultural dynamic of the community, and integrate the knowledge gained with action to improve the health and well-being of community members” (Israel 1998). For the sake of simplicity, we use the term CBPR but we realize that a variety of terms are used in different
contexts to essentially describe a similar approach – for example, the terms action research, empowerment evaluation and participatory action research.

CBPR has been identified as a key strategy in efforts to reduce health disparities, whether they are based on race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geography or other characteristics. The benefits of CBPR have been described in recent review articles and conference reports, including:
* Overcoming the fragmentation and separation of individual from culture and context that are often evident in more narrowly defined, categorical research approaches;
* Establishing trust between communities and researchers;
* Improving the quality and validity of research by engaging local knowledge and local theory based on the experience of people involved;
* Enhancing the relevance of the research question, the quality and quantity of data gathered, and the relevance and use of the data;
* Facilitating the development and implementation of more effective public health interventions, including policy change;
* Joining partners with diverse skills, knowledge, expertise and sensitivities to address complex problems, including researchers from different disciplines and professions;
* Providing resources and possible employment opportunities for the communities involved;
* Identifying the health problems and priorities of local indigenous communities for inclusion in national health research systems
* Recognizing existing community resources and building community capacity to identify and conduct research; and
* Ultimately, improving the health and well-being of communities involved, directly through studying and addressing important community needs, and indirectly through increasing their power and control over the research process.

The Journal of Interprofessional Care, as an interprofessional and international peer-reviewed journal that is indexed in Medline, is in a unique position to advance health-related CBPR through a theme issue. To learn more about the journal, see http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13561820.html.

We seek only the following types of submissions for this theme issue:

(1) full-length manuscripts that present the methods and results of CBPR (for example: You conduct a CBPR study on asthma prevention, and write up the methods and results).

(2) full-length manuscripts that present original research about the practice and policy of CBPR (for example: You conduct a survey of faculty who are involved in CBPR in schools of medicine, nursing and public health, and write up the methods and results).

(3) brief reports (up to 500 words) about CBPR projects in either of the two categories above that are being launched, in progress, or do not warrant a full-length manuscript.

We will NOT consider, for example, editorials, commentaries, opinion pieces, or papers that report only the process of developing a CBPR project.

To be seriously considered, papers must involve an interprofessional group of authors. A priority will be placed on publishing papers that demonstrate the connections between interprofessional education, research and service through CBPR.

Papers submitted for the theme issue will undergo the Journal’s usual review process, with the additional considerations as described above. Prospective authors must follow the “instructions for authors”, available on the Journal’s website at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13561820.html.

Papers not selected for the theme issue may be considered for publication in another issue of the Journal.

We are also interested in learning about any books on CBPR that are expected to be published between now and the Spring 2004 journal publication date, and any national or international conferences on CBPR that will be taking place after the Spring 2004 journal publication date. Space permitting, we plan to mention these resources in the theme issue. Please email any of the issue co-editors with your suggestions.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact any of the the issue co-editors:

Anna Aret Eno
Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde
Yaounde, Cameroon
Phone: (237) 777 01 25
Email: aeno@uycdc.uninet.cm

Stacy L. Holmes
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health
Seattle, WA
Phone: 206-543-7954
Email: slholmes@u.washington.edu

Sarena D. Seifer
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health
University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine
Seattle, WA
Phone: 206-616-4305
Email: sarena@u.washington.edu

Citation and Other Resources

Israel BA, Schulz AJ, Parker EA, Becker AB. Review of community-based research: Assessing partnership approaches to improve public health. Annual Review of Public Health 1998;19:173-202. Available online at: http://publhealth.annualreviews.org/search.dtl

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health’s Community-Based Participatory Research Resources Web Page:
http://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/ccph/commbas.html

RESOURCE TIP: ROUNDTABLE ON RELIGION AND SOCIAL POLICY
The Roundtable on Religion and Social Policy at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, N.Y., is funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts to provide “a comprehensive, impartial body of research” on the role of faith-based groups in social welfare. The Roundtable website at http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org includes a great deal of useful information on government programs involving faith-based organizations, including information on legal and constitutional issues, federal policies and regulations, conferences, and information on program effectiveness. The Roundtable and its website provide useful information for Corporation programs and staff working with faith-based initiatives.

National Community Capital Association?s 2002 edition of ?CDFIs Side by Side: A Comparative Guide? can help you make more informed management and operational decisions. You can use its wealth of data and detailed statistics on the financing, capitalization, and efficiency of over 100 CDFIs to evaluate yourself in terms of your peer organizations. This report includes:

– Key Ratios and Highlights for 10 CDFI peer groups representing more than 100 CDFIs
– 3-Year Trend data for a group of 56 CDFIs
– Quick Tips and Facts on Particular Topics

This comprehensive 74 page guide can also give your Board of Directors a better understanding of your CDFI and how it fits into the CDFI industry.

Investors can use this document to help understand key aspects of CDFI operations, and to determine ratios and analysis they should consider when evaluating CDFIs.

Order now, supply limited.
Cost: $50

To order, go to National Community Capital?s Web site: http://www.communitycapital.org.

Thanks,
Jeff Sedwin, Senior Associate, Marketing
National Community Capital

I am very pleased to announce the availability of a new COMM-ORG paper by Robert O. Bothwell:

“The Decline of Progressive Policy and the New Philanthropy: Progressive Foundations and Other Alternatives to Mainstream Foundations Are Created and Become Substantial, But Fail to Reverse the Policy Decline”

At a time when the economy is in decline and funding is ever more difficult to find, this is an important paper on how the funding field is changing and how we may be able to impact it.

You can find the paper at the COMM-ORG “Papers” page, in the 2003 section:

http://comm-org.utoledo.edu/papers.htm