The Washington Consortium for Comparative and International Education and Training will hold their annual Conference of Student Research at American University on Saturday February 19, 2005. Students from American University's International Training and Education Program, The George Washington University's International Education Program, and the University of Maryland's International Education Policy Program are invited to present scholarly papers and research. This conference gives graduate students from diverse institutions the opportunity to share research strategies through the presentation of research projects and scholarly papers. Research presentations are sought in all areas of specialization within comparative and international education and training.

Lecture format not working for you?

Looking for an organizing tool that energizes, excites, creates a movement, reveals strategies for victory, and is really, really fun? Learn the basics of using popular education - an education method that values the knowledge of everyone involved - and you'll learn how to create a space where people can create this tool. Great for community & classroom.

What do you do? BAMs are a space where activists, organizers, educators and others can come to strategize about building a movement for social & economic justice. Using popular education, participants discuss today's events, their work, what's needed to further build the movement and more. In every BAM participants talk about what it takes to build a mass movement for social change and how to use popular education to make that happen.

Registration Fee:
Individual registration is based on a sliding scale from $100-$200, pay what you can afford in this range. Anything you pay over $100 goes into a scholarship fund for low-income partners. Institutional registration is $250-$350. This registration is for large organizations, universities, etc.

Produced by Dante James, and Narrated by Morgan Freeman.

America and slavery developed side by side; their shared history was defined by edicts and and constitutions as well as by the actions and reactions of individuals. This documentary tells the story of slavery from the point of view of the enslaved. The series recognizes the strength, humanity and dignity of the enslaved and redefines them as pro-active freedom fighters not passive victims.

Interactive Website

PBS's interactive website for the documentary contains a historical timeline, audio slave memory narratives, and resources for teachers including lesson plans, historical readings, and a virtual museum of student exhibits.

*Pass this information on to friends and family and encourage them to watch.

"The Billingsley Dialogues are a five session program bringing together black family scholars, experts, and members of the general public to explore whether there are lessons to be learned from how African American families overcame challenges of the past that might informative to programs and policies to address present day and possible future challenges. The development of the program was inspired by entertainer and activist Bill Cosby's summer 2004 comments regarding the need for African American individuals and families to take greater responsibility for meeting such challenges. The program is named after Andrew Billingsley, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Family Studies at the University of Maryland, and a renown scholar on the black family dating back to the publication of his 1968 groundbreaking book, Black Families in White America (Prentice Hall)."

Session Schedule

Tues, Feb 8 "Present Day Challenges to African American Families"
Tues, Feb 22 "African and the Slave Period (1865-1965)
Tues, March 29 "The Post-Bellum/Reconstruction and Jim Crow and Urban Adjustment Periods (1865-1965)
Tues, April 12 "The Post-Segregation Period and Forecasts for the Future (1965-Present)"
Tues, April 26 "Case-Examples of Community-Based Initiatives to Address Challenges Faced by Contemporary African-American Families."

All upcoming sessions will be held in the Nyumburu Cultural Center's multipurpose room from 4:15 pm-6:30 pm.

Co-sponsors of the Billingsley Dialogues are: the Department of Family Studies, the African American Studies Department, the College of Behavioral & Social Sciences, UMCP's Bioanthropology Laboratory, the Nyumburo Cultural Center, the Office of the Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity, The Engaged University Initiative of the Democracy Collaborative and The Community Research And Learning (CoRAL) Network.

Have you been working on a community-based project? Share your story! Call for Papers deadline is March 15, 2005! Click on image to visit the conference webpage for details on submission requirements.

Panel, paper, workshop, and poster presentations on the following topics are welcome:

*Successful schools and educational innovations for K-12, higher education, and adult learners

*Healthy families/ healthy communities

*Livable wages, employment opportunities and job training

*Affordable housing for all

*Building and preserving diverse communities

*Using culture and the arts to promote community development

*Faith and spirituality as resources for community building

If you would like to share any announcements from your organization or campus with the CoRAL Network community, send a brief blurb to kcarter@coralnetwork.org by close of business each Thursday for inclusion in the following Monday's Newsbits.