CALL FOR
WORKSHOP SPEAKERS, KEYNOTE PRESENTERS AND EXHIBITORS
The Heart of Literacy Conference
February 26, 2011
The Marion County Children and Families Commission, the Salem-Keizer School District and the Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality seek workshop presenters and conference exhibitors to participate in the “The Heart of Literacy” Conference.
Dates of event:
· The conference will be held on Saturday, February 26, 2011
· Concurrent workshops will be held throughout the day
Speaking Proposal due dates:
You may submit your proposal for consideration by filling out the “Exhibitor” and/or “Speaker” form and submitting it to tgoettsch@co.marion.or.us by January 7, 2011. All forms are available at www.parentforthefuture.org
Location of event:
Location of this year’s conference will be at McKay High School in Salem, Oregon.
Description of event:
This conference will target multiple segments of the community who wish to enhance, develop and promote literacy practices and principles. It is the desire of the conference planning committee to provide participants with a better understanding of the current practices in the field of education, family support, development community engagement and more. Additionally, we hope participants will learn valuable strategies to use in everyday situations.
Presentation should provide the audience with the latest, best practices on why literacy is important, how to effectively support and foster literacy and give the audience the tools to support the mobilization and success of the No Child Left Behind effort and the Reading for All efforts in Marion County.
The conference’s offerings will target parents, professional development, childcare providers, para-professionals, volunteers, mentors, youth and other literacy advocates. Childcare will be offered on-site for pre-registered participants. We are anticipating 800 to 1,000 participants.
This conference is a non-profit endeavor and all registrations will be free of charge. The Salem-Keizer School District, Marion County Children and Families Department, Reading for All and Great Beginnings partners provide all staffing and coordination of this conference at no charge to participants.
About Reading for All
Reading for All (RFA) is an initiative of the Marion County Children and Families Department. This inclusive community mobilization model reaches out to and involves individuals, families, organizations and systems. Reading for All works to increase the community’s awareness of the importance of reading, encourages parents to read to their children and aligns community resources to strengthen the opportunity for more children to receive books and have adults read to them. The initial emphasis promotes reading for children and families as a method of facilitating academic and lifelong success. Beginning in 2009, the partnership with The Oregon Community Foundation supports Reading for All in mobilizing communities in Marion, Polk and Yamhill Counties to increase literacy throughout the Northern Willamette Valley (NWV) region.
About No Child Left Behind:
One of the goals for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (formerly known as “No Child Left Behind Act”) is to encourage school districts and community organizations to work together to eliminate the achievement gap and ensure success for all of our students. Through events, like this, literacy and supports to families are strengthened. The Salem-Keizer School District and those throughout the area are committed to support parents to be actively involved in their child’s education.
About Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality:
For eleven years the Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality has been working at educating parents to be “meaningfully” involved in their children’s education. They work also in partnering and collaborating with teachers, school staff and advocate for researched based academic programs in reading, writing and math.
Target audience:
· Parents, including foster parents, grandparents and guardians (This is the conference’s primary target)
· Child care providers
· Early educators
· Family advocates and support networks
· Volunteers and mentors
· Community members concerned about literacy
Draft Conference Layout: (subject to change)
Saturday, February 26, 2011 1: Friday, February 12, 2010
Time Conference Activity
8:00 to 9:00 Registration
8:00 to 4:00 Resource Tables Open
9:00 to 9:30 Welcome
9:30 to 10:15 Keynote Address
10:15 to 10:30 Break – Resource Tables
10:45 to 11:45 Workshop Options #1 (10 to 15 concurrent sessions)
12:00 to 1:00 Lunch
1:00 to 2:00 Workshop Options #2 (10 to 15 concurrent sessions)
2:15 to 3:15 Workshop Options #3 (10 to 15 concurrent sessions)
3:15 to 3:45 Closing Session
Key Topic Areas: This list is not exhaustive and is intended to guide presenters, not limit the content or subject matter submitted for consideration.
Parents: (This is our primary target audience)
· Foundation for literacy – supporting emerging readers
· Literacy for children and parents with special needs
· Brain Development
· Making learning a pleasure (environment, skills, tools)
· Non-print literacy techniques
· Hands-on activities
· Understanding school readiness and why it’s important
· How to read to babies and actively engage young children
· Preparing your child for college and trade school
· Parental involvement in the middle and high school years
Family Advocates:
· Serving families with strengths, but who are under resourced
· Foundation for literacy – motivational interviewing
· Successful ways to address literacy
· Brain development – how to apply the knowledge
· Tailoring literacy promotion to families needs and strengths
· How to apply literacy tools
· Supporting parents and children with special needs
· How to read to babies and actively engage young children
Childcare Providers:
· Brain development
· 12 month calendar of literacy-rich activities and how to sustain over time
· Reading beyond print
· Foundation for literacy
· Literacy on a budget
· How to access resources
· How to provide alternative experiences that develop early literacy skills
· How to read to babies and actively engage young children
Volunteers and Mentors:
· Successful traits of effective volunteers and mentors
· Programs that would like to have literacy volunteers
· The importance of giving of your time and talents
· Foundation for literacy
· Brain development
· How to read to babies and actively engage young children
Early Educators:
· Different methods of literacy promotion
· How to bring “messy” and literacy skills together
· The fun of literacy
· Brain development
· Addressing the literacy needs of emergent and early learners
· How to access resources
· How to provide alternative experiences that develop early literacy skills
· How to read to babies and actively engage young children
Youth: (looking for fun and engaging presentations/activities!)
· Bringing fun and learning together
· Planning for beyond high school
· Leadership development
· How to promote wellness and balance in life: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual
· Music and art
· Energy-charged, idea-filled, positive and proactive youth: How to make a difference
Other:
· Gang awareness
· Nutrition and the brain
· Recognizing teen depression and challenging behaviors
· Poverty and education
· Building family trust and healthy relationships
Keynotes:
Presentations can be any topic above that is relevant to a broad audience. There is particular interest in having a keynote on the importance of healthy brain development, attachment and how it all links to learning.
Exhibitors:
Exhibits can be fantastical, practical, high-tech, low-tech, humorous or serious, as long as they showcase literacy and/or family supports. Exhibits must be displayed for the entire conference.
Exhibitors can respond to this call by:
- Proposing a project
- Proposing an exhibition of an existing body of work or organization
- Proposing a collaboration
- Proposing site-specific work or product
- For-profit sales exhibits are strongly discouraged and will be reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis
Selection process:
All proposals will be reviewed first by a core committee. The following factors will be considered in selecting exhibit participants:
(1) Ability to engage target audiences and/or stimulate dialogue
(2) Innovation and creative exploration of ideas
(3) Information in a content area related to literacy promotion
(4) Ability to deliver and pick up exhibits
Cost and installation:
Exhibitors are responsible for all delivery and pickup of exhibits as well as costs including delivery, equipment and tools necessary to complete the booth/table. The exhibitor will be responsible for installation and takedown.
There is no charge for an exhibit, but pre-registration is required. One exhibit is defined as one table, linen cover or skirt and one chair.
Exhibitor application form:
All exhibitors’ requests must be submitted on the “Call for Exhibits Submission Form.”
Due date:
All exhibitor applications must be submitted by January 31, 2011.
Conference Exhibitor Coordinator:
Arturo Vargas
Marion County Children and Families Commission
451 Division St. NE, 2nd Floor
PO Box 14500
Salem, OR 97309
503.588-7975
avargas@co.marion.or.us
Forms can be found at: www.parentforthefuture.org
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