The 2017 Civic Innovation Institute Agenda is here!
Guest and Keynote Speaker:
James Shields
Director of the Bonner Center for Community Service and Learning
Guilford College - Greensboro, NC
James Shields is a 2000 Guilford College graduate and has worked in the Bonner Center for Community Learning since 2001. He began as the Volunteer Training Coordinator and later became director of the center in 2002.
During his tenure as director, the center has been nationally recognized for its innovative community service programs. He oversees a campus wide service program that annually exceeds over 40,000 hours of service annually. In 2008, North Carolina Campus Compact named James Civic Engagement Professional of the year.
James has nurtured established community partnerships that include: Project Community, Project HOME, Pathways Tutoring Project, Glenhaven Tutoring Project, Prison Literacy Program, and Campus AIDS Project, African Services Coalition. He also helped to establish new partnerships that include: Greensboro’s Newcomers School, Latino Impact, a tutoring and mentoring program for Latino youth and Guilford’s Food justice initiative.
James’ community involvement includes being Chairman of the board for Snow Camp Historical Society and Motherland International. He served as a member of Guilford County’s taskforce to end homelessness, and was a change agent in the IMPACT Greensboro project which seeks to forge collective ways to address and impact key community interests and concerns in the areas of race, education, economics, neighborhoods and criminal justice. Shields is most proud of his work around the issue of racism and service work. He has partnered with his students to give presentations at national conferences on Anti racist approaches to service, as well as support for undocumented students. James is also a founding member of Guilford College’s Anti racism team and one of the lead facilitators for Guilford’s Understanding Racism workshops. His early activist work includes organizing protests against US policy in El Salvador, apartheid in South Africa and the first Gulf war.
He is also known for his work as an actor and director in the drama produced by Snow Camp Outdoor theatre, Pathway to Freedom which depicts the local history of the Underground Railroad. James is currently working on a one man show about Fredrick Douglass to debut sometime in 2017. He shares a home with his wife of nearly 30 years, Elaine, their daughter Keisha and a 20-pound cat named Zorro.
Director of the Bonner Center for Community Service and Learning
Guilford College - Greensboro, NC
James Shields is a 2000 Guilford College graduate and has worked in the Bonner Center for Community Learning since 2001. He began as the Volunteer Training Coordinator and later became director of the center in 2002.
During his tenure as director, the center has been nationally recognized for its innovative community service programs. He oversees a campus wide service program that annually exceeds over 40,000 hours of service annually. In 2008, North Carolina Campus Compact named James Civic Engagement Professional of the year.
James has nurtured established community partnerships that include: Project Community, Project HOME, Pathways Tutoring Project, Glenhaven Tutoring Project, Prison Literacy Program, and Campus AIDS Project, African Services Coalition. He also helped to establish new partnerships that include: Greensboro’s Newcomers School, Latino Impact, a tutoring and mentoring program for Latino youth and Guilford’s Food justice initiative.
James’ community involvement includes being Chairman of the board for Snow Camp Historical Society and Motherland International. He served as a member of Guilford County’s taskforce to end homelessness, and was a change agent in the IMPACT Greensboro project which seeks to forge collective ways to address and impact key community interests and concerns in the areas of race, education, economics, neighborhoods and criminal justice. Shields is most proud of his work around the issue of racism and service work. He has partnered with his students to give presentations at national conferences on Anti racist approaches to service, as well as support for undocumented students. James is also a founding member of Guilford College’s Anti racism team and one of the lead facilitators for Guilford’s Understanding Racism workshops. His early activist work includes organizing protests against US policy in El Salvador, apartheid in South Africa and the first Gulf war.
He is also known for his work as an actor and director in the drama produced by Snow Camp Outdoor theatre, Pathway to Freedom which depicts the local history of the Underground Railroad. James is currently working on a one man show about Fredrick Douglass to debut sometime in 2017. He shares a home with his wife of nearly 30 years, Elaine, their daughter Keisha and a 20-pound cat named Zorro.
Workshop & Roundtable Descriptions
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Cultivating Future Professionals Students can gain so much for their internships, service-learning, and volunteering--and you can be a part of that! Join us for a discussion about the kinds of skills students seek, what their next employer might want them to know, and how to develop their "inner professional." Examples will be shared! Fundamentals of Community-Academic Partnerships Beth Hilton - Executive Director, Highlands Educational Literacy Program Travis Proffitt - Associate Director, Appalachian Center for Civic Life This workshop will provide an overview of the characteristics inherent in a robust academic/community partnership. Relying heavily on resources from Community Camps Partnerships for Health, participants will have the opportunity to analyze current partnerships and explore ways to strengthen them. Looking Back and Looking Forward on Critical Reflection Maggie Obermann - Civic Engagement Coord., Appalachian Center for Civic Life Dr. Tracy Lauder - Director, Ampersand Center at Emory & Henry College We cannot move beyond charity without good reflection. Thinking about what we're doing makes it possible for new discoveries, insights, and paths forward. This interactive workshop will ask participants to think about their own reflective practice and to integrate critical reflection into their work. College Student Development 101 Kyle Cutshaw - Dean of Students, Emory & Henry College What's the best way to engage and work with college students? This session will provide insight into the social and emotional development of an ever-changing generation of students. Fundamentals of Community Organizing This highly interactive session will give participants a thorough overview of the essential skills for effective community organizing. Topics will include: developing strategies and tactics, media relations, meeting planning, and much more! Developing a Policy Agenda for Your Agency Caroline Twiggs - Community Partnerships Coord., Mars Hill University Explore best practices and boundaries for non-profits engaging in social action. Learn how to use volunteers to support the advocacy work of your organization. Getting Fired Up! Preparing College Students for Advocacy Caroline Twiggs - Community Partnerships Coord., Mars Hill University Looking for ways to get students involved in Political Engagement? Learn how one institution involves students through the Bonner Program, Community Advocacy Fellowships, First Year Seminars and Social Welfare Policy classes. You will receive syllabi, voter education strategies, and student advocacy program models. Paying for Change: Funding Strategies for Social Change Shauna Gillespie, Paige Cordial, and Ashley Marie Browning - Appalachian Community Fund Let's face it: it takes resources to do the work. From staffing to funding programs, we need capital to make our programs work. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn strategies to fund their projects from representatives from the Appalachian Community Fund. Working for the Long Haul: Caring for Yourself and Your Team Travis Proffitt - Associate Director, Appalachian Center for Civic Life We are dedicated to our work; but it can be draining! This session will focus on the importance of building a culture of self-care and will offer a range of strategies for maintaining a sense of wellness and balance in our lives. From Charity to Change: Changing Systems, Not Symptoms James Shields - Director, Bonner Center for Community Service and Learning, Guilford College Networking, Wine, and Hors d' Oeuvres Macado's Restaurant, Emory, VA Located just across the tracks from the E&H campus, Macado's is a quick walk from the institute location. Please join us for fellowship and refreshments following our first day of meetings. This event is an institute favorite and one your'e sure to enjoy! See you at Macado's! |
Friday, June 9, 2017
Friday morning will be a time for productive conversations and big-picture thinking. Four roundtable discussions, led by regional leaders, will give participants the chance to learn what efforts are already underway and what new approaches might be possible in addressing the largest questions and challenges in our region. It is our hope at Emory & Henry that these roundtable discussions will give us the concrete directives for our future partnerships and civic engagement work across the region. Issue-based Roundtables (Check back soon as specific roundtable topics become availabile.) Health and Wellness Bryan Haynes - CEO, Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems Michael Armbrister - Director, Mel Leaman Free Clinic Economic Development Sandy Ratliff - Community Impact Advisor, Virginia Community Capital, Inc. Dr. Deborah Spender - Professor of Economics, Emory & Henry College Environmental Sustainability Carol Doss - Executive Director, Upper Tennessee River Roundtable Dr. Ed Davis - Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies, Emory & Henry College Arts and Culture Diana Blackburn - Executive Director, 'Round the Mountain: Southwest Virginia's Artisan Network Manda Remmen - Professor of Art, Emory & Henry College |