"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)."

Last Session of Five

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.

DC Covering Kids & Families is collecting shoes - old shoes, new shoes, men's shoes, women's shoes, and kids' shoes! And they need lots and lots! So please scour your closets and ask others if they have shoes in need of a new home. The shoes will represent the thousands of uninsured and under- insured District residents. These residents live in all Wards of the city.

They will use the shoes at an event and then donate them to local charities.

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.

A sponsored project of DC Action for Children, the DC Covering Kids & Families Coalition (DC CKF) serves as the advisory body and driving vehicle for reducing the number of uninsured and underinsured children, youth, parents/guardians, and childless adults in the District of Columbia. The Coalition, through its working committees and with a diverse partnership base, private and public, will provide opportunities for the DC Covering Kids & Families Initiative to achieve all of its strategically designed goals. DC CKF will focus on increasing coordination efforts among agencies/organizations, increasing continuity of coverage initiatives including collecting accurate data; increasing awareness of all of the health coverage programs in the city; increasing enrollment of eligible children, their parents, and childless adults; implementing enrollment retention strategies, and the implementation of a single point of entry.

If you are interested in donating shoes for this event, please contact Leticia Martinez at 202- 234- 9404 or Lmartinez@dckids.org. You can drop the shoes at DC ACT, address above or they can pick them up.

National Neighborhood Coalition's (NNC) 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.

Working Together:
Faith-Based & Secular Collaboration to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

What can faith-based and secular communities do together to help prevent teen pregnancy?
What are some possible partnerships?

Join us at this interactive discussion with experts and local leaders including:
Rev. Orlando Bego, Upper Room Baptist Church
Mark Farr, Senior Director Interfaith Initiatives, Points of Light Foundation
Luis Torres, Have Faith in Youth Project Director, DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
And you! Bring your questions, ideas, experiences and insights to this conversation!

Program includes speed networking, continental breakfast and information from:
* Center for Nonprofit Advancement
* Foundation Center
* Mayor's Office of Religious Affairs
* Mayor's Office of Partnerships and Grants

RSVP contact Rev. Doris Warrell at 202-789-4666 x 15 or DWarrell@TeenPregnancyDC.org.

Replenishing Democracy

This new summer program for undergraduates is designed to encourage connections between academic institutions and grassroots activism. The Institute will bring together distinguished scholars and activists with undergraduates to rigorously study the theory and practices of democratic engagement. In this forum, a select group of undergraduate student leaders will learn about the complexities of political action and gain practical knowledge about grassroots organizing.

Students will be immersed in activities that encourage reflection about their activist experiences, and learning from one another and from faculty whose research is on issues of activism and democracy. Through lectures and discussions, students will gain a historical understanding of activism and have the opportunity to draw connections between activist movements on micro and macro levels and identify recurring dilemmas of theory and practice.

*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.