CJ Calendar

On Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 3:00pm EST, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host a conference call and webinar in Spanish to introduce the new La Mesa Completa tool kit.

Register online at: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g4f68b

This e-tool in Spanish is made for faith-based and community leaders to learn about various ways in which they can partner with USDA to ensure that Latinos have access to nutrition programs.  The toolkit includes helpful links, best practices, stories, and even videos of personal testimony.

More than one in four Latinos is food insecure, and Latinos access USDA nutrition assistance programs at the lowest rates of any demographic.  The La Mesa Completa tool kit provides community leaders with an easy to use tool to navigate the different nutrition programs in order to help families put healthy, affordable food on the table.

Webinar Participation and Registration:

The session will be available via Microsoft Office LiveMeeting (Webinar) and is free for all participants.  You will need access to a phone line and a computer with internet access to participate.

Please note that you must register in advance to receive webinar access information: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g4d8da

You can also access La Mesa Completa Toolkit online at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/outreach/getinvolved/documents/pastor_toolkit.pdf

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Cinco de Mayo on Richmond’s historic Canal Walk (139 Virginia Street, Richmond, VA 23219) at the ¿Qué Pasa? Festival of Virginia, 11:30am-8:00pm, Saturday, May 5th, 2012!

Now in its tenth year, the ¿Qué Pasa? Festival of Virginia this year will spice up Richmond’s Canal Walk with a family festival celebrating Cinco de Mayo, inviting the Hispanic community from across Latin America to share its food, music, crafts and culture with the community-at-large.

With the help of Venture Richmond, the City of Richmond, and Mayor Dwight Jones, the VAHCC will transform the Canal Walk into a never-before-seen-in-Virginia tourist attraction, by decorating the canal tour boats like those in Xochimilco, Mexico (pictured above, left). Combined with the cultural displays, performances, and culinary delights, the ¿Qué Pasa? Festival on Cinco de Mayo is sure to be an unforgettable family event.

For directions and more information visit: http://quepasafestival.com/

Download and share the flyer for this event.

Virginia Latino Higher Education Network’s Hispanic College Institute (HCI)

When: July 19 – 21, 2012

Where: Virginia State University (VSU), 1 Hayden Drive Petersburg, VA 23806

Application Deadline: May 6, 2012

The program provides clear and practical college application and financial aid information and allows students to have the opportunity to engage with successful Hispanic leaders and role models who will help inform them about career and educational opportunities. If admitted, students will:

- live on a college campus
- receive help writing a college application essay
- create a college application worksheet for your colleges and universities of interest
- learn and/or improve your public speaking, presentation and interviewing skills
- increase your awareness of community-focused civic engagement
- understand the financial aid and the FAFSA application processes
- acquire knowledge on how to search for available scholarships and other types of financial aid
- meet and engage with Hispanic leaders and role models to learn about their career successes
- visit with many Virginia college and university representatives at the program’s College Fair to learn about their admissions requirements and financial aid opportunities

For additional information and application, please visit: www.valhen.org/hci or send a message to HCI@valhen.org.

Please note: This year VALHEN will be sharing the Hispanic College Fund’s (HCF) application format and although you will see HCF’s Hispanic Youth Institute title at the top right corner and their contact information on the center bottom of the page, you are applying to VALHEN’s Hispanic College Institute (HCI) held at Virginia State University in Petersburg, VA from July 19 – 21, 2012. Please check their website for additional information. VALHEN’s contact information is:

VALHEN Hispanic College Institute
P.O. Box 8575
Reston, VA 20195
Phone: 571-449-1953
E-mail: HCI@valhen.org

Requirements:

- 2.5 GPA or above
- Current H.S. sophomore (rising junior) or junior (rising senior)
- Enrolled full-time in a Virginia high school

There is no cost to the student

Application deadline is May 6, 2012

Student participants will have the opportunity to meet with VSU’s admissions office, and if they meet the appropriate requirements, receive a probationary admissions letter and financial aid award to VSU on the spot. Their parents will be invited to personally meet with VSU’s president, Dr. Keith T. Miller, to ask questions, receive a campus tour, have lunch with the President and administrators, other parents and students, and be part of HCI’s closing ceremonies.

The Virginia Latino Higher Education Network (VALHEN) is the only state-wide, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization serving as a networking structure to support, promote, and advocate for Latino success and advancement in higher education for the benefit and betterment of the Commonwealth of Virginia. VALHEN members—all volunteers—make up our network of college and university faculty, staff, administrators and community members.

Please Note: While CJ Workshops generally take place the second Thursday of each month, this workshop is on a WEDNESDAY.

What: This workshop will help inform participants about the services available and the challenges faced by Charlottesville area providers who work closely with Latino children and families during middle childhood (6 to 12 years).

Panel Speakers: Laura Brown, Albemarle County Schools’ Migrant, ESOL, and Families in Crisis programs; Elaine Cecelski, Albemarle County schools ESOL Family Support Specialist; Javier Figueroa, Program Manager for Strengthening Families; Trish Moya, Albemarle County Schools International and ESOL Coordinator.

Who should attend? Educators, social workers, therapists, church leaders, attorneys, law enforcement officers, academics, community members and anyone interested in learning more about issues that affect the immigrant community, the unique challenges community agencies face in providing services to Spanish speaking households, and the resources available to support them.

When: Wednesday May 9, 2012, 10:00 -11:30am. Registration, coffee & refreshments will begin at 9:40, with speakers beginning at 10:00. No prior registration necessary. Free and open to the public.

Where: Albemarle County Office Building on 5th Street Extended, Meeting Room A. Charlottesville, VA.

Questions: Contact the facilitators, Kim Rambo: krambow@k12albemarle.org, (434) 962-0381, Sue Tansey:  stansey@k12albemarle.org, (434) 973-5211 or Maria Williams: mwilliams@thearcofthepiedmont.org, (434) 997-4002 x116

Download and share the flyer for this event.

Colaborando Juntos presents…

Strength Based Counseling Approaches for Latino Families
Friday May 11, 2011
9:00am*-11am
Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services
Conference Room C
10299 Woodman Rd
Glen Allen, VA 23060

*We will have light refreshments from 8:30-9:00am

**Colaborando Juntos workshops are FREE and OPEN to anyone interested in skill building for service providers. Service providers from Social Services, Public Health, Mental Health, Developmental Services, students, and private sector employees are welcome to attend.

This session will describe how Solution Focused Therapy (SFBT) may be used to work with Latino families. SFBT is a type of talking therapy that is based upon social constructionist philosophy. It focuses on what clients want to achieve through therapy rather than on the problem(s) that made them seek help. The approach does not focus on the past, but instead, focuses on the present and future. The therapist/counselor uses respectful curiosity to invite the client to envision their preferred future and then therapist and client start attending to any moves towards it whether these are small increments or large changes. To support this, questions are asked about the client’s story, strengths and resources, and about exceptions to the problem.
Topics to be covered during this session

* What is Solution Focused-Strength Based Counseling?
o How does it work?
* Solution Focused questions
o Miracle Question
o Coping Questions
o Exception Finding Questions
o Scaling Questions
o Follow-up Questions
* Engaging Latino clients using SF-SB counseling
* Identifying strengths based on a Latino value system

Continuing Education Credits Available
Register here-  http://tinyurl.com/7r4kxvp

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services

About the Speakers
Mark Loewen, LPC, RPT, currently serves as an outpatient counselor at Oxbridge Counseling Services in Midlothian, VA. His experience ranges from working in residential facilities to facilitating court ordered anger management counseling, and conducting in-home therapy with children, youth, and adults. His experience also includes being a Multi-Systemic Therapist (MST) with Richmond Behavioral Health Authority, where he worked with youth involved in the justice system and their families. MST focuses on using evidence-based practices and solution-focused interventions to evoke change in youth with antisocial behaviors. Mark is trained as a Motivational Interviewing supervisor and trainer. He also uses neuroscience-informed interventions such as EMDR and mindfulness techniques to deal with how emotional trauma affects thoughts, feelings and behavior. Additionally, as a Registered Play Therapist, he uses developmentally appropriate interventions such as games, sand tray and art therapies to facilitate expression and growth in his clients.

Elsa Beck holds a Master of Counseling Psychology and is a trained Play Therapist. She is also a licensure candidate with the Virginia Board of Counseling. With over 17 years experience, Elsa has worked with children in the U.S, Germany and the United Kingdom both in school systems and in childcare settings.? She also has experience working with parents, groups, families, couples and individuals and has specialized training in Play Therapy, Trauma Focus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISM), and Eye Movement Integration (EMI).She is a native Spanish speaker and has extensive multicultural experience.

Saturday, May 12th in Lee Park.
10:00-4:00

The Charlottesville Festival of Cultures is in its ninth year of celebrating the rich diversity of our community. Sponsored by the Charlottesville City Schools Adult Learning Center and Celebrate!250, the festival features cultural exhibits, music, dance, storytelling, food, artisan vendors, and service agency information. Bring the family out on  Saturday, May 12, from 10:00 – 4:00 to enjoy the festivities in downtown Charlottesville’s Lee Park (the corner of Market St. and Second St. NE., next to the Library)

Latino and other cultural performers, artisan vendors, and volunteers are now being coordinated. To get involved, call coordinator Debra Tuler at (434) 245-2819 or visit http://www.festivalofcultures.org.

Area organizations are also invited to host information booths in order to reach out to those in need and to recruit volunteers. To go directly to the service agency registration form, go to https://docs.google.com/a/festivalofcultures.org/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dFl6bzAwQ0tLc3p5dHp0LTY3NERpTnc6MQ#gid=0

CJ Executive Committee Meetings are held at Piedmont Housing Alliance at 1215 East Market St., Suite B, in Charlottesville, VA. These meetings are open to the public. If you would like to attend, please email CJ’s Chair, Martha Trujillo, at mtrujillo@unitedwaytja.org.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Holiday Inn- Harrisonburg
1400 East Market Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
9am to 4pm

Register online at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEJEX3cwek42eGxCSlFTdGx6TF9ZSWc6MQ#gid=0

Although refugees benefit from protective factors such as spirituality and strong family support, they face enormous social and economic factors that expose them to higher levels of stress and disadvantage due to poverty, unemployment, lack of English proficiency, discrimination and the trauma associated with the immigrant experience. As many states become more diverse, it challenges providers in the mental health system to adopt culturally competent ways to prevent, diagnose, treat and address barriers to appropriate and timely mental health services.

DBHDS will host a free day long training for mental health providers and refugee staff and volunteers dedicated to exploring critical topics in refugee mental health.

Who should attend this conference? This conference is ideal for all professionals providing service, formally or informally, to immigrants and refugees, including health care practitioners, policymakers, settlement practitioners, volunteers, sponsorship agreement holders, educators, general practitioners, psychiatrists, multicultural liaison workers, translators, other human-related service providers, immigrants, refugees and consumers interested in the practice of Mental Health.

This conference will be offered for FREE under the Virginia Refugee Health Prevention Grant and hosted by the Virginia Deparment of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Six contact hours will be provided by DBHDS.

PLEASE NOTE- please do not register for this conference if you are not sure that you can attend. Although this conference is offered free of charge, we make seating and refreshment plans based on the number of people registered. You will receive a confirmation email the day of the registration deadline. Please let us know if you are not able to make it once you have registered.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MAY 16, 2012

Six Contact Hours will be provided by DBHDS

Agenda:

• Welcome
• Overview of Issues in Refugee Mental Health- Saara Amri, LPC
• Break
• Interviewing Clients Across Cultures – Lisa Fontes, Ph.D.
• Lunch
• TASCC Truth Speakers
• Break
• Breakout Sessions -
• -Suicide Prevention among Refugees- Lisa Fontes, PhD -
• -Enhancing Language Services for Better Mental Health Outcomes- Vilma Seymour -
• -Substance Abuse and Alcoholism among Refugees – Nhat Nguyen, MSW, QMHP -
• -African refugees in the United States- Alimatu S Mustapha-Palmer, NCC; LPC; SCAC; CCDVC

For more information and to register please go to: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEJEX3cwek42eGxCSlFTdGx6TF9ZSWc6MQ#gid=0