The 12th Biennial Conference of the Society for

Community Research and Action

June 18-21, 2009

Conference Programming Highlights

A SPECIAL BIENNIAL EVENT

"Responding to the Challenges of Our Times"

Join us at these first-of-their-kind discussions about the social and economic challenges we now face.  These challenges – locally, nationally, and globally – are unprecedented in our time. How can we as community psychologists best respond to them? 

To begin this process, we will be holding at least two integrated evenings of action-oriented discussions about these challenges, with specific topics and action directions to be chosen by the participants themselves.  The opening session, on Thursday evening from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m., will take the form of a World Café, an innovative format with rotating discussion tables. Two sample starting questions:

* What are some models for sustainable community life that you have experienced, heard about, or dreamed of?

 * What roles can we as community psychologists play in promoting and implementing these models?  

 More specific topics will be chosen for follow–up in Friday evening’s action discussions (Thursday’s participants are encouraged to attend), and possibly on Saturday. While we do not anticipate fully-developed action plans to be completed at the Biennial, we will aim to implement a process leading to follow-up discussions and concrete actions after the conference ends.

 These discussions are open to all conference registrants.  Space, however, is limited. To ensure your place, your prior expression of interest is strongly recommended. To confirm your interest, please send an e-mail to scra.world.cafe@gmail.com.

Discussion facilitators and hosts:  Liesette Brunson, University of Quebec at Montreal; Bill Berkowitz, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Gina Cardazone, University of Hawai’i; Victoria Chien, University of South Carolina; Jim Cook, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Vince Francisco, University of North Carolina, Greensboro;  Bill Neigher, Atlantic Health; and Dyana Valentine, Los Angeles, CA.  

 

ROUNDTABLES

Community Psychology Education in Different Areas of the World

The future of Community Psychology in a global perspective

Community Participation in High-Risk Settings: Balancing Safety and Engagement

Research in the cross-section of community psychology and global climate change: A call for action

Opportunities and Challenges for Early Career Community Psychologists

The Health of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youths and Possible Mechanisms

Socioeconomic Status and Family Well-Being: Untangling a Complex Relationship

Establishing a career in community psychology: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities

Community-based feminist interviewing: Research with traumatized populations across the lifespan

Race-related health impacts for African Americans: A dialogue on cultural barriers and cultural competency in healthcare

Creating the Neighborhoods of Our Future: Building Community Capacity to Meet Social Challenges

The New Global Ejournal of Community Psychology Practice: Hear Our Plans, Share Your Thoughts a Wiki Session

Challenges of Conducting Research in Communities Outside of the US

Creating Change in Child Welfare Systems by Responding to Adolescent Fathers

Effective Strategies for Mentoring People of Color: Promoting Social Justice and Contributing to Community Practice

Methodological Issues in Conducting Research with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations

Placing the Margins in the Center: Promoting Wellness and Social Justice among Multiply-Marginalized Groups

Prevention, Public Health, Policy, and Community Psychology

Principles for Practice: Challenges and Lessons in Conducting Research with Asian American Youth Populations

Teaching Community Psychology: A CEP Sponsored Syllabus/ Teaching Material Exchange and Discussion

INNOVATIVE SESSIONS

Practical applications of community psychology to the challenges of our times: A World Café

Funding Social Change: A live interview session on foundation perspectives

Towards a Politics of Possibility: Creating and Nurturing Safe Spaces

The Ethics of Community Research: Unwrapping the Complexity of our Engagement and Analytical Processes

WORKSHOPS

Strategies and Tools for Engaging Community Stakeholders

Developing a Community-Based Communications Campaign for Prevention

Public Policy 101: Intervening and Testifying in Legislative Settings

Human Rights, Policy and Community Organizing: Tools for Community Psychologists

TOWN MEETINGS

Community Psychology in and with Schools: The School Intervention Interest Group

Town Hall Meeting for SCRA Task Force on Disaster, Community Readiness, and Recovery

Work/Life/Family: How Women Balance Multiple Roles in Academia

POSTERS

Creating environmental change from the bottom up: An evaluation of the Reduce the Juice project

Personal and Contextual Factors that Facilitate or Impede Community Return for Adult Inmates

Social policy community interventions to reduce tobacco use

Analyzing Undergraduate Community Psychology Students’ Experiences with Community-Based Learning at a University in Egypt

Serving the Underserved: Asset Building within Youth Shelters

SYMPOSIA

Building the capacity to achieve outcomes in diverse organizations: Advances in Getting To Outcomes

Addressing health inequities: Local measurement and local action

Innovative Methodological Approaches to Community-Based Research: Theory and Application

Evaluation Capacity Building: Conceptualization, Application, and Measurement

Beyond Foreclosure and Homelessness: New Approaches to Policy and Practice