Wednesday April 1, 2009 |
8:00 am –11:00 am |
Early Conference Registration |
9:00 am – 11:50 am |
Intercultural Conflict Inventory
(Pre-Registration Required)
Facilitator Rev. Bescye Burnett
As we continue to work in a global society there is a need to be aware of intercultural conflict and how it affects communication and relationship. ICI is tool if used by the participant will help in shaping a worldview. The results help achieve the following outcomes: resolution of disagreements, managing stress, accurate communication, improvement of personal relationships, and assisting in mediation. Each participant will receive the paper instrument and Interpretive Guide as part of the workshop pre-conference experience. |
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm |
Opening Reception
Mi Famiglia Conference Center
912 W Saint Germain St.
Saint Cloud, MN 56301 |
Thursday April 2, 2009 |
8:00 am – 11:00 am |
Conference Registration
Continental Breakfast Available |
8:30 am – 9:00 am |
Opening Session
Connecting Community and Culture
Presenters – Debra Leigh, Danielle Daniels |
9:00 am – 10:15 am |
Keynote Address and Dialogue:
The Power of the Collective Voice of Women of Color
Dr. Evelyn Hudson Speaker
Dr. Evelyn Hudson is Director of Operations for City Vision Ministries, a Community Development Corporation in Kansas City, Kansas. City Vision provides quality commercial and residential housing units in the urban communities of Kansas City, Kansas. Dr. Hudson serves as the Chairperson of the Board for the Kansas Black Chamber of Commerce and is a board member of the KCK Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Keeler’s Women Center Advisory Board, Civic Leadership Training Council and the KCK Chamber of Commerce. In addition Dr. Hudson is an adjunct professor at the Great Commission School of Ministry and Faith Bible College. Dr. Hudson has earned a BA degree in Management of Human Resources, a MA in Theology and a Doctorate in Scriptural Psychology. Rev. Dr. Hudson serves as Pastor of the Memorial Christian Outreach Center, under the leadership of Bishop Larry B. and Pastor Olivia C. Q. Akins of the Memorial Missionary Baptist Church and the New Vision World Wide Fellowship Churches. |
10:30 am – 11:30 am |
Building Rich Connections through Networking
Presenters: Debra Leigh/Marnita Scheroder
People love to talk about themselves -- the object is to get them to share so that you can find a subject, idea, or situation that you BOTH know about, or are interested in. In this session you will learn how to make initial connections that cut across traditional boundaries, how to capture the opportunity for social integration and how to develop a conscious process of creating rich lasting relationships. You will have the opportunity to practice all the things you learn at a Marnita’s Table intentional networking luncheon immediately following this session. |
11:30 am – 1:00 pm |
Lunch - Marnita’s Table
Intentional Social Interaction
Designed to catalyze enduring relationships between disparate populations and the organizations that serve them. We will provide the “fish” upon which you’ll dine – that is, the new cross-cultural individuals with whom you can build enduring relationships – and we also teach you “how to fish.” In other words, participants will learn to build their own cross-cultural, personal and professional networks in the wider world. |
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm |
Connecting the Local to the Global to Transform the Lives of Black Women and Girls: A show-case of NGATHA International Inc. Projects in Rural Kenya
Presenters: Dr. Mumbi Mwangi, Florence Mbugua, Perpetual Mwangi
As Black women feminists in the current era of globalization, it is imperative that we provide leadership needed to raise global consciousness about women’s lives through connecting the local to the global. One way to do this is to engage a transnational feminism—a feminism that not only cuts across cultures and unites women’s struggles from many parts of the world, but also inspires us to create an alternative vision of global interconnectedness as a basis for activism to bring about social change. In this presentation we use the transnational feminist conceptual framework to theorize the interconnectedness of the local and the global spaces. |
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm |
Telling Stories to Create Change
Presenter - Dr. Patience Togo
Women have always been in the forefront for change but for most of the time their leadership is not recognized as well as it should be. It is important to note that feminism has been one way that this lack of acknowledgment has been brought to the attention of society.
This session will use different stories to show how we can impact change in our communities by changeling the status quo of “unwritten rules” that make women’s work go unnoticed? Be inspired and empowered as we discover how to take on the status quo in safe and non-threatening ways to bring about change. |
3:45 pm – 4:45 pm |
Capturing the Spirit of Community Building: Struggles and Triumphs of African/ African American Women
Presenter - Dr. Eddah Mutua-Kombo
The presentation is framed around the questions: 1) what do women of African descent have in common?, 2) how are they different and, 3) how can these similarities and differences be the platform on which to generate knowledge about how we stay connected to build our communities? The responses to these questions will heighten the urgency to (re) capture the spirit of community building both in Africa and the U.S. The presentation draws from the presenter’s work on women’s peace building efforts in post-genocide Rwandan and the prospect of service-learning as a viable pedagogy for promoting interracial relations among culturally and racially diverse students in the St. Cloud community. It is our willingness to listen to, and learn about each others experiences that will get us to see the strengths that we possess regardless of our varied circumstances. |
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm |
Micro-credit Lending: An Avenue for Women's Holistic Advancement in Society
Presenter - Eunice Adjei-Bosompem
This presentation discusses the concept of micro-credit lending first introduced to support the economic well being of the poor in Bangladesh by Dr. Muhammad Yunus. The premise of micro-financing is that it is an effective strategy in the fight against global poverty. Micro-credit lending supports the world’s poorest to improve their livelihood through their own efforts. It’s against this background that the author will explore the viability of microcredit lending in enhancing women’s status in Ghana. The discussion will also illuminate ways in which Black women in Central Minnesota may learn from this concept. |
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm |
Dinner and Panel Discussion
Transitioning into American Culture
Moderators Rose-Gabriel A. Dillon, Chrispina S. Lekule
This panel will explore the challenges African women encounter while transitioning into American culture as refugees, immigrants, students and scholars. The panel will answer questions about how African-American women can be strategic in welcoming African women into our communities. |
