SOAR is pleased to host the 6th Annual Putting the Pieces Together professional development and networking conference. This event connects and informs SOAR partners and community members working for the success of children and youth from birth to age eighteen. Putting the Pieces Together 2010 will be held June 25, 2010 at South Seattle Community College. This year’s theme is Building Effective Partnerships for Children, Youth & Families.

SOAR seeks presenters for workshops and panels for this event. Our audience includes a wide range of people working at all levels (direct service providers, agency directors, and community members, local government representatives) and in all contexts, from grassroots to large organizations. Presentations will be 75 and 90 minutes.

SOAR welcomes presentations from anyone with a relevant and useful message, including seasoned presenters and first-time presenters, direct service providers, agency directors, grassroots representatives and youth. SOAR also strongly encourages proposals from a diversity of presenters including people of color, youth, bilingual/bicultural presenters, and presenters who represent and address issues of race, class, gender, poverty, LGBTQ issues, special needs/disabilities, culture, immigrant or refugee communities, and other areas of identity. There will be a bilingual track featuring presentations in Spanish, Somali, and Vietnamese.

Please scroll to the bottom of this page to complete the online presenter application. You may also download the application here. Contact Kyla Lackie (206.336.6937 or kyla@childrenandyouth.org) to request a paper application.

CONFERENCE THEME

This year’s theme is Building Effective Partnerships for Children, Youth & Families. Presenters will discuss practical tools and tips for creating effective and innovative collaborations relevant to those in King County working with young children, school-age children, youth and their families. Especially during these difficult times, how can we convene, connect, and catalyze our communities to better support children, youth and families?

GENERAL CRITERIA FOR PRESENTATIONS

• Presentations should present strategies to building innovative and effective partnerships and collaborations
• Address key issues and support the healthy development and success of at least one of the following groups:
  • Early childhood issues (or a subset within the birth-five age range)
  • Issues of school-age children and youth (or a subset within the six-18 age range)
  • Family support issues
• Be relevant to one or more communities in the audience (e.g. service providers, program directors, executive directors, systems builders, community partners, grassroots organizers, people of color, refugee and immigrant populations, etc)
• Be more focused on “How To” than “Show and Tell.” If you are presenting your own project, program or model, please use it as a context for what you have done, how you accomplish it, and how other communities may effectively apply knowledge from your work in their own projects.
• Be innovative, interactive, and informative
• Connect to the goals in the King County Action Agendas (click here for more information)

WORKSHOP TOPIC EXAMPLES

• Effective models of existing partnerships that address critical issues facing children youth and families
• How to build and sustain collaborations
• Principles and practices for effective community organizing and mobilization, resource-sharing and partnership building
• Building partnerships with and within diverse communities
• Collaboration between youth and adults
• Collaborative efforts that promote social justice
• Partnerships between schools and community organizations
• Challenges and lessons learned in collaboration
• Power dynamics in collaborations
• How partnerships can leverage additional resources, strategies or examples of collaborative fund-seeking
• Collaborative nonprofit organizational structures
• How to identify strategic collaborations
  

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION: Submit the following online presenter application. You may also download the application here.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Presenter applications are due by 5pm on Wednesday, April 21, 2010.

CONTACT: For more information, proposal ideas, or a paper application, contact Kyla Lackie (kyla@childrenandyouth.org or 206.336.6937)

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Thank you to our generous co-sponsors:

Putting the Pieces Together 2010 is a free event. $25 suggested donation. Click here to donate.

Thanks! We look forward to working with you!

For additional information about the event, contact Anna Saradeth at:
206.336.6931 | pieces@childrenandyouth.org | www.childrenandyouth.org