Friday, May 28, 2010

Call for Proposals-19th Annual Conference on Parent Education and Parenting-University of North Texas

2011 International Conference on Parent Education and Parenting

“Changing Families in a Changing World”

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
DEADLINE: August 1, 2010


Dear Colleagues & Professionals,

You are invited to propose a presentation for the February 10th-11th, 2011 International Conference on Parent Education and Parenting to be held at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. The goals of the conference include bridging practice and research in parent education and fostering dialogue between practitioners and researchers. Please see the attached document for Call for Proposal Instructions.

Theme: “Changing Families in a Changing World”

Descriptor: Globally, families are coping with major societal changes. Economic distress, shifting resource allocation, and other societal pressures challenge families. Thus, the 2011 International Annual Conference on Parent Education will focus on issues that most affect families in an ever changing world. Strategies for educating and supporting parents and families of diverse cultures and nationalities will be highlighted.

The proposal deadline is August 1, 2010. To submit your proposal, please go to our website at: https://www.coe.unt.edu/cpe/conferences .

Complete all information. Please note: The last two entries require you to enter a 500-800 word summary of your presentation and bio sketch. Please have this information ready in a word document, then cut and paste your information into the fields provided on the online form as you will not be able to edit your information in the fields.

Best Practices Nominations

You are also invited to nominate programs for Best Practices in Parent Education, Parent Involvement, and Family Support. The deadline for nominations is October 31, 2010. Please see attached instructions for Best practices nominations.

If you have questions please contact Dr. Arminta Jacobson at jacobson@unt.edu or Victoria Calvin at calvin.victoria@unt.edu or 940-369-7246 or 888-662-7457 or Dr. Rudy Ray Seward at rudy.seward@unt.edu or at 940-565-2296.

All submissions will be acknowledged via e-mail by September 2010.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Poverty and Fatherhood

The number of unwed mothers has increased greatly over the past several decades, particularly in low-income communities. Of course, it follows that the number of unwed fathers has increased also. Yet most people know very little about these men, note Kathryn Edin and Timothy Nelson, Kennedy School sociologists who have focused their research on this group.

Edin, a professor of public policy and management, and Nelson, a lecturer in social policy, last year coauthored (along with Jennifer March Augustine of the University of Texas) a paper titled “Why Do Poor Men Have Children? Fertility Intentions among Low-Income Unmarried U.S. Fathers,” published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political Science. Their study features interviews with 171 men from the Philadelphia area, who speak candidly about their intention to have children, their involvement as parents, and how their children have affected them and their behavior.

“Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the disadvantaged men whose narratives formed this account typically have at least an ambivalent desire to father and perceive considerable benefits in doing so,” write the authors.

The researchers divided the men’s fertility intentions into four categories, reflecting language the men had used: accidental, just not thinking, unplanned but not unexpected, and planned. About half the men fell into the “just not thinking” category, which the authors describe as the couple’s having no explicit plan to have a child at the time but also doing little to prevent conception.

Although many people might expect that the men in this category would be distressed by impending fatherhood, most of the interviewees reported being happy, the authors write. Indeed, many even said that having a child “saved” them, causing them to reassess high-risk behavior and change their lives. “For some of them, it seemed like they desired the children more than the actual romantic partner that they were having the children with,” says Nelson, who conducted many of the interviews.

The involvement of these men in their children’s lives, however, doesn’t always match their desire for fatherhood. Nelson explains that acrimonious relationships between the parents and subsequent relationships with others often complicate men’s ability to maintain involvement with their children.

Although the men are aware of the social stigma against poor and unmarried fathers, they don’t envision themselves in a better economic circumstance in the future, the authors report. That expectation may be why many of them leave pregnancy to chance. They often embrace fatherhood because it offers benefits that they are unable to gain by other means, according to Nelson.

“For these guys, who were shut out of the labor market for various reasons or doing the very lowest level, children are an alternative source of connectivity, accomplishment, and identity,” he says.

The authors acknowledge that their findings rely on the men’s accounts of often long-past pregnancies without the viewpoint of the mothers involved. Nevertheless, Nelson says that the men he interviewed seemed forthright, frequently sharing wrenching personal stories. (Within five minutes, one man declared that he was HIV positive, information he hadn’t even told his family.) “I felt that these guys were really entrusting me with the secrets of their lives,” Nelson says. “It was a real privilege, and I feel a lot of responsibility towards that.”

The research on these and other fathers will be included in a planned book, tentatively titled “Fragile Fatherhood,” which will offer a fuller account of their relationships and upbringing. As a married couple studying unmarried men, Nelson and Edin draw on their own relationship for their scholarship. Sharing their perspectives as a husband and wife and a father and mother has helped them think about their subjects in an objective way. The men they study are neither angels nor demons, Nelson says, but complicated people whose stories deserve to be told. — by Lewis Rice

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

USSF 2010: Register and Get Involved

USSF 2010: Register and Get Involved
Get involved in the US Social Forum (USSF)! The national event, which will take place June 22-26 in Detroit, MI has officially opened registration for individuals and organizations and there are many opportunities to become involved in planning activities leading up to Forum. Find out how you can participate, help organize, and promote this important gathering meant to build unity around common goals of social justice, strengthen ties between organizations, and help build a broader social justice movement.
USSF 2007 was held in Atlanta, GA and drew 12,000 people from around the country with a purpose to effectively and affirmatively articulate the 
values and strategies of a growing and vibrant movement for justice in the
 United States. The Forum is not a
 conference but it is a space to come up with the peoples’ solutions to the 
economic and ecological crisis. Some 15,000 grassroots community organizers, activists, social service nonprofits, and individuals are expected to attend the USSF 2010.

Register here

Somos Mayfair Receives Over $1M to Fund Social Service and Social Change

It’s been a year since we published Making Social Change: Case Studies of Nonprofit Service Providers which featured five human service organizations that are integrating social change activities into their work. The stories highlighted the tremendous strides that these groups have made towards transforming their organizations and their communities but also noted the associated challenges of taking on a social change agenda, including securing funds for these ongoing initiatives. In light of this, the recent announcement that one of the featured organizations, Somos Mayfair, has been awarded over $1 million in funding for both their service and their civic engagement work brings hope and encouragement to human service providers interested in this approach.

While it is recognized and necessary to provide for the immediate needs of the community, Somos Mayfair makes it a priority to build leadership and create long term change. FIRST 5 Santa Clara County awarded Somos Mayfair $945,000 over three years as part of their initiative to prepare every child for success in school, and help every parent support their child. Additionally, the group received a $180,000 three-year grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to expand immigrant civic participation through their Popular Theater program. Now in its sixth year, the theater program is one of the main pillars of Somos’ community engagement work and is instrumental in helping to transform community members from actors on the stage to actors in their community. Through the theater, community members develop social and cultural bonds which help establish the shared values and mutual trust necessary for working together for social change.

To view click here

CDC Hosts Parent Portal for Healthy, Safe Children

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched Parent Portal, an encyclopedic website with links to information from all areas of CDC. "The portal is a source for credible, accurate information in helping parents raise healthy kids and provide a safe home and community," according to the CDC.

Some of the many sections hold information about pregnancy, children's topics by age range, and issues of concern to parents arranged in alphabetical order. The widely varied topics include autism signs, body piercing, lice, school violence, and travel vaccinations.

Another section has information on topics targeted to health-care professionals and researchers, including subjects such as child abuse prevention, a brain injury toolkit for physicians, a parent training guide, and information on the effects of childhood stress.

Quick links go to developmental milestones and safety in the home, among other subjects. Other resources list product recalls, market withdrawals, and safety alerts.

Users can subscribe to receive email updates and RSS feeds. Podcasts are also accessible. Visit the portal on the CDC site:
www.cdc.gov/parents