In This Edition of Global Atlanta Works“Building a Community for Change” "The South's Recovery: Making it Accountable and Green" Do You Know a Great Environmental Justice Partnership? Regional Leadership Institute Accepting Applications Now “Building a Community for Change”
LEADS at Spelman College will host the 5th Anniversary Leadership and Women of Color Conference, “Building a Community for Change,” on May 13 and 14 at the Cobb Galleria Center. The conference will explore how leadership, gender, culture, and economics influence civic engagement for strong communities. “As a nation undergoing rapid changes and unprecedented difficulties, we are experiencing high anxiety in our workplaces, communities and households,” said Jane E. Smith, Ed.D. executive director, LEADS at Spelman College. “However, the conference will assemble a team of multicultural leaders, both women and men, to offer creative and innovative solutions to help us lead through these turbulent economic challenges and to identify unique opportunities for positive, sustainable change in our professional and personal lives.” Listen to Martha Farnsworth Riche’s keynote presentation on "The Changing Face of the Future" at a recent Fifty Forward forum, for additional perspective on the importance of civic engagement and other considerations. 2010 Census Minority OutreachThe 2010 Census is less than a year away as the Census Bureau prepares to implement its communications and outreach plan which emphasizes community partnerships. The Census has long disproportionately missed minorities and the plan is a key element in meeting the challenge of reaching hard-to-count populations, such as minorities, low-income people or displaced homeowners. Undercounting may reduce federal funding for services most needed, or fail to result in proportionate voting representation. To ensure an accurate count, $26 million of the bureau’s advertising budget of $80 million will be used to target the fast-growing Asian and Hispanic populations in TV, radio and online spots. An additional $10 million will be spent on the historically undercounted black community. Approximately 75 % of the 20-county Atlanta region’s growth this decade has come from non-whites, with the African-American population leading, followed by Whites, Hispanics and Asians. ARC’s Research Division has been involved in the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program for the 2010 Census, which is one tool to minimize undercount. Read more about outreach for the 2010 census:
ARC Launches Stimulus WebsiteThe federal government’s economic stimulus package has made hundreds of millions of dollars available to local governments in metro Atlanta and a new website will help tap into these much- needed funds through an extensive, new Web resource. “Everybody has heard about the stimulus plan and all the money that’s out there,” said Chick Krautler, ARC director. “But, there is so much information coming from different places at different times, it’s hard to keep up with it all. We hope this site will capture the majority of relevant information for our area and will help our government partners get their fair share.” Read more about the region’s opportunities through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. "The South's Recovery: Making it Accountable and Green"Activists from the labor, tax and budget, smart growth, environmental, and community organizing movements in ten Southern states are expected to convene in Atlanta later this month to explore common ground and coalition-building opportunities relative to the $787 billion Recovery Act. Will the Act create good jobs and a stronger Southern economy? Which groups belong in coalitions to untied diverse constituencies to key the Recovery accountable and green? "The Southern Conference, organized by Good Jobs First, will address these questions. Good Jobs First is a national policy resource center for grassroots groups and public officials, promoting corporate and government accountability in economic development and smart growth for working families. Do You Know a Great Environmental Justice Partnership?The Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice (EJ) is seeking applications for the 2009 EJ Achievement Awards Program. EPA will recognize achievements by multi-stakeholder partnerships that are making a positive community impact. Goals of the program include promoting positive behavior on environmental justice issues, documenting EJ models of success,, encouraging achievement of environmental results in communities having EJ issues, and fostering collaborative problem-solving to address significant EJ concerns. Applications must be postmarked by May 13, 2009. Read more (pdf) Regional Leadership Institute Accepting Applications NowToday’s regional challenges require a new problem-solving capacity and the ability to work across political, geographical and institutional boundaries. ARC’s Regional Leadership Institute (RLI) is currently accepting applications for its 20th class, consisting of existing and emerging leaders from the 10-county Atlanta region. Each annual class of 55 includes department heads, business executives and organizational leaders from the business and nonprofit sectors, as well as elected officials. Participants will develop a broader awareness of the region and a greater knowledge of the diverse communities that constitute it, while focusing on current issues and trends. RLI is a week-long, comprehensive program beginning on Sunday, September 20 and concluding on Friday, September 25. The class takes place at the King and Prince Resort on St. Simons Island. Lodging, program materials and most meals are included in the tuition price of $1,900. The application deadline is April 9. For more information, please call (404) 463-3217. |
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