DC Action for Children is bringing together well respected local budget/policy analysts and advocates who will highlight what is in the mayor's proposed FY 2006 budget for children and youth. Issues that will be covered are: early care and education, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, maternal and child health, and out-of-school time services.
Panelists are: Ed Lazere, DC Fiscal Policy Institute
Susie Cambria, DC Action for Children
Mary Levy, Washington Lawyers' Committee
Joe Montgomery, Consortium for Youth Services
Mark Ouelette, DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corp.
Evita Smedley, DC Action for Children
Frankeena Wright, DC Action for Children

DC Action for Children (DC ACT) is an independent, non-profit, multi-issue advocacy organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children living in the District of Columbia. DC ACT's work is guided by its vision that each child in the District of Columbia should be afforded the opportunity to reach his or her potential. DC ACT's vision and mission are supported by four broad strategies:

• to be an information resource for the community on issues and policies affecting children and families in the District of Columbia;
• to build and mobilize an informed city-wide constituency committed to children
• to collaborate with other groups and organizations to help empower families and neighborhoods to advocate for children
• to promote public policy which improves the lives of children in D.C.

Street parking is limited and garage parking is available. Dupont Circle Metrorail is the nearest stop on the Red Line (use the South exit).

Registration is required and space is limited; the registration deadline is April 4. Direct questions to Kim L.E. Bell, 234-9404, kbell@dckids.org.

Gather in support of Break the Cycle's life-saving work with young people in Washington, DC and across the nation. The evening will include cocktails, dinner, youth speakers, special honorees, a silent auction and a raffle for exciting prizes.
DC's own Nimat will be performing her signature, eclectic-soul sound - characterized by a fusion of bluesy lyrics, rock melodies and and rich soulful rhythm, full of mood and emotion.

Break the Cycle's Washington, DC office was launched in January, 2004 in order to bring Break the Cycle's innovative and proven-effective domestic violence prevention and early intervention services to the local community in English and Spanish.

Break the Cycle is the first and only organization in Washington, DC to provide law-based domestic violence education and free legal services exclusively to youth. There is a great and irrefutable need for Break the Cycle's services in this local community. In fact, 49% of the violent crime calls received by the DC Police in 2000 were for domestic violence incidents. There are approximately 5,000 prosecutions of felony and misdemeanor domestic violence every year in Washington, DC. While the vast majority of these cases involve adult victims, national statistics show that it is young women between the ages of 16 and 24 who experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence.

In 2005, Break the Cycle's Washington, DC office will:

• Educate 2,500 youth throughout the District of Columbia metropolitan area on dating and domestic violence, healthy relationships, and their legal rights and responsibilities.
• Train 1,000 social service providers, school officials and other concerned community members on how to respond to the needs of youth with regard to domestic violence.
• Provide free legal advice, counsel, information and/or representation to 50 youth who are experiencing abuse in their relationships or homes.
• Recruit and train a corps of high school and college students through Break the Cycle's Peer Leadership Programs to become the next generation of leaders in the movement to end domestic violence.
• Work to improve local and federal laws and policies that are related to youth and dating and domestic violence. Collaborate with local and national advocacy groups and Congressional offices to improve the lives of youth victimized by violence, including serving as chair of the Children & Youth Subcommittee of National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, as well as chair of the Drafting Committee for the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

For information about sponsoring the event or for questions: Call us at 202.654.4036 or email us at rachel.dobin@breakthecycle.org

Catholic's a-cappella group, RedLine is hosting a spring a cappella invitational, featuring guest groups from the University of Maryland, GW, American, Mary Washington, and the University of Virginia.

Tickets are $5 and available for purchase at the Pryz (CUA's Student Center) from April 4th-8th during meal times and at the door starting at 7pm on the night of the show.

ALL proceeds go to support CUA Mission Panama. E-mail cua-redline@cua.edu with any questions!

"Kids at that level don't always have a lot of opportunities to tour science labs," said Karen Gale, professor of pharmacology and organizer of the event at Georgetown University. "We bring them here because we want them to see where neuroscientists work and what we do as part of that work. What we do appeals to the kids' curiosity-they are overflowing with questions when they come to us and their excitement just builds throughout the course of the day."

This year's theme was "looking into the brain to cure disease," which gave Georgetown neuroscientists the opportunity to talk with the seventh-graders about how brain research holds the keys to curing diseases of the nervous system, as well as the rest of the body. Professor Gale challenged the seventh-graders to think of bodily functions over which the nervous system has no influence-a task they discovered was all but impossible.

Students participated in tours of the laboratories and learned about brains of different animals, viewed images of human brains, peered at molecules and cells under the microscope, and learned about the mechanisms of hearing and other senses.

Last year, more than 1,675 organizations in 57 countries participated in activities related to Brain Awareness Week, under the leadership of the Society for Neuroscience and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.

When: April 7, 2005
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Where: UDC Main Auditorium Lobby - 4200 Connecticut Avenue NW

The event will consist of: Farewell to Dr. Dorothy Remy, Presentation of the Myrtilla Minor Award, The Phyllis Campbell Newsome Student Leader Award, The 2005 American Humanics Certificates, The Installation of 2005/06 UDC American Humanics Student Association Officers and a Silent Auction. The keynote speaker will be Robert Egger founder of DC Central Kitchen of Wshington DC.

Certificate In Nonprofit Leadership provides students with the knowledge, skills and the hands on experiences required for a successful career in the nonprofit sector. Whether you are a current professional seeking the skills to advance or an up and coming professional interested in a rewarding career the Certificate In Nonprofit Leadership can assist you in reaching your goal.

RSVP no later than March 31, 2005
Contact: Sylvia Benatti at 202.274.5794 or email sbenatti@udc.edu

*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 $50

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.