This conference is specially designed for:
- Coalition directors
- Coalition board members (last year the conference participants decided that they would all invite at least one community colleague and one board member to attend)
- Other local leaders, including those in government (local, city, county or state), funders (public or private), school superintendents or board members, United Way, civic organizations, business representatives, religious leaders and all others who participate in local literacy collaboration
Preliminary Schedule
Tuesday, March 11
Arrive for pre-conference day sessions
Wednesday, March 12
8:00am - 1:30pm Pre-Conference Sessions
Pre-Conference Session 1: Tool Kit for New and Emerging Coalitions
(designed for funders, local government and community leaders, new coalition board members and executive directors)
This session will provide process and development tools to those new to coalition work. Leadership team members, board members, coalition staff and funders will learn how community literacy activities can transform the ways that communities approach solutions to literacy. Every community is at a different stage in community literacy development, and can build a new base of practical knowledge by learning about models and strategies successfully implemented in other communities and by having the opportunity to take part in a developmental simulation. Roll up your sleeves and learn about:
- Stages of Development
- Designing a Community Literacy Plan
- Building Community Collaborations
- Funding and Advocacy
- Marketing and Outreach
- Overcoming the Challenges
All participants will receive Tool Kits and customizable resources to maximize the training experience. Margaret Doughty, director of Literacy Powerline, will lead this session and share the expertise developed through working with over fifty literacy coalitions across the country.
Pre-Conference Session 2: Evaluating Your Coalition's Impact
(designed for directors, evaluation task force chairs, evaluators, program managers and funders)
The most frequently asked question of a coalition is how to measure impact. Come and learn about how to demonstrate measurable outcome. What are the most effective tools? How do you collect the baseline data needed and demonstrate progress toward goals for both the coalition and its member organizations? Participate in the following session components:
- Quality Standards and Indicators
- Evaluating the Work of a Coalition
- Centralized Data Tracking/Management
- Using Data to Improve Program and Coalition Quality
- Determing Return on Investment
- Community Change Indicators
Dr. Ray Hart, a leading member of the Literacy Powerline team and former Director of Research at Kent State University, will lead this session and will provide materials and tools to help you meet your community literacy goals.
Pre-Conference Session 3: Literacy: The Currency of the Community
(designed for community foundations and other key sponsors of literacy)
Community foundations and other key coalition funders are playing a leadership role in the development of literacy coalitions. This work is exemplified through leadership initiatives, issue elevation, funders' collaboratives and coalition incubation. This session is designed to help foundations build knowledge and skills in:
- Leading Community Change through Literacy Coalition Building
- Leveraging Public and Private Partnerships
- Implementing Community Literacy Best Practices
- Quantifying Change in Social and Economic Measures
- Supporting Regional Literacy Planning
Robert Fockler, President of the Community Foundation of Memphis, will be hosting the session. Joanne Arnaud, Executive Director of the Boston Literacy Fund will facilitate the discussion. Kim Scott, of the Central New York Community Foundation, will lead a panel of experts including Omobola Lana of The Literacy Cooperative, and Fritz Crabb of Greater Grand Rapids Reads.
Pre-Conference Session 4: Health and Literacy: The Power of Partnerships
(designed for everyone interested in health literacy)
As with most complex problems, the most promising solutions to the problem of health literacy come from collaborations across disciplines, areas of expertise, and experience. Fostering health literacy, and adapting the health care system to meet the needs of the large percentage of patients who have difficulty understanding health information, cannot be accomplished by health care professionals or educators acting alone. This pre-conference session will explore the value of community partnerships between health providers and literacy coalitions. Some issues we will explore include:
- Helping programs meet NRS goals
- Arranging health fairs, screenings, connections to health insurance, and hospital tours for your programs
- Brainstorming ideas for funding via foundation and fee-for-service opportunities
- Raising awareness of communication and literacy issues that may affect providers' communication with patients
- Defining the nature of the problem as not just one of educational deficits that patients need to remediate, but one of clinical communication
Elyse Barbell, Executive Director of New York's Literacy Assistance Center, will facilitate the discussion. Click here to download a PDF flyer for this pre-conference session.
9:00 - 11:30am Optional Literacy Site Visits
Memphis Literacy Council
Memphis Literacy Council is an independent, nonprofit educational organization that provides programs for low-literate adults and disadvantaged families. The agency operates its adult learning program from a midtown location and is open days, evenings, and Saturday mornings. More than 350 volunteers provide private and group tutoring for adults who want to learn. The family literacy effort is a cooperative outreach service for parents who want to help their children become better readers. Memphis Literacy Council was formed in 1974 and has more than thirty years of experience in helping people who want to improve their own lives and those of their children.
902 South Cooper Street, Memphis TN 38104-5603 (tel 901-327-6000)
Website: www.memphisliteracycouncil.org
Executive Director: Gay M. Johnston, gayjohnston@memphisliteracycouncil.org
DeNeuville Learning Center
The purpose of DeNeuville Learning Center is to guide women in learning the skills needed to make positive choices for themselves and their families. It is accomplished through education, counseling, and promoting ways to enhance one's self worth and dignity. DeNeuville offers classes in computer hardware and software, GED, English as a Second Language, business skills, job readiness, financial literacy, citizenship test preparation, parenting, and arts and crafts such as sewing. In addition, DeNeuville also provides counseling services and assists women with babysitting and emergency needs. The student population at DeNeuville consists of women from diverse countries, cultures and backgrounds.
190 South Cooper Street, Memphis TN 38104 (tel 901-726-5902)
Website: www.deneuvillecenter.org
Director: Sr. Lakshmie Napagoda, lnap5902@bellsouth.net
2:00pm Local Sightseeing Break
Spend the afternoon learning about the area and enjoying good company!
- Getting to Know Memphis I: Trip through local area to Graceland (2:00 - 5:00pm)
- Getting to Know Memphis II: Shuttle to Tunica - Casino & Shows (2:00 - 10:00pm)
1:00 - 6:00pm Conference Registration
6:00 - 7:00pm Hospitality Suite
Dinner on your own at local restaurants
Thursday, March 13
9:00am Welcome from the Conference Planning Committee
Welcome to Participants and Exhibitors
Opening Session Speaker: "Literacy: A Tool for Community Change" Dr. Shirley Rains, President of the University of Memphis
Introductions and Conference Overview
Welcome Activity
10:15 - 11:45am Showcasing Unique Coalition Initiatives
Facilitators: Mary Surbeck (Oklahoma City) and Fritz Crabb (Grand Rapids)
Coalition directors will share the most effective activities that have met with success in 2007/08!
12:00pm How Do We Infuse Literacy into the Work of Other Sectors?
Facilitator: Margaret Doughty
The concept of literacy infusion will be presented and panelists will describe examples from the fields of health and workforce literacy.
1:30pm Coalition Scale Up: How to Build Successful Relationships with Providers, Board and Community
Facilitator: Gail Miller
Panelists:
- Jose Cruz (San Diego)
- Steve Hannum (Birmingham)
- Kim Scott (Syracuse)
- Margery Freeman (NYC)
- Meg Poag (Austin)
Panelists will describe strategies to extend the reach of coalitions into the communities they serve and address issues of capacity, lifelong learning, non-traditional learning, and leadership development. In groups, participants will share the issues around scaling up their community reach and will provide questions for the panel.
2:45 - 4:00pm Literacy as a Tool for Social Justice
Facilitator: Petrice Sams-Abiodun (New Orleans)
Panelists:
- Ruth Burgoss-Sasscer (Montgomery County, MD)
- Linda Harris (Washington, DC)
- Vicki Clark (Memphis)
- David Rosen (Boston)
How can coalitions and their community providers extend support with innovative thinking and recent information about issues affecting immigration, out-of-school youth, racism and non-traditional learning approaches.
6:00 - 10:00pm A Celebration of Literacy
Mid South Reads welcomes conference participants to a celebration dinner to meet local providers and other literacy stakeholders to celebrate the work of community literacy.
Keynote speaker, nationally recognized Ruby Payne: A Framework for Poverty and How It Applies to Literacy Work
Friday, March 14
9:00 - 10:30am Concurrent Sessions
1. Funding Fright: Lesson to Learn
UPS, Dollar General, International Paper, Verizon
What is it that grant seekers should fear from funders? Why aren't all grants funded? What are the lessons to learn in building a friendly relationship with funders? What tips can funders provide to help us develop successful proposals to their foundations?
2. Framing Awareness: A Look in the Mirror!
How We Perceive Ourselves Is the Way the Community Sees Us! - Darlene Kostrub
Best practices in promoting the work of literacy coalitions and building strong community relations.
10:45am - 12:00pm Concurrent Sessions
1. Communitywide Planning and Measurement of Impact (Ray Hart & Kim Scott)
A look at the strategies and processes needed to implement pilots to demonstrate successful collaboration. What are the rules of engagement?
2. Federal Funding for Intermediaries
How to work with local, state and national organizations to increase levels of public funding for literacy in your community.
12:00pm The Really Hot Questions Lunch
Facilitator: Sue Matkin (Fort Worth)
National Leadership Panel (Speakers):
- Sandra Baxter (NIFL)
- Bonnie Lash Freeman (NCFL)
- Marsha Tait (ProLiteracy)
- Marty Finsterbusch (VALUE)
1:45 - 2:45pm Concurrent Sessions
1. Spotlighting Coalition Needs (Facilitator: Margaret Doughty)
Environmental Scan - Participant Survey - Key needs for 2008/09. Participants will work in groups to identify the critical areas for coalition growth.
2. Governing Well!
Speaker Vicki Clark will share the secrets of successful governance and address the questions of board members and funders in supporting literacy coalitions effectively.
3:00 - 4:00pm Closing Session
Life Balance: Looking at the lives of busy community leaders and learning to maintain balance and avoid burnout. Madan Birla will wow us with his insights and send us on our way with his book.
Evening Sightseeing and Visit to Beal Street
Travel tips provided for those staying the weekend! Click here for more sightseeing information!
Conference Program
You can download a printable (pdf) version of the conference program here.
Registration
You can register for the conference by filling out our Online Registration Form, or by mailing us the paper form included in the conference brochure (8 MB pdf). The registration fee is $200 per participant, plus $75 for either of the pre-conference sessions. The fee can be paid by credit card at our Online Payment page, or by sending a check or money order (payable to Literacy Powerline) to our conference coordinator: Hannah Mallon, 776 Hohenwalde School Rd., Brenham, TX 77833. Please register today!
Hotel Information
Two hotels are available for conference participants. Room rates are fixed regardless of occupancy, so bring your colleagues along! Detailed information can be found on our hotel page.
Booths & Exhibits
Register at our Booths and Exhibits Registration Page today! Contact us for more details.
Sightseeing Information
Check out all the best of Memphis in our handy Meandering in Memphis guide!
For More Information
For more information, contact our conference coordinator:
Hannah Mallon
776 Hohenwalde School Rd.
Brenham, TX 77833
tel 979-289-5175
hannahmallon@gmail.com
...or return to our conference main page.
See you in Memphis!!!