"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, 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.

City Year will be hosting an Open House to recruit new staff volunteers.

An Action Tank for national service, City Year seeks to demonstrate, improve and promote the concept of national service as a means for building a stronger democracy. An 'action tank' is both a program and a 'think tank' - constantly combining theory and practice to advance new policy ideas, make programmatic breakthroughs, and bring about major changes in society.

City Year's vision is that one day, the most commonly asked question of a young person will be, "Where are you going to do your service year?"

City Year works toward the full realization of this vision through three core activities:

• Running a full-time youth service corps
• Engaging citizens in service through large-scale, high-impact community events
• Leading discussion and development of national service policies and initiatives

Revision from March 21, 2005

NNC's next community engagement forum program will feature the National and Neighborhood Leadership Award recipients, Amy Domini, CEO and President of Domini Social Investments, and Elouise Cobell, lead plaintiff in Cobell v Norton and Executive Director of the Native American Community Development Corporation. Annie Donovan, Managing Director of NCB Development Corporation, will moderate the discussion.

The National Neighborhood Coalition provides common ground for the nation's leading advocates for lower- income neighborhoods. It is where national and local leaders come together to generate the resources, public policies and solution-oriented strategies that strengthen and sustain neighborhoods. NNC's broad network of more than one million members affords groups a voice in Washington, DC; opens doors to partnerships among non-profits and commercial entities; and keeps low-income problems and solutions on the agenda for key policy makers. For over 25 years, NNC has stimulated collaboration and innovation.

The forum will be followed by NNC's annual awards reception, Celebrating Innovative Leadership in Challenging Time, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. at the Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC. It is necessary to buy a ticket to attend the awards reception.

Foundations and the nonprofits they fund can be important centers of thought, action, and involvement. At its best, philanthropy provides a check against corporate and government overstepping or indifference, yet funding for advocacy has brought as much criticism as admiration. At the same time there is concern that foundations are slipping into the role of service providers or surrogates for government. A distinguished group of experts will address the question: What is the proper role of foundations? Lively dialogue within the panel of presenters and with the audience will focus on how foundations most effectively serve the public interest.

The Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership provides advanced education in public policy, public and nonprofit management, advocacy and philanthropy, with domestic and international applications. Their multi-sectoral approach, public policy orientation, and research focus on effective practices, ensure the breadth and relevance of the educational experiences they offer. To accomplish the mission, the focus is on four program areas:

• Graduate Study
• Executive and Professional Training
• Research that Informs Practice
• Community Involvement

*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

Registration

Register today to join us at the GWU Cafritz Conference Center to discuss these and other topics, learn more about the CoRAL Network, explore the principles of community-driven research, and network with community partners committed to social change. The general registration fee is $25 for individuals and free for students. Nonprofit staff (2 or more) flat fee of $40

We look forward to having YOU join us!

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.

Please note that submissions MUST be about local events, news, opportunities and activities that are related to community affairs in the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Northern Virginia.