Mark your calendars now for a special event: the screening of “American Teacher” — a feature length documentary, produced by writer Dave Eggers and Academy Award winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth, that chronicles the passion, humor and challenges of four teachers who live and work in disparate urban and rural areas across the country.

The Philadelphia film premiere will be followed by a conversation with four panelists: Nancy J. McGinley, Superintendant of Charleston County Public Schools and former CEO of the Philadelphia Education Fund; Kira Baker-Doyle, author of The Networked Teacher; and Philadelphia public school teachers Kathleen Wainwright and Michael Farrell. Conversation will be moderated by Research for Action Founder and Senior Research Fellow Emeritus Jolley Bruce Christman.

http://www.needindeed.org/

Global Health & Innovation Conference 2012
Presented by Unite For Sight, 9th Annual Conference
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Saturday, April 21 – Sunday, April 22, 2012

http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference

“A Meeting of Minds”–CNN

The Global Health & Innovation Conference is the world’s largest global health conference and social entrepreneurship conference.  This must-attend, thought-leading conference annually convenes 2,200 leaders, changemakers, students, and professionals from all fields of global health, international development, and social entrepreneurship.  Register during September to secure the lowest registration rate.

Interested in presenting at the conference? Submit an abstract for consideration.

Complete conference details, including the list of currently confirmed speakers, can be seen at http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference

October 8, 2011
Being The One I Want To Be

Special Guest Speaker
Kendra G
Of
100.3 WRNB

Sisters Giving Back Mission Statement

To be positive role models for young women by teaching, supporting and encouraging them to be the person that they want to be. To equip them with the necessary tools to achieve their life goals and to love themselves unconditionally.

Being the One I Want To Be
Saturday October 8, 2011
8:30 – 5:00 PM
Mercy Neighborhood Ministries
1939 West Venango Street
Philadelphia, PA 19140

Telling It like It Is – A Man’s Perspective
All participants will ask a panel of men questions and get honest to goodness answer and possibly his thoughts behind his response

My Needs, My Wants
Workshop will discuss money and finances and how to save, budget and more.

My Future Road Map
Workshop will discuss interest, education and career goals.

Sisterhood
Workshop will discuss ways we can empower each other on a daily basis.

Finding Mr. Right
Workshop will focus on how to establish quality relationships

Looking into the Mirror
Workshop will focus on Self-Image/Self-Esteem: Putting your best Foot Forward

My Body, My Mind
Workshop will discuss how to make time for “me” looking at heath, nutrition and exercise

Cost: $5.00 per participant (includes lunch)

Phone: 856-728-5336
E-mail: sistersgivingback11@yahoo.com
Friend us on Facebook @ Sisters Giving Back

You know people.  Those people know people.  Let’s get them together and have fun for a great cause!  You can either walk 12k or run 5k…It’s up to you!

To register, you can click the following link: http://www.aidswalkphilly.org/walk/register/ It’s that simple!

Do you remember when everyone you knew walked?  You still can.  Remember when everyone cared?  We still do. Remember when HIV was a challenge?  It still is!

I hope you’ll walk with us on Sunday, October 16th.

On Wednesday, October 12th, LIFT-Philadelphia will be hosting an Autumn Open House to showcase our newly expanded West Office at 5548 Chestnut Street.  Stop by for a visit anytime between 3-6pm to get a tour of the new space, meet staff and volunteers, enjoy some light refreshments, and learn more about our efforts to combat poverty and expand opportunity for thousands throughout Philadelphia.

WHAT: LIFT-Philadelphia’s Autumn Open House

WHEN: Wednesday, October 12th

TIME: 3-6pm – stop by anytime!

WHERE: 5548 Chestnut Street, 1st Floor (Entrance on 56th Street)

WHO: Welcome one and all – partners, clients, and friends

RSVP: Email philadelphia@liftcommunities.org, or call 215-474-1807

We look forward to welcoming you in October!

-The LIFT-Philadelphia Team

Sponsored by
Community College of Philadelphia Women’s Center
Drexel University School of Public Health
ACHIEVEability Family Self-Sufficiency Program

Thursday, October 13, 2011
7:30 a.m. Registration
9:00 a.m. Program
3:30 p.m. Adjournment

Location:
The Great Hall—Room S2.19
Community College of Philadelphia
1700 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130

There is no charge for this Conference. Your attendance will be supported by a Community College of Philadelphia Foundation Mini Grant. However, you must register by Friday, October 7, 2011.
Registration forms are available at the Women’s Center, Room S3.09, Winnet Student Life Building. Or,
you can request a registration form by contacting the Women’s Center at 215.751.8808 or womencenter@ccp.edu.  (Or see below)

REGISTRATION FORM
Hunger, Homelessness & Poverty: Impact on College Students
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Please type or print legibly. Illegible forms will not be processed.
Name_________________________________________
Address_______________________________________
City___________________ State______ Zip_________
Phone__________________ Fax___________________
Email_________________________________________
____CCP Student ____CCP Faculty ____CCP Staff
____Other_____________________________________

WORKSHOP PREFERENCES (Offered on a “first come, first served” basis)
WORKSHOPS A: 1st Choice_____ 2nd Choice_____
A1. Becoming an Activist: Students’ Experiences with Feeding the Homeless and Empowering Marginalized Populations through Running
A2. Life’s Toolbox: Self-Advocacy for Housing and Welfare Services in Philadelphia
A3. Are We Moving Again? Impact of Homelessness on Children
A4. Economic E quality & Hunger: Finding a Path to Income Security and SHARE’s RECIPE: Going from Hunger to Success
A5. Identifying and Alleviating Food Insecurity Among College Students and Combating Poverty & Expanding Opportunity
A6. Understanding Trauma & Arts-Based Interventions for Homeless Children

WORKSHOPS B: 1st Choice_____2nd Choice_____
B1. Homelessness: The City’s Role
B2. Education is Key to Breaking the Cycle of Poverty and From Homelessness to Lawyer: One Woman’s Journey
B3. Finding and Keeping a Rental Apartment
B4. Accessing & Utilizing Behavioral Health Crisis Intervention Services
B5. I’ve Colored Outside the Lines: The John Delancey Story

PECO Energy Hall
2301 Market St
Philadelphia, PA

The Sustainable Energy Conference, sponsored by the Energy Coordinating Agency will highlight innovation neighborhood strategies, sustainable energy panel discussions and do it yourself workshops.

For More information visit http://www.ecasavesenergy.org/events or call 215.609.1034

The Coalition for Community Schools is proud to release Scaling Up School and Community Partnerships: The Community Schools Strategy. Built on the experience of the growing number of local community schools initiatives across the country, the guide will help school districts and their public and private community partners organize and mobilize the resources of the entire community to support student success.

“As our schools and communities face the demanding task of educating an increasingly poor and diverse student population they must work together, said Martin Blank, Coalition Director and President of the Institute for Educational Leadership. “ This guide shows them how to get the results that community schools are seeing across the country.” Read more about this guide here.

http://www.communityschools.org/ScalingUp/

The Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP) is celebrating its 25th anniversary of teachers teaching teachers.

The mantra of “teachers as the best teachers of teachers” represents the power of PhilWP, a local site of the National Writing Project.

For its silver anniversary, PhilWP is commemorating its impact on literacy and writing as a critical tool for learning in all Philadelphia schools. Through the PhilWP network, education reform is not about top-down mandates or rigid accountability measures but represents teachers working together in professional and collegial communities.

The PhilWP teacher network consists of over 700 teacher-consultants and impacts thousands of classrooms and schools across all grades and disciplines. Programs include summer institutes, summer practicum schools, seminars, workshops, programs for teachers of English language learners, continuing education courses, study groups, teacher research communities, and social action forums.

Read more at: http://www.thenotebook.org/blog/114058/philwp-celebrating-25-years-powerful-teacher-network

At this time, due to the constantly changing foreclosure landscape, the Guide is only available in electronic form accessible and downloadable from UAC’s website at http://www.uac.org/foreclosurehelp.htm.  When federal and state programs and procedures stabilize we will produce a hardcopy version as we have in the past.

In this year’s edition you will notice changes in the foreclosure process due to the elimination of the Pennsylvania HEMAP program and its accompanying Act 91 Notice. There are also changes in the availability of government rescue programs.  The list of counseling agencies has been updated as well.

Special thanks go to the Guide’s new editor, Ms. Chanel Alexander, who replaced previous editor Rachel Moore who left to pursue nursing studies. We are especially grateful to our legal consultant and contributing writer, Ms. Margaret Robinson, staff attorney with Community Legal Services. Valuable editorial assistance was provided by Ms. Mary-Anne Smith Harris of UAC and design assistance was provided by Ms. Valerie Blassey and Ms. Nancy Biddle.

Production of this edition of the Guide, including staff costs, was made possible by a generous grant by Citi Foundation.  The Guide is a project and service of UAC’s Foreclosure Prevention Task Force which is co-chaired by Donald Haskin of Citigroup and Allison Hughes of the Homeownership Counseling Association of Delaware Valley.

Please feel free to share with us your comments and suggestions by contacting Ms. Chanel Alexander, Editor, at 215-851-1847 or via e-mail at calexander@uac.org.

Come and listen to Former Def Jam Executive Kevin Liles (currently the manager of Trey Songz, Big Sean, and Keyshia Cole), Mayor Michael Nutter, Hot 107.9’s DJ Damage, Marketing Executive Que Gaskins, and Charlie Mack share their keys for success. Also meet successful professionals from Nike, Twitter, National Basketball Association, Philadelphia 76ers, VILLA, American Express, Deutsche Bank, BET and more!!!

This event promises to be a life-changing, first of its kind event for Philadelphia high school students.
Pre-Registration is Required – Please sign up today because seats are going!!!

Register at http://www.ruvilla.com/main/category/villa-dream-project.

NOTE: We are also recruiting college students and young professionals to volunteers as Dream Leaders for the event.

Please visit the registration page for more information.

Click here for upcoming PSR event info.
http://psrphila.squarespace.com/events

Please join Physicians for Social Responsibility at
The 12th Annual Soul of Medicine Brunch
Sunday, October 23, 2011 from 11:00-1:00pm

College of Physicians
19 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, 19103
“Being a Physician: Not for the Faint of Heart”

In its 12th year, this anticipated annual event brings clinicians and students together to discuss their role and survival in the current healthcare environment.  A themed, storytelling format is used to engage attendees followed by informal small discussion groups between clinicians and students.

Featuring Guest Speaker Dr. Esther K. Chung

Esther K. Chung is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and Nemours. She is Director of the Newborn Nursery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Director of JeffSTARS, an advocacy training program for residents and students. Dr. Chung received her MD/MPH joint degree from Columbia University in 1991, and has devoted over 20 years of service to families living in poverty.

Ken Ginsburg Soul of Medicine Award

Awarded annually to the 4th year student at each of the 5 area medical schools who emulates the values of the Soul of Medicine founder Ken Ginsburg. He/she cares for their patients with respect, compassion, understanding and integrity.  Treats those around their patients, fellow students and faculty with respect, understanding and appreciation.

Students are welcome as guests.  Faculty and practitioners are asked to contribute $25.

Click here to RSVP
https://hq-org2.democracyinaction.org/salsa/hq/p/salsa/event/common/hq/edit?object=event&key=43056

Volunteers are needed!
Saturday, October, 1st, 2011
Fun begins at 3 p.m.
· Children’s crafts, games, and environmental activities!
· Pre-school story hour · Karaoke · Refreshments
· Performances by students of Jr Music Execs

7 p.m. Movie Screening of
“Despicable Me”
bring your lawn chair or blanket!

Coupons for McDonald’s “Apple Dippers” & “Milk Jugs”
For more information to sign up
Contact: Ian Charlton, #215-564-4544, ian@gpcares.org

Please join us for a great volunteering opportunity at the RiverCity Festival on Saturday, October 1st. The festival will be held at Penn Treaty Park on the beautiful Delaware River in Historic Fishtown.

The festival itself is from 12-5 but we need volunteers starting at 8 a.m. to begin the set-up. We invite you to volunteer anywhere from 3 to 8 hours. We have spots for everyone and we’re happy to have your help! You’ll meet great people, have a great day on the river, and will get a free festival t-shirt for helping.
Volunteer opportunities include help in any of the following festival areas:

·        Loading area and set up
·        Information booth

·        5K race
·        Vendor set up
·        Food pavilion
·        Wellness tent
·        Children’s area
·        Break down and clean up

To volunteer, email volunteers@rivercityfestival.org

For more information about the festival, go to http://www.rivercityfestival.org/index.html

Does your school encourage students to walk or bicycle to school? If so, it could benefit from funding available from the Pennsylvania Safe Routes to School Resource Center.

Beginning October 5, schools may apply for items and activities that promote, educate, encourage, and/or enforce safe walking and bicycling at their school. The kickoff for this application cycle, which coincides with Pennsylvania Walk or Roll to School Day, allows schools to build on the excitement of the day and apply for funds to maintain the enthusiasm throughout the year and beyond. The deadline for submitting applications is November 15, 2011.

“Noninfrastructure grants allow schools to be creative with how they educate and encourage students to walk or bicycle to school,” says Chris Metka, Pennsylvania’s Safe Routes to School coordinator. “Since these projects are typically smaller and easier to implement than infrastructure projects, a school can quickly apply strategies to increase participation and ensure student safety.”

Grants up to $10,000 will be made available to eligible applicants, and schools may apply for more than one item or activity as part of a comprehensive approach to its funding proposal. As part of the noninfrastructure grant application process, schools must follow these requirements:
•    Schools must partner with the municipality or municipalities in which the school’s walking routes are located. Municipal representation could include an elected or appointed municipal official or the municipal police department. A letter of support from the partnering municipality must be included with the grant application.
•    Schools applying for a grant must conduct two types of evaluations (In-Class Student Tally and Parent Survey) at the beginning of the school year (before the end of October) and submit the data to the National Center for Safe Routes to School. If schools do not submit the appropriate data, they are ineligible for grant funding.
•    Schools that receive grant money must agree to conduct a second round of data collection (post-activity) in the fall 2012 using the same evaluations.
In addition to these requirements, the following recommendations will enhance a school’s chances of receiving funding:
•    Applicants should try to incorporate all five Es of Safe Routes to School—education, encouragement, enforcement, evaluation, and engineering—as part of the project or activity for which funding is sought. Although only noninfrastructure items and activities (all of the five Es except engineering) are eligible for funding under the noninfrastructure grants, applicants should be aware of their current infrastructure status and note any planned upgrades or improvements.
•    Schools should encourage other community organizations to become involved in the grant activities and to sign on as a partner on the grant application. The inclusion of supporting letters from participating community organizations, such as a parent group, a local transportation agency, bicycle or pedestrian advocates, or a local health agency, is recommended as part of the application package.
•    Schools that have not yet assessed their walking routes should consider a walkability audit or walkability assessment. Either of these tools (the first involves a third-party engineer, and the second is conducted by local school and municipal officials) will provide valuable details about existing deficiencies on the walking routes and solutions to improve them.
•    Although there is no match requirement for this grant program, applicants enhance their competitiveness if in the application they either provide evidence of in-kind support or identify other sources of relevant funding they may have applied for, received, or secured.

The Safe Routes to School Noninfrastructure Grant Program is administered by the Pennsylvania Safe Routes to School Resource Center on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and is part of a statewide effort to promote and encourage safer routes to school. Funding comes from the Federal Highway Administration.

Established through federal legislation in 2005, the Safe Routes to School program was created, in part, to help reverse the unprecedented nationwide increase in childhood obesity and inactivity. Safe Routes to School also provides numerous benefits to the local community and environment by helping to reduce fuel consumption, alleviate traffic congestion, and improve air quality.

To obtain more information about noninfrastructure funding and which activities and items are eligible for funding, visit http://www.saferoutestoschool.org/noninfrastructure-grants.

SIDEBAR BOX
Timeline for 2011-12 Safe Routes to School Grant Projects
•    September/October 2011 – Schools perform required baseline surveys, submit the data to the National Center for Safe Routes to School, and identify partners for the grant proposal.
•    October 5, 2011 – Schools may begin applying for grants with the Pennsylvania Safe Routes to School Resource Center.
•    November 15, 2011 – The resource center must receive all grant applications by 4:30 p.m.
•    January 30, 2012 – Resource center notifies schools of grant awards and provides notice-to-proceed letters.
•    February 1-28, 2012 – Schools awarded funding must sign grant agreement during this time period.
•    February 15, 2012 – Upon receiving the signed agreement, the Pennsylvania Safe Routes to School Resource Center distributes 25 percent of funding to the grantee.
•    February 1, 2012, through January 31, 2013 – Schools awarded grant money conduct program planning and implementation of Safe Routes to School noninfrastructure activities.
•    Completion of project – Center distributes 65 percent of reimbursement to grantee.
•    Fall 2012 – Schools must conduct and submit data for post-activity evaluations to the National Center for Safe Routes to School.
•    January 31, 2013 – Schools must submit to the Pennsylvania Safe Routes to School Resource Center their activity and final expense reports.
•    February 15, 2013 – As long as all required conditions have been met by the grantee, the center distributes final reimbursement (10 percent of awarded amount) to the school.

The Digital Storytelling Project
http://phillyspells.org/digital-storytelling/

You have something important to say. Whether it’s about your school, your family, your neighborhood, or your identity, you have a story that other people should hear. With our help, learn how to share your story in a dynamic way!

During this eight-week workshop, you will create a 3–5 minute Digital Story—a short, first-person video narrative created by combining recorded voice, still and moving images, and music or other sounds. We’ll supply tokens for public transportation, provide video and still cameras to capture your observations, and help you use multimedia software to bring your vision to life. All you need to bring is you—your thoughts, your personality, and your creativity!

More information at http://www.phillyspells.org.  Registration is free, but requires a refundable deposit of $25 via credit card, PayPal, check, or cash. The registration will not be valid until the deposit has been received by Spells Writing Lab.

Saturdays, October 1–November 19
2:00–3:30 p.m.
at Spells Writing Lab (at the Village of Arts and Humanities)
Taught by Christina Rose Dubb, with filmmaker Tigre Hill
For ages 13 and up

Friday, November 4, 2011

2:00pm – 3:30pm Eastern / 1:00pm – 2:30pm Central / 11:00am – 12:30pm Pacific

Register at http://servicelearninginquiry.eventbrite.com/

Service learning has the potential to change the world.  Inquiry into our own service learning practice has the potential to change our teaching, our students’ learning, and scholarship in the academic disciplines and service learning itself.

In this webinar, learn how to ask good questions about your practice and your students’ learning that get at the big ideas and goals of your community-based work.  Develop your capacity to embed assessment that is ongoing, actively engages students, and provides documentation for future reflection.  Gain practical strategies for systematic and critical reflection on your success and failures.  And finally, learn how to share your new knowledge from inquiry in publications and other scholarly products to advance the field.  This webinar is appropriate for faculty who engage in service-learning or community based learning, or plan to engage in these pedagogies, and for staff and administrators who work with faculty.

Presenters:
David M. Donahue, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Education, Mills College, Oakland, California, works with teacher credential students preparing to teach art, English, and history in secondary schools and with graduate students investigating teaching and learning with a focus on equity in urban contexts.  His research interests include teacher learning generally and learning from the arts and service-learning specifically.  Most recently, he is co-editor of the book Artful Teaching:  Integrating the Arts for Understanding Across the Curriculum published in 2010 by Teachers College Press.  He is also co-editor Democratic Dilemmas of Teaching Service Learning:  Curricular Strategies for Success published by Stylus in 2011.  In 2008, he was selected by Campus Compact as one of 10 Engaged Scholars for New Perspectives in Higher Education.

Jennifer M. Pigza is the chair of the graduate program in leadership for social justice and the associate director of the Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action at Saint Mary’s College of California. Jennifer has been invested in engaged pedagogy and social justice education for nearly 20 years, beginning with four years of non-profit work through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Her latest professional joys include the development of a new graduate program and co-teaching a course to Rwanda this January. Jennifer holds a bachelors degree in English literature (Loyola University Maryland) and a masters of education degree in higher education and student affairs administration (University of Vermont), and a doctorate in the social foundations of education (University of Maryland).

REGISTRATION DETAILS:

These webinars are part of an ongoing professional development series sponsored by California Campus Compact, Iowa Campus Compact, Kansas Campus Compact and Minnesota Campus Compact.  Faculty, staff, students, and other affiliated individuals at member institutions of the Compacts in these states qualify for half-price, discounted ticket rate; as do individuals from campuses that belong to Campus Compact, but are not members of a state compact.

Registrants will receive a confirmation email with log-in information for the webinar.

The regular registration fee is $60.00 per login
The discounted registration fee is $30.00 per login

Multiple people may participate in the webinar under one registration as long as they are using one computer.  While the registration fee is non-refundable, all registrants will have access to the webinar slides and materials.

For more information, contact John Hamerlinck at john@mncampuscompact.org or 320-308-4271.

Saturday, November 5th 2011 (9 am to 1:00 pm)

Join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Brandywine Conservancy in Chester County to plant 1,500 trees that will keep our watersheds healthy by stabilizing the streamside land. This tree planting event is an opportunity to work with a volunteer watershed group and plant a large number of small trees and shrubs all in one day.

Volunteers will engage in tree planting activities after hands-on training of proper planting practices by Brandywine Conservancy and PHS staff and PHS-trained Tree Tenders. Volunteers should wear clothes that can get dirty and sturdy shoes or boots.  Bring a hand trowel or shovel and wear work gloves if you have them.

To volunteer or for more information, please contact Barley Van Clief at bvanclief@pennhort.org or 215-988-8793.

Please join our exciting, 2011 Annual Fellowship Farm Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 22nd from 2-4 p.m. at our beautifully refurbished 126-acre site on 2488 Sanatoga Rd, Pottstown, PA. The featured program, in addition to only a few business items, will include food, music, and updates on our improved programs, leadership, grounds and building facilities. We will also enjoy a special set of simulation exercises led by some of our committed, creative, and effective facilitators.

Experience first-hand some of the power and magic that continues to attract thousands of youth & adults of all backgrounds and needs to Fellowship Farm to learn how to live our mission of respect, non-violence, conflict resolution, ethical leadership and community service. We’d love you to join us. To R.S.V.P., just call 610-326-3008, or e-mail: director@fellowship-farm.org, or visit our website: http://www.fellowship-farm.org. We hope to welcome you on October 22nd at 2 p.m.