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Workshop Series 4: Effective Strategies, Creating Tactics of Action (Friday, March 7, 8:30am-10:30am)
Addressing the National Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis The surge in foreclosures disproportionately affects low-and moderate-income homeowners and creates blight and financial insecurity. Government, consumer protection advocates, and mortgage industry groups—not known for working together—recognize that collaboration is essential to dealing with the growing crisis. This workshop examines the problem and solutions, from services for homeowners to community organizing and policy advocacy. Moderator: Alan Fisher, Executive Director, California Reinvestment Coalition -- Download PowerPoint Panelists: Steven Kest, National Executive Director, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)
Ending Obesity through Collaboration This session showcases strategic partnerships that are leading the fight to reduce obesity in diverse and low-income communities. Tremendous progress can be made in high-risk neighborhoods when communities unite with foundations, schools, healthcare providers, after-school programs, and marketing and advertising partners. Panelists will focus on models that can be implemented across the country. Moderator: Marion Standish, Director, Community Health and the Elimination of Health Disparities Program, The California Endowment Panelists: Larry Cohen, Executive Director, Prevention Institute
As Yet Untitled: Equity Implications for Unincorporated Areas This panel will focus on the basic infrastructure deficits in small communities throughout the country. Although these under-serviced areas take many different forms, they share serious structural inequities. In parts of rural North Carolina, unincorporated African-American neighborhoods are excluded from public spending reserved for golf courses, resorts, and affluent population settlements that are annexed around them. In Southern Texas, more than 400,000 residents live in infrastructure-poor communities along the border known as “colonias.” These informal homestead communities emerged over two decades ago in areas of lax local regulation and dubious “contract for deed” development practices. In California, unincorporated areas lacking basic infrastructure are diverse and scattered. All of these communities experience unresponsive bureaucracies and inadequate political representation in local government. The advocates, researchers, and representatives of these diverse communities who are panelists in this session will discuss the problems facing unincorporated communities and potential policy solutions. Moderator: Peter M. Ward, Professor of Public Affairs and Sociology, C.B. Smith Sr. Centennial Chair in U.S.-Mexico Relations, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas Panelists: Anita Earls, Co-founder and Director, Southern Coalition for Social Justice
Urban Greening, Parks, and Social Justice Parks, recreation, and open space are critical elements of community life, and disparities in the quality and accessibility of parks is an important social equity issue. The growing understanding of the relationship between the built environment and the prevalence of obesity and diabetes is fueling new partnerships bringing together parks advocates, leaders in community development, and public health experts. In this session, leading activists, researchers, and policymakers explain how to win greater public investment in parks and services that promote active living. Moderator: Kathy Blaha, Principal, Kathy Blaha Consulting, LLC Panelists: The Honorable Christopher Doherty, Mayor, City of Scranton, Pennsylvania
Turning the Tide: Affordable Housing and Gentrification Gentrification takes whole cities and regions off the affordability charts, leaving long-time residents, new immigrants, and people working in low-wage jobs with few housing options. This panel features leading advocates who are bucking national trends. Hear how they’re engaging public investment, land use, and lending practices to preserve affordable housing in communities most vulnerable to displacement. Moderator: Brad Lander, Director, Pratt Center for Community Development Panelists: Fred Blackwell, Executive Director, Redevelopment Agency, City and County of San Francisco
Innovations in Equitable Development Grantmaking Hear foundation executives discuss their role in advancing economic and social equity, and their commitment to building inclusive communities. Panelists will reflect on the challenges they face in equitable grant-making, and explain how they make the case for funding in this area. Moderator: Ray Colmenar, Senior Program Officer, The California Endowment Panelists: James Head, Program Director, The San Francisco Foundation
Click Here for Change: e-Advocacy as Policy Tool Web technologies give even the smallest policy organization an unprecedented opportunity to reach out to anyone—and everyone—with breathtaking speed. This session introduces cutting-edge electronic advocacy tools and strategies, and presents compelling case studies to illustrate the power of e-advocacy. You don’t have to be a tech whiz to use these tools; this session will show you how. Moderator: Sandra Whisler, Director, Finance and Operations, PolicyLink Panelists: Larry Eason, Senior Vice President, Virilion
Arts, Culture, and Community Development Arts and cultural organizations and community development groups are working successfully in many parts of the country to strengthen a sense of community, revitalize neighborhoods without gentrification and displacement, and promote policymaking and social change. This panel looks at examples of such collaborations; their potential to build healthy, vibrant communities; and their power to engage people in the civic and cultural enterprise. Co-Moderators: Panelists: Carol Bebelle, Director, Ashé Cultural Arts Center
How New Media Can Spark Social Change The explosion of blogs, online community forums, e-advocacy campaigns and Internet news sites provides amazing opportunities for organizations dedicated to change. Groups of all sizes and budgets can harness the tremendous power of new media. In this session, veterans of successful online media campaigns present strategies to navigate the new media landscape. Moderator: Eric Alterman, Distinguished Professor of English, Brooklyn College, City University of New York; and Professor of Journalism, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism Panelists: Joel Barkin, Executive Director, Progressive States Network Elana Levin, Communications Manager, Drum Major Institute of Public Policy Chris Rabb, Founder, Visceral Ventures, LLC Liza Sabater, Founder and Publisher, CultureKitchen.com
Assessing and Developing Racially Equitable Policies This interactive workshop demonstrates innovative tools for advancing racial equity policy. These tools include: 1) the Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity, which creates a framework for establishing equitable policy-making standards, assessing legislative proposals, grading legislators on race-related votes, and developing equitable policy initiatives; and 2) Opportunity Mapping, which uses GIS and extensive data sets to analyze the distribution of opportunity in metropolitan areas. A brief DVD, Race and Public Policy: A Dialogue, will also be shown to spark conversation about the racial impact of public policies. Moderator: Terry Keleher, Director of the Midwest Office, Applied Research Center; Director, Racial Justice Leadership Project Panelists: Frank Fernandez, Executive Director, Community Partnership for the Homeless -- Download PowerPoint
Test Driving Neighborhood Information Systems Web-based data and mapping systems integrate many sources of data and increasingly provide information down to the individual land parcel. Come to this workshop in the on-site computer lab, where system developers will take you on a tour of five of the best Web-based data systems in the country—DataPlace; NEOCANDO (Cleveland); Philadelphia Neighborhood Information System; Minnesota 3-D; and the Chicago Parcel Pointer System. Moderator: Sarah Treuhaft, Senior Associate, PolicyLink Panelists: Lee Deuben, Housing and Community Development Planner, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning |
