Social Movement of Families

Last week I attended a conference in Seattle. Other attendees included state and national leaders who work towards implementing a new framework around services for supporting children and families. Together policymakers, service providers, researchers, the philanthropic community, and parent partners (like myself) engaged in conversation around a social movement gaining momentum across the United States.

This conference inspired several blogs around online networking techniques used to create national consensus in issues concerning early childhood education. Additionally, I look forward to learning ways that these techniques will result in a wealth of data which reflects the positive outcomes families experience as parents are considered critical partners in the development, implementation, and management of policies. However, now I would like to briefly highlight the work of the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Luz A. Vega-Marquis, the President and CEO of the foundation, provided a dynamic presentation at the conference discussing the foundations values, mission, and vision. The values of this philanthropic organization are diversity and anti-racism, equity, learning and growing, mutual respect and trust, stewardship, sustained connections, and transparency. http://www.caseygrants.org/

Ms. Vega-Marquis spoke quite a bit about the foundation's commitment of building a foundation to support a social movement. The foundation currently funds organizations in impoverished communities to bring together families at local town hall meetings. At these meetings families discuss social and economic barriers that they face. These conversations lead to the unveiling of rich a collective knowledge and unite families across race, discipline, and class. The collective knowledge will create a platform from which a united front of working class families will stand as their political campaign is kicked off at a mulitcity convention on September 6, 2008.

On the website www.equalvoice2008.org a visitor may view YouTube footage and observe the conversation process occurring at the town hall meetings. Users visiting this sight will find that they can endorse the campaign, sign up on an email listserve to receive more information, and share the sight address on a variety of social bookmarking sights linked to the webpage. Also, on the Build a Movement button the user has access to connect with other Marguerite Casey Grantees, see the work they've been doing, access online communication tools, and create or expand a media guide to add to the movements purpose. This website details past and upcoming town hall meetings, maintains a plethors of campaign materials for anyone to download and use. Also, the site houses a library of videos (26). In the video titled President Luz-Vegas Interview, the CEO of the foundation discusses the views of the foundation's commitment towards educating families about using technology as a means for staying involved and progressing the movement. Ms. Vegas discusses the mindfulness from which the foundation works which understands that many people are working 2 to 3 jobs and that they are tired at the end of the day and may still stay involved through their computers. Also, Ms. Vegas iterates that in many of the communities technology is still very limited where even phone access is not available.

I found this website surprisingly interactive. And I will return frequently, to be sure, in the next couple months for campaign materials, reference materials, etc. as I continue much similar work with children and families locally in Thurston county.